I am very fortunate to have been blessed with a true-blue shopaholic mom. My younger sister and I practically grew up in her favorite boutiques — never having to use the public bathrooms at the mall and getting fed designer snacks — are a few of the perks we’ve experienced growing up. Shopping with her means never having to pay for luxuries we can’t afford on our own. Best of all, she always buys 3 of everything: one for her, one for me, and one for my younger sister.
Part of our regular shopping tradition is having lunch at Neiman Marcus’ The Zodiac (now called NM Cafe). I was 13 when I first remembered liking the food here but quickly got bored because we’d be eating here twice a week; sometimes more. But the menu has evolved throughout the years and we actually look forward to it whenever we’re out shopping with shopaholic-mom.
So yesterday, we had lunch at NM Cafe once again…

NM Cafe is famous for their popovers with a flaky outside and a custard-like thin wall inside. Served with a hot demitasse of chicken broth and a small tub of creamy strawberry butter, what’s not to like?

They are also famous for their She-crab soup — a smooth bisque with lots of huge lumps of crab meat then finished off with a drizzle of sherry wine. So filling and delicious.

This ginger tea is only available in our city’s NM Cafe. It was concocted by a server when Republic Tea couldn’t make their delivery on time due to an ice storm. It is the best brewed iced tea in the world. But pricey at $4.00. Free refills, however!


Today I tried their Croque Madam for the first time. The creamy herb dressing was too rich but good overall. My mom didn’t like her seafood pasta — too bland, she says.
More about food and shopping to come…