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!
Hey there Pals! We have a treat for you this week, a post detailing our latest adventure to Colorado! This past weekend the Pals and their men went on a trip to see a friend in Boulder. The weekend involved lots of eating, skiing, breweries, and a nice break from the crazy hot then cold weather here in Houston. We were only there for a few days, so I’m sure there are lots of great places we missed, but we wanted to share some of our favorites from the weekend – just means we will have to go back again soon!
After a long and grueling travel day, we finally made it to Boulder. *Travel tip: If you’re going somewhere cold, dress ready for the cold on your flight…you never know what may happen and trust us being underprepared is not ideal. We immediately went to bed and woke up craving a good, hearty brunch. Our Boulder local took us to a fabulous little spot called Walnut Cafe. The weather was amazing so we were able to snag a table outside to enjoy this much needed meal. Everyone’s plates were overflowing with food – omelettes, pancakes, waffles, fruit, quiche, and of course coffee! After stuffing our faces, we decided to walk off our meal with a stroll down Pearl Street. The shops in the area were so cute and it was such a fun street just to browse. An area of the street is blocked off to cars, so it is perfect for a casual stroll. It was cold and windy, so there weren’t any booths or street performers outside, but when the weather is nice the street is filled with exciting things to look at. Once we were feeling a little less full, we decided to make our way to our first brewery.
If you’ve ever been to Boulder, you know that there are about a million breweries so it was a challenge to pick just a few to check out. We again went with the suggestions of our local friends. First stop was to Bootstrap Brewery. This brewery is off the beaten path and could easily be missed if you weren’t looking for it. But trust us you don’t want to miss this one. It was a small place, but the beers were delicious! We stuck with our usual variety – a golden ale and an amber ale. Both exceeded our expectations. There were no snacks at Bootstrap, but we were still so full from brunch that beer was all we needed. A perk of this place is that they had games on the tables. And if you have been following us for a little while, you know that we LOVE games! We sat around a table playing Trivial Pursuit for about an hour- this game is so hard, but we learned a lot of new fun facts! After doing some learning and drinking, we headed home for a little breather and to go rent our skis for the next two days. After those errands of course it was time for dinner, and off to another brewery we went.
For dinner we went to Fate Brewing Company. We heard that they had all day Happy Hour on Saturday’s so naturally we were quickly sold on this place. The appetizers did not disappoint- we ordered the fried pickles, backyard bbq dip, and caramelized sweet potatoes. All of them were AMAZING. As you may expect for a brewery there were so many options of beer to choose from. But this isn’t your average brewery with typical ales and lagers, but they have created unique and fun flavors. We ordered a snickerdoodle beer, that tasted just like a cookie, and then a blonde chai beer that was exactly what it sounds like. For someone who isn’t a huge fan of craft beer, this was for sure my favorite place to have a brew. The dinner options also did not disappoint. A few of us ordered the Trifecta Burger and we also had the pulled pork tacos. Both were delicious and the perfect amount of food to fill our never empty bellies.
The next two days were filled with skiing in Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. Both were super fun and covered in fresh pow pow. If you are a big skier, this is the year for you. Some of the mountains will be open all the way through May! We may be a little biased because we aren’t professional skiers so our judgement of ski towns strongly depends on the other activities to do at the base. The winner of the prize is Breckenridge – it is the cutest little town filled with shops and lots of delicious restaurants. While we were waiting for some of our group to finish skiing, we found warmth in The Canteen. In typical Texas fashion we ordered margaritas and queso. The marg came in this large “canteen” and the queso was practically a trough. Both were so good and made our Texas hearts so happy.
