Holiday Season Activities

There is a lot to see and do in the Greater Houston Area around the holidays. From Galveston Island up to Huntsville, from Beaumont over to Katy, the region is jam-packed with sights and delights!

I stumbled across a list of activities on another blog, Big Kid Small City, and thought I might share it. Things to Do in Houston During the Holidays + Christmas Activities in November and December 2014  is a good starter list for anyone traveling to or living in the Greater Houston Area this holiday season. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza and all other great reasons to get together with family right around the corner, now is the time to start making plans for what you would like to do with that family, other than simply go to the movies. From ice skating to visual extravaganzas to specialized shopping venues, this list will get you moving and smiling.

I hope to be able to provide some more in-depth information on some of these items in the weeks to come.

Happy Holidays!
–Ann Cathey

Tokyo Bowl Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar – Clear Lake, Texas

Going out to dinner on a Saturday is always risky, but in this case it paid off. The service was a little slow, but we weren’t in any hurry, and our server was personable and helpful.

We decided to skip the appetizer this go-round and dive straight into the maki rolls. Next time, we may have to try dessert as well, as they have tempura Oreos. But I digress.

My dining companion and I ordered four rolls, as we usually do. One for me, one for her, and two to share.

She ordered the Popeye, which has salmon, spicy tuna, avocado, and spinach. Had I ordered it, I would have been disappointed, since the menu does not state that there is fish on top of the roll (I don’t like fish-topped rolls), but my dining companion loved it.

We ordered the Santa Monica (fried California roll with cream cheese) and the Ranch (grilled beef with cream cheese, onion, and jalapeno) to share. We both really enjoyed the Santa Monica, although she liked it better while it was hot and I liked it better once it had cooled. We agreed that the Ranch was good but not great. We’ve had great beef sushi, but the ranch fell a little short. The flavor was good, but the consistency of the rice seemed to be off and the beef wasn’t as tender as I would have hoped, making for a very chewy roll.

Me, I ordered the Hawaiian roll –tuna with avocado, pineapple, and macadamia nuts. Now I’m not usually a huge fan of tuna sushi, and I wasn’t sure how these ingredients would blend, but I was blown away. As I told my dining companion, this may very well be my favorite of all the sushi rolls I’ve ever eaten. No single flavor overwhelmed the others, and the somewhat crushed nuts added a little crunch without making it hard to eat. Delicious!

I think the only real complaint about this place is that sodas come in a can, limited the amount you can drink with your meal. This would not have been an issue had the server brought us water as well, but with spicy rolls, you really want to be able to soothe your palate with a cool drink! Next time, I’ll be sure to remind my dining companion to order water as well as her soda (I drink tea instead). And there will definitely be a next time!

A+

 

–LB