Anniversary Dinner @ Houston's Restaurant Pasadena

So my hubby & I just celebrated our 7-year anniversary. 7 years! How crazy is that?! To celebrate, we decided to go to Houston's Restaurant in our neighborhood. We don't go to Houston's often because it's more than what I'd like to spend on a meal (I'm a cheap date). But since this was a special occasion, I thought to make an exception. I thought it was very strange and interesting when I called to make the reservation 2 weeks prior. I was informed that, even with a reservation, I should expect to wait 10-15 minutes past my reservation time when I arrive. Seriously?! What's the frickin' point, then, to make the reservation?!? Maybe I should just show up 10-15 minutes past my reservation.
Anyway, the economy didn't seem to affect Houston's business as when we got there, it was already packed and there were people waiting. Perhaps they all had to wait, like us, an extra 10-15 minutes.

The thing with Houston's is that their food menu selection is extremely limited. I thought it was very funny that they have a longer wine list than their food menu. To start, my husband and I ordered the spinach & artichoke dip. It was pretty good. The chips were warm and salted - although all differently and oddly shaped - and accompanied quite well with the dip. To my surprise it also came with salsa and sour cream. The salsa was tasty but doesn't seem fresh or "homemade". For entree, I ended up ordering their sushi combo platter (I know they're more known for their meats but none looked interesting) while my husband ordered their prime rib.

Since I don't eat raw foods (I know and I ordered sushi right?) I asked for all-cooked sushi combo. Good thing they were accommodating and did not charge me extra. The sushi combo platter had very nice presentation and was of good size but I thought the accompanying sauces weren't proportionate to the number of rolls given. In addition to the sauces, no shoyu was given, just the ponzu sauce, which I didn't really care for with the sushi rolls. The interesting roll they had in the combo platter was shrimp & macadamia.

My husband enjoyed his prime rib and while I got a little taste of it (since I like mine well done but he likes it medium), I thought the meat was very tender and very flavorful.

For dessert we tried something that was off their menu (to our surprise): strawberry shortcake. It was not as good as I hoped but it wasn't bad either. The best strawberry shortcake I had that I can remember is from Wynn buffet in Las Vegas.
Anyway, it was still a night to remember.