bpdhlbrg's Profile
Best authentic mexican torta on West side of Houston?
im generally a big fan of tortas el angel, but for the westside, i can vouch for the hawaiiana torta at tortas las llardas. its not traditional, but the smoked pork is amazing and works well with the pineapple. it would probably be just as good in another sandwich if you dont dig the pineapple.
i hear good things about mexico city deli too, if youre not incline to hit the chain up.
Absolute best burger in Texas?
the hot-tots at hickory hollow arent your normal tater tot. i dont even know if they are technically tater tots. what they are is a little ball of jalapeno mashed potatoes briefly fried. just barely crispy enough to hold their shape. the potatoes arent so much jalapeno flavored as they are just mashed potatoes with minced up jalapenos in them. these go very well with bbq sauce.
quirky breakfast places in Houston
the only thing ive found worth eating at empire cafe is the cake. ive tried ordering it for breakfast there. got some disapproving looks from my dining partners, who were probably just jealous.
dragonflys rec is spot on. baby barnabys is definitely one i would say has a hipster vibe. and it is excellent. waits are only long on the weekends in my experience.
avalon and buffalo grill are great places for breakfast, but youll be eating with river oaks and west u locals who look like they are fueling up for a day at the office.
tiny boxwoods on alabama is quirky in an LA kind of way. it has a west coast feel, but good pastries and an excellent yogurt parfait.
onion creek cafe is open for breakfast, although ive never been there. if they do as good of a job with coffee and eggs as they do with beer and sandwiches, im sure it would fit your needs.
of course, i think the ultimate hipster would want to be on the cutting edge. the next big thing. head down to brothers tacos in the east end and stuff your face with the common man. be prepared to order in espanol.
cafe artiste would have been right up your alley. does anyone know why that place closed?
Marylander Heading down to Bryan/College Station
i doubt our advice will come in handy for the original poster, but i will offer my thoughts as well. in six years of undergrad at UT, i was fortunate enough to take a few road trips to aggieland. however, i was unfortunate enough to have to live there for six months after college. of course, it has been a couple years, so who knows how much of this is still there.
i live in houston now and there are exactly four places i long for from college station, two you mentioned and two you didnt.
1) blue baker has really good sandwiches that remind you of something your grandma might make, only if she had access to fabulous fresh baked bread.
2) shakes. they call it frozen custard, i would normally just call it soft serve, but it really is much different and better. i love the concretes. think of a dq blizzard, only if it were made by jesus. looking at this chain's random location map on their website, i think there should be a law that every town in america should have one of these places.
3) antonios pizza. i wish houston had a ny style pizza joint this good. right there on northgate. perfect way to start or finish a night of drinking.
4) mi cocina. if you miss your appointment at antonios and wake up with a nasty hangover, there is no better cure than the greasiest mexican breakfast i have ever come across. homemade tortillas, big glass of tea and some fajitas & eggs. however, due to this meal, i also happen to know the best places to make an emergency pit stop on the roads back to austin and houston. its worth it every time though.
i would also strongly recommend the strawberry/chocolate mousse tart at cafe eccel.
i will second fitzwillys for being exactly what you say it is: a bar, with good cheap burgers and beer. id take that place over koppe bridge in a heartbeat. for bbq i prefer rudys, its just like the ones you find all over texas. nothing to rave about, but dependable.
as for your other recs, im going to respectfully disagree on ninfas and los cucos. im not sure where i would recommend someone eat tex-mex in b/cs, but i would actively try to dissuade them from eating there. same goes for the satellite ninfas and los cucos locations here in houston.
Wimberley restaurants
probably not at all what youre looking for, but have you considered the salt lick? its up in driftwood, not far from the winery actually.
byob family style bbq. its just one of those places everyone in central texas should go to at least once, and its especially fun for big parties on nice evenings where you can sit out in the courtyard and listen to some music before and after stuffing your face with bbq.
blackberry cobbler is top notch if they havent run out as well.
again, sounds like you are looking for something else though. sorry i cant help you there.
