Renewal Night!

Have you renewed your lease yet?! Drop by the office Thursday, March 6, 2014 between 5-7 p.m. for pizza and sign your new lease!

 

Enjoy Lunchtime Treats and Sweets at Savannah Cafe and Bakery

Savannah Café and Bakery is a gem of a cafe hidden in a shopping center in Pasadena, offering a variety of fresh, quality sandwiches, paninis, soups, and salads. Popular menu items include the chicken salad, tuna salad, and the chicken pesto panini.

Savannah can get busy during lunchtime, so you might have a short wait. The eatery also offers a variety of to-go dishes, like family meal entrees, side dishes, pints, appetizers, and dips and spreads. Party trays are also available.

Be sure not to skip dessert, as fans rave about just about everything. Savannah offers made-from-scratch desserts, like cheesecakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes, brownies and bars, and cakes. Selections changing daily.

Take-out and delivery are available. The cafe is closed Sundays, and there's free Wi-Fi.

Savannah Café and Bakery
5968 Fairmont Parkway, Suite F
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 487-1400
http://www.magnoliacafeandbakery.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/savannah-cafe-and-bakery-pasadena

6 Surprising Facts About Brown Eyes

If you have brown eyes, you might find it interesting to note that your eye color makes you seem more trustworthy. That's right, according to a 2013 study involving 238 participants, brown-eyed people's faces were rated more trustworthy than blue-eyed faces. Here are six more facts about brown eyes that you probably don't already know.

1. Originally, all humans had brown eyes. Blue eyes (and other light colored eyes) resulted from a genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene that "turned off" a person's ability to produce pigment, or melanin. This mutation occurred between six and ten thousand years ago and is said to be traceable to a single person.

2. Darker eyes are most common in North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Southern Europe. You'd be part of the minority in Denmark, though: Only 11% of the population there has brown eyes!

3. Very light-colored brown eyes are referred to as honey or copper colored.

4. People with brown eyes are said to have quicker reaction times. This could be due to the fact that brown-eyed people are less sensitive to light.

5. Two parents with brown eyes can yield a blue- or green-eyed child. Often, recessive traits for light eyes are passed along for generations before surfacing.

6. Many brown-eyed people are born with blue/gray eyes, which darken over time as melanin is formed. Unlike hair and skin, eyes don't continuously produce melanin, which means they can lighten or darken over time.

Blue-Eyed Humans Have A Single, Common Ancestor [Human N Health]
Human Eye Color Charts [All About Vision]
Reasons to Feel Good About Having Blue Eyes [Mental Floss]
Your Eye Color Reveals A Lot About You [Bit Rebel]
People With Brown Eyes Appear More Trustworthy, But That’s Not The Whole Story [Scientific American]

Practice Your Swing at Pasadena Municipal Golf Course

Pasadena Municipal Golf Course is Pasadena’s premier spot to play eighteen holes. It’s a 160-acre public facility that plays to a par 72. There’s a turf practice facility that offers lessons from a PGA professional. Stop by the fully equipped pro shop that sells golf accessories, food, and drinks.

Regulars say that the course is beautiful, well kept, and reasonably priced. The layout is confusing if you haven’t played here before, and regulars warn that there are several water hazards.

Check the website for rates, frees, and discount information. The course is open all week, from sunrise to sunset.

Pasadena Municipal Golf Course
1000 Duffer Lane
Houston, TX 77034
(281) 481-0834
http://www.ci.pasadena.tx.us/default.aspx?name=prk.fac-golfcourse
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pasadena-municipal-golf-course-houston

Enjoy Big Japanese Fare Flavors at Little Tokyo

Hidden away in a small shopping center in Pasadena is Little Tokyo, a tiny and intimate Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi. The menu is extensive, offering a wide variety of sushi, sashimi, rolls, soups and salads, noodle dishes, and Bento boxes. The portions are large, and the prices are reasonable.

The fresh, made-to-order preparations mean your food may take awhile to arrive, but diners say it’s worth the wait. Regulars recommend sitting at the sushi bar to watch the chefs prepare your food. While you won't find a full bar here, Little Tokyo offers reasonably priced beers, wine, and sake. Because the restaurant is so small, it’s always busy and crowded, so be sure to make a reservation.

Take-out is available, and reservations are accepted. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

Little Tokyo
6737 Fairmont Parkway
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 991-9400
http://www.littletokyosushi.net
http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-tokyo-pasadena

Bite Into Authentic Texas Barbecue at Andy’s BBQ

The simple, red exterior and no-nonsense wooden interior of Andy’s BBQ in Pasadena says you’re in for the real deal: authentic, unpretentious Texas barbecue. The brisket is tender, the ribs are smoky and slathered with sauce, and the chopped beef sandwiches are full of flavor. Sides include coleslaw, baked potato salad, fried okra, and more.

