Easy Like Sunday Morning

Good afternoon, readers. Sorry about the lack of actual post yesterday, I was busy running around Houston having a non-celebratory celebration on the first of my three former prospective wedding dates. Does that make any sense? Probably not. It barely makes sense to me, either.

The bright side of my un-wedding date (though is there ever a bright side?) was the fact that I went and enjoyed some amazing Houston food and culture with two of my very favorite people in the world.

Getting ready for the day's festivities. The opposite of a wedding dress? A red and black one.

We had a leisurely morning yesterday, as our reservations for weren't until 11:30 a.m. Despite several entreaties to eat, I saved my appetite. We arrived at Brennan's in proper dressy brunch attire: think Country Club luncheon. Brennan's is this beautiful brick building the likes of which I've only seen in Houston and New Orleans. It oozes Southern gulf atmosphere (and you can smell the bananas foster cooking from the street!). As I was told by my dining companions, the original building actually burned during Hurricane Ike a few years ago during an electrical fire (or maybe lightning?). The facade on one side was salvageable, but they went ahead and re-did the entire restaurant. This unintentional face-lift has helped to revitalize the place from a slightly stodgy sixties era classic (blazers are still required in the dining room during dinner and weekday lunch) to a much more swank and modern atmosphere.

Loving my food!

With the mimosas and bloody mary's flowing freely, we ended up being serenaded by a fabulous four piece band. This classic was perfect pick-me-up music for a slightly depressing situation, as you can tell here. With my crawfish omelette and a little Lionel Ritchie, Brennan's cemented its place in my heart as a new favorite place to dine in Houston.

My lovely troubadours.

After our long brunch, we went back to prepare ourselves for the next stage of the day's plans (which may or may not have involved more mimosas to prepare for). My companions decided to take me to Washington Avenue to hit some of the night spots there, so I could get a feel for the Houston crowd. We ended up at a pretty nondescript sports bar, and it being the day after St. Paddy's, it was a mixture of those hung over (and still in green), and those looking to make up for not having gone out the night before. It wasn't amazing (definitely not my crowd), but it had a pretty view.

The sports bar we went to. This is downtown from the deck.


Then it was dinner time (brunch had taken awhile in the morning). We went to meet up with a friend at Max's Wine Dive, whose slogan is "Champagne and fried chicken; why not?" Despite the seediness of the location (which was a strip mall on Washington Ave.), it had fabulous atmosphere, as well as the witty quotes pictured here. My favorite is the one directly below.

"Wine is bottled poetry"

Honestly, I don't know what goes better with fried chicken than champagne after sampling the two together (though I was reminded by my dining companion, "Duh. Beer."). Regardless, it was a wonderful place, and the fried chicken was truly incredible.

"No working during drinking hours"

After that we made our way toward home, stopping at a local bar (and apparent hotspot) OTC. After introducing myself to the bartenders (the best people to know when you're new in town), we headed home to tuck ourselves in early.

All in all, it was a wonderful introduction to Houston. Old fashioned yet edgy; romantic and young; debaucherous but straight-laced. It has made me more aware of what it has to offer (and this was all around the neighborhood where I'm staying), and eager to explore more.

Suffice it to say, today I spent a lot of time in bed. I worked on some stuff and got my nails done (hello big city!), but nothing really worth reporting here. After my delicious dinner that I will be sharing with some family, I am headed for bed, to hopefully rest up for more adventures tomorrow.

Now, here's a little something to leave you thinking before bedtime. It might not sum things up perfectly here, but Tom Waits has been on my mind recently...

Cheers!