brucesw's Profile
Big 6 Bar-b-que
I used to think Dozier's was awesome but they seemed to go downhill a few years ago. I'll have to give them another try one of these days.
Vegetarian in Galveston
I was thinking I had heard of a vegetarian resto in Galveston recently but I can't place it. Here is a website listing some options:
http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/texas/galveston/
I can definitely recommend Mosquito Cafe although I haven't had any of the veggie options. Eatcetera is on my list of places to try and Oasis looks good but I can't comment on either. I was going to say that Kroger probably has a salad bar, too.
I'm not vegetarian (nor from the Island) but I eat a lot of meatless meals. When I think vegetarian here in Houston I always think Indian. There don't appear to be any Indian restos on the Island but I can recommend Cuisine of India in Clear Lake, not that far away. There are probably other Indian restos in the bay area that would be suitable, too.
http://www.cuisineofindiaclearlake.com/
Here in Houston most restos offer at least some vegetarian options and many will make vegetarian dishes on request. I think many of the restauranteurs in Galveston would be sophisticated enough to handle special requests, too.
Big 6 Bar-b-que
I was complaining to a friend I hadn’t had any good bbq in a long time and was going to have to make a trip to Luling or Lockhart to satisfy my cravings; he suggested trying this place. Doh! I’ve been here twice before and always intended to try it again but forgot about it.
The basics: they’ve been doing business for years along 6 but moved last year, now located on the SE corner of Bissonnet and 6. Open only Wed thru Sun. They use red oak and pecan wood. They’ve also opened a brick and mortar place on the NE side near LBJ hospital, open 7 days.
I noticed on my first visit that chicken, sausage and boudin are listed ahead of brisket on the menu, probably a tell-tale sign, I went for a brisket sandwich on my first visit, boudin on my second and a brisket/sausage plate on my third. You’ll be asked if you’re a first-timer and if so should get some free samples. If you order brisket, you’ll be asked if you want lean or marbled.
The good: the homemade sausage is very good though on the salty side. It’s pork with a natural casing, very juicy, with both red and green pepper. The boudin is also very good, very smoky, not very spicy, though. The green beans come with potatoes and some bits of the home-made sausage; they also are on the salty side. The sliced brisket sandwich I had was huge, probably ½ a pound of meat. Sauce is on the side.
The so-so: both times my brisket has been a little too over-cooked for my taste, a little to much at the falling apart stage and a little dry even though I’ve gotten some of the marbled cuts both time (not visible on the sandwich but there). The sandwich was very flavorful and smoky, the plate was less so and also the brisket could have used more rub. The potato salad is East Texas mashed potato salad style, all the ingredients are either mashed or minced and it’s sweet. Not the best potato salad I’ve ever had but better than the institutional stuff served at many places.
The bad: I really didn’t like the very thick, viscous sauce but it seems to be necessary on the brisket to moisten it a bit and kick the flavor up a bit, especially on the sandwich with all that bread.
I haven’t tried the chicken or ribs.
This is in Fort Bend Co. so unconstrained by the City of Houston regulations, there are 3 trailers within 30 yards of each other in this strip center than seems to do very little business otherwise - Yum Yum Sno Balls, presumably a New Orleans style snowball place, with some covered chairs, and BB’s Chicago Style Hot Dogs. BB’s used to do business just off 59 on W. Airport and the Press critic said they were the best Chicago style dogs in town. I didn’t agree but they do a competent job of the usual Chicago style hot dog joint using the standard Vienna Beef supplies and condiments with Maxwell Street Polish and Italian Beef sandwiches too.
http://big6barbque.com/
Visiting Houston
I forgot about Huynh. It's been on my list to try for a couple of years. Very good rep in a city with hundreds of Vietnamese restos.
Went to District 7 diner a couple of times; decent food, nothing to write home about.
Others: BB's Cafe (Tex-Cajun) on Louisiana and Niko-Nikos (Greek) in Market Square Park - two very popular casual places in Montrose, practically side by side, that have established downtown locations. I've been to the original locations, only.
Hubcap Grill - on Prairie - limited hours, limited seating, very good (huge) burgers in a city with lots of great burgers. I've been to a satellite location, never the original downtown.
Bombay Pizza - lots of buzz in the Press - unusual pizzas. Another place I'd consider if I was exploring downtown.
