Mister F.'s Profile
Chinese
I'll be in town soon. I'd appreciate my fellow 'hounds opinions as to the best Chinese food, on-strip and off-strip. Thanks a million.
Brief Lockhart Smokehouse report
I have eaten countless times in Lockhart and Luling, and other venues renowned for their barbeque, so I'm pretty sure I know my brisket. I wanted my fellow 'hounds to know I just finished a pound and a half of the best fatty brisket I have ever eaten in Dallas an hour ago at Lockhart Smokehouse, and I cannot remember ever eating brisket anywhere as good. This is not hyperbole. I had to let you know; go get some.
Are oysters available and good in March? Best oyster dishes in NO?
You are good to go. On the half-shell (Acme, Felix's, Casamento's, Manele's). Oysters Mosca (Mosca's), Oysters Rockefeller (Arnaud's, Galatoire's), Oysters en brochette (Galatoire's) and chargrilled oysters (Drago's, Acme). Every chowhound will have his own favorites. Have a great time sampling them all.
Flounder in Corpus Christi/Port Aransas
I am soon to be in the above area on business, and am craving old-school whole stuffed flounder and whole fried flounder. What do you 'hounds think is my best bet for those dishes? Thanks in advance for your help.
Looking for good CHILI in Dallas area
Stan's Blue Note, on Greenville Avenue, has excellent chili. Delicious.
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Stan's Blue Note
2908 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
[DFW] Best French Fries in the Metroplex [DFW]
I second the nomination of Mac's Barbecue. The fries are twice-fried in (I believe) soybean oil , and are absolutely delicious, a perfect accompaniment to their excellent 'cue.
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Mac's Barbecue
3933 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226
Tujaques -- feh!!
There are three good reasons to go to Tujague's. First is its status as an old and traditional New Orleans restaurant. Another is the bar, where one can have an excellent cocktail and enjoy some top-flight people-watching. Third, and most important to chowhounds, is the outrageously good chicken bon femme, a classic New Orleans dish which is crispy, succulent, and heavy with garlic and parsley. In my mind, Tujague's prepares the best version of this great dish in New Orleans; it has been delicious each time I've eaten it. Also, I've been told that one can order a plate of dandy fried chicken in the bar at lunch, but I've never had it.
All time favorite picnic food
Onion sandwiches: Good, dense, grainy bread, homemade mayonnaise, thinly sliced sweet onions (preferably Noonday or 1015), and lots of salt and pepper. Fabulous.
WHAT??? do you want to eat in this heat?
I pickled some shrimp last week, so last night I had the rest of that, an avodado with mayonaise and green pepper sauce, sliced homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana peppers, plus some sliced Noonday onions. And an ice cold Lone Star beer. Not just good, but mighty good.
Most Reliable Restaurant Review Site Outside of Chowhound?
They are limited to a particular dining establishment type and city respectively, but I think roadfood.com and neworleansmenu.com both are helpful, and well-written by the Sterns and Tom FitzMorris. More than once I have been made extremely happy by my following the advice and recommendations from each of those sites.
Guacamole -- What's in yours??
Rub a bowl with cut garlic. Good Haas avocado, mashed. Salt. That's it. If the fruit is great, that's all you need. Fry some corn tortillas in leaf lard and you're in business.
Obligated to carry-on family recipes and cooking traditions?
My late mother was an fine cook, as were my grandmothers. Before momma died, she hand-wrote scores of family recipes, and appended commentary to most of them, describing from where they came, whether they were an item to be served on a particular holiday or at a certain time of year, funny stories about when the recipe didn't quite work out, etc. She bound the collection, and gave it to me for Christmas 10 years ago. I use it - a lot - for the reasons that the recipes are good, the recipes are evocative, and the recipes, I believe, are a little family heritage I can give my wife and children, literally served up on a platter. The little volume my mother gave me is my most cherished cookbook, and I plan to add to it, and duplicate it, to pass on to our children. So, in answer to the question, I'd say I believe I have a responsibility to give my children the opportunity to experience this part of our family's history, so they will know what "Nanny" cooked for me, and her mother and mother-in-law before her, and then, they, when they are grown, can decide what to do with it.
Steak in New Orleans
I soon will be in New Orleans for several days, and have realized that, despite my being there many, many times, I have never eaten a steak there. I would like to visit one of the old -line steak houses, either Crescent City or Charlie's, or, if those don't pass muster with the Chowhound Nation, another old-line steakhouse ya'll recommend. I thank you in advance for your advice.