After our first day of skiing we were so beat that we opted for a pizza at home night. There is something about Colorado pizza that is always so good. It may be because it is warm and a great contrast to the cold outdoors, or just that people in Colorado know what they are doing when it comes to pizza. We ordered from Proto Pizza, a place close to the house we were at in Boulder. After day two of skiing, we decided to push past exhaustion and try one more brewery for dinner. Following another local recommendation we went to Avery Brewing Company. Avery is also a little off the beaten path, but has a super cool building and a long list of beers. The taproom is open for dinner every night and has a delicious menu with options for all taste preferences. They are one of the bigger breweries in the area, and are very popular among the locals. We have to agree with them on this one because the food was tasty and all the beers we tried were so good! A perk of this brewery is the option to get a 2.5 ounce taster which allows you to try so many different beers without ordering a full beer. We would definitely recommend that this brewery makes your short list when visiting Boulder.
Our last day was of course a travel day, but that didn’t stop us from making one last stop for brunch. We went to a Boulder classic, The Buff. We tried to go here on Saturday when we arrived, but the line was so far into the parking lot that we couldn’t even see the door. If you want to try this place, which we totally thing you should, try to go early on Saturday or go on a weekday. They still have the same menu during the week so you don’t miss anything. Must be something about brunch in Boulder, but the food again was overflowing on the plates. We made it a rule this time that everyone had to order something different because there were so many things that sounded amazing. To start things off, they have 99 cent mimosas, bloody mary’s, and tequila sunrises. WHAT A DEAL! They limit you to three, but that is a steal and they were so tasty. To eat, we ordered omelettes, scrambles with fried eggs, and eggs benedict. They had so many options of different kinds of omelettes, scrambles, and eggs benedict- so there is something for everyone.
Whether you are heading to Colorado to ski, hike, shop, eat, drink, or just chill, there is something for you in Boulder. We couldn’t hit all the spots this trip, but we will for sure make a trip back- maybe in the summer time to explore another season! Let us know your favorite spots that we can’t miss when we return.
The Perfect pair: Mucho Meatcho Pizza and a Christmas Ale (because it’s practically Christmas)
The weather has been Auuuhhh-mazing lately and every Saturday has us looking for a place to spend all day outside. The past few weekends that we’re not outside on our patios drinking wine, going on walks, or playing Spikeball, we’re at Saint Arnold’s Beer Garden and Restaurant drinking beer and watching football with friends. If you haven’t been there since they recently opened the new outdoor beer garden portion, you are missing out. It really is an amazing setup and the view of downtown Houston is STUNNING. They have long tables, small tables, beer barrels to stand around and honestly little places to post up all over the place. There is also plenty of parking, which is a plus. They’ve even got lawn games like cornhole and Bocce ball, which are so fun when your with a group of friends, or if you want to make some new friends.
One con is that they don’t have tv’s all over the place to watch multiple games at the same time. But we feel this could also be a pro. There are not tv’s all over the place crowding or clouding the incredible view of downtown. Also, it helps you really enjoy your time there with friends, catering your time together to great conversation. There is one massive screen though towards the far side of the space. They always have the biggest game for Houstonians on and we’ve found it so fun to be watching the same game as everyone else there creating a great atmosphere.
Now for the good stuff. Food and Drink. We honestly love all of Saint Arnold’s beers. Right now, the favorite is the Christmas Ale because it is seasonal and wonderful. Some classics are the Fancy Lawnmower and Santo and are worth a try if you haven’t yet. We also just found out (probably late to the news because…wine is our thang) but Weedwacker has been packaged for the last time. Get it while you can if you can find some still in stores! We ordered pizza because it is the greatest (because cheese), filling shareable and it was so good! We chose the Mucho Meatcho and the Flanders. Both so yum. Would recommend. We also ordered the queso and some good ole french fries and they were great as well. You can walk up to the bar to order, or wait for a waiter or waitress to come to your table. Tabs are on the mobiles they carry around and it is so easy to close out. They also send your order as soon as you place it and it comes to the table way faster than you would expect for the crowd that is there. Makes a huge place like this way less stressful.
If you’re looking for a place to spend a wonderful afternoon one day during your upcoming time off, then this is the place. Have family coming into town and want a place to watch a bowl game and play some lawn games with a beer in your hand while showing off your beautiful city? Also a great place for that. You’ll have a blast.
Perfectly Paired 