Your WEEKEND Brand: JANUARY — My Southern Brand

Houston is LIT! There’s always something to do in this amazing metropolis. From museums to clubs to concerts to beaches and Mardi Gras in Galveston to shopping, Houston has you covered. As a result, Houston receives over 20 million visitors a year; these visitors indulge in everything the metro has to offer. Whether your visit is for a week-long conference or just for a weekend getaway, you will not be disappointed with the amenities, especially the food! Ladies and gentlemen, this is where I can provide some assistance for your stay. Since most of you come here for a weekend, starting with Friday and ending with Sunday, I’m going to provide you with a list of some of my favorite restaurants in Houston to experience. Whether you fly into Bush or into Hobby or you drive into the city, the smell of good food will be in the air!

Let me compose your weekend’s restaurant itinerary with Your WEEKEND Brand…

FRIDAY

SNACK

First stop, Sno Dreamz. Owned by Houston-born residents with New Orleans roots, Sno Dreamz is a black owned family sno-ball restaurant that has been serving Houstonians for over 10 years. This dessert shop is located in Third Ward off Scott Street across from the University of Houston. Here, the sno-balls are specialties and are insane! You can get a “Strawberry Fluff,” which is a strawberry sno-ball that includes crushed strawberries and whipped cream atop. If you are feeling adventurous and really want to experience the true New Orleans style, you can get a sno-ball of any flavor with diced pickles atop. Nonetheless, I recommend the red velvet sno-ball; personally, red velvet is my favorite cake, and it tastes really close to it. The red velvet flavored sno-ball includes vanilla ice cream in it and is drizzled with condensed milk, another popular New Orleans style of sno-ball. It’s truly like you’re eating a red velvet cake in a cup. Also, I recommend getting a large size, which is priced at $4.50. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with this dessert palace!

DINNER

For dinner, I highly recommend Wing Quarter: Daiquiris & Creole Kitchen. In Houston's famous Third Ward, the restaurant is my go-to spot; it is located off Old Spanish Trail (OST) in a newly constructed restaurant plaza and is surrounded by heavy-hitting black restaurants and eateries like Ray's BBQ Shack and Sugar Rush. I’ve been here several times because the food is addictive. Normally, I get the “Canal Street Special.” This meal, named after the popular street in New Orleans, includes 10 fried shrimps that are drenched in a homemade sweet and sour sauce, a side of seasoned fries (or dirty rice), and a cornbread muffin. Lying on top of the fries, the golden brown fried shrimp is crispy but is not fried too hard. Also, the fries are seasoned with Cajun spices and are hot and fresh. Next, the cornbread muffin is sweet and soft and adds versatility to the meal, which costs about $14.75. Lastly, if you’re feeling a little extra, then get a daiquiri! Wing Quarter's daiquiris, which are $7.00, are out of this world. They have 3 flavors: Crazy Cajun Colada, Gator Rita, and New Orleans Hurricane. I always get the Cajun Colada and New Orleans Hurricane mixture, which leaves me feeling kinda LIT. Wing Quarter is definitely the move before you head out for a night on the town.

LATE-NIGHT MEAL

The Breakfast Klub is one of Houston’s top recognized restaurants; during the day, several tourists and locals alike brave long lines to consume the goodness that this restaurant has to offer. As a result, TBK is now opened from 10 pm - 3 am during the weekend. Oh buddy, some wings and waffles definitely sound good after a long night of partying. This meal, which is $14.99, includes 6 crispy chicken wings atop a huge fluffy waffle that are topped with powdered sugar and a side of strawberries. The wings are perfectly battered and seasoned with a secret in-house recipe that keeps the restaurant’s buzz alive. The fluffy waffle is buttery and is kind of sweet but accommodates the wings successively; it will surely soak up any alcohol consumed at the local bars. Also, if you’re feeling thirsty, then I recommend the homemade lemonade ($3.75); this lemonade is some of the best lemonade that I’ve ever had, and I’m a big fan of this beverage. The Breakfast Klub is definitely worth the Houston weekend experience!