Looking for Chowish Eats in Hildago or McAllen, TX
church's, popeye's and kfc. one on every block.
what they do have going for them is the best tex mex in the state
Arturo's in Nuevo Progresso (split from Texas board)
yes, arturos. im glad someone remembered the name. excellent place
Barbeque west of San Antonio
i never would have guessed somebody would rate kreuz tops for atmosphere. the place is brand new. smittys is the place to go for that.
i have dreams about the sausage at city market. their brisket isnt the best, but i could eat a shoe if it had that sauce on it. im pretty sure crack is one of the ingredients.
Looking for Chowish Eats in Hildago or McAllen, TX
i pulled some time in the valley a few summers ago. i ate almost exclusively at dingy little taquerias. my favorite was mi taqueria jalisco in weslaco on texas ave, just south of highway 83.
the country omelet is a great little greasy spoon in mcallen where you can start the day off right with an omelet the size of a football.
if you want a more low key place to go across, i liked nuevo progreso. there were a couple good restaurants (although i cant remember what they were called) on the main street. "the grotto" maybe? somehow that town has a nice little mexican feel despite being between two legit cities with half a million people each.
be thankful youve got four days of business in the valley rather than laredo, which is where i did the other half of that summer. i swear it is the fried chicken and chinese buffet capital of the world.
[hou] beer shops?
spec's, specifically the one in midtown on smith st, has hundreds of different beers. i doubt there is a single bottled beer available for purchase in houston that cant be bought at spec's.
Barbeque west of San Antonio
city market in luling is out of your way, but put me in the camp that says it is worth it if you have the time to make the drive.
i cant speak for the coopers in junction, but the one in llano is excellent. it will add some time to your trip, but you will get to see some of the prettiest hill country around on highway 71.
dont be tempted by the smoked prime rib, stick with brisket and jalapeno sausage. if you want to try something exotic, get the cabrito or the sirloin.
Best Local Sandwich Shops....
liebmans deli out on memorial has a few good sandwiches, like a ham and brie. kahns deli in rice village has some delicious pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. central market has incredible variety and quality ingredients and many types of fresh baked bread, so if you know what you want, you can get a fantastic sandwich there.
just today i had the pork tenderloin and cajun mustard sandwich from paulies on holcombe and it was fantastic.
im a big fan of the chicken salad and smoked turkey sandwiches at hobbit cafe, as well as the spicy cornbread blt at stone mill bakers.
i could talk all day about sandwiches. i dont know if any of the deli's i mentioned are the type that freshly slice your meat right there at the counter, but they are still good. jersey mikes does that, but they are a national chain. infinitely better than subway though. i like them more than lennys, which has a location down by reliant.
BBQ in Houston
he asked how we had heard of his place and i told him he was getting good recs on chowhound, although i didnt mention you specifically. when i make it back over there to try the birds, i will remember.
i wont think twice about making the trip out there for good bbq, since it cant be had at many other places in town. but, one thing houston has in spades is good burgers. youve earned some credibility with the bbq rec, so ill ask: is LBBB better than what you can get at christians, lankford or bubbas? those are probably my three favorite conventional burgers around here.
Absolute best burger in Texas?
lankfords is the most inconsistent place in town. but when they are on, the burger is great. when they arent, it can range from still good to underwhelming. it looks like you got the wrong end of that this time, which is unfortunate. ive also found them consistently incapable of dressing a burger, either to order, or with a not obscene amount of one ingredient, say onions or half a jar of mustard, or whatever it happens to be that day. it really is amazing, like theyve never heard of quality control. even still, i still like going there because half the time the burger is wonderful, or if im in the mood for spice, the habanero burger is outstanding.
you didnt miss anything special with the tots. they are just tots, which are better than fries, but nothing you havent had many times before. the fried peppers and onions (i forget what the menu calls them) are a nice change of pace.
on a side note, if you are a tater tot connoisseur, get thee to hickory hollow immediately. the hot tots are awesome little fried balls of jalapeno-mashed potatoes.
bubbas burger shack is indeed outstanding. i get the buffalo, sometimes the double buffalo, because the beef is actually too fatty. this is a really really good burger. like you said, its in the shack underneath the highway at westpark and sage.
