Houston Eating

You know my quest for Texas BBQ and a worthy successor to Phil’s BBQ.  Well, I think I found Phil’s replacement.  Rudy’s BBQ is, unfortunately, on the outskirts of Houston, which means a bit of a drive to reach.  But it is worth it and highly recommended, and even though the drive may be a pain, depending on what time of day and which day you choose to go, there was no line inside and plenty of seating.

The seating was mostly picnic-table style, which seems to be the norm in Texas for bbq joints, and I like the communal feel of it.

I’ve told people before that Texas bbq appears to be all about the beef brisket and how smoky you can get it.  Look at this cut of brisket!  So moist and fatty, not gristley.  Also, very smoky.  I’ve found a place I like better than Goode Co., although I won’t stop visiting Goode bc it’s very close, and they have a larger menu.

Texans are not really into pork, so I don’t think many ppl get pork ribs when they get bbq, but I had to compare to Phil’s.  It’s really tough to compare, actually.  I think I’d have to eat them side-by-side, and I’m still used to “wet” baby back ribs, but on the other hand, these ribs are much smokier in flavor than Phil’s and don’t need any sauce.  These are fork-and-knife ribs, though: the meat slides off the bone very cleanly and easily.  You can also see how pink the meat gets.

The styrofoam cups you see in the background of the first photo are the creamed corn and peach cobbler.  Wow, those were good.  I like the sides here better than Goode Co. as well.  The peach cobbler was real, but I don’t like eating it squashed into a cup.

Anyway, Rudy’s BBQ is a large Texas chain, and I would highly recommend it.  Knowing Houston’s reputation for bbq, the other locations may taste even better.

Jason treated me to a delicious dinner on his last night in Houston at a place called Reef.  It’s a seafood restaurant, and we both enjoyed it very much.  Here is what we had:

Blackfin tuna bacon and pink sea bream tiradito, green apple, avocado.  This was my first time tasting tuna “bacon”, and I understand why it’s named so.  The meat is slightly firmer and saltier.  It was nicely tempered with the acidity and tartness of the apple.  The tiradito was refreshing, and the avocado kept everything from being too acidic.

Snapper carpaccio, grapefruit agra dolce, garlic bruschetta.  The carpaccio and grapefruit were refreshing and flavorful without being overwhelming.  Both had very delicate textures, which made them easy to drape and fold onto the bruschetta.

I don’t remember the name of the fish, but I had never heard of it before, and now I see that due to the spill, it has been replaced on the menu with grilled wahoo.  It was a light fish, with a texture similar to that of sea bass.

I believe it was served with broccolini, butter foam, and some type of tomato relish.  It was good, but I was still reeling from the appetizers, and I was busy stuffing my face with the side dish as well.

I have to thank Jason for ordering this dish for me, bc I was torn between so many of the menu choices.  This is roasted grouper, corn pudding, salsa cruda, and grilled peach.  Delicious!!  I love grouper.

Plaintain and long bean saute.  I love sweet plaintains so much, and these did not disappoint at all.  Somehow these long beans went really well with the sweetness and there as a little bit of gingery kick to it.

After dinner, I had a glass of Dr. Pauly ice wine (yum!) with our Vietnamese coffee tart, condensed milk ice cream, and mint syrup.  The coffee tart had a very liquid texture that oozed out when we broke into the pastry.  It was a delicious dessert.

Very satisfied.

Reef

2600 Travis @ McGowen in midtown

Houston, TX

713.526.8282

I don’t think I’ve blogged about the burgers in Houston yet.  I used to think In-N-Out was pretty much as good as it got.  Burger Lounge in SD confirmed that for me.  I haven’t been to Five Guys yet, but I will.  I have to share something with you non-Houstonites, or perhaps non-Texans.  The best burgers I’ve ever had are all in Houston.  And places like Father’s Office don’t really count as a point of comparison, because yes, if you put foie gras or duck fat or something like that in your burger, then yes, it tastes great, but is it still really a burger?  When I talk about eating a good burger, I mean no-frills, but great taste.  Patty can be mass-produced or hand-formed, and the ingredients should get no fancier than bacon and barbecue sauce.  I expect a good burger to have a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, maybe onions, maybe cheese, maybe some pickles, and maybe ketchup and mustard to be in the category of a “burger.”  I have tried several different burger joints in Houston, and with the exception of Avalon Diner (possibly the worst burger I’ve ever had), all have tasted - gasp! better than In-n-Out.  I will admit that most cost more than In-n-Out, though.  I’m not sure if Smashburger costs the same or not, but I’ll talk about that in a different post.

