[I actually wrote this in May of 2016, but then things like work and being an adult and playing on multiple intramural softball teams at the same time and getting really into Gilmore Girls got in the way of ever publishing it anywhere. But I liked it, and it's my blog, so I'm using it now. Some of this might be slightly out of date.]

ANYWAY.

For my first post, let’s go on an adventure into the depths of my camera roll. As you might have deduced, it’s full of poorly lit pictures of food that I’ve eaten across Houston and beyond. I know you're dying to see them.

[In no particular order]

Provisions

Ah, the wonderfully pretentious Provisions (as in The Pass & Provisions; The Pass is a little out of my budget). This is from May of 2015, but I have recently revisited and can confirm that this place is still both wonderful and pompous. On the far right (and again more close up in the left photo) is “falafel,” and next to it, if I remember correctly, is the most incredible meatball sub I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. I know what you’re thinking: “really? You went to the #1 restaurant in Houston (according to the Houston Chronicle) and ordered a meatball sub?” YEAH, we did. And it was absolutely glorious. We also ate what I firmly believe is the best pizza in Houston, but for some unknown reason it was the only part of this meal I didn’t get a picture of, so you’ll have to take my word for it.

Corkscrew BBQ

I am a hardcore music snob, a bit of a TV snob, and an all around food snob (obviously), but I would say I take the most pride in my BBQ snobbery. This detour to Spring was the result of a delayed flight to Colorado in July of 2015 (hence the Snapchat caption). I’ve never been so thankful for a delayed flight! The brisket was some of the best, if not the best I’ve ever had, rivaling both Cooper’s and Killen’s, which I consider to be the standards for brisket perfection. I do remember thinking we didn’t order enough (this meal was supposed to feed two hungry adults), so in the words of Doc Brown, “we have to go back!”

Side note: I have no recollection of eating anything else on that tray. I’m sure it was wonderful, but I really only care about brisket here.

Common Bond / Tiny Boxwoods

You may have heard about my restaurant spreadsheet, and probably my coffee map…possibly my bar list…but I may not have mentioned that I also have a pretty comprehensive running list of where to find the best chocolate chip cookies in Houston. These two baked dreams tie for number 1, and after that, it’s not even close. A Tiny Boxwoods/Tiny’s No. 5 warm chocolate chip cookie is indescribably soft and buttery, but Common Bond’s huge chocolate chip cookies contain walnuts that perfectly complement the…okay who am I kidding, I don’t actually know “food critic lingo," but trust me, these are as close to a perfectly crafted chocolate chip cookie you are going to find in Houston (or maybe anywhere). Also, Tiny Boxwoods serves decent cute, somewhat overpriced “girly” food in a beautiful garden. It’s a fun place, but what you really want is that cookie. Don’t skip the other offerings at Common Bond, though. Get there early (like, way early) to get the croissants when they are fresh. You can’t go wrong with any of the pastries there. It’s also arguably the most Instagram-worthy restaurant in the city.

Yeahhh we spent a good five minutes staging this...#noshame

Tout Suite

Depending on how you define “coffee shop”, I have now been to 23 different caffeine-fueled institutions in Houston throughout the past year-ish (and documented the pros and cons of each as a potential CPA studying location, but that’s a post for another day). You might see this as an interesting fact about me, or you might just be questioning why I spend an alarmingly high percentage of my income on overpriced coffee, but either way, here’s the one I keep going back to, even though the CPA has been behind me for quite some time now. But first, in my defense, going to coffee shops to study somehow forced me to focus and be more productive and also tricked me into being excited about studying (I get to go to a new coffee shop today, yay!). Because this is me we are talking about, I had to do thorough research on the Houston coffee scene, and on principle, avoided Starbucks under any circumstances. (Check out the strategically placed Macbook and CPA review materials in that first picture that I stole from my own Instagram…pretty sure by the time I got a shot I was happy with the actual coffee was cold.) Anyway, Tout Suite is huge, has good coffee, great desserts, and it even has a relatively wide menu of above-average food. (On the left there is an Acai Bowl, which I’m pretty sure is hipster for “expensive yogurt parfait," but it was delicious.) The space is awesome for hanging out and/or studying (but bring headphones because it gets loud), and they stay open late. Oh, and they also serve alcohol. THEY THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING!

I could and most likely will do about 83 more of these posts with the pictures currently on my phone alone. Stay tuned.

<3 liz