Take the Cake is one of Houston’s go-to bakeries for special occasions, although it even makes everyday occasions a bit more special. This small-batch bakery first opened its doors in 1991, and since then it has built quite a large following through beautifully decorated cakes.

Take the Cake never makes more than eight cakes at one time, and each one is mixed by hand using fresh eggs, pure vanilla, sweet butter, and other real ingredients. Take the Cake’s most popular cake is the banana and pineapple Hummingbird cake, but traditional options (tres leches, German chocolate, white sheet cakes) are available. Cakes, cheesecakes pies, and tarts are all available in a wide variety of sizes, and the bakery even offers a wholesale menu for restaurants in and around the Houston area.

Take the Cake is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays. The bakery is closed on Sundays.

Take the Cake
5700 Highway 6 North
Houston, TX 77084
(281) 550-8448
www.houstontakethecake.com
www.yelp.com/biz/take-the-cake-houston

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Jun Seita

Over the past 20 years, Thai Spice has evolved from a single restaurant into a successful regional chain. Its Katy location is locally known for serving expertly spiced, authentic Thai fare and for providing friendly, consistently efficient service.

Regulars especially praise the yellow curry, which combines your choice of meat with potatoes and carrots in a coconut-based curry sauce. You can specify how spicy you'd like your dish on a four-point scale, so there's no need to shy away from a curry—or any other dish on the Thai Spice menu—out of concern that it might be too fiery. Seafood is also a popular menu choice at Thai Spice, and the grilled lemongrass shrimp over glass noodles provides bold flavors without too much heat.

Whatever you order, you can be sure that it will arrive at your table colorfully and artistically arranged, so that your meal will be a feast for your eyes as well as your taste buds.

Thai Spice
1420 South Mason Road
Katy, TX 77450
(281) 574-1500
www.thaispice.com
www.yelp.com/biz/thai-spice-katy

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Michael Saechang

Katy-area knitters know that Yarntopia is the place to go for high-quality, specialty yarns. You'll find luxury fibers like tussah silk, cashmere, and alpaca yarn, as well as needles, hooks, bags, and other accessories.

Maybe the best thing about Yarntopia, however, is that it's not just a store, it's also a site for community building. Knitters are welcome to sink into one of the shop's comfy armchairs and work on a project, and you'll find regularly scheduled knitting circles and crafting classes taking place in the store, as well. The owners are happy for you to drop by to get their professional opinion on your current knitting project, whether or not you need to buy anything at that moment. In fact, the staff at Yarntopia are especially good at making beginning knitters feel welcome and confident about their skills, so this is a great shop to visit if you're new to knitting or crocheting.

Yarntopia
2944 South Mason Road
Katy, TX 77450
(281) 392-2386
www.yarndreams.com
www.yelp.com/biz/yarntopia-katy

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/flyngmunky