by Sandra Crittenden

"Houston is Inspired" by street artist Gonzo247 Creative, loud and colorful, just like Houston. I always love seeing this.

I went to Happy Hour at Caracol yesterday as part of my continuous birthday celebration this month. Caracol serves fresh Mexican coastal cuisine and has a lively bar scene on most evenings making it a great pick for an early week night dinner out. We started with the Happy Hour raw oysters which are served with a glass of the weekly white wine chosen by beverage director, Sean Beck; a fresh Verdejo from Rueda on this evening. He was behind the bar so we were also treated to a sample of his creativity while he worked on a cocktail request for another customer. We ended up having oysters every way they make them with a bit of crudo and a few of the cooked bar specials before wrapping up our already decadent dinner with pumpkin donuts and espresso. All delicious, all beautifully prepared. The Happy Hour specials go from 3-7 every Monday through Friday but dinner at the bar is always highly recommended anytime.

We decided to have our anniversary celebration at Mark's American Cuisine this year. The restaurant is a renovated church from the 1920's and is considered to be one of the more romantic restaurants in Houston. Chef Mark Cox mans the kitchen. Good food, excellent service, beautiful ambience and some great wine made our evening exceptional. Edit: This longtime classic on the Houston fine dining scene has closed. In its place is now the One Fifth concept by award winning Houston chef, Chris Shepherd.

Japaneiro's in Sugar Land is one of my favorite restaurants so when they opened  Jupiter Pizza and Waffles , I had to give it a try. I arrived at opening on a Sunday morning to check out their brunch offerings. I ordered the chicken and waffles to see how they present this classic southern combination. I had a hibiscus, a sparkling wine and cranberry juice cocktail, to go along with it. The restaurant was very busy but the service was still good and my meal was delicious. It will be interesting to see how this restaurant evolves. I would like to see more sparkling wine options on the menu and a wider assortment of brunch cocktails. The beer menu is more extensive and ready to be served up with Jupiter's fresh pizza.

Consistently ranked as one of the best places for Dim sum in Houston, Fung's also offers a menu of classic Chinese cuisine like Peking Duck and other American Chinese favorites as well. But that is not all, they also serve up fresh from their tank, lobster cooked over ten different ways. My favorite is the lobster with ginger and green onions on noodles, absolutely delicious!