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Houston Food + Drink Awards

Alison Cook just published her Top 100 Restaurants of 2013, and I was inspired to post my own “awards” of such. I came up with my own categories and picked winners (listed below). I’ve still got a few places that I’m dying to go to in the city, but these are my favorites to date. We are so blessed in this amazing foodie city (speaking of, read this article).

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Best Happy Hour: Anvil

Best Mimosas: Backstreet Cafe

Best Ladies-Who-Lunch: Tiny Boxwood

Best Girls Night: Canopy

Best Guys Night: Beavers

Best Lunch-to-Go: Relish (salad pictured above) and Zoe’s Kitchen

Best Dinner Atmosphere: Sparrow and Underbelly

Best Intimate (and Hipster) Vibe: Roost

Best Healthy Options: Harvest Grille

Best “Skinny” Cocktails: Cyclone Anaya’s

Best Sunday Brunch: Buffalo Grille and Rainbow Lodge

Best Farm-to-Market: Haven

Best Views: The Grove Rooftop and Brenner’s on the Bayou

Best Porch Area: Cedar Creek

Best BYOB: Jonathan’s The Rub and La Vista

Best Romantic Date Night: Mockingbird Bistro or Glass Wall

Best Asian: Uchi

Best Indian: Indika and Pondicheri

Best Italian: Coppa, Dolce Vita, and Giacomo’s

Best American: Benjy’s

Best Mexican: El Tiempo

Best Mediterranean: Island Grill

Best Middle Eastern: Maryz

Best French: Phillipe

Best Southern Cooking: Lucille’s

Best Bar Food: The Tasting Room

Best Bar(s): Anvil, Bar Boheme and Mongoose vs. Cobra

Best Coffee: Antidote and Catalina

Best Frozen Yogurt: Pinkberry

Best Vegetarian Options: Baba Yega and Field of Greens

Best Tofu Dish: Ruggles Green

Best Quinoa Dish: Latin Bites and Relish

Best Falafel: Brasil and Barnabys

Best Veggie Burger: Adair Kitchen

Best Brussels Sprouts: Benjy’s and Uchi

Notable missing from the list (and high on my list of places to go): Oxheart, Triniti, Revival Market, Radical Eats, RDG, Ouisie’s Table, Da Marco, Hugo’s, and Irma’s. Anyone up for dinner?

Bon appetit!

Paris City Guide

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There is definitely no city in the world I love more than Paris. Growing up, it was always my dream to move there and spend my time strolling the bustling streets, speaking French with strangers, sipping coffee at a bijoux-cafe and wine on the Seine. In 2010, I got an internship in the City of Lights, and after a two week stint at the Cannes Film Festival, I made my way up north to Paris, where I spent the next three months adventuring (and blogging every day). I was fortunate enough to have one of my best friends, Andrew, also working there – by complete chance. We made a pact to adventure every single night – never to waste a moment in the most exciting city in the world. I honestly did not want to leave, so in 2010, after I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, I went back with my family. Again, in 2012, Sasha and I made our way to Paris, at the end of our vacation to Turkey and Greece. I genuinely think that being a tour guide in that city, which was once my home, is my favorite thing in the world. If you haven’t gone, you must. And when you go, I suggest you try some of my favorite things to do.

Food

Best Falafel: L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais)

Best Mediterranean: Chez Marianne (Le Marais) and Beytouti (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Romantic Dinner: Le Cafe de l’Homme (Trocadéro)

Best Casual Dinner: Le Pause Cafe (Bastille)

Best Lunch Cafe: Cafe Le Buci (SaintGermaindesPrés) and Le Restaurant (Luxembourg)

Best Dinner with Views: Restaurant Georges (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Dinner for People Watching: Le Bonaparte (SaintGermaindesPrés)

Best Frozen Yogurt: MyBerry (Le Marais)

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Drinks

Best Coffee + People Watching: Les Deux Magots

Best Peaceful Coffee: Telescope Cafe

Best Smoothies: Le Paradis du Fruit

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Sightseeing

Best Neighborhood to Get Lost In: Le Marais

Best Walking Tours: Paris Walks

Best Boat Tours: Bateaux Mouches

Most Extravagent Gardens: Le Palace de Versaille

Best Peaceful Park: Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Best Views of the City: Sacre Coeur

Most Iconic: Eiffel Tower (obviously)

Most Gorgeous “Square”: Les Places des Vosges

Best Way to Get Around Town: Velib

Best Church: Eglise Saint Germain des Pres

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Museums

Best Indoor Museum: L’Orangerie

Best (Mainly) Outdoor Museum: Rodin Museum

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Shopping

Best Boutiques: Le Comptoir de Cotonniers and Kookai

Best Department Shopping: BHV

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Accomodation

Best Hotel: Hotel Bel-Ami

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Nightlife

Best People Watching Bar: Le Petit Fer du Cheval

Favorite Night Activity: Drinking Wine on the Seine

Other Favorite Night Activity: Sitting on the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Favorite Bridge To Sit on at Night: Pont des Arts

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Some of my favorite pictures below from 2009, 2010 and 2012… time for another trip soon, especially as I’m reading The Paris Wife and am so nostalgic!

Andrew Arrives 012

L’Arc de Triomphe, 2009

Au Petit Fer a Cheval, MyBerry and Gelato 006

Le Petit Fer au Cheval (favorite bar!), 2009

Andrew and I on Steps of Sacre-Coeur_2

Sacre-Coeur, 2009

Me in the Gardens

Versailles Gardens, 2009OUTSID~1

Le Louvre, 2009

Dad Comes to Paris 016

Cars Rouges, 2009

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Chez Francis, 2009

Finally In Luxembourg Gardens

Le Jardin de Luxembourg, 2009
Me with Paris Plages

Paris Plages, 2009

Mom and I with Notre Dame

Notre-Dame, 2009

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Le Creperie Suzette (love this wine bar), 2010

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Eiffel Tower, 2010DSC_2272

La Duree, 2010DSC_2141

Le Paradis du Fruit, 2010DSC_2181

Montmartre, 2010DSC_2149

Hotel Bel-Ami, 2010DSC_1802

L’As du Fallafel, 2012

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Notre-Dame, 2012

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Le Louvre, 2012

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Arc de Triomphe, 2012DSC_0005

Eiffel Tower, 2012

PS What a difference a camera makes! Glad I finally got my DSLR.

PPS Illustrated map of Paris via Rifle Paper Co (love it)

Joyeuses Fêtes from Paris

Our last stop on the trip was Paris – one of my favorite places in the world. I had an internship in The City of Lights two summers ago and I fell in love. We only had 25 hours in Paris, so it was a non-stop sightseeing tour of my favorite places. I absolutely adored showing Sasha my favorite vegetarian restaurant (L’As du Fallafel), smoothie place (Le Paradis du Fruit), coffee (Les Deux Magots), neighborhood (Le Marais), museum (Georges Centre Pompidou), and, of course, building – La Tour Eiffel. It’s magnificient.DSC_1802

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In front of Notre-Dame

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Getting Ladurée gifts for friends

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The Louvre

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Les Jardins des TuileriesDSC_1900

Hot wine on Les Champs ElyseesDSC_1916

L’Arc de TriompheDSC_0005

My two favorites (my ring stayed in Texas!)DSC_0006

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