A Taste of Don Julio Tequila at 5226 Elm St.

Don Julio Tequila was founded in the highlands of Jalisco by Don Julio Gonzalez in 1942, where Don Julio began with a dream to change the craft of tequila and ultimately ended up creating Mexico's best-selling ultra-premium tequila. Don Julio is a brand that takes pride in ensuring quality, and their Master Distiller, Enrique de Colsa, ensures just that. de Colsa is responsible for tasting and evaluating each different tequila, managing the barrel-aging process, and fine tuning every blend to ensure consistency. Don Julio only uses the highest-caliber, fully matured and ripened blue agave hand-selected after 8-10 years. Which would mean that they hand pick and harvest the most ready Agave.

I was invited out to a private media tasting of Don Julio at the beautiful 5226 Elm St. venue. During the evening, we were treated to perfectly crafted cocktails by Mixologist Omar Villavicencio. One of my favorites was the El Diablo, made with Don Julio Reposado, lime juice, and Ginger.

Pollo Tropical - Houston, TX

Restaurant:
Pollo Tropical

Location: 
6522 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77057

Hours: 
M-Su 10:30a-12a

Ambiance: 
Imagine yourself walking into a beachfront restaurant at one of your favorite locations(or just imagine yourself in Miami, that'll do the trick). As you walk into this establishment, you make way to a refreshing, Caribbean inspired atmosphere that makes it seem as if you're really near a beach. Pollo Tropical brings the beach to the city, offering Caribbean & Latin foods, fast food restaurant style. The restaurant has been growing over the past year, and their expansions include the Houston market. With north & south Houston down, it was a matter of time until they opened a central location. I had the opportunity to eat at this restaurant before it was opened to the public, and oh what a treat. I truly hope that they won't lose their aesthetic like most do.


What I Ate:
I consulted one of the cashiers on what to order(we all know how I get overwhelmed with lots of choices). I knew I wanted plantains and Yuca(no, I'm not kidding, they have those), in addition, I went for the 1/2 Chicken with Yellow rice and a Mango juice with 2 shots(yes, they serve alcoholic drinks).

The food was fabulous, as I enjoyed my environment I kept wondering why no one had thought of it sooner. The idea of bringing the beach to the city, and serving Caribbean food in a "fast food" type of way. Any way, I enjoyed my experience, my food, and the ambiance of this place- And I truly hope they do well and last. Make sure you get out and try it, tonight is their Grand Opening(I might be there, again).