Captain Tom's Seafood and Oyster Bar
Captain Tom's is out near Cypress, so it's a bit of a haul for me. But it's totally worth it for the cheap micheladas and fresh seafood. The restaurant is in the shape of a boat, and there's not a lot of space inside to sit down and eat. If you're able to squirm your way up to the bar in the middle, you'll see that nearly everyone in the joint is drinking a michelada of some sort. Many choose to pair the spicy tomato juice with Bud Light, which I personally feel is disrespectful to the michelada. It must be made with Mexican beer. Captain Tom's will give you a bottle of Corona and a mug partially filled with Cajun Chef hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and lime juice and allow you to add the beer as you please. The best part? If your michelada gets too weak as you add beer, all the ingredients are sitting out on the counter. Just whip up some more, and you're good to go!
Beaver's
Though Beaver's is pretty well known for its epic brunch offerings, the cocktail menu is pretty awesome as well. Micheladas aren't listed on the cocktail menu, but the bartenders are happy to make them. You can choose which type of beer you'd like (I went with Modelo), and they add the delicious homemade Bloody Mary mix. The bartender explained to me that the Bloody Mary mix features "bruised celery," which they knock around a bit with the bottom of a cocktail shaker. That gets mixed with tomato juice, garlic, lime juice, wasabi (instead of the more traditional horseradish) and Big Daddy's Hot Sauce. It's topped off with a salt and pepper rim for just the right amount of kick. Also, since Beaver's uses actual tomato juice in the micheladas, you can totally tell yourself that they're healthy.
Connie's Seafood Market & Restaurant
This is another example of a super-simple michelada done well. The micheladas at Connie's feature whatever beer you choose (again, always Mexican beer, people!), hot sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Connie's actually bottles its homemade michelada sauce because it's so good that people want to be able to make these at home. If you ask the restaurant to jazz it up for you a little, though, they'll throw some shrimp or a raw oyster in the bottom of your glass to marinate while you sip. The best thing about these micheladas is that they pair well with pretty much everything on the menu. I recommend the fried whole tilapia and shrimp fried rice.
Ninfa's
The micheladas at Ninfa's aren't as spicy as some of the others in town, but they certainly are refreshing. They're served in a tall glass that holds a full beer (as opposed to other michelada glasses that require you to pour in a beer gradually or give you less than a full serving), and the glass is rimmed with some sort of spicy, nutty mix. The guy behind the bar either couldn't or wouldn't divulge what exactly it's made of, but I got salt, chile powder and sesame seeds from it. Were I to order another Ninfa's michelada — and let's be real, it's going to happen — I'd ask for a little extra hot sauce in the mix. But if you're a michelada newbie, absolutely start here.
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SWEETS
TOP 5 HOUSTON DESERTS FOR CHOCOLATE-LOVERS
Satisfy your sweet tooth.
JOANNA O'LEARY
5. Belgian Chocolate Milkshake (Amy's Ice Creams). Here are some famous last words: "I'll just get a milkshake." That's what I said one night when a bunch of friends and I stopped at Amy's for some dessert. We had just finished dining at Chuy's, where I ate my weight in chimichangas, and I was feeling a bit full. So I ordered a milkshake, opting for Belgian chocolate instead of my regular Mexican vanilla, because, hey, why not? Why not? WHY NOT? Because Amys's Belgian chocolate milkshake is an unbelievably rich liquid chocolate concoction that is a chocolate-lover's dream....or, in my case, a nightmare if her stomach is just too crowded to fit in every last sip. I tried to drink half, but it just got too painful. I stuck it in the freezer, and the next day I downed it in five minutes.
4. Double Chocolate Chip Cookie (Sinfull Bakery). Sinfull's double chocolate chip cookie is just good. Not "good for a vegan cookie." Not "good despite the absence of butter and milk." Just good. 'Cause they don't skimp on the carob and chocolate chips. So just go eat it.