Beck’s Prime is a drive-thru joint, but there is limited seating.  The seating and “patio area” remind me of the Jack in the Box on Valley View in La Palma.  It looks pretty ghetto, but the burgers are anything but.  They use hand-formed patties, and beef is (surprise, surprise) very delicious in Texas.  I don’t even know how to describe what makes it so great.  Maybe the lack of freezers?  I have no idea.  Beck’s Prime is a small chain, and the ingredients are basic (although you have a choice of several more “gourmet” burgers on their menu if you desire more than the basic burger toppings), but good quality.  Fresh produce, and small touches like romaine instead of iceberg lettuce.  The quality of the ingredients is what probably makes the burger so good.  It does cost a bit more than the usual Houston burger, though, about $7-8.

I would also like to highly recommend their Strawberry Cream milkshake.  This is one of the few places that makes strawberry shakes correctly (by “correctly,” I mean that they don’t use Nestle Quik or Carnation Instant Breakfast).  One of the best strawberry milkshakes I’ve ever had is at Barney’s Burger on College Ave. in Berkeley (my neck muscles would get sore from trying to drink the shake through a straw), and this one definitely compares to it.  I need to drink them side-by-side to be sure, but if my memory serves me correctly, Barney’s Burgers has a thicker shake.  The friendly employees at Beck’s Prime recommended that I drink the milkshake with a spoon rather than a straw, but I stubbornly used the straw and managed pretty well.  Also, Jason and I shared the “small” milkshake and got full, so I would like to tip you off that you can request a dessert-sized portion of the milkshake (it’s not listed on the menu), which is half the size.

The fries are delicious here as well.  I haven’t tried anything but the burgers here (they were so good that I come here with burger cravings), but I suspect everything tastes good.  If you want to have a good burger for dinner, I would highly recommend this place, and if you want any indication of how good I think this place is, this is the first place that I took my sister to when she came to visit me in Houston.

Here’s a photo I found online of a Beck’s Prime burger:

The weird thing about this photo is that the lettuce looks very different from the way I remember it.  Beck’s Prime uses one or two big fat dark green leaves folded up, not pale and shredded like in the photo.

Beck’s Prime

Multiple Houston locations (they just opened an 11th location in north Houston)

Jason and I have been wanting to try this place for ages, but never got up early enough to avoid the line or visit on a day other than Sunday (they’re closed on Sundays). I really wanted Patti to eat here, though, bc it was obviously a place for locals, and its reputation ensured that we wouldn’t be disappointed.

When we arrived, around 9 AM, there was already a line that rounded one corner of the building. There was no way we were going to give up, though, so we got in line. The line actually moved very rapidly (like Phil’s) and the owner and some of the staff would come outside to hand out menus and greet the customers. They were so warm and sweet and made you feel at home.

One of the surprises was a coffee/espresso bar. I had a Karamel Macchiato (way too sweet, but somehow authentically Southern soul food in that sense), and Patti had her choice of several quality blends at the self-serve coffee bar. You pick up your own utensils and such, showing why the line was able to move so quickly and people were able to get seated, served, and leave quickly.

We had the 2 highest rated dishes from their menu:

Katfish & Grits: The photos here do not look very good bc the food doesn’t look good. But the food TASTES excellent. You look at the plate before you and think, “Aw, shit - I should have ordered something else.” But then you take a bite and realize it’s probably the best thing on the menu. Fluffy doughy biscuit, eggs prepared over-medium as I requested, what Patti claimed was the best fried catfish she has ever had in her life, and buttery, coarse-ground grits. Amusingly, they placed one slice of roma tomato on top, the healthiest part of our meal. Haha. The food was delicious and exactly what it claimed to be, Southern soul food. I maintain that in the South, fried foods taste much better. They use a different technique or batter or something. The texture and flavor are amazing.

