Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar

Local farm to table restaurants seem to be the hot new concept in the food world. When I think of fresh produce and locally made foods, I don't think of Houston. I think of the North where farmers markets are on every corner and the seasons are marked by the changing produce. Farm to table concept restaurants are the hot new thing, so we found one called Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar and decided to try it out. They were just on the last days of their summer menu which was slightly disappointing because I am a huge fan of fall flavors. I started off with lavender mojito, made with vanilla rum and lavender simple syrup. It was a lovely combination of floral and sweet aromas. The mint and the vanilla paired well and the lavender was a unique twist. It was very refreshing and something I never would have thought to put together.

As appetizers, we ordered calamari and a hummus trio. I was very surprised when the calamari arrived to see that it was not fried. The calamari was sauteed and served in what seemed to be a Thai inspired broth. Honestly, it was a bit bland and not even salt helped. The broth didn't seem to have strong enough flavors to help perk up the bland calamari. The hummus trio included roasted garlic, chipotle and bruschetta and was served with pita triangles, carrots and cucumbers. The roasted garlic wasn't too overwhelming, but was slightly sweet. The chipotle hummus had a definite smoky flavor brought out by the paprika on top. The bruschetta hummus had diced tomatoes and kalamata olives mixed in, creating a very Mediterranean feel. The pita was okay, but nothing to write home about. I love hummus and was inspired by these combinations to start making my own to see what I could come up with. The hummus trio was the winner in the appetizer round.

In the entree category, the first two options were a pork tenderloin with a mustard apricot sauce and the second choice was a halibut. The pork was grilled and served on a chutney like mix of apricots and dijon mustard. There was a brussel sprout and sweet potato hash served with it that was actually quite tasty. I have never seen brussel sprouts used in a hash and the flavors went well together. The apricot and dijon mustard created a sweet and salty combination that brought depth to the pork. Plus pork and dijon mustard are one of my favorite combinations. The halibut was served with broccolini and an optional sauce, but it was unclear as to what the server said it was. Unfortunately, the halibut was a bit overcooked, so it turned out to be nothing special.

Luckily for me, the soup of the day was their season butternut squash soup! So of course that was something I had to try. The soup was creamy and surprisingly sweet with lots of toasted pumpkins seeds. The pumpkins seeds added the tiniest bit of salt and a nice textural contrast to the soup. The sweetness of the soup came from the addition of honey to the soup. I would have never thought to put honey in a soup, but it was very good. This butternut squash soup is a quintessential fall dish and would be perfect for a chilly winter night. I also decided to try the steak, swiss and mushroom flatbread. There is an area called Kennett Square that is known for their mushrooms so these were the lucky mushrooms topping the flatbread. The steak was tender and the swiss cheese was the perfect "glue" to hold it all together. The crust was nice and crunchy and seemed to be a bit seasoned. It was definitely one of the better flatbreads I have have since it wasn't basically just bread.

Though the entree part of the meal wasn't super memorable, we decided to give dessert a chance. The way they served dessert was unique because they came in a tray and you just took whichever one you wanted right then. The two we chose were a chocolate mocha mousse and a peanut butter chocolate mousse. The mocha chocolate mousse was topping with almost a cookie like crumble and a tiny dollop of whipped cream. The mousse was light, but had a very rich chocolate flavor to it. The peanut butter and chocolate mousse was like eating a peanut butter cup. The mini chocolate chips on top were a great textural element and completed the look of the dessert. Out of the two, the peanut butter and chocolate mousse was the dessert winner. Unfortunately, this wasn't an awesome dinner overall but there were definitely some bright spots in the meal. If you are willing to not be wowed by every dish, you might want to give it a try because there were some pretty yummy things and the fall menu looked good.

Fall at Dunkin' Donuts

Even though the North is my hometown, I am slightly ashamed to say that have never had Dunkin' Donuts before. I am not quite sure why that never happened, but never fear I finally rectified that situation! During a series of interesting events, I found myself at a Dunkin' Donuts. Apparently, their coffee is delicious and rated better than Starbucks. I decided that I was going to make the comparison simple and just do a plain coffee test. I ordered a cup of the regular coffee and found that is had a smoother, less bitter taste than some of the black Starbucks coffee I have had. I however did not like that they did not have sleeves for their cups as it was a very hot beverage. It also felt like the cups were a bit flimsy since the top ended up popping off my cup and spilled down my leg. Between that and the coffee, itself I was fully awake and functioning. I have to admit it was a strong contender to Starbucks coffee, but in order to make a final call I think I would need to do a flavored drink test.

What was an even better pleasant surprise was that they had pumpkin munchkins! Munchkins are what they call donut holes, which if you ask me is a much cuter name. These were the cake donuts (which I was even more excited about) and the glaze wasn't too overly sweet. They were pretty dense and had a brilliant orange color with tons of fall spices in the donut batter. They weren't super crumbly, so they were easy to eat without making a huge mess. It had a good pumpkin flavor without being too artificial since I am sure they aren't using fresh pumpkin. I guess it's probably a good thing, I am not close to a Dunkin Donuts since I probably shouldn't be eating a lot of these little munchkins.

Dunkin' Donuts doesn't just serve donuts, they also serve breakfast sandwiches, regular sandwiches and muffins. Of course, the muffin of choice would be pumpkin since it's that time of year. The muffin had a coffee cake topping with an icing drizzle. The color of the muffin was slightly more yellow than the donut holes which was interesting. It had a similar flavor, but was a bit different though I couldn't put my finger on what made it different. The muffin had a light and crumbly texture and the crunchy coffee cake topping was a nice contrast. Whether you are looking for a donut or muffin, these two pumpkin treats were pretty good so if you are close to a Dunkin' Donuts be sure to try them before they are all gone.