I've been to Calliope's a few times. East of 59 on Jefferson - kind of a blighted area, don't know if I'd recommend a walk. Katrina refugees doing the best NOLA style po-boys in town, good gumbo, too. I like the food better than BBs but like I say, the area is iffy.
There's no great bbq downtown but if you just must since many visitors to TX must do bbq, I'd recommend Pappas on Pierce, it's been there since the 50s.
All of these are casual.
Visiting Houston
hi wagamama80 and welcome to Houston. I'm not very familiar with downtown restaurants as I don't live or work anywhere near. I do know Vic and Anthony's Steakhouse, near Toyota Center is highly regarded, top dollar. I think my # 1 choice for scoping out would be the new Georgia's Farm to Market place downtown; there is also a new Phoenicia's Deli downtown - Phoenicia's main location on the far west side is a very long cab ride for you but is one of our signature foodie destinations. BTW, many downtown eateries are open only for lunch.
Re: food trucks, though. You'll not find them downtown due to city regulations concerning their propane tanks. There is a cupcake truck that circulates through downtown weekdays and on Wednesdays, 11-1:30, the City Hall Farmers Market, in front of City Hall (west side of downtown) has been described as more of a food truck rally than a farmers market. I think Melange Creperie is usually there, a sidewalk creperie with some fantastic creations, plus, Buffalo Sean, the proprietor (if he's running the show) is a natural born entertainer and makes the wait very enjoyable. (He has two other regular locations in Montrose and Heights)
eatdrinkhouston ( http://twitter.com/#!/EatDrinkHouston/food-trucks-houston ) follows some of the most 'vocal' trucks, not necessarily all the best. It'll be a good place to check who's where and when. The local food truck community is very supportive of each other and you'll frequently find mentions on that site of trucks that aren't 'curated.'
Daily at lunch time there is a food truck in the parking lot of the Museum of FIne Arts, Houston, with free or discounted admission to the museum as a bonus. That would be a ride down the light rail and back but I don't know the stop. There is also several days week a food truck at the Menil Museum on W. Alabama in the Montrose section. No where near rail but I would consider that a short cab ride from downtown. Several days a week there is also a food truck for lunch at 2 or 3 places along Montrose Blvd, Inversion Coffee House and Soundwaves are two regular stops. Be advised however that regulations prohibit food trucks from providing seating so you'll be eating standing up - - - - then just turning around and going back?
Evening service by food trucks tends to be at bars, especially along the Washington Ave strip, west of downtown, also a short cab ride if you're into that scene.
Some of the best trucks are CoreanosHtx, HtownStreats, Oh My Pocket Pies (shrimp burger), Good Dog Food Truck (Ol' Zapata dog is the best hot dog in Houston), Bernie's Burger Bus, and L'es Car Go. I've also been impressed more recently with Happy Endings (Asian fusion hot dogs) and KurbsideEatz. Some of the ones that haven't lived up to their (self) hype include Phamily Bites (Come get Pho Cup'd, tee hee hee), Oh My Gogi, and Eatsie Boys. I was also (surprisingly) disappointed at The Modular - just my one experience - people I know whose judgement I trust have raved about it.
And then there are the loncheras, often serving as good or better food than the new food trucks and cheaper, but scattered all over town and not on social media.
Fresh Roasted Coffee, Houston
Central Market is about 1/2 mile east of the Galleria on Westheimer @ Weslayan. Is that too far to walk? Houston is not a very walkable city but that is a very nice neighborhood; you will not encounter much foot traffic nor street people, although you will have a couple of big intersections to negotiate.
http://www.centralmarket.com/
It is the most upscale grocery store in Houston and you will want to be familiar with it no matter where you're going to be living. Allow for the journey and also allow about 1/2 an hour for a tour of the store. You'll be able to take advantage of lots of samples, especially in the produce and bakery departments, and get an idea of what all there is. In the coffee department you can peruse all the offerings. There will also be one brew for free samples. In the front of the store is a cafe with a sandwich bar and a coffee bar. I think they always have a couple of Java Pura brews ready to pour at the coffee bar. You could have a meal there in lieu of a meal at your hotel?, or pick up some goodies to take back to the hotel. I think you will enjoy it. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
Fresh Roasted Coffee, Houston
For many years I've almost exclusively drunk darker roasts, at least City roast, but more recently I've been gravitating towards lighter roasts. That's part of the reason I like the Sumatra Mandehling at HCB over the Sumatra Blue Batak at WF.