SATURDAY

LUNCH

Houston’s Puerto Rican population is growing pretty fast, and the growth is shown in the number of restaurants that have opened in recent years. On the other hand, no restaurant comes close to the KING of Puerto Rican restaurants: Tex Chick Puerto Rican Restaurant. Located in Montrose, Tex Chick is a colorful hole-in-the-wall, which is my favorite type of restaurant. Here, I recommend the “Bistec Encebollado” meal ($14.00), which English’s translation is “steak and onions.” Accompanied with the steak and onions are mofongo (mashed plantains garlic, pork rinds, and olive oil), tostones (fried plantains), and a house salad. The thin-cut steak, marinated in onions and vinegar, is so deliciously tender; it reminds me of grilled steak without the onions! The fried plantains gives off a sweet energy that’s reminiscent of Puerto Rico’s colorful culture. The mofongo, which is a medley of plantains and pork rinds, is very similar to mashed potatoes. Also, I STRONGLY recommend the jueyes (crabmeat) and camarones (shrimp) empanadas ($3.00 each); they are fresh, soft, and flavorful! If you are a sucker for anything that’s seafood, then the empanadas will not fail you! Last but not least, I recommend a champagne-flavored Tropi-Cola ($2.50), which is a sweet soft drink that’s native to the Caribbean. Tex Chick has it going on, so you’re in for a tasty lunch!

DRINK

Located on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Houston’s South Union neighborhood, Nawlins DShop is owned by a New Orleans native who knows how to make exceptional daiquiris. The D-shop did not disappoint the multiple times I’d patronized. Here, there’s a huge chalkboard with several flavors and daiquiri names on the wall. However, I recommend customizing your own daiquiri, which includes green apple, watermelon, and piña colada flavors. It’s something about green apple and watermelon being mixed together; the flavors together are impeccable! The watermelon flavor is pretty sweet, while the green apple flavor is sharp and sour. Adding piña colada to the mix, makes the concoction a little creamy, as well. Even though the respective flavors are regularly sweet, the overall daiquiri is stronger than it is sweet; this may be a plus for my people who like the “feeling” over the actual taste. The daiquiris here are very strong, but hey, the owner is from New Orleans! All in all, the medium size, which costs $6.00, will be sufficient for you. Nawlins DShop is definitely a D-shop that you want to patronize during your stay!

DINNER

Popularly known as “TiTi,” his comedic fictional female character, Kway recently opened up Krab Queenz, a restaurant with Baton Rouge origins, in Westchase on Westheimer Road. Krab Queenz is definitely becoming a popular foodie destination, since Kway, who has over 3 million followers on Instagram, has been heavily advertising the restaurant on his platform and has been at the restaurant greeting and serving fans and patrons alike. At Krab Queenz, I recommend the “Seafood and Waffles” combo, which comes with a meat choice of fried shrimp, fried fish, or fried lobster on top of a large waffle. For you, I’d choose fried shrimp ($15.99). Let me start off by saying that the fried shrimp is plentiful; the meal comes with 8 shrimp. The shrimp isn’t fried too hard and is perfectly seasoned with Cajun spices, and they taste amazing with the homemade Cajun tarter sauce. Now, the waffle, which is accompanied with syrup, will be a pleasant surprise; it isn’t the typical breakfast waffle that’s kind of bland. The waffle, which is made from an in-house special recipe, tastes close to a cinnamon roll. You would thoroughly enjoy eating the shrimp and waffle together; the Cajun seasoning and the crunchiness of the shrimp eaten together with the sweet and dessert-like waffle is a true foodie’s dream! Krab Queenz has great food and definitely has that fun atmosphere and young crowd that a lot of black-owned restaurants in Houston have.

SUNDAY

BRUNCH

Phil & Derek’s is the king of all brunch spots to which I’ve been, and it begins Houston’s famous “Sunday Funday.” Initially, $28.00 for brunch sounds kind of pricey, but it’s worth it because the food (buffet-style) is limitless. Again, Creole and Cajun cultures are huge in Houston, so Phil & Derek’s has no shortage of the respective cuisines. The buffet includes gumbo, collard greens, fried chicken, fried catfish, grits, smoked sausage, red beans & rice, cakes, etc.; everything is pretty darn good. Additionally, Phil & Derek’s is popularly known for its mimosas! The mimosas are that good and will have you on your head, if you’re not careful. LOL. Phil & Derek’s used to offer bottomless mimosas, but now, they offer carafes for $3.00 each. My friends and I normally get about 4 - 5 carafes in one setting; the flavors we get include pomegranate, punch, cherry, pineapple, and orange. From the buffet, I normally get some pineapples and put a couple into my glasses of mimosas. After several glasses, the whole restaurant becomes LIT! Everyone is up dancing to bounce music, waving their napkins to New Orleans second line songs, and singing old jams and current music; the turn up gets real! Lastly, the place gets extremely crowded on Sundays, which can result in a 2 hour wait to be seated and a 2 hour table limit. Make sure y’all plan to arrive no later than 10:30 am, nonetheless!

As you can tell, Houston is a food paradise. You will not be hungry during your stay for the food here is bomb and is plentiful. I hope you enjoy your time in Houston and experience everything that the area has to offer!