The prices are reasonable: a three meat BBQ plate with your choice of meat and served with bread, pickles, onions, and two sides will cost you less than $12. Don't skip dessert as the eatery offers a variety of Southern sweets, like cobblers with ice cream (there’s even a Cobbler of the Day!), pies, and banana pudding with Nilla Wafers.

Andy’s BBQ closes at 8 p.m. every day, so plan accordingly. Andy's is closed on Sundays. Take-out and delivery are available.

Andy’s BBQ
2826 Dedman Street
Pasadena, TX 77503
(281) 487-7388
http://www.andyshawgwildbarbque.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/andys-bbq-pasadena-2

Public Domain/Public Domain

Unique Gifts for Coffee Aficionados

What do you buy for the coffee enthusiast friend who seems to have every type of coffee pot, French press, or single cup coffee maker on the market today? How about these innovative coffee gifts?

AeroPress
The AeroPress brewing method may look a bit like a high school science experiment, but it brews rich, bold coffee in just 20 seconds. The device immerses ground coffee completely in hot water quickly and efficiently to extract all of the beans’ flavors without the bitterness of more time-consuming methods, and it results in a much lower acidity than traditional coffee brewers.

Toddy
Cold brewed coffee is one of the trendiest types of coffee in cafes today, beloved for its concentrated caffeine and low acidity level. The Toddy system takes hours to brew delicious coffee by using time instead of heat. The smooth, rich taste and lack of bitterness makes it well worth the wait.

Baratza Encore
The Barazta Encore is an efficient grinder that features 40 unique grind settings, including fine espresso-style texture and coarse grinds for pour-over brewing. Its minimal parts make cleaning the machine fast and easy, and its quiet motor isn’t as abrasive as many other at-home coffee grinders.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Bask in the Limelight at Stage Door Inc.

Stage Door Inc. is Pasadena’s community theater where you can see your neighbors under the bright lights. You can even audition yourself. But if you don’t crave the spotlight, locals say that you’re in for a treat with these productions of classics, recent Broadway hits, and family shows.

Located in the Pasadena Town Square Mall, Stage Door Inc. offers a great chance to see theater as it’s meant to be: intimate and affordable. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., with most shows lasting approximately two to three hours. Park between Macy’s and Sears and enter the mall through entrance B.

Check the website for current shows, the upcoming season, audition information, and more information.

Stage Door Inc.
284 Pasadena Town Square Mall
Pasadena, TX 77506
(832) 582-7606
http://www.stagedoorinc.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/stage-door-inc-pasadena-4

Expect Delicious Comfort Cuisine at Cheddar’s Casual Cafe

Cheddar’s Casual Cafe opened in 1979 in Arlington, Texas and has since expanded all over Texas and the South. The concept is simple: serve fresh, quality food for a fair price in a comfortable atmosphere.

The Pasadena location has Cheddar's usual comfort food, including dishes like chicken fried steak, country style fried chicken, and combination plates like steak and ribs and tenders and shrimp. Healthy options under 575 calories are also on the menu. If you order a salad, be sure to ask for a warm honey butter croissant, as they are only available upon request. Fans rave about the fresh, steaming sides, especially the broccoli cheese casserole and mashed potatoes.

Service is fast, friendly, and gets high marks as well as the prices, which regulars call reasonable. The drinks are huge, strong, and cheap. Take-out is available.

Cheddar’s Casual Cafe
3365 E Sam Houston Parkway South
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 998-2800
http://www.cheddars.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cheddars-casual-cafe-pasadena-2
 

Bite Into a Tasty Taco at Torchy’s Tacos

Torchy's Tacos originated in Austin, but the tales of these tacos have traveled across the state to Houston, where the franchise has debuted several locations. What started off as a somewhat far-fetched dream of chef Michael Rypka ended up becoming a wildly successful business.

Taco selections include the shrimp with coleslaw, jalapenos, and queso: the beef barbacoa with avocado, and cilantro; and fried mushroom with refried black beans, corn, and carrots. The meat is tender and juicy, the vegetables are fresh and well-seasoned, and there are plenty of vegetarian options.

Be sure to try Torchy's breakfasts, which feature crisp potatoes, scrambled eggs, tomatillo sauce, and expertly cooked bacon. Torchy's is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and opens at 8 a.m. on the weekends.

Torchy's Tacos
2411 South Shepherd Drive
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 595-8226
http://www.torchystacos.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/torchys-tacos-houston

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