It's sure a lot different from the Ethiopian Harrar and Yrgacheffe from Katz and Lola I was buying at CM.
I've only gone to the Bellaire store of WF, the closest one to me. I think they may roast different varieties and blends at each store. Because of the distance, I was always buying a half pound at WF anyway so the half pound minimum at HCB doesn't bother me.
Fresh Roasted Coffee, Houston
What variety of Java Pura are you drinking that you like? I've only tried their Sumatra Ishkandar and found it had too many floral notes for my taste. I've been through many of the Lola Savannah and Katz varieties at CM and many of the varieties at WF and am back to House of Coffee Beans and their Sumatra Mandehling. I like that you can buy 1/2 # at a time; Java Pura, you have to buy a whole #. What's the benefit of buying the day it's roasted if it takes weeks to use up?
Any body want to talk about brewing methods? I just got a Hario Slim Mill and Clever Drip Coffee maker from Sweet Marias yesterday and made my first coffee with it today, a cup at a time. Going to take some practice to get the measurements down to produce a cup that I like.
Do people really drink a 4-ounce cup of coffee?
I use a mug that holds about 10 oz but I fill it only half way, meaning a 4.5 to 5 oz brewed cup of coffee, maximum, including half and half. Why? I like my coffee hot, not tepid, not lukewarm, not at room temperature, and not cold. But I don't like to gulp it, I sip it. (and yes, I warm up the half and half).
If I want more, and many times I don't, I go back and pour another cup, usually not for 45 minutes or an hour, though.
It's probably at least as much about a ritual that starts my day as it is the caffeine and it certainly isn't about slaking thirst; for that, I drink water.
Randall's Fried Chicken
That location was mentioned in one of the Press articles as I recall; not too surprising since most of their writers (and those of the Chron) seem to live in either the Montrose or Heights.
I've never been to that location. The Signature Cafe is a Safeway division/department and is in every store and I assume they all use the same recipe.
I've been to the Bellaire store, which is where the off taste of the oil was worst, the one on W. Bellfort @ Kirkwood, which had very poor turnover and the chicken had been under heat lamps too long, and mostly the Meyer Park store on S. Post Oak, where I've been maybe a half dozen times.
Again, not the best fc in town but it's a matter of convenience for me rather than driving all the way over to Scott St.
Where can I buy Branzino in Houston?
It's on the menu of several restaurants so someone must be able to get it. I'd suggest you contact Louisiana Foods on W. 12th; they're a supplier to many seafood restaurants.
Their small retail market is only open limited hours so I'd just call to ask about availability.
http://www.louisianafoods.com/
p.s. - you do not want their Total Catch Market which is only on Saturday and specializes in Gulf Coast by-catch only.
Houston and Hill Country Best Sausage
I wanted to add this new one I just recently discovered. I was checking out the fried chicken at Brookshire Brothers grocery stores for an ongoing thread on the Houston board about supermarket fried chicken ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783156 ) and found a brand I’d never heard of, EJ’s Meat Co. of Shiner. That makes three sausage makers in Shiner; the others are Patek’s and Maekers, both of whom put out some good products.
I’ve been very impressed with EJ’s. I’ve tried the smoked pork with garlic, the pork smokies (with garlic) and the pork and beef and jalapeno links (with garlic). The best was the last one, very, very juicy with a moderate amount of heat though very little flavor of jalapeno. They do like the garlic which is fine by me.
The grind is a medium, not as coarse as most Central Texas sausage makers go for and they use sheep’s casings for a nice snap and a little chewiness. They remind me a lot of the sausages from V & V in Cistern but there’s no TVP.
I have no idea if they have a store-front in Shiner as I can’t find much about them online; I’ve only seen them at the Brookshire Brothers in Katy and Columbus.
Houston and Hill Country Best Sausage
I have never had the sausage at Smitty's but that does look awfully good.
Prause Meat Market, La Grange
My experience here was not very impressive but I thought I’d post it for others or maybe others have had different experiences.
I’d heard about Prause for years and driven by several times but never stopped. I read recently the place is for sale and there’s some concern what will happen under new owners so I thought I’d check it out before it’s too late.
