LOCAL Houston | The City Guide December 2016 | Page 26

OPEN
By Brian Tagtmeier

SNOOZE

Photo by Rebekah Flores

CUISINE: Breakfast & Brunch
EXECUTIVE CHEF: Justin Martin
3217 Montrose Blvd., Suite 100 | 713.574.6655
Daily: 6:30am–2:30pm

Breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day – brunch is. The only meal
where a champagne/cocktail is expected. Snooze AM, a Colorado-based
chain, is a welcome addition to the Montrose scene.
Known for transforming traditional breakfast dishes into more creative versions,
how Snooze attacks Eggs Benedict is a perfect example. The Chilaquiles
(shredded barbacoa over tortillas with a poblano hollandaise), the Benny
Goodman (lox and cream cheese with a cream cheese hollandaise) and the
Chile Verde (pulled pork over green chile sauced tortillas and green chile hollandaise) are good takeoffs from the norm. For those who can’t choose, you
can have two different bennys on the same plate.
My kids love the pancakes: chocolate chip for the boy; the blueberry Danish
(buttermilk pancakes with a lemony cream cheese center, blueberry coulis and
a streusel topping) for the girl. I haven’t moved fast enough to try the chocolate
chip. However, the blueberry Danish is incredible. The coulis and lemon filling
make syrup unnecessary.

Photos courtesy of Pi Pizza

Grilled Ham and cheese & Drunk'n Monkey
As mentioned, brunch without alcohol is a sad, late breakfast. With five
types of mimosas, Snooze pours plenty of bubbles on the weekends. A full
bar is available for those who want something stronger. I highly recommend
the Bloody Marys. My favorite, The Bangkok, uses sriracha, lime, basil and
fish sauce to add a Thai flair. The sriracha significantly ups the heat over a
spicy Bloody Mary, but does not overwhelm the more delicate basil and lime
in the background.
With all Snooze offers, brunch is no longer relegated to weekends. And for
that, my friends, we should be eternally grateful.

PI PIZZA

CUISINE: AMERICAN/PIZZERIA
181 HEIGHTS BLVD. | 832.767.2433 | www.pipizzahtx.com
Sun–Thurs: 11am–10pm; Fri–Sat: 11am–10pm

Pi Pizza in the Heights is the latest food truck to move into permanent digs.
Often, the transition from truck to brick and mortar can prove challenging.
Anthony Calleo, the Pizza Ninja, more than makes it work; he excels. With
the help of Lee Ellis (State Fare, Lee’s Creamery, Petite Sweets and Lee’s Fried
Chicken and Donuts), Calleo is turning out his fantastic pizzas in greater
quantities than ever. Many of the truck’s favorites are rotated with new
creations. Lee’s Pizza, which features Ellis’s handmade cheese, pepperoni,
jalapeno and sausage, can’t be beat. The Southern Heritage uses bacon
braised collard greens for a different kind of comfort food.
And a whole lot more than just pies. Fried appetizers give more options
outside of the circle: pizza fries and fried mac-n-cheese balls. The star is the
fried Brussels sprouts topped with Dairymaids’ blue cheese – nothing like the
boiled mush Grandma served.
The Grecian
26

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| december 16