A Day in the City

I don’t know about you, but whenever I have an errand to run, I like to incorporate something fun as well. Thankfully, getting a haircut isn’t that much of a chore in the first place. Still, I have a principle to uphold.

So, finding myself out and about in downtown Houston along with my family, I set out to celebrate the completion of a fairly easy errand with a trip out to lunch as well as a spot of grocery shopping (requisite stop at Starbucks included).

Yes, that’s as wild as it gets for me.

Anyway, after getting a lovely new haircut, we headed off for some lunch. After a bit of debating and driving around, we ended up at One’s a Meal Greek Restaurant, an eatery of which we had heard many praises, but had never tried.

Upon entering, we were greeted by one of the restaurant’s many friendly, helpful waiters and were seated immediately. The atmosphere was pleasantly low-key, with a crowd composed of everyday folks, not the more nouveau, yuppy crowd found at other, hipper places…yet another point in its favor.

After sitting down at one of the tables covered with a cute, blue, checkered tablecloth, we were presented with a basket of your basic bread sticks and warm marinara-esque sauce before our orders were promptly taken.

Before I bring up the food, I have to give One’s a Meal kudos for their choice of music. While so many Greek restaurants seem to play the same kind of “Zorba the Greek” type stuff, this place had incredibly cool, dramatic, vintage-sounding Greek music such as this:

Beyond the sound itself, the volume was perfection. Not too loud, not too soft. Present, but not intrusive.

Preceding the arrival of our main courses, there was a delicious side salad that was actually the size of a side salad. The tomato, feta, cucumber, olives, and dressing blended together beautifully and tasted wonderful.

Shortly after the salad came our respective entrees.

My pork souvlaki was sooo good! I wish I had used more descriptive language in that last sentence, but that’s what happens when I gush…vocabulary suffers. Along with the bite-size pieces of flavorful, well-seasoned pork came triangles of flatbread, tomatoes, onions, tzatziki sauce, and French fries. I didn’t really bother myself much with the fries, choosing instead to lovingly construct bites of pork, tomato, onion, and sauce balanced on top of an edge of flatbread. While I experienced a bit of tunnel vision thanks to the treats directly in front of me, I was able to register the praises that my mom, dad, and sister were singing for their dishes, a souvlaki gyro, a regular gyro, and a gyro calzone, respectively. There is actually a lot more on their menu than just souvlaki and gyro-related items, but that was just what we ended up being in the mood for.

During the whole meal, servers would periodically pass by to refill a glass or inquire about the food, all visits attentive yet brief.

All in all, this is definitely going on my favorites list. Despite the occasional fly that decided that it wanted to enjoy lunch with us, this place was perfect. What really won me over was the restaurant’s relaxed, friendly atmosphere (besides the yummy food, which goes without saying). One’s a Meal will certainly be seeing me again.

Just in case you live in or around the Houston area and want to try it for yourself, here’s the link to their website: http://onesameal.com/

Bonus! They’re open 24 hours, which for a night owl like me is always a major plus.

After lunch, we headed over to my favorite grocery store in the entire world, Whole Foods Market. While visiting this place may be part of the weekly chores for some, seeing as I don’t live near one, it’s a major treat for me.

All I can say, short of gushing, is that Whole Foods makes grocery shopping fun. With its chilled-out atmosphere, wonderful selection of products (don’t get me started on the cheeses…trust me, don’t), and its friendly employees, Whole Foods is just plain awesome.

So there you have it, my day in the city. Interestingly enough, I’ve found over the past year or so that my view of city life has changed. Whereas in the past I paid much more attention to all of its fun, fascinating people and places, I’ve now grown to notice that it also has its share of logistical challenges and stresses. Once upon a time I had thought that I wanted to live smack dab in the middle of a big city, but now I’ve become more aware of the noise and the crowds and I tend to prefer something a little more quiet and peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to wander around Houston and explore new places. The city definitely has its perks (see Whole Foods for example). It’s just that now I see myself living a little more outside the hustle and bustle, somewhere a little more laid-back and low-key.

But who knows? This could just be a reflection of my growing dream to be like the Pioneer Woman.