It’s an old fashioned meat market, right on the square downtown, with pits in the back and a bare bones dining area. Supposedly it does a brisk business and I got there early as there are warnings they usually sell out. I got some fatty pieces but my brisket was dry and lacking in flavor and still just a little tough. There was more of a burned taste than smoke and there wasn’t enough rub. In particular it needed salt. I thought it was even possible my sample had been reheated from a previous day. The sausage link was better, very nice and juicy, like the wet sausage at City Market in Luling, but also was rather bland. It could’ve used either some more black or red pepper and salt. I noted most of the other people were ordering pork (loin slices I think) but I didn’t go back to try that.
There are three potato salads and reviewers say be sure to try them. I went for the baked potato salad with sour cream and bacon and it was very good - best thing on the plate. The sauce was also good, thank goodness since the brisket really needed it.
Prices are reasonable. I paid $8 + tax for 1/4 # brisket, 1 link and maybe a cup and a half of potato salad.
"La Mex"
In Houston, with all there is to choose from? You bet. I have had a couple of great meals at El Real (and one so-so meal), and I love the tamales from Alamo on Navigation, but otherwise, most Tex Mex is boring.
Randall's Fried Chicken
More on Brookshire Bros. - I trekked out to Prause Meat Market in La Grange this week. The meat and sausage were both very disappointing and I left still quite hungry. Passing through Columbus I spotted the BB on 71, about 5 blocks north of I-10 and gave the fried chicken another try. I got just about the last of a batch; they said there would be fresh coming out in a few minutes but I didn't want to wait. This was a much more satisfactory sample. No where near as thick or hard a coating, wonderfully juicy considering it had been under a heat lamp for some time. I only got dark meat pieces. The left over piece I had from the fridge still had soaked up too much grease in the batter but otherwise I was very pleased with the meal.
I happened upon another Brookshire Brothers, a very new looking one, on the western edge of Eagle Lake on 90-A, also.
"La Mex"
I'm not surprised. I worked in the area 20 years go and went a few times. I was still into Tex-Mex then but I didn't ever experience anything memorable.
A Hispanic co-worker raved about El Paraiso (?), 2 blocks east on Fairview, but I never went.
Catfish?
Catfish is ubiquitous here as far as I know but I never buy it at the markets. I got tired of it several years ago and always look for something else. Once you've had wild caught, it's hard to be satisfied with the taste of farm raised. At least for me.
Tried basa a few times when it was available, also labeled Vietnamese catfish sometimes. I thought it was inferior and the main appeal was price. Never see basa anymore, now it's swai, which is cheaper and worthless. Tried it just once. According to the Wiki-oracle, swai is considered inferior to basa in SE Asia so they are keeping the basa to themselves and shipping the swai to us.
Caputo Flour in Houston?
Nundini's is a wholesaler. They have Farina 00 (but you have to buy a whole case).
D'Amicos Italian Mkt Cafe in the Village has a small selection. You might contact them to see.
There was a thread on this board a year or so ago on Italian markets.
http://www.nundini.com/entabout.html
http://www.damico-cafe.com/default.asp
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/749404
EDIT TO ADD: It's been a few years since I've been to Nundini's but there used to be a small market associated with their cafe/gelato bar.
Game meats butcher
Interesting, thanks. I was thinking of checking with Sammy's Wild Game Grill.
Any Good Game Food in Houston?
For something much more casual:
http://www.sammyswildgamegrill.com/
Game meats butcher
I know about Pete's Fine Meats. Any others? I'm specifically looking for reindeer meat - steaks or sausage. Pete's doesn't have it listed. I know they could probably order it and I could get it online but just wondering if there are any other game meat butchers in town.
Driving from Bush to Hobby, suggested BBQ spot off the highway with craft beer?
That's a tough set of criteria. Most BBQ places I can think of just off the highways do mediocre Q; many Q places don't offer much in the way of beers at all, much less craft beers. Traffic? At that hour, avoiding it is going to be impossible.
Best choice would be Beaver's - small selection of Q, good selection of brews including locals like St. Arnold's, Southern Star, and the new Karbach. Not close to a freeway and very close to downtown will put you in lots of traffic.
http://beavershouston.com/
Best route into town and out to Hobby would be US 59 to I-45 but that puts you even farther away from Beaver's. 59 inbound should be very light traffic at that hour, 45 outbound will be another matter but it isn't far to the Hobby area.