Wings & Waffles: Again, not much to look at, but HUGE in flavor. I don’t know if waffles can be that amazing - the waffles were just good, but the wings… Basically, anything fried in Houston is going to be good, I think. Delicious, juicy wings with a slightly peppery kick to the batter, which I loved. This time the healthful addition was a single strawberry.

The Breakfast Klub lived up to the hype. Do it.

The Breakfast Klub

Closed on Sundays. Open for breakfast and lunch only.

I’ve blogged about BB’s Cajun Cafe before, and Jason and I hadn’t gone in a while, so Patti visiting was the perfect excuse to go back. Unfortunately, they changed their menu, drastically reducing the choices available, so it’s mainly appetizers and Po’Boys now. No more Southern Man Breakfast, which I really miss. You can’t order fried catfish anymore, either, unless it’s in a po’boy. However, I’m not that broken up about the menu change, because they introduced a new menu item: grillades and grits. I had never heard of grillades and I had never heard of that combination. I don’t know if it’s possible to order it ANYWHERE in California, and the server (i suspect he was the manager, but no idea) informed us that BB’s was the only place in Houston that offered it.

As you’ve probably guessed, I loved it. I tried Googling it, and it appears to be a New Orleans comfort food dish, and it tastes like it. Spicy, hearty, warm, and earthy.

Grits go perfectly with grillades, which appears to be chunks of beef that have been stewing all day until they’re tender and infuse the gravy. This dish lasted me 3 meals, and I was stuffed each time. Oh, and this was after Patti abandoned her tacos and shared my dish with me. It’s like Cajun beef goulash with cheesy grits.

Anyway, despite the menu change at BB’s, I am still enthusiastically recommending that you try it.

Ahh, yes. Another BBQ post. Come on, I’m in Texas - I have to try as many places as I can, on my search for a place that compares to Phil’s BBQ. I have to admit it may never happen, simply due to the fact that Phil’s doesn’t serve beef brisket, and “true” Texas BBQ is apparently brisket. I am no judge of brisket, since I’ve had it so rarely, not having been a Texan for more than a couple of months. I don’t know what the criteria are, but I have been looking for a few qualities in brisket that I believe a good brisket should have:

1) smokiness

2) tenderness

3) fattiness (I say this instead of juicy because with brisket being cut so thin, you can’t really retain much juice)

One place that is heavily favored by the locals in my part of Houston is Goode Company. Goode Company is just down the street from my place, which is why I’ve hit it up a few times already with Jason. In a nutshell, the brisket here needs no sauce (and I think that’s how Texans judge BBQ - it has to be good without sauce), it’s the smokiest BBQ I’ve ever tasted, and even though it looks dry and lean, when you eat it you realize it’s tender and fatty.

Check out that smoke ring:

I haven’t seen people ordering the ribs - the chopped beef brisket sandwich appears to be the most popular choice here.

I wish we had taken pictures of the sides, because they were unique. The Austin baked beans were surprisingly sweet, and it was because it contained chunks of apples. They were also a bit spicy, but it may have been carry-over from the BBQ sauces I poured on the meats that were peppery and set my tongue on fire.

I’ve had Goode on 3 separate occasions that I can recall off the top of my head, and the brisket has always been good. Not as good as the BBQ at the Salt Lick, but for where I live in Houston, this may be as “goode” as it gets.

A couple of the guys from my program brought a huge box of Goode Co. brisket to the office with a tub of BBQ sauce, and we were just grabbing strips of meat in our hands, dunking it into the sauce and eating it straight.  I ate so much of it that I got a little sick from meat overload, but it was so tender that I couldn’t resist.  I would also like to recommend to people who try the brisket sandwich to get it on the jalapeno bread, which seems to be popular in Texas (I see it offered in several places).  It is doughy and spicy and delicious.

Jason and I knew of this place because it has some relation to Hugo’s. We also found numerous Chowhound recommendations for Backstreet Cafe. The prices were very good, considering the quality of the food. I would describe it as upscale Tex-Mex bistro food, but at Cheesecake Factory prices. You can’t go wrong!

When we first were seated (which was immediately), we received this:

Delicious breakfast pastries instead of a bread basket! They were good, but I tried not to eat much because I didn’t want to get full before the food arrived.

For our appetizer, we split bacon-wrapped quail on a bed of stone-ground jalapeno cheese grits:

Really, really good. The