Houston, who knew?

My weekend in Houston was surprising. It was not only fun, but also veggie-filled. I had no problems getting my morning veggies in before a day on the town. Staying at the Hilton may have eased my search: Friday and Saturday mornings, I feasted on their buffet with a made-to-order omelet with red onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and fresh spinach along with some V8, yogurt, grits, and fresh fruit. I couldn't have asked for a more filling, nutritious breakfast.

Sunday morning, we went to Island Grill, where I had another omelet, but washed it down with a nice cup of freshly juiced vegetables called the Emerald Isle Cooler.

I also fell in love with Ruggles Green, where I ordered fish tacos piled high with cabbage. And Taco Milagro, where I had what is possibly the best guacamole ever to pass my lips.

But the highlight of my visit was, believe it or not, a grocery store. I spent at least as much time in Central Market as I did in the museums, and I wandered around in probably more awe of their goods, though it's tough to compare lemon infused salts to Magritte paintings. This place, however, never stopped revealing new wonders: from Buddha's hands (citrus fruit) to Perfect Food bars, green supplements to gourmet chocolate caramel peanut butter bars, cast iron tea pots to bulk red quinoa and gluten-free flours, I never considered grocery shopping a true cultural experience. I felt sorry for Whole Foods, though the Houston Whole Foods I checked out did offer an impressive raw foods bar.

Add to the surprisingly healthy scene an amazing district of museums complete with Picassos, Magrittes, and the like, some sculpture gardens, an entire museum dedicated to crafts and in particular "extreme tea," and a decent tea house, and I'm as nourished -body and soul- as could be.

Veggies to go

This weekend will be a big test to my veggie breakfast eating habit I've cultivated over the past few weeks as I will spend it out of town. Traveling with dietary restrictions is difficult at best, next to impossible at worst, as I've learned over the years of vegetarianism and almost-year of gluten-free eating. Being away from home makes me nervous -- I don't know exactly what I am getting in all my food, and sometimes good food is hard to come by.

Fortunately, it seems like Houston is rather gluten-free friendly, at least for the south. Look at all the places that offer gluten-free fare! I'm really excited to try out as many as possible in my short stay and on my limited budget.

Now, on to my next challenge: vegetables for breakfast. I'm bringing along a can of soup just in case veggies in the am proves to be harder to find than I'm anticipating. Fortunately, I found this place called "Island Grill" that offers juices, including vegetable juices. I figure a nice healthy serving of Emerald Isle Cooler or The Green Wave should get my day off to a vitamin-packed start.

There's also a couple of tea houses I really want to check out: House of Tea and Organic Tea House on top of several museums, exhibits, and maybe even a little shopping. I'm impressed already, Houston, and I'm not even there yet. Here's to a good, veggie-filled weekend away.