Maybe you could check out craft beer offerings after your conference?
L'es-Car-Go - Food truck
Yes, escargot poppers - battered and fried with a dipping sauce. I think it's on the regular restaurant menu? (Just saw a press release from Bistro Provence on b-4 about National Escargot Day coming up May 24).
They've been stopping on Tuesdays at 2121 Sage, just west of the Galleria area, where the pictures were taken. I hope they continue to visit that spot as it's a lot more convenient than having to drive all the way to Montrose or Heights where all the other trucks stay most of the time.
It was really hard choosing from what was offered. I've seen pictures of the quiche and it looked awfully good.
L'es-Car-Go - Food truck
From the owners of Bistro Provence. Once I caught up with them and saw the menu I wanted 'one of each' but the Pulled Pork Provencal, a new item on the menu, was calling my name a little more forcefully.
The nattily attired crew worked quickly and efficiently and my sandwich came out in no time. It was a very juicy and tasty sandwich dressed just with aioli and romaine on a very crusty and very chewy french loaf (from Slow Dough I think). It got even better as the juices from the meat and the condiments seeped into the bread. Just the bread and some butter would have made a very good meal and the price was very fair.
The menu changes regularly I think. I'm looking forward to catching up with them again soon. They're only making a couple of appearances a week at present but recently tweeted they're working on more arrangements and should be making more stops in a few weeks.
http://twitter.com/#!/les_car_go
Hello Houston - I need help!
You have probably figured out you can use that link to sort for ethnic cuisines and parts of town. Many ethnic restaurants are scattered all over town but some neighborhoods are more well known for specialties. Spring Branch, NW of downtown, north of I-10, is known for Korean, the far west side is where Chinatown/Asia Town is located, with a huge concentration of Chinese and Vietnamese - worth a trip just to tour. South American tends to be concentrated on the SW and W sides and Central American is somewhat concentrated in and around the suburb of Bellaire and so on.
I happened to remember our only Costa Rican (or is it Dominican?) restaurant is up that way< too, but I haven't been able to remember the name.
There is a blogger who is based in the Woodlands, HTown Chowdown. He roams all over town but you may find some things on his blog close by that you'd be interested in. I remembered a post he did a few months ago about a bbq trailer up there that I would have checked out by now if it weren't so far:
http://www.htownchowdown.com/2011/11/corkscrew-bbq-bbq-truck-in-woodlands.html
You've mentioned 'local' and 'chef driven' - there you have it (okay, pitmaster driven instead of chef).
Red Bananas - Aren't they supposed to be good?
Most of the red bananas I've seen around here are from Colombia although I've recently seen some from Mexico. I've never seen one as long as 6"; a few may have approached 5" but most are around 4" in length. The Mexican ones were not as good as the Colombian ones.
Learning to judge when they're ripe is a process of trial and error that I'm slowly getting better at but I've thrown quite a few away that I peeled prematurely and were too chalky to eat. The skin is thicker on the red bananas that I get than on regular bananas; I practically need a knife even when they're lusciously creamy inside. The skins itself can get mottled and squeezable and the flesh inside still be chalky so I want until a couple of days after the skin becomes squeezable. Red bananas are my favorite banana for flavor
Hello Houston - I need help!
That is not my part of town; it's completely across the metropolitan area from me so I know very little about it. I'm sure there are some very good eats but my general impression would be that people from the Woodlands drive to the city for chowish type experiences rather than the other way around. So are you willing to drive?
Here's a list on a local review site of restaurants in the Woodlands/Spring area:
http://www.b4-u-eat.com/eat002.asp?Z=&A=The+Woodlands+-+Spring&H=0&N=&S=N
Yes, I know, that's a ridiculously long list.
What do you mean by Ethnic? In the Houston area there are maybe 100 different ethnic cuisines available. Do you mean hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop, aimed at the immigrant community or white table cloth, aimed at Westeners who just want a little sample of some of the flavors? My preference is for the former and the only place I see on that list that interests me is Reaksmey Angkor, which is our only Cambodian restaurant so I would have to drive that far to try the cuisine. I'm sure there are others in the W/S area, I just don't know them and sounds like you're going to have trouble dragging your friend into a place like that.
