We have eaten at a lot of tasty, beautiful, hidden and wonderful restaurants. When I made my way to Reef in Houston, TX I instantly found all of those things. A very attractive restaurant, visually– I was relieved to not see any blue or stuffed fish carcases hung all over the walls. Instead the restaurant felt like a 60s soft art-deco in a very open room with large windows for a really nice downtown feel. The settings and amazing food are worth the trip alone, but the really interesting thing about Reef comes from chef Bryan Caswell (checkout his personal fish blog). Raised in Houston, but training and cooking in coastal areas all over the world, Caswell has returned to Houston and opened up his own restaurant highlighting some of the overlooked fish from the Gulf of Mexico. A large majority of the fish on the menu at Reef come from the local waters (we approve). Besides the obvious cut back on shipping, it’s supporting the local fishermen. For a city that is infamous for being the fattest city in America (and thus the world), Reef is a gem of a contrast for it’s flavors and sustainability. But seriously, don’t forget to try the deserts, wow.

Outer Edge Studio, the creation of fine artist Andrew Jackson, is a wonderful space enveloped in eye-catching art and people happy to engage in intelligent conversation about it. Previously the youngest gallery owner in Carmel, Andrew's background in art includes working as a color specialist correcting fine art Giclee prints and creating his self published book “Intensity”. However, it is the great highs and terrible lows from working with galleries, publishers, and collectors that he took to heart when creating Outer Edge Studio, which he hopes will be a wonderful experience for all artist who show with him. Currently he is featuring Austin, TX based artist Bonnie Gammill whose show will run until August 22nd. Make sure to check out Bonnie's work or stop by every six weeks for a fresh new batch of artist and some great company to share it with!