Best Instant Ramen? (please do not mock me, pretty please)
Get some Maruchen Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodles. Boil with some good canned beef broth. Find some cold fried chicken in the ice box, chop it up and put it in the pot of ramen. Eat. That's living, and it takes all of five minutes.
Downtown Houston Tex-Mex
I'm in downtown Houston for a conference. I'd apppreciate a rec for downtown plate-scrapin' Tex-Mex for lunch tomorrow. Thanks in advance.
Tip Top in San Antonio?
This is excellent food. The chicken fried steak is delicious, and as big as a Frisbee. It is a superior version of a much-mangled dish. And the fried chicken may the better.
[DFW] Quest for best refried beans in D/FW [DFW]
I've eaten at every Mexican food establishment in town, and I can tell you that, in my opinion, the best refried beans I've had are at The Mecca. They are bacon-y and creamy, with just the right number of whole or mashed pintos in a serving to add texture. They are salted perfectly. Get them with an order of The Mecca's excellent huevos rancheros.
Where is the best shrimp cocktail in Dallas/Plano?
S & D is a good one (try it with their excellent remoulade). I think the best shrimp cocktail is at The Capital Grille. The shrimp are big, fresh-tasting, and cold. They taste like really good Gulf brown shrimp, right out of the water, and they are expertly cooked.
Best LOBSTER in Las Vegas..
I thought Rosewood was an over-hyped tourist trap, until I went in the middle of the afternoon several years ago. It was 110 degrees outside, and I walked into a nice, dark, cool restaurant, where I was served an ice-cold dry martini and a terrific four-pound boiled lobster. I was surprised and delighted. Give it a shot. Also, you might try Alan Albert's; I had a similarly good experience there. Of course, the Palm, in my estimation, is always great for lobster. The lobster is split and broiled, imparting a slightly bitter, charcoaly taste which is much to my liking. Have it with some hashbrowns and a tomato, anchovy, and caper salad (off-menu).
Looking for Shrimp and Grits
Alas, the best shrimp and grits - ever - was to be had at the late, lamented Uglesich's. Perfectly prepared shrimp, served with a kind of fried "gritscake," napped with a pink cream sauce which tasted intensely of a shrimp stock reduction. Absolutely delicious, and the only dish in America for which my beloved wife said she would get on a plane and fly to the restaurant, just to eat it.
For barbequed shrimp, it's hard to beat Manele's.
Famous dishes from famous movies!
That chicken salad sandwich from Five Easy Pieces.
And, the great cafe scene in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, when John Wayne says "that's my steak, Valance. You pick it up."
Absolute best burger in Texas?
In no particular order:
Kincaid's - Ft. Worth
Bailey's 1st and Ten - Dallas (the Point Cheeseburger)
Health Camp - Waco (Double - Double)
Chris Madrid's - San Antonio (Cheeseburger, with chedder)
Nau's Drug Store - Austin (Cheesebuger)
Jack's Burger House - Dallas (Double - Double)
Dairy Palace - Canton (Cheesebuger)
Keller's Drive-In - Dallas (No. 5, plus onion)
Would you consider Napoleon House, Maison Dupuy or Louis 14th...
Really, the Soniat House is the best place in the Quarter.
How do you dress up a bowl of Top Ramen?
Go to the icebox, grab some cold fried chicken, chop it up, and put it in some oriental flavored ramen noodles. Quick and good.
Matt's El Rancho
There are a number of fine dishes to be had at El Rancho. The old-fashioned fried chicken tacos are succulent. The guacamole is delicious; it is not tricked up with a score of unnecessary ingrediants. The fried fish is great, a hunk of whitefish perfectly fried and accompanied by the best tartar sauce in Austin. The chile rellenos are near-perfect, napped with a subtly seasoned ranchero sauce, and topped with nuts and raisins. And, the "Matt's Fries" are terrific, fresh potatoes beautifully fried with onions, jalapenos, and the finishing sauce used in a number of good dishes at Matt's. I agree that the tostados are perhaps the best in town, thick and fried in-house, and rivaled only by the unique homeade ones found at the great El Patio.
Southeast Texas Trek and King's Ranch
The King's Inn in Kingsville is excellent. It has absolutely fresh gulf seafood served family style. Get the shrimp, oysters, and Bombay salad. The avocado salad is super, too. Get both! The last time we were there, we asked for the fried black drum. We were told they had just run out. Ten minutes later, our waitress told us some had just been delivered, right off the boat. It was, with question, the finest fried fish I have ever eaten, and I've eaten a lot. Get it. Also, the restaurant is famous for its tartar sauce. It is unique, and delicious.
