Urban Swank

Don't let the name fool you; the only thing "blue" about BLU Restaurant in Sugarland is the color. This place is electric, contemporary, modern, and a bit swanky. So, what color would that be if we had to pick?!?!? Exactly, so let’s just stick with BLU! It is part-time restaurant and part-time lounge; full-time we would call that a nice scene.

For those that are old-timers around the Sugarland Town Center area you may remember Loggia (Club/Sports Bar). BLU now occupies that space, but has undergone a sexy remodel.  Additionally, they have brought on Executive Chef Junnajet "Jett" Hurapan. Chef Jett is not only cooking up amazing food for the dining room, but he flips his hat to the back and takes it to the streets in the evening. Yes, folks he brings the street food out when this space transforms into a lounge. Genius right!! That is exactly what we thought. So from Wednesday through Saturday, starting at 10:30 p.m. the restaurant space clears the tables out, brings out the dancing girls and loud music, and turns into a full out lounge/club. At the same time, Chef Jett and his crew are in the front serving street food to the masses. This place is a total scene on the weekends, and it can all be credited to Chef Jett for wanting to combine good food and a good time.

Urban Girl

I began my mission to try every cucumber cocktail in Houston due to my introduction to the Cucumber Lemonade Cocktail at BLU. I was surprised by the simplicity of the cocktail, yet it was as flavorful as a margarita with fewer calories (right up my alley). The menu is expansive and selections ranged from tapas, to whole fried fish, to "create your own dishes" like their WOK creations. If that doesn’t get you excited, then the desserts made by his wife, Jira Hurapan, surely will! I started off with the Polenta made with wild mushroom, sun dried tomato, asparagus, and gorgonzola cheese. Yes, you can say that again! This dish came with its own entourage. It talked a good game and it had the man power behind it to back it up!  Up next was the Oven Roasted Sea Bass (on top of red bell peppers, pineapple, shiitake, scallion, ginger, and sake soy). I think of sea bass as a savory dish and usually shy away from anything sweet, but the pineapple and ginger really brought something special to this entree; and the fish was cooked perfectly. I ended on a very happy note with the Chocolate Cappuccino Martini. This is a very sexy dessert. You must handle a dessert that is layered with cookie crumbs, chocolate & cappuccino mousse, and caramelized banana with special care. It took a bit of precise maneuvering, but once you get all those flavors in one spoonful...you will surely have an out of body experience!

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Swanky Girl

Now before we even got our food, Chef Jett comes out to tell us in addition to whatever we would be getting, we had to try his famous Crispy Fish. I tried to keep that in mind when ordering; however there were several items that I had already eyed on the menu. I started off with the Edamame Dumplings (tapioca wrap and truffle butter).  If you like dumplings, this is a must try. The Truffle Butter adds a nice flavor to the smooth and rich Edamame puree inside the dumpling. For my first main course (don’t forget we have crispy fish coming) I went with the Massaman Beef Short Ribs (braised ribs w/ spice, potato, peanut, and coconut-tamarind). With one bite these landed in my short rib hall of fame! They were not only falling off the bone, but the Massaman curry created a nice spin on this classic dish. Next up, the Crispy Fish (3 flavor crispy filet whole fish w/ tamarind, chili and basil); love at first bite!  I am looking for a way to explain the dish or what to compare it to and there are really no words. Except it is very strange looking, some my say downright ugly; however what it lacks in looks it definitely makes up for in taste. Would one say the ugly duckling that grows up to be a swan??? My poor dessert did not get much attention because I was about to pop when it came out. I selected the Banana Rum Raisin Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream, caramel & chocolate sauce. The simplicity of it actually worked extremely well with the other dishes I had that were much more bold and complex.

This Euro-Asian menu created by Chef Jett and Pastry Chef and wife, Jira Hurapan, is sophisticated and fun. We loved the food, drinks, and the amazing space. Don’t be surprised if you see us at 1:00 a.m. with a drink in one hand and street food in the other; all while breaking it down on the dance floor. Okay, you're right we are doing too much, but you get what we’re saying. We also had the opportunity to chat with Chef Jett about cooking, street food, and of all things...living in New York. Check out our interview and you will see the true passion Chef Jett has not only for his food, but for the experience that goes along with it. We love it!

BLU is located at 2248 Texas Avenue and serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm with continuous service between meal periods.  The lounge is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:30 pm to 2 am. Happy hour is available weekdays from 4 to 7 pm featuring an incredible $4 food menu and a $2-$5 drink menu, and live entertainment kicks off at approximately 10:30 pm Wednesday though Saturday.

~ Urban Swank

* Urban Swank did receive a complimentary media tasting at BLU, however, the opinions are our own.

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Philippe Restaurant + Lounge

We visited Philippe Restaurant + Lounge during Houston Restaurant Week (HRW) after hearing rave reviews from other reliable sources. We were not impressed. For some reason restaurants do not take the opportunity to "show off" as we feel they should during this time. The HRW event allows you to visit restaurants that you normally would not or those you want to try for the first time. This is the same rule of thumb used by The Urban Swank Girls. Unlike notable figures, like Pappa's Steakhouse, Philippe Restaurant + Lounge chose to serve a not so great menu which clearly was aimed at pushing new business away. Unfortunately, visiting during HRW left a sour taste in our mouths. With that said, if we have a "so-so" visit during HRW, we will typically give the restaurant another opportunity and try out their regular menu. In the case, not happening...lol! We don't mind restaurants serving a non-traditional menu or items they don't normally offer, but it should still be a reflection of your work.

Visiting this restaurant would be just as bad as giving someone a fruitcake during Christmas...you think it's the right thing to do, but it's not...lol! Now, now...it wasn't all bad.

We had such high hopes for Philippe since most of the buzz about the place had been relatively good; and when you walk through the doors the ambiance is amazing. On the first floor you have the lounge that offers plenty of seating in a VIP-booth like fashion. On the top floor you have the actual restaurant. It was definitely SWANKY! However, those previously conjured high hopes turned into disappointment when we received our food! It is very rare that we have dined at a restaurant of this caliber and the food be so bad. We decided to go with the Houston Restaurant Week menu, which was clearly a mistake.

The Salmon Tartare looked great on the plate (yes that is it on the picture), but it had no taste and seems to have been left out to long because it was very slimy. Next was the main course of Beef Short Rib Raviolis (right...that sounds so darn good!). We are personal fan of anything that has short rib in the name, so we were anticipating greatness. Ummm...nope! They were so greasy that neither of us finished (how do you finish something you can’t even start). This had the makings of a great dish, but they dropped the ball. The final course was dessert and we were honestly scared to try it! Thank goodness for the pastry chef because the Key Lime Pie was D.E.L.I.C.I.O-US. We wanted to order an entire pie given the portion size. We assumed, since it was a Houston Restaurant Week item they gave us a baby portion, or at least it appeared to be (we were still starving from the mishaps they called the first two courses). Even with that being said; I don’t think this is one that will be seeing our faces in the place anytime in the near future! Remember...it's not just about the food; it's about the experience!

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~ The Urban Swank Girls

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