BBQ in Houston
off of these recommendations i hit up pierson & co last night with some friends. we tried pretty much everything on the menu.
i thought their ribs were excellent. the right amount of doneness, moist and meaty. the pork shoulder was nice, and not something you find much done right here in texas. i think the ribs and shoulder are where their mesquite only smoking process really shined. its not an overpowering smoke flavor, just the perfect compliment.
the sausage was heavily spiced without being too hot. the reddish blend of spices tasted almost exotic (maybe with some currry?). clarence seemed to be willing to answer any question we had, but would not begin to discuss the sausage recipe. i really liked it.
the brisket was good, but not great. i havent had better in houston, except for at the rodeo cookoff. the beans were delicious, like some sort of bizzarro meatless chili with cumin and paprika. i wasnt a fan of the sauce, but my dining partners were. luckily, the meat stood on its own without any.
in the non-bbq arena, i really liked the boudin. bread pudding was better than the cobbler, but would be even better with less rum.
clarence pierson invited us into the kitchen to take a tour. you could tell he is very passionate about his cue, which is obviously a good sign. got to take a look at his beautiful smoker, of which any man would be envious.
thanks danhole and everyone else for the recommendation. i wish there was a place this good inside the loop, but its good enough to justify the trip. i will be back to this place.
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
bbs is solid. i like their sausage poboy better than the roast beef. their seafood doesnt do it for me.
sorry, bishop, we can get back to bbq. have you made it to luling yet? times a wastin
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
thanks for the bbq and sesame chicken recs, but come on...you cant name one great sandwich?
im a big fan of the muffaletta at district 7. good olive salad, not too salty. great bread. tasty ham and gooey provolone.
or the bbq pork at thien an on travis.
youre right, its tough to name just one
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
on the one hand, i feel bad for calling you out on not being from texas. but on the other, you did just sprinkle your reply with french AND suggest that oklahoma and texas were somewhat similar. hopefully both were intentional jokes. the french i understand, but i cannot forgive the ok/tx conflation.
i see we are both in houston, so i have a few questions. id start a new thread but im interested only in your opinion. also, is there some private message function on chow im not aware of? anyways, here are my questions:
1) have you found any decent bbq places in this city? im not a fan of thelmas or goode co. is there anything here that approaches what you had in lockhart?
2) do you have a favorite americanized chinese food place in town? right now, my go-to dish is the gen tsos at mai's, but i would prefer a great sesame chicken. problem is, i can never find one.
and finally
3) what and where is your favorite sandwich in houston?
i suppose you dont have to answer these q's, but you should
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
well, color me confused. ive been there many times and never even seen mutton. of course, ive never thought to ask if they had it either. now i kind of want to try it. as if i wasnt already looking forward to me next trip through luling.
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
ive never seen anything at city market but brisket, ribs and sausage. mutton? youre not from around here are you?
First Visit: Smitty's Market, Lockhart report
ive found these top notch places to be pretty consistent no matter which day of the week you catch them on. these guys are pros. instead of trying either of blacks or smittys a second time, you might want to consider hitting another legendary place in the area.
im talking about city market in luling. in many ways it is similar to smittys (ambiance, style of sausage and set up) but there are some slight variances which may be to your liking. for one, their ribs do not have any of that glaze on them. secondly, ive found their brisket to be less fatty. and many consider their sauce to be the best around.
id have a hard time picking one or the other as a favorite. when i went to school in austin, i ate mostly in lockhart since it was 20 minutes closer. but now i live in houston, and hit city market every single time i drive to san antonio.
if youre making special trips out to lockhart just to try their bbq, and you bypass luling, you are really doing yourself a disservice. if youve already been there, well, then i guess you can disregard all of this.
