Now that my best friend lives in Houston, be prepared for frequent Houston travels.  Last weekend, I went to visit and I swear she tried to show me all of Houston in 72 hours.  If you've never been to Houston, it is definitely a foodie city with a creole influence of oysters, gumbo and crawfish.  We literally ate and drank the whole time.  Here are a few places we went to:

Winnies, known for their sandwiches, cocktails and oysters.  We got some raw oysters which were like 50 cents each for happy hour, chargrilled oysters and the old fashion treasure box.  The treasure box comes with all of the ingredients you need to make a table side cocktail.   Everything was really good.
Location: 3622 Main, HTX

The Pit Room apparently has the best crawfish in Houston.  They were plump and had just the right amount of spice.  We literally sat on the patio with a cider and crushed 3 pounds with no regrets. 
Location: 1201 Richmond Ave, HTX

Savoir just opened a speakeasy called Patton's Steakhouse.  You enter through Savoir and walk through their wine room into a dimly lit restaurant.  The menu was somewhat limited which I was ok with since I wasn't really hungry.  At this point I was full from all the other stuff we ate that day so I only had a cocktail and a wedge salad. 
Location: 1344 Yale St, HTX

Hando, a cute little handroll sushi spot.  The sushi was decent. I enjoyed the calamari.  It was cooked perfectly.  The drinks were good. I got the lychee martini. They also have a speakeasy on the other side which I thought was kind of dope.
Location: 518 W 11th St Suite 500, HTX

Bloom, a super cute bar/club.  They have the trendy flower walls, cute decor and fun cocktails that makes it instagram worthy.  On Friday nights, they have salsa lessons.  We didn't participate but it was fun to watch.
Location: 2901 Fannin St, HTX

A'dor, bar/hookah lounge.  This was actually pretty chill for a Saturday.  We stopped by for drinks and hookah. They also have crawfish so you know we had to indulge.
Location: 403 W Gray St, HTX

Lucilles, a southern restaurant.  We went for brunch and sat on the patio where they had a live band which was a cool little vibe.  I got the chicken and waffles which were pretty good.  The fried green tomatoes were to die for though.  I just started eating tomatoes in like the past 2 years so if I say they were good, take my word for it.
Location: 5512 La Branch St, HTX

Diversion Cocktails, a craft cocktail bar.  They are a farm to table bar where they grow all of their own products to make their syrups, tinctures and bitters or partner with farmers from local farmer markets.  The immersive cocktails were a dope concept.  The charcuterie board was really good and paired well with the drinks.
Location: 7202 Long Point Rd, HTX

As you can see, we definitely did the most.  I can't wait to go back. 

So I went to Johnny Pistolas for brunch yesterday to celebrate a friends birthday. I typically don’t hang out in Adams Morgan…it’s just not my crowd and parking sucks! Johnny Pistolas offers bottomless mimosas, sangria and bloody Mary’s. For $34 you can do bottomless drinks and an entree. That’s a steal! The food was surprisingly good! I had the loaded potatoes. My friends enjoyed the chicken and waffles and the hangover bowl. After brunch, we went upstairs and partied a little bit. The DJ wasn’t great but we had fun nonetheless.

Finally made it to Trulucks this weekend and it was everything that I anticipated. A high end seafood restaurant on the corner of 7th and K St. The ambiance, the food, the service were all great. We ordered the calamari and yeast rolls for apps. I had the Branzino and mashed potatoes for my main and the Key Lime Pie for dessert. My friends had the sea bass and the carrot cake and chocolate cake. The desserts are humongous!! My phone died (childish…I know) so unfortunately I don’t have a lot of pictures but I will definitely be going again!