Pumking Beer

It's that time of year where all the pumpkin recipes are beginning to emerge and you should start to feel a bit of crispness in the air. I won't be experiencing a temperature change for a while, but I am trying to get in the fall spirit with foods. I was lucky enough to get my first pumpkin beer recently. Southern Tier Brewing Company is located in New York and surprisingly has only been around since 2002. However, they are taking the beer world by storm. The Pumking Beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. I didn't believe it at first, but I assure you it does. There is a subtle spiciness to it from allspice, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg (the quintessential spice mix for pumpkin pie). Vanilla and a nutty aroma help round out the flavor and create that pumpkin pie in a glass taste. I am not a huge beer person, but this is definitely a seasonal treat that I might indulge in. If you haven't tried it, be sure to pick up a few to try before they're all gone!

Fabulous Figs!

I have recently been introduced to the world of fresh figs and have realized that I have been missing out on some very yummy treats! I have had dried figs once or twice, but they are definitely not the same as fresh ones. Yet again Central Market got me into trouble because they had fresh figs on sale. With the guidance of a seasoned fig pro, I was instructed to try black figs and Turkish figs. You eat a fig like a grape, skin and all. The black figs are smaller and darker than the Turkish figs which have a more reddish pink color and are larger. The inside of a fig somewhat resembles a Venus Flytrap, but don't worry these aren't poisonous...they are sweet and delicious! The black figs are sweeter than the Turkish figs, but the Turkish ones are by no means tart. After trying these, I can say that I am a huge fan of figs! They are a great snack and can be used in tons of different recipes. Plus the might make an interesting and unique addition to a charcuterie plate.

Frozen Banana Bites

I love bananas but I feel like they ripen in a heartbeat and I can't eat them fast enough. However, during one of my recent Pinterest sessions, I stumbled on this fun snack. It was frozen banana sandwiches with almond butter filling. It couldn't be simpler and is a great new way to use up your ripe bananas. Plus it's a super healthy snack and since its frozen (and still super hot here), it's a great way to beat the heat. 

I used 4 ripe bananas and sliced them into about 2" thick slices. I laid them out on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Then I topped them with a small dollop of almond butter. You could pretty much use any kind of nut butter or chocolate. Since the bananas are small, you don't want to have all the filling squeeze out when you put the top on. Once you have put together all you sandwiches, put them in the freezer for about 45 minutes. If you want to eat them right away, you can freeze them for about 30 minutes to become semi-frozen.

After they have been frozen, take them off the baking sheet and put them in a storage container or freezer safe bag. This way you pull them out whenever you are craving a little something sweet. The sweetness of the banana and the crunch from the almond butter make a perfect sweet and nutty combination. If you want to be extra indulgent, once the sandwiches are frozen, you can dip them in chocolate. You can always get a little crazy and do a different filling on both sides like marshmallow fluff, Nutella or jelly. This is a great snack for kids to make, so go have some fun in the kitchen making this treat that you won't feel guilty about.

Heavenly Baked Brie

In the world of cheese, I know very little but in the course of conversation with a friend the topic of baked brie came up. What I gathered this was, was melted cheesy goodness with some kind of sweet or savory topping. Definitely not something that I was going to pass up, so we headed over to Central Market to take advantage of their amazing cheese selection. While making our way to the cheese, we realized we had no recipe and no idea what we were doing...This was our chance to wing it and see what happened. After talking to our new friend Virginia in the cheese department (Central Market employees are so helpful!), we soon had a plan. She explained to us that to make baked Brie you have to use double cream because the triple cream will just run all over the place. We also learned how to wrap it in a bed of puff pastry and how to make it look extra fancy. It is very important to preheat your oven to 375. Then lay out one of the sheets of puff pastry and place the whole wheel of Brie on top. This is when you add your toppings. We opted for a mixture of fig butter, honey and chopped walnuts and pecans. (It was quite tasty and would have been good on crackers.) You can use whatever toppings or preserves you want, as this is your time to get creative!

Next, take the other sheet of puff pastry and lay it over the top of the cheese. Make sure that you pinch the dough together completely to seal it so the cheese doesn't ooze out. You can then cut off the excess dough or leave it on. We wanted to be extra safe so we just left the excess dough. In order to get the golden brown color, gently brush and egg white over the top of the dough. Be sure to coat it evenly as you don't want an uneven color. If you are feeling super awesome, you can take the extra dough and create a cool design for the top. Just be sure to put it on before you do the egg wash. Put it in your preheated oven and bake. Virginia said that it should bake for 15-20 minutes, but since my oven is about 5 minutes different I adjusted the cooking time. I had mine in the oven for 13 minutes total and pulled out a golden brown packet of goodness!

I couldn't wait to break into this cheese pouch to see what this baked Brie was all about. After letting it cool, I finally got to cut into it and it was heavenly! The Brie was melted and the topping had melded to the top of the puff pastry. I can say that baked Brie is now my current obsession, as it is soo delicious! The puff pastry was crispy and flaky, the cheese was melted to perfection and the fig/honey/nut combination was the perfect choice because it added sweetness and crunch. There are almost no words to describe it because it was that sinful to eat. Plus it actually turned out well that we left the extra puff pastry on their because it was really delicious. Baked Brie is the perfect appetizer (or meal in itself) and is super simple! I am fairly certain that this will now be included in every entertaining event I have. It's a little out of the ordinary and you can always play with it by changing the toppings. Come back and let me know what toppings you put on your Brie.