Hando Review - The Heights - Houston - The Infatuation

"When you're in The Heights and want to grab some Happy Hour snacks or need a quick sushi fix, pop into Hando. The small sushi counter has a tight menu of hand rolls—hence the name—crispy snacks like sauced-up brussels sprouts or tender ribeye skewers. Service is quick, if impersonal, like dinner at the airport. Nothing here will wow you, but it will satisfy a yearning for raw salmon and wasabi. And with $7 cocktails and $5 snacks like karaage squid from 3-6pm every day, Hando makes a great venue for that weekly gossip download without the need to transfer money from savings to checking mid-meal. And, for even more cocktails after dinner, sneak into Hando’s in-house speakeasy bar Kanpai Club. photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma photo credit: Michael Ma Food Rundown Cocktails The house cocktails are the best part of dining here. Especially The Audacity with warm-spiced orgeat or the Tokyo Layover with layers of herbal liqueurs. Matchstick Salad Granted this is just a tiny julienned vegetable salad doused in salty soy sauce, but the effect is a refreshing palate cleanser between big bites of nori paper and fatty fish. Keep this around for the entire dinner and nibble on it indiscriminately. Wagyu Gyoza Not much separates these dumplings from any other place, other than they are on the small side. So, if you like a little dumpling snack with sushi, these will serve that purpose. Beef Skewers The ribeye tastes tender-ish and somewhat charred, and the mushroom gives each bite a nice texture. It’s simple and easy to enjoy while mid-conversation. Toro Hand Roll If the point of this dish is to deliver a lot of tuna belly in as simple a form as possible, then, goal accomplished. And for $9, it’s not a bad deal." - Chelsea Thomas