map of luling:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=633+e+davis+st,+luling,+tx&sll=29.887227,-97.370438&sspn=0.869173,1.400757&ie=UTF8&ll=29.681416,-97.648373&spn=0.054435,0.087547&z=14&iwloc=addr
Houston "spicy" burger
i like spicy burgers too.
if you want to go nucular, the conversation begins and ends with the firehouse burger at lankfords grocery in midtown. it has minced up habaneros in the patty and it will make, or perhaps ruin, your afternoon.
if all you want is a little heat and some special flavor, there are many less spicy options.
the chorizo burger at taco milagro is good. the patty itself is less than stellar(dry and small), but the addition of chorizo brings some heft and grease and the overall burger is of good construction. you can get it with or without peppers. i also think it goes well with their black salsa.
the torta-burger at tortas el angel is fantastic. what they do with their cheese on the grill is special. have them add an egg and jalepenos, and if that doesnt do it, douse it with the green tomatillo sauce to get the heat up. the torta buns are nice and soft.
the chapli burger at himalaya is a delicious little south asian slider (search the houston press site for robb walsh's report on this). its not the spiciest thing out there, but it has a nice mix of foreign flavors. im sure if you request, they could get it as spicy as necessary for you, it is, after all, an indian/pakistani restaurant.
and, since spicy burgers are your thing, if you are ever in austin you need to try the amarillo burger at casino el camino on 6th street. grilled serrano peppers layered all over one of the best patties in town. amazing burger.
coming to houston and need recs!!
then im glad she didnt take my advice. to each his own.
coming to houston and need recs!!
raven grill on bissonnet isnt far at all from where you are staying, a nice hidden restaurant thats excellent.
if you like pakistani, you cant go wrong with himalaya on 59 and hillcroft. its a 5-6 mile taxi ride, but worth it.
youre from philly, so theres a good chance you like big nasty sandwiches. go to tortas el angel on shepherd in the heights and try a tex-mex sandwich.
i would stay away from house of pies. no reason at all to go there, even in the middle of the night. despite the name, their pies are rank.
Empire Cafe in Houston - gotta try
the cakes at empire cafe are are what they are known for, even though they do not make them in house.
their carrot cake is probably the most popular, but i find it to be middle of the road. they have a cake called "austin cream cake" that is unlike anything i have ever had. three layers of white cake with three layers of cream filling, but a topping of caramel, chocolate chips and coconut. it looks like they give the top a once over with a little blowtorch like a creme brulee or something. it is truly amazing.
i can second the italian toast. i havent tried much else there, since it seems like whenever i go i just get a piece of cake and a glass of iced tea, dinner-be-damned
Cafe Montrose [HOU]
that would be a shame if they closed down. i consider myself kind of a chicken salad connoisseur, and i like the sandwich at montrose cafe. similar in style to the one at the french house, only i find theirs to be overly sweet. also, those fries are delicious.
Dining in Houston
if youre looking for a lunch spot, i would definitely hit up treebeard's, either in market square or the cloister. they are only open 11-2, though, so you may not get the chance.
its hard to know what you mean by breaking the bank, so ill throw in some cheap and casual, yet delicious spots.
sandwiches/salads: district 7 grill, great muffaletta and good soups
pizza: frank's, ny style pizza, cheap and open late
tex-mex: i'll second last concert cafe, also ninfa's, just east of downtown, on navigation
unfortunately, i cant think of something right up your alley. as far as i know, downtown is only good for ethnic or pricey steakhouses and hotel restaurants. of course, everyones bank is relative.
ive been to the striphouse and i thought the food was excellent. however, the atmosphere annoyed the hell out of me. i felt like i was eating a ribeye in a nightclub, albeit, a delicious ribeye.
additionally, the restaurant at the lancaster hotel is quite good.
Classic Reubens in Houston?
thin and grilled is how i like my reuben as well and i get my jollies off at onion creek cafe in the heights. their "country ass reuben" is thin and grilled, with one minor variation; they use honey mustard instead of thousand island. the resulting sandwich is delicious.
the patio is a great place on a nice evening, which we have started having lately. this sandwich and a bucket of high life make for a fine meal.
