Have you heard of the new website that compiles healthy living blogs like mine called Healthy Living Blogs? If you don’t live in Houston and want to find a similar blog where you live, check out HLB for one in your area. The site is just a week old, so keep checking back! There’s a widget button on the bottom right sidebar to click to the website also.

In food related news, Houston is concluding Restaurant Week and we checked out two restaurants. For $35, you get a 3-course meal offered at 130 restaurants in the city, including the swankiest and hottest restaurants in town. $5 from each dinner goes to the Houston Food Bank. You have until Saturday if you still want to check out some places! The nice thing about Restaurant Week is that the restaurants enjoy it too. They fill with people in a typically slow restaurant month and show off their food.

Benjy’s:

First up was Benjy’s on Washington. We have been to Benjy’s before, but this was a good excuse to try some new things. A fun and modern atmosphere is relayed in the food as well. We had a great waitress, Benjy walks around to check on tables and deliver food, and the food was great too.

First up was the pre-appetizer table sampler of rye chips, beet-flavored pickles, and parmesan crackers. More original than rolls! They used to serve popcorn. I liked the parmesan crackers best.

My salad was Farmer’s Market Tomatoes with Basil, Manchego Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette. Can’t go too heavy yet–we had a three course dinner. And I will try local and fresh tomatoes any day.

My main course was Grilled Canadian Salmon with watercress salad, Asian pears, and vanilla-kumquat vinaigrette. The portions are big and tasty, and the fruit and vegetables underneath were delicious paired with salmon. There was also some kind of grain on the left that I am not sure of. Maybe a quinoa?

Jeffrey’s main course was an all-star entree–Crunchy Chicken pistachio and pecan crusted, marbled potato gratin, and a sweet corn reduction. It’s delicious.

And my favorite part of going to Benjy’s is Mom’s Chocolate Cake with fudge pecan icing and vanilla bean ice cream. Rumor is that “mom” makes the cake daily and brings it to the restaurant so the recipe stays a secret. Also served with frozen berries and a not-too-crunchy biscotti.

The other dessert on the table (everyone gets their own!) was butterscotch bread pudding with ice cream. Equally delicious, but my heart belongs to classic, dense chocolate cake.

Haven Houston:

Next up for our anniversary, we went to Haven. This restaurant is relatively new to Houston, and focuses on locally grown everything served in creative ways. Like spicy shrimp corn dogs with a lemonade shooter. It is a beautiful space inside with a pretty patio area too. You’d never know you are a block from a major highway. We love hidden Houston restaurants.

I started with the baby arugula salad with peaches, peach vinaigrette, candied pecans and a goat cheese crostini. It is delicious to eat fresh peaches in the summertime.

My main course was the vegetarian option. I usually would order a chicken or fish, but their choice was squash, and I love squash cooked for me. It also had other ingredients that I don’t know how to prepare (like kale).

Summer Squash with quinoa, shelling peas, mire poix, butternut squash, kale

I learned that I like butternut squash best. Can’t wait for Fall!

Jeffrey had the Free range chicken with bacon spaetzle, and crispy onions. What is Spaetzle? I’m still not sure but it looked like mini gnocchi.

And again, our own dessert. I ordered the Ambrosia with blackberries, peaches, blueberries, lemon curd, pecans, coconut, peach sorbet, and fresh mint. It was delicious and light.

Jeffrey got the coconut tres leches bread pudding. Mmmm good too.

And with that, we will roll home and eat salads for the rest of the month. Restaurant week goes on for 21 days–Try somewhere new if you haven’t yet!