Two sets of friends had recommended Crisp, a place we'd kind of heard about but not yet tried.  Seems like it's particularly popular for those who live in Shady Acres (just north of the Heights), kind of a neighborhood joint that tries, but somewhat misses, to turn out more than bar food.  Definitely a dining establishment, reservations are required.  And, of course, there's valet parking if you can't find something on the street.

We aren't typically too critical of limited wines by the glass but, for a place that touts its wine selection, the offerings are unimpressive.  We wished we'd understood the enomatic, vending machine style, higher quality wine offerings (1 oz, 3 oz, and 5 oz pours) when we'd started our meal as we weren't inclined to purchase the required "tasting card" (available in varying monetary denominations; we're told most people start with $20) when one of us just wanted one more glass of wine.  There's a large beer menu.  No hard alcohol.

We started with the mussels, generously served in a wine-based broth (no cream) that needed some additional flavor, perhaps more of the billed parsley pesto or anchovy butter.  The cheeseburger was the best thing we tried, although the requested medium rare came out as close to medium well.  (After mentioning this to our waitress -- we didn't send it back -- the manager came over and apologized, taking 1/2 off the price.)  The side of truffle fries, touted by the waitress, were neither hot or crispy.  The seared scallops were generously served and perfectly cooked (slightly underseasoned), but sat on a bed of short rib risotto that, like the mussels, needed an additional spark of flavor.  Maybe some salt, some herb.

If we lived in the neighborhood, we'd definitely be back as perhaps we didn't order the right things.  We'd try the enomatic wine service, the pizza, and the huge meatballs and spaghetti ordered by everyone at the table sitting next to us.  Not living nearby, however, means it may be a while before we get back.

2220 Bevis
713/360-0222
http://www.crisphouston.com/

Pretty much everything the Clark Cooper restaurant group does turns to gold, and it appears Punk's is no exception.  Located right next to the group's Coppa Osteria on Morningside in the new Rice Village mixed use complex, Punk's is a casual, family friendly spot with the usual suspects of comfort food offerings.

We had a reservation for 7:00 on a recent Saturday evening.  We arrived about a half hour early and were asked to wait at the bar, where we ended up dining since the hostess never came back for us.  (And we didn't appreciate being reported to Open Table as a "no show.")  No real harm, as the bar was a fun place to dine.  Good selection of bourbon and well made classic cocktails.  Slightly harried servers (as reflected in a mistaken order).

We started with the deep fried black eyed peas, a tasty riff on Coppa's fried chickpeas.  We polished those little gems off right quick.  The pimento cheese (with Ritz crackers) was also really good.  While we ordered the shrimp and oyster po'boy, we got just fried shrimp (no oysters), although copiously served and sided with a bag of potato chips.  It was the better of our two main dishes as we regret to inform that we weren't as impressed with the touted fried chicken.  Certainly, it tasted very good, but it didn't knock our socks off.  (Anyone for a trip to Barbecue Inn?)  On the other hand, the red eye gravy served on the mashed potatoes was unique and very well done, and we couldn't criticize the sides of a biscuit and a deviled egg.  We also tried the mac 'n cheese, a traditional version that reminded us a lot of Kraft's boxed offering (the kind with the foil packet of cheese sauce, not the powder variety).  That's not really a criticism since who doesn't like Kraft's.

Punk's is close to where we live, and we'll certainly be back to try more.  Let's see how the open air environment works as the days get hotter. 

5212 Morningside
713/524-7865
http://punkssimplesouthernfood.com/

We're back in crawfish season here on the Gulf Coast and, despite the delay in this posting, we want to go on record that we discovered this restaurant (courtesy of an Asian friend) during last year's crawfish season.  Well before Allison Cook named it her favorite place for crawfish or Chris Shepherd called out the whole blue crab in Texas Monthly.  There's nothing fancy about the place but, when you're the only non-Asians in the restaurant, you know it's good.  Well, that was last year, and now the place has been discovered, and there may be new management.  But the crawfish were almost as good as last year.  We have had both the garlic butter and kitchen special style and recommend both, although the kitchen special has sauteed onions, oranges, and lemons which add a great taste addition to the basic garlic butter.  We also tried Thai basil which we liked but not as much as the kitchen special.  Medium spicey worked well for us.  Unfortunately, the fried rice had lost something from a year ago.  On the other hand, the grilled oysters (Vietnam style) were better, although perhaps a dollar or so pricier.  The service was very good whereas we'd had a couple nonchalant attitude experiences last year (thankfully, not reflected in the food).

Next up on our agenda is Crawfish House (recommended by the same Asian friend who says it's better than Cajun Kitchen).  We'll let you know if we agree.

Cajun Kitchen
6938 Wilcrest
(no website)

It took us too long to make it to this restaurant within a restaurant at Haven.  Cove Cold Bar is the baby of its chef, Jean Phillipe Gaston, who artfully presents his virtually all raw dishes in a glassed in area near the front of Haven.  We called to make a reservation and the hostess graciously pointed us to a website where, at that time, for $95, we got a coupon for two six-course meals.  We were told that reservations were only available when having a multi-course meal and that seating was at the raw bar.  All that sounded good to us.

The menu is divided into a a number of cleverly titled categories -- Smalls, Bowls, Pacific, Americas, Europe/Med/Africa, Four Legs, Dairy and Stickies -- and the menu offerrings are well described within each category.  Our coupon let us order from all of the categories except Bowls and Dairy.  With three to four items in each category, we were able to try much of the menu which made for a great experience.  Sitting at the raw bar, we saw the chefs at work, armed with sushi knifes and tweezers, fronted by a huge palette of a multitude of tiny items to grace the various plates.
 
Understandably, the focus is on seafood.  There wasn't a miss among all the plates we tried.  Each dish was beautifully presented, with dabs of sauce and, depending on the dish, tiny pieces of chile, fruit, herbs, and veggies. There's clearly been alot of research and thought put into each plate.  Our favorites -- sashimi (Pacific), citrus marinated lionfish (Pacific), quick cured salmon (Americas), and the marinated and grilled octopus with a wonderful arugula aioli (Europe).  We enjoyed but weren't as impressed by the two Four Legs items we tried -- lamb heart carpaccio (kudos for the ambition and the effort to prepare the dish, starting with a frozen piece of heart, carefully sliced to order) and the classic steak tartare (overly seasoned).  The chocolate mousse was a lush ending to the meal.

Service was great.  They didn't try to rush us.  We ordered course by course.  And sipped on some tasty cocktails and beer, all of which paired well with the raw items.

2502 Algerian Way
713/581-6101
http://www.havenhouston.com/cove/

On Wesleyan, right next to Costco, adjacent to a large apartment complex, sits Pizzeria Solario, formerly a coffee shop, now turned casual artisanal wood oven pizza spot.  There's limited indoor and outdoor seating, with the outside patio quite pleasant when the weather cooperates.  The wine selection, both by the glass and bottle, although limited, is reasonably priced.  Beer is also served.  When busy, parking can be limited, unless you walk from Costco.

Of the various appetizer and salad offerrings, our favorites are the olives al forno (marinated and baked in the oven) and the polpette (meatballs).  We weren't as impressed with the roasted peppers.  We also enjoyed the tricolore and anchovy salad.

We've tried a number of the pizzas, with our favorites being the Carne (you got it, lots of meat) and the Fennel Sausage.  The one of us who likes spinach is fond of the Spinaci (goat cheese, spinach, pine nuts).  We weren't as excited by the Tartufo (fontina, white truffle oil, truffle puree).  New to the menu are some pasta offerrings that we haven't tried yet.

Give this place a shot.  We think the pizzas are right up there with Dolce Vita and the like.

3333 Wesleyan
713/892-8100
http://pizzeriasolario.com/

Update:  September 2013

This restaurant had a fire and is not currently open.


First Reviewed:  June 2013

                                   Fish So Very Fresh
                                An Oasis In This Heat
                                     This is MF Good

This sushi newcomer has made quite a splash as its chef/owner, Chris Kinjo, ports his magic from Atlanta to an unassuming strip center at the corner of Westheimer and Fountainview.  Perhaps we were behind the foodie curve, but we first heard about this curiously named place when we read that a number of local chefs were touting the freshness of the fish and the chef's deft knife skills.  That was quickly followed by Alison Cook's four star rating.  Out we went one recent Saturday evening to sit at the sushi bar and try the Omakase (chef's pleasure) dinner.

Unlike Uchi or Kata Robata, this Omakase dinner was all about raw fish -- either sashimi or nigiri, no rolls.  There are a few hot dishes on the menu, but this is a traditional sushi restaurant, not Asian fusion.  And we had an amazing experience.  From start to finish, the fish was fabulously fresh.  While our helpful and efficient waitress gave us a dish of freshly grated wasabi, which was quite a treat, we only used soy sauce and wasabi on one of the many courses.  Not sure how many dishes we had, we weren't counting, just eating.   The initial dish was a delicious warm seaweed soup into which we stirred a raw quail egg yolk.  The chef then started us off with a variety of sashimi dishes, simply presented, with little adornment.  The salmon belly was a particular highlight.  We'd read that the chef really shines with nigiri.  The dewy fish lay on lightly formed grains of rice with a hint of wasabi and soy sauce, arriving with instructions from the chef to eat in one bite.  Multiple bites came our way and we followed instructions well, enjoying everything we tried.

In the interest of journalism, we separately ordered the fried calamari for dessert.  It was nicely done and, if variety is our goal on our next visit to MF Sushi, we'll consider ordering one or more hot dishes and perhaps one of the beautifully presented rolls we saw the kitchen turn out.  But the real reason to come to MF Sushi is for the raw fish, served in all its pristine wonder.

5887 Westheimer
832/530-4321
http://mfsushihouston.com/