The Heights, Houston
Having resided in Houston for almost two months, we decided we would take a Saturday to explore potential future neighborhoods. Perhaps I should actually say explore a potential future neighborhood since this particular trip was a targeted strike. Prior to moving to Houston, I started to focus on the Heights. Located inside the 610 Loop, the Heights is close to downtown H-town. It's an old neighborhood comprised of beautiful Victorian homes and, much more to my taste, adorable bungalows! So, on a beautiful November Saturday, Hubby, the kids, and I headed to the Heights to check out the neighborhood's offerings with an eye towards making the Heights our home.
We started our day with lunch at Jus Mac. At Jus Mac the menu, as you might guess, features mac n' cheese (technically, they also serve paninis and salads, but if you want a panini or a salad, why are you eating at Jus Mac?). Since our kids consider mac n' cheese to be one of their major food groups, we decided we couldn't go wrong with Jus Mac. Jus Mac offers a wide variety of gourmet mac n' cheese dishes such as Buffalo Mac and a Big Easy Mac (filled with andouille sausage). You can also create your own custom mac n' cheese by selecting from specialty cheeses, such as goat cheese, and other unusual toppings, such as a fried egg. Our kids have a minimalist mac philosophy, so they shared a serving of the basic mac. I was feeling more adventurous and opted for the Chicken Tikka Mac. Hubby had the Hamburger Mac. As soon as the waiter placed my Tikka Mac in front of me, I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of garam masala. This was not a bad thing.
The Tikka Mac was super spicy since it featured pepper jack cheese as well as a plethora of Indian spices. It was delicious, but I couldn't eat more than a few bites before my mouth was on fire. Since Hubby ordered a large portion of the Hamburger Mac, we decided to switch dishes. The Hamburger Mac was full of ground beef, onions and creamy cheese, topped with crispy breadcrumbs. It tasted quite a bit like beef stroganoff, and was a comforting dish on a day that felt almost chilly. Overall, I enjoyed Jus Mac. I think we will probably return to try other mac varieties.
After stuffing ourselves with mac n' cheese, we decided to drive around the Heights a bit to get a sense of the neighborhood. En route to the Love Park playground, we drove down Heights Blvd. and noticed a plethora of quarky sculpture art pieces in the median strip. Among our favorites were two large lawn chairs. We just had to get out of our car and snap some photos of the kids seated on the big chairs. Several other families were doing the same, and the chairs seemed to be the most popular of the Heights Blvd. art pieces. Once home, I researched the chairs, and learned that all of the Heights Blvd. art is part of a nine month installation known as True North by artist Gus Kopriva. Apparently, climbing on the chairs is not permitted. Oops. Good thing we didn't post any photographic evidence of that on social media...oh wait.
After Fat Cat, we decided to visit a few specialty shops I'd heard about in the area. We first stopped in at Penzeys Spices. Penzeys is a national chain, but I was unfamiliar with it prior to moving to Houston. The shop is entirely dedicated to selling fresh spices, dried herbs, vanillas, extracts, and fancy salts and peppers. There's an entire shelf dedicated to chili spices. Penzeys also carries a variety of specialty blends such as their zatar spice (a Middle Eastern spice blend) and the Sunny Spain spice, which is a lemon pepper blend. The entire store smells heavenly and they encourage smelling the merchandise (there are special sample jars to smell, so this is more hygienic than it sounds). The Indian spice selection is nothing short of impressive (rogan josh!). I found several great Christmas ideas and purchased a few spice blends for myself. As I stood at the checkout counter, I explained that this was my first time in the shop. An elderly patron next to me touched my shoulder and said,"Oh honey, this is just the best place." I had to agree.
We started our day with lunch at Jus Mac. At Jus Mac the menu, as you might guess, features mac n' cheese (technically, they also serve paninis and salads, but if you want a panini or a salad, why are you eating at Jus Mac?). Since our kids consider mac n' cheese to be one of their major food groups, we decided we couldn't go wrong with Jus Mac. Jus Mac offers a wide variety of gourmet mac n' cheese dishes such as Buffalo Mac and a Big Easy Mac (filled with andouille sausage). You can also create your own custom mac n' cheese by selecting from specialty cheeses, such as goat cheese, and other unusual toppings, such as a fried egg. Our kids have a minimalist mac philosophy, so they shared a serving of the basic mac. I was feeling more adventurous and opted for the Chicken Tikka Mac. Hubby had the Hamburger Mac. As soon as the waiter placed my Tikka Mac in front of me, I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of garam masala. This was not a bad thing.  |
| Tikka Mac |
As the afternoon passed, we found ourselves in "need" of a snack. I pulled out my trusty "My Table" book and located the Fat Cat Creamery. This former food cart turned brick and mortar ice cream parlor serves a wide variety of small batch frozen treats utilizing local ingredients. We happened to hit Fat Cat on a day that they were featuring several fall flavors including Bourbon Pecan Pie (Hubby's choice) and Spiced Pear Sorbet (my choice). The texture of the ice cream and sorbet were both perfect. The Spiced Pear was filled with intense, not overly sweet pear flavor with a subtle hint of fall spices. Living in a city that's considered tropical, a good ice cream place is essential. I think Fat Cat Creamery will be our go-to ice cream shop in the future. Delish.
After Fat Cat, we decided to visit a few specialty shops I'd heard about in the area. We first stopped in at Penzeys Spices. Penzeys is a national chain, but I was unfamiliar with it prior to moving to Houston. The shop is entirely dedicated to selling fresh spices, dried herbs, vanillas, extracts, and fancy salts and peppers. There's an entire shelf dedicated to chili spices. Penzeys also carries a variety of specialty blends such as their zatar spice (a Middle Eastern spice blend) and the Sunny Spain spice, which is a lemon pepper blend. The entire store smells heavenly and they encourage smelling the merchandise (there are special sample jars to smell, so this is more hygienic than it sounds). The Indian spice selection is nothing short of impressive (rogan josh!). I found several great Christmas ideas and purchased a few spice blends for myself. As I stood at the checkout counter, I explained that this was my first time in the shop. An elderly patron next to me touched my shoulder and said,"Oh honey, this is just the best place." I had to agree.
Leaving Penzeys, we had time for just one more stop -- Tulips and Tutus, a children's toy and clothing boutique. This charming store is filled with lovely children's books, beautiful hair bows, and unique toys. In speaking to the cashier, I learned that all of the hair bows are made by a local Houstonian. The shop definitely keeps up with the times as they had quite a bit of space dedicated to Frozen-themed toys and activity books. I picked up a few Frozen items for stocking stuffers, including a very cute Elsa hair bow. If you have little ones in your life and you live in the Houston area, I would recommend a stop by Tulips and Tutus.
With our two kids asleep in their car seats and our car filled with an odd combination of spices and Frozen merchandise, we headed home. It had been the perfect afternoon in the Heights. We felt at home here in this urban, hipster, retro part of Houston. There were so many restaurants to explore, so many parks to visit. This felt like it might be the perfect place to call home. We merged onto the freeway, leaving the Heights behind...for now. I think it's time to start searching those real estate sites in earnest.
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