perfectlypairedhtx

Superica

Featured by perfectlypairedhtx, posted in Restaurants

We are die-hards for Tex-Mex. We’re talking fanatics. Maybe it’s our Texas showing but we’re ALWAYS in the mood for it. Anddd we’ve got pretty high standards. It has to be greasy but not too greasy, cheesy but not too cheesy (except for the queso or queso fundido), and spicy but enjoyable. We know know the whole meal itself is most likely going to feel like a marathon and we’re going to leave feeling like we ate a heavy meal, but we just hope not so heavy that we feel like death. It really is a fine line when it comes to Tex-Mex and we’ve found a newish place in town that fits the bill. Superica. It has our hearts and we think you should most definitely try it. It’s one of Ford Fry’s amazing creations and is located in the Heights right on Shepherd Dr.

Upon arrival, you can already feel the fun atmosphere. It feels like a celebration with lots of friends hanging out together. There was going to be a bit of a wait last time we were there (a Saturday night for dinner) and so we grabbed a marg and went back outside. There we sat down and drank our margarita and had such a blast we didn’t even think about the wait. The margs we chose were the El Frio and the O.G. We will try the fun ones next time for sure, but the classics were amazing! Between the two, we preferred on the rocks. Unfortunately, they do not have a happy hour, but you can’t win them all.

At the table they have great chips (which is a huge concern of ours) and a good selection of homemade hot sauce and salsa. If you’re looking for an app, we recommend the Queso Fundido con Chorizo. It was incredible! I wouldn’t say getting an appetizer with the chips and salsa as well as the portions of the meals is necessary, but LIVE YOUR LIFE! Get the queso!

When it came to the meal, we had to try the fajitas and we also got an order of the Tacos al Carbon. We just like to compare 🙂 Also ordered were the Cheese and the Chicken Susias enchiladas. We could not pick a favorite. Everything was great! Truly, we want to keep going back and trying other menu items because we had such a good time. Let us know when you’re headed there and we would love to tag along!

This place is a must try for all of the reasons listed above. Great food, great atmosphere, and great drinks. The other Houston restaurants in Ford Fry’s line-up are La Lucha and State of Grace. They also deserve a visit. La Lucha is on our list and we’ve heard it’s amazing. Fingers crossed we get to try soon! State of Grace is decorated impeccably and the food is just as amazing.

We can’t wait to see you all at Superica soon!

Peace & Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

Helen in the Heights

Featured by perfectlypairedhtx, posted in Happy Hour

Hey there friends! Happy Thursday!

Does anyone else love “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”?! I think it is one of the funniest movies ever, so many quotes I still say – especially when I see a bundt cake! I’ve always wanted to experience Greece and the Greek culture, but as close as I’ve gotten thus far is at a Houston local greek restaurant, Helen in the Heights. I know it is not the most authentic Greek experience, but my requirements are pretty low – there needs to be Feta cheese 🙂

We had been wanting to try Helen in the Heights for quite a while since they do have ALL DAY Happy Hour on Thursdays! I mean how perfect is that? We often struggle to get to a place before the happy hour specials end, so we are always looking for one that goes late or even lasts all day. Tuesday- Friday happy hour is from 3:30-6:30, so still a good time every other day! Specials include $5 cocktails, $9 wine, $3 beer, and appetizers ranging from $6-10. The cheese board is a little more expensive, but the price depends on what will be on the board that day.

The Drinks. We love places that have all their cocktails on special because it gives us an excuse to try new things and not feel too bad about spending money on something we may not like. Between the whole group we tried them all, but the favorite was the Cosmopolitan. It was so refreshing and dangerously easy to drink. We also enjoyed the classic French 75 and the boys of course loved the Old Fashioned. We are pretty predictable when it comes to cocktails, but these classics were great and did not disappoint.

The Food. There were so many fun things on the menu that we had a hard time picking what to get, so yet again we ordered almost one of everything. They have a dip trio that changes daily. They all resembled hummus but had a unique twist on the normal chickpea dip. Our favorite of the appetizers was the Fried Feta. I mean how can you get better than that – a delicious cheese, fried with honey syrup on top. It was so good we ordered multiple. Another favorite of the evening

was the Greek Poutine. We had never tried something like this before, but it was so tasty! For dessert we finished off with the Bourbon & Baklava Soft Serve. And yes, it tasted as amazing as it sounds.

We will definitely make a trip back to Helen in the Heights soon because the deals were unbeatable and the food and drinks did not disappoint!

Grab some friends and head that way this afternoon!

