Dot Coffee Shop: Time Travel Back to the Glory Days of the Diner

A month ago I went to the Dot Coffee Shop and I remember every single detail like it was yesterday.

It was Mothers Day and a Sunday and I had just woken up from a night of crazy partying. Actually, not really, I just wanted an excuse to eat out for breakfast so off I went to this lovely diner. Everyone and their mother was there and my mother-less self stood out like a sore thumb. 

Anyway, it was packed in there and when I finally got my table I was pretty hungry. And the bread that arrived with the waiter was just what I needed.

Amazing bread.

It was the freshest, most delicious bread I have ever had. I highly recommend saying "Yes, please" when Dot's asks you if you would like some bread. It was an assorted basket of yummy.

Chicken Fried Chicken

Banana French Toast

The rest of it was typical diner fare - the Banana French Toast could have been more french toasty if I were to be honest. It could have used more batter. The Chicken Fried Chicken was good.

There was a hair in my to-go box. But what I thought was really cute were these pink reusable totes that were being given out to all the moms. Like I mentioned at this beginning of this story, I was not there with a mother but I was so attracted to this tote that I asked my waiter if I could have one to which he politely obliged. I didn't take a picture of it but you can use your imagination. 

All in all, not bad for Sunday brunch.

Biryani Pot: The Most Eventful Night of my Life

You walk up to the Biryani Pot on Westheimer and are immediately bamboozled by the crowd that has gathered in front of the restaurant. Gangs of boys in slippers and shorts are hanging out cracking jokes and such. It almost reminded me of the summer evenings in the local markets in India where the neighborhood gathered to socialize. I walked inside only to be herded into another crowd of people standing around aimlessly waiting for their turn to be seated. It was one big room with a cashier at one end and tables of twos and fours scattered around aimlessly but no host to be found anywhere.

After a few minutes of standing there awkwardly, a waiter abounded and informed us that there would be a 25 minute wait. We could also order now if we liked and the food would be ready by the time we were seated. Novel idea but clearly not for those who want to relish in the ambiance. Although we didn't have to wait very long for a table, our food came at its own sweet pace. While I munched on the Chili Chicken appy, I witnessed the busser clear the adjoining table by dumping all the leftover drinks into a bucket and then dumping the cutlery in to the same concoction. I convinced myself that the restaurant has a really good dishwasher and moved on.

Chili Chicken

Gongura Chicken

Chicken Biryani

The Gongura Chicken and the Biryani arrived sometime thereafter, but by this time I was more intrigued by the (homeless?) guy who had just walked up to the cashier and was looking around nervously as he pretended to peruse the menu. We locked eyes a few times and I said a prayer. He then darted off to the restroom and by the time he came back a throng of people had gathered around the area which was the perfect opportunity for him to try and steal the tip jar. Unfortunately for him, he got caught which resulted in an awkward exchange of wtfs before he ran out. 

I swallowed my food and looked to my left where a pair of guests were being asked to relocate to a smaller table so that the host could use their current table to seat four guests that had just come in. 

To my right a fresh set of loafer boys had arrived who were trying to convince the server to sneak them some beer even though the Pot is a non-alcohol establishment. When the server refused they pushed harder, offering to stay past closing so that no one would get in trouble. Thankfully by this time my check had arrived and I couldn't get out of there any faster.

Let me see... did I miss anything? Oh yeah, the food was alright.