As many of you know, I've been working on opening a restaurant with my partners Chef Skip and Ju'Nor Tucker.  Chef Skip started as a food truck in 2016 and has since expanded to 2 locations in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. We've been talking about opening a DC location for years.  In March, we reached out to an agent, Kimberlee Randall of the Kimberlee Randall Group to help us find a location.  We instantly fell in love with a former carryout location on Euclid St in Northwest.  Our agent reached out to get the ball rolling.  After 45 days of lease negotiations, we signed the lease.  On June 1, we received the keys and it's been non-stop ever since.  I set a goal to be open by August 1.  After some hurdles and road blocks, I am pleased to announce that we will finally be soft opening next week.  The exact day is TBA.  Follow us on IG @chefskip202 or Facebook.com/chefskip202 for additional information on our soft opening and grand opening celebration.

The Wells, a gin bar on Capitol Hill was a dope experience.  I call it an experience because it's super exclusive.  They are currently only open on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They open reservations for the upcoming month towards the end of the month which are usually booked up quickly.  August reservations are open NOW! They require a $15 per person deposit, but this goes towards your bill.  

Our reservations were a few nights ago.  I received a text about 15 minutes before my reservation to text back when I arrive to the green door.  There is an inconspicuous green door nestled between The Duck & the Peach and La Collina which are sister restaurants of The Wells. The hostess met us outside and showed us to our table.  After seating us, the hostess locked the door behind us which definitely made me feel like I was in a speak easy.

The bar is immaculately decorated but also super chill and laid back.  The service was great.  Our waitress was attentive.  The gin craft cocktails were all amazing.  I'm not usually a gin fan, but I enjoyed the Patio and the Bee's Knees.

I highly recommend for a date night or girls night.

Tiger Fork in Blagden Alley has been on my list for a minute. If you’ve never been to Blagden Alley, search my site for the previous post I did a few months ago. Tiger Fork is an Asian themed restaurant with beautiful decor and an outdoor patio. Although their menu is limited compared to previously, I was pleased with my choices. I had the mushroom & broccoli dumplings as an app and the salt and pepper fish as my entree. The dessert was the finisher though. The Chinese S’more was a deconstructed s’more with house-made ice cream that was amazing! I strongly recommend reservations as this place gets packed in the evenings.
Would I go again? Yes.
Do I need to go regularly? No.

If you’ve been, let me know what you think.

​📍922 Blagden Alley NW, WDC

Epiq Food Hall just opened in Woodbridge. Y’all know I’m greedy and having so many food options under one roof makes me excited. With 14 different vendors including Pho, Italian, Seafood, Southern, tacos, desserts and a bar means they have a little bit of everything for everyone. Food halls often host start up businesses and give them a place to generate revenue and advertise their business. Opening a restaurant has given me a deeper understanding of how hard it is for start-ups to get established so please support these vendors!

​📍14067 Noblewood Plaza, Woodbridge, VA

La Vie is the sister restaurant to Nara-Ya at the Wharf. La Vie is known for its swanky decor and panoramic view of the harbor. I just discovered La Vie has private cabanas and cabines on their Penthouse Portico called Painter’s Row. Each cabana pays tribute to a famous painter. To reserve cabanas and cabines for brunch, the deposit is $100. Reservations can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. They’re also hosting a special Diamonds in the sky event for the fireworks on 4th of July. Cabanas are sold out but you can purchase individual tix. For deets, visit www.exploretock.com/lavie/

My friend and I were dying to try Nara-Ya for weeks. It is an upscale Japanese restaurant at the wharf. The decor is beautiful and eye-catching. Service was also really good. They feature an extensive drinks menu of Japanese inspired craft cocktails, sake and Japanese whiskey. I loved the smoked tuna and sushi. The “Its Business Time” was my favorite. For our entrees, I ordered the Rockfish which was served with broccolini and cooked perfectly and my friend ordered the scallops. While both were delicious and flavorful, I must warn you that they are really small plates. All in all, I enjoyed the experience.

The Yard Milkshake Bar looks amazing!  Their unique milkshake concepts are a hit and they were even featured on Sharktank.  Originating in Gulf Shores, AL, they have expanded to multiple locations.  I was excited to learn they had locations in the 757 and DMV.  www.theyardmilkshakebar.com for more info.

Virginia Beach: 3229 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 103, VA Bch
Ashburn: 20352 Exchange St, Unit 103, Ashburn, VA