Peace and Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

Decant Urban Winery & Great Heights Brewing

Featured by perfectlypairedhtx, posted in Beer, Brewery, Happy Hour, Wine Bars

We’re so excited about this weeks location, or should we say locations?!? Recently we went to Decant Urban Winery and Great Heights Brewing on the same day and they are both incredible. They are both relatively new, located in Garden Oaks/Oak Forest, and right next door to each other. We’ll dive into both, but first up is Decant.

We had been wanting to make our way over to Decant to check it out for a while now and are so glad that we made it over. We had the best experience there! Kristina is the Winemaker and she and her husband are the owners and operators. Upon entry, Kristina greeted us with the biggest smile and was readily available to tell us about the wines available. The Winemaker’s lounge/tasting room when you walk in is quaint and has the most homey feel (If your home is decorated impeccably). There are currently 3 choices of wines- an Albarino, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We chose to do the tasting flight of all three because per usual, we couldn’t decide what we wanted to try. They were all fantastic. The Albarino was crisp, citrusy, and so easy to drink. White wines aren’t usually our forte but this one is great. We would drink it out on a patio on a nice day or with some awesome seafood. The Zinfandel was also great and easy to drink. The Cab Sav did not disappoint at all- huge fans.

All the wine at Decant is made in house and they will be adding more to their menu as they are ready. We can’t wait for the next additions. We’ll be back for sure! Kristina was also so kind to talk us through the back room with the tanks and told us about their plan for growing. One day they’ll have their tank room outfitted with garage doors that open up to outdoor seating as well as seating in the tank room. When this is open they plan on serving cheese and charcuterie boards as well and you know we will have to stop by for that! As for now, we truly still recommend.

At Decant, they only serve wine. When the boys showed up, they were craving a beer. They both drink wine but we decided to head next door to Great Heights Brewing. We took our wine with us 🙂 and headed over.

Great Heights Brewing is the coolest place! There are string lights on the ceiling and it has an eclectic and industrial but still warm vibe. So neat. They have all sorts of beer to order and everything that we tried was wonderful. After the first beer was ordered we found out it was trivia night and we knew we had to participate. We ordered a pizza from the truck outside and devoured it. It was greasy amazingness and paired perfectly with the beer. They had all types of beer and release new recipes they’ve been working on all the time. Our favorites were the Amber and Hefeweizen, but we also tried some of the smaller batch beers.

We had the best time drinking beer, eating Pizza, and playing trivia. We never expected to win. We LOVE trivia and always have a blast but can never seem to come out on top. This round was looking similar, but in the last round we strategically wagered our points and came in second! It was amazing. We won a gift card and a pie. Really, the best prize there could ever be.

So, long story short- we love Decant and Great Heights Brewing. The location is easy and they both are local gems. The drinks are perfect and we will be back to both places all summer. Hopefully we see you there!

Peace & Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

Lauren’s Favorite Things

Featured by perfectlypairedhtx, posted in About Us

Hey there friends, it’s Lauren. Since my birthday was this past weekend, it’s my turn to give you a run down on all of my favorite things!

First things first, there is little I love more than all things pink and sparkly and sprinkles. There is just something so happy about that combination, that a birthday without them just seems wrong. A majority of my everyday accessories are pink, and I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate pink into every aspect of my life. Going along with the pink theme and the arrival of warmer weather, I am all about Rosé these days! Right now my favorite is Whispering Angel, but I am new to the rosé trend so always looking for more suggestions on what to try!

Wine and Cheese and other Treats!

Of course, wine and cheese make the favorites list – we do have a whole blog about this after all. When I first started drinking wine, I was definitely a fan of Pinot Noir and not much else. But luckily, I now have broadened my horizons and am for sure a Cabernet Sauvignon girl now! I have lots of favorite cabs, and have definitely not tried all of the amazing ones out there. Right now, I buy mostly Educated Guess, Decoy, and anything else that will give me bottle club points at Goody Goody. You heard it from Julia a few weeks ago, and some people give us a hard time for being basically the same person, so naturally our favorite cheese is the same. You can’t ever go wrong with the Trader Joe’s Cheddar Gruyere Cheese and their pita crackers. I am also a sucker for the Boursin cheese that you can find at just about any grocery store. Another favorite wine and cheese combo is a good glass of any red wine, pepperoni pizza, and of course, ranch dressing. We have a tradition at our house that we have wine and pizza every Sunday night for dinner. Makes for a super easy dinner with limited dishes to wash and smiles all around! Other snacks that you will always find in our pantry or fridge – Goldfish (been my favorite snack since I was a little girl and I don’t think that will ever change), Dr. Pepper, and cookie dough!

