A Vacation on my Plate

I love to travel. I've been to a few places and have keep my passport up to date since get hooked on my 1st international trip to South Africa. You just never know when an adventure will present itself and you have to be ready to roll.
Lately, I've been a citizen of the mommy-hood and less a child of the world. Lucky for me its Houston Restaurant Weeks and I booked a trip to Spain.
If you didn't know Houston Restaurant Weeks is a month long event that benefits the Houston Food Bank. Dinners get reasonably priced meals from of Houston most celebrated chefs and restaurants and the restaurants give a portion of the receipts to feed the needy. Its a win-win.
So I set up a little international stay-cation for me and wonderful husband minus two cute kids.

Tintos Spanish Restaurant took us to Spain for the afternoon.

Located on the edge of River Oak's on the corner of West Gray and Shepard. Never seen it. You might miss it. Its kinda hidden on the back of the River Oaks shopping strip. Away from the noise and crowds of the main strip. When cooler days eventually arrive it will be perfect place to meet friends and sip a pitcher of Sangria.

Tip: If you are with someone else who wants Sangria you really should just get the pitcher. 

After sipping on our tasty cocktails and really getting into the Spaniards frame of mind. We started with apps. I've been dreaming of the Manchego Cheese and Serrano  Ham all week.  It did not disappoint. It was accompanied by grapes, olives, nuts, and a block of preserved fruit I wasn't too sure about but it turned out to be quite yummy( found out from our server it was quince paste). That ham was truly amazing salty goodness.  The menu name of my appetizer was Plato de Manchego y Serrano Ham. I would call it salty sweet delight.

 Next Course: Paella  Valenciana:

Paella is one of the national dishes of Spain and Tintos does it right.  It is full of sausage,shrimp,fish,calamari, and topped with Mussels.  

Last Course: Warm Churros with Chocolate Sauce.

Kinda like a fried donut drizzled with caramel sauce with chocolate dipping sauce. The Churros and caramel sauce were good but my chocolate sauce was slightly burnt so I skipped it. 

So after paying a meager $60 for a quick trip to Spain we slipped out of Tintos and back into the Houston heat.  I would say the next time you need a little get away give them a try. 

Cost: $$

Attire: Casual (daytime) I would go casual chic for dinner

Perfect for dates and conversation but they do have live music during the week. 

Location: 2015 W. Gray @ Shepherd 

               Houston, Texas 77019

*Reservations: Not really required but a good idea especially at dinner. ( I used www.OpenTable.com )

Parking: In this area is tricky but there is complementary valet at dinner per Open Table. (at lunch we were able to self park steps from the door.)

Bonus: They sell wines to go by the bottle. So if you find something you like you can get a bottle to go. \

Start planning your next stay-cation with Spain in mind. Check them out at:

www.tintosrestaurant.com

They also:

Tweet @TintosSpanish 

and

Facebook (Tintos Spanish Restaurant and Wine Bar)

Or you can just give them a call at 713-522-1330  

*Just so you know I paid for my own meal and have no relationship with anyone affiliated with this restaurant. 

Stay Relaxed and Hungry Houston

Houston's Hungry Girl