Poenicia downtown makes Houston go gourmet

Phoenicia downtown

How much fun would it be to get off of work in downtown Houston and walk over to an international shopping experience, a ready-made gourmet dinner and perhaps some vino and music?

Months ago I shared my love of Phoenicia Specialty Foods on Westheimer Road in Houston. It’s a sprawling warehouse of fun from bread that comes from above – on conveyor belts – to coffees, jams, canned fish and anything else you’d want from around the world. I found the downtown market, and a great paring space, and had a quick bite for my first ever Astros game.

There was plenty to choose from, but in the essence of time, my husband and I chose a roasted chicken, olives stuffed with cheese and  flatbread with feta. We just found a seat and tore into that chicken, while watching fascinating people through the window as they headed home or ventured in to dine with us.

Hair clay

If vegan clay in your hair sounds good for your pixie or pompadour, think about my poor curls. Wait, NEUMA’s neuStyling Texturizer and Clay is working for me, too. They actually had me a promise of “textured, frizz-free finish with volume, shine and movement.”  Natural ingredients certainly can do the job. My curls are more manageable and soft. The texturizer  (with sunflower seed oil, aloe, apricot oil, horseradish and burdock) issues from a beautiful pump bottle and the clay is in a plastic jar. Both have a floral medallion logo and tout a “beautiful, sustainable” product. I like it a lot.

More good summer looks

It’s what you’ve been looking for if you’re just about any age woman with facial emergences you shouldn’t have to deal with. Here’s something that covers with a bit of color and acts as a make that fights acne as you wear it. with multi-tasking makeup that fights acne while you wear it. Hydroxatone’s Anti-Acne CC Cream contains salicylic acid to clear and prevent breakouts, controls excess oil, moisturizes and visibly reduces redness. It feels so good and works just right for me.

Purge, baby: This next stuff went on soft, stayed on 10 minutes and left my face the softest that I can recall. Makers say the purging Bioelements Kerafole mask smoothes, hydrates and reveals fresh, radiant skin. If I do say so myself, the citric malic acids, ginkgo biloba, kelp, chamomile, orange clove and tea tree, lemon and lavender oil are said to do this: calm, tone and revitalize, while ridding the skin of impurities and reducing pore size. Sometimes, you’ve just got to treat yourself. It can change your attitude.

 Sunny days: I’ve been walking around with my hand over my neck because the sun can damage a little bit at a time. Bioelements RayDefense protects without some artificial and synthetics products you don’t want and shields against damaging UVA and UVB rays that can cause aging lines and wrinkles. I’ve been applying this high quality sunscreen/moisturizer before daily walks. We Southeast Texans have got to have our time in the sun.

 ddoiron@panews.com

Austin gets an "A"

Austin gets an A

My "capital" time in Austin was spent checking in on places I already love.The great mother Whole Foods is my current favorite place not only for exposure to foods from around the globe and the interesting people who shop for them, but also for a cool respite. I’m not gonna lie, that underground lot is one of the few places one can park in Austin. I got a tiffin, one of those stacking metal lunch boxes.



Keep Austin Weird

I looked it up, “Portlandia” fans. They were keeping Austin weird before Portland. Don’t worry. There’s enough weird for everyone.

 

I saw Gandhi painted on the Goodwill store, picked up a Nepalese singing bowl on South Congress and hit a Spec’s for empty cigar boxes to make a craft project.



Years ago I wrote about  an all-day mission to find Jasmine restaurant in Austin, because my daughter is named Jasmine. Now we have smart phones that can get us places quickly. But that doesn’t always help with a road blocked for construction or, in Austin, a parade.

For years I wanted to try the Clay Pit, an Indian food restaurant. I pulled in to what looks like their lot, but all the signs were for another place. I had to use the meter with a credit card. I’m not jiggy with that. The food was amazing but I was concentrating on getting back to the meter. Everyone at lunch was talking about the parking, not the food. Even the waiter was telling me that if he doesn’t get that one long-time meter, he has to keep going out during his shift to feed the meter.

Even so, it’s all worth a trip to Austin.

ddoiron@panews.com