Houston and Dallas

Being a Dallas native I was skeptical of the restaurant scene and really everything about Houston before I moved here, but wow I have fallen head over heels for this city! There are too many amazing places to eat and go to happy hour that it makes it very hard to pick a few favorites. I will have to agree with Julia that my favorite happy hour in Houston is Heights Biergarten. It is just really hard to beat the great deals, amazing atmosphere, and proximity to home! A close second on happy hour spots, and maybe my favorite spot for date night is Harold’s. My dad actually recommended it to us right when I moved to Houston a few years ago because he knew the owner, Ali. They have great happy hour deals and INCREDIBLE food. My favorite thing to order there is the Butterhead Salad and the Shrimp & Grits.

Since this is a post about my favorite things, I think it would be wrong not to mention my favorite things in Dallas that I make sure to get every time I go back to visit. First thing, Mi Cocina. This Dallas staple had a brief stint in Houston, but is now only in the Big D and a few other places north of Houston. I always order a Mambo Taxi and the Rico Salad with beef. So if you find yourself in Dallas make sure to stop by one of their many locations – my favorite one is in Highland Park Village though. I also love going to Wild About Harry’s on Knox. Ever since I was little I ordered the same thing – vanilla custard with M&M’s. Sounds so simple, but wow is it good! Also in Dallas, I always enjoy shopping and seeing old friends, but mostly just spending time with the fam.

Other Favorite Things

I love traveling to any body of water – lakes, rivers, oceans – you name it! Weekend road trips to the lake or floating the river are some of my favorite summer weekends. I also LOVE going to the beach. Recent trips have been to Hawaii, Dominican Republic, Cancun, and Jamaica. Last year we went on a big group trip to the Dominican and it was one of my favorite trips ever! I also love Texas A&M football games, sitting by a pool, being outside, playing tennis, going on walks, Rangers baseball, Dallas Cowboys football, Grey’s Anatomy, and monograms.

My Absolute Faves

While all the above definitely make the list, I would be wrong if I didn’t mention my most favorite person, Austin, and our new furry family member, Dixie! All of the above are best enjoyed with these two.

That’s all for now! Hope y’all enjoyed learning more about the pals! Now we want to get to know you! Let us know what some of your favorite things are!

Peace & Pinot,

The Other Pal

It’s Crawfish Season!

Featured by perfectlypairedhtx, posted in Hosting

Springtime in Texas means a lot of things – bluebonnets, sunshine, green grass, baseball, porch sitting, and our favorite – CRAWFISH! While crawfish is for sure a Louisiana staple, we Texans have taken it up for ourselves as well. One thing we love about crawfish is that it literally forces you to have time around a table with people. It is a very labor intensive process to actually get full, so you are guaranteed time to get to know people and sit around a table and talk.You all know that we live for time around a table, so this is right up our alley. Better than actually eating the crawfish is the idea of having a party to go along with it!

This year we went all out and hosted a housewarming/birthday Crawfish Boil, so we want to give you an idea on what all you will need to create your own Crawfish Boil as there are only a few weeks left of crawfish season. First – you will need a backyard and some gear. Luckily we have a great friend who already had all the gear, the pot, boiler, propane, etc. It is quite the undertaking but the boys loved standing outside with some cold beers watching all the action. The key to a successful boil and yummy crawfish is getting them live the day of. Since crawfish is so popular around here we recommend going to your favorite grocery store right when they open because they are known to sell out fast. We were expecting about 30 people so we bought 90 lbs of crawfish. This sounds like a lot, but if you’ve ever had crawfish you know that the meat that comes from one of those bad boys is a small bite, so you need a lot to fill everyone up.

Most grocery stores will have a pre-made seasoning for you to use, but you will also need some other goodies to go inside the pot. We had corn, sausage, and potatoes – which are classic additions to any crawfish boil. Other items you will want to grab at the store include – LOTS of napkins or paper towels, Wet Ones, beer, paper plates, table cloths, and other munchies to have out while the crawfish is cooking.

While crawfish is the main event of the crawfish boil, we love backyard parties this time of year because it means we have all our friends in one place doing what we love most – just hanging out. We had cornhole boards set up, which is a big staple in our group, while others just sat and chatted in the beautiful weather. We did have a little hiccup right when we were ready to eat – typical Texas, it started to rain- but a quick move into the garage worked just great. And of course a few minutes later the sun came out and cooled down the temperatures, making for the perfect transition to an evening well spent in the backyard.

How are you getting outside with friends this spring? Any tips for our next crawfish boil?

Peace and Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals