Raindrops Keep Falling on My Tongue: Part 2

Since my BFF (best friend forever) Matt was in town, I decided that I needed to take him to Raindrop. More than anything, I wanted to verify that my initial experience was as orgasmagorical as the first time.

We had some tasty gelato, and on the way home, I presented him with a peanut butter ball. The result was a follows.

Mmm. Mmmmmm. MMMMMMMMM. Yes, yes, yes! YES. YES. YES.

Then he started slapping my dashboard with his hand.

In short, I think he liked it.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Tongue

That's it. It's over. I am breaking up with The Chocolate Bar for good. It's not them, it's me. This relationship just isn't working for me anymore.

We had a lot of good times. And I love that they did for me. I mean, they reminded me that chocolate is a beautiful thing that should be embraced.

I've just gotten the point where the bad is outweighing the good. It's too crowded with pushy people desperate for a fix, the treats, though tasty, are horribly overpriced, the music, particularly the live stuff, is obnoxious and there's not enough enough unique flavor.

In short, I've... um... well... I've met someone else. We'll always have Aunt Etta's Chocolate Cake, but Raindrop Chocolates has stolen my heart.

Raindrop Chocolates rises to the challenge of giving the Chocolate Bar a run for their money. They have a dozen kinds of gelato to sample and oogle. It's creamier than its ice cream comeptitors. It's smooth like pudding. They use natural ingredients, so when you try the orgasmic Chocolate Blood Orange concoction, they've actually used real blood oranges in the recipe. And they're happy to give you as many samples as you need to figure out what you're in the mood for. I chose the Chocolate Almond Joy Joy, while my boyfriend had the Hazelnut. Both were decadent. There were huge chunks of dark chocolate in it that made it irresistable.

They have cakes, and while the at this time it's not a huge selection, their version German chocolate would more than suffice. They're all hand made on site, nothing shipped in from outside bakeries. I didn't have space for the cake, after all, I had other things I was focusing on. It's on my relationship to-do list.

The best, hence why it's last, are the truffles. They have a counter dedicated to handmade chocolates and truffles.

The truffles. Oh, the truffles. I was smart. I ate my malt truffle first, immediately after my gelato. A truffle chaser if you will. It was dark and creamy. Not overpoweringly rich, as truffles can sometimes be, but in a comfort food sort of way. It had just a hint of malt flavor, which was nice, because I was really after the chocolate.

But the reason anyone should go to Raindrop is for the Peanut Butter Balls. Yes, peanut butter balls. They are perhaps the best chocolate item in Houston. It's not made with sticky Jiff or some other peanut butter imposter... it's their own creation of peanut butter mixed with a little granola for crunch. Then they're dipped in dark chocolate and coated with milk. It's a dream. For me, who was so-so on peanut butter treats, this made me a convert with one bite.

I consumed more fat and calories in one trip to Raindrop, than the FDA recommends for a weekly intake. Well, these things happen. The nice thing is that I didn't have to sell my kidney to do so. It's reasonably priced. Two ice creams and four truffles cost a mere $13.00. It was more than a bargain if you ask me. It was love.

The Grass Is Greener, and Better

Lemongrass Cafe is a treat of many sorts. It's next to Auntie Pastos on Bellarie, and after the diappointing lunch at AP's, Ginny and Wendy and I said we'd wished we'd gone there instead. So the very next week, we tried Lemongrass.

A superior find. It's an Asian-fusion that surpasses the stigma of such a combination.

The decor is trendy with a very kind, capable wait staff. They bring warm milk buns and spicy dipping oil to your table. The buns are delicious: crunchy outside, soft, pillowy inside. We even requested a second batch.

As we were there for lunch, I ordered a sandwich with Chinese barbeque off the lunch menu. It was amazing. Soft meat, flavorful vegetables, and a zesty barbecue sauce that's not quite the red stuff you get at Goode Company. It was thicker and slightly creamy. The best part of my lunch, however, were the sweet potato french fries. They were a sweet/savory hybrid which made them hard to resist.

Wendy got a soup flight... three cups of soup. She raved about them all, preferring the coconut chicken so much that she went back within a week to get a bowl. Ginny got the pad thai, which came wrapped in an egg omelette. It looked akin to a sloppy burrito. It looked good, and once she got past the slightly strange exterior, said it was quite tasty.

A few days later, the Supper Club (a group of girls who gets together for dinner once a week) was looking for a place to dine. Wendy and I both chimed in to recommend Lemongrass, despite the fact that it was only four days since our previous visit.

This time, I had the summer rolls and a salad. The summer rolls come with your choice of shrimp, chicken or tofu. I chose the shrimp and found them to be very tasty, indeed. I liked the touch mango added to the rolls, and their peanut sauce was superior. I am ashamed to admit that I actually finished the extra sauce with a spoon. My salad was a gorgonzola salad with pecans. A tasty, light salad, but not quite enough to make a meal. Maybe next time I will take them up on the offer to add meat.

Those who got the short ribs raved about them. Apparently, it was a stellar choice.

Lemongrass Cafe not only outshines its stripmall competition, but many other Houston restaurants as well. I recommed it highly.

Auntie Pass-tos

For lunch, my friends Wendy and Ginny and I decided to head to Auntie Pastos. It's an adorable place on Bellaire, just west of 610. I was excited because I haven't found a great Italian eatery that's just home cooking. I grew up in a predominantly Italian community, and I can't find the the food of my childhood anywhere in Houston.

The decor of Auntie Pastos is adorable. And that's about it.

We each ordered something different. I got the salmon dill pasta. I thought perhaps I was being a bit adventurous with my order. And while the concept of it was great, the reality was less than pleasant. As I took a bite of the overly salty dish, I found pools of butter were forming where my noodle once was. I envisioned my arteries crying out saying, "Please, no. We can't take it." The flavor of the fish overpowered everything, and the pasta had more of a paste on it than a cream sauce.

Ginny got the famed crawfish ravioli, which she described as lackluster. It looked a bit more like, well, Chef Boy-ar-dee. When she accidentally forgot her leftovers in my frige, she said I should throw them away, rather than bring them to her the next day. Wendy got a black bean pasta and was also disappointed. She said it just wasn't what she wanted it to be.

We did have a gorgonzola cheese bread that was excellent... garlic bread with some cheese on it. It was tasty and the best part of the meal. Perhaps all three of us ordered the wrong thing. But with three strike outs here, I'd say it's more like Auntie Pass-tos.

In a similar vein... I would love recommendations of Italian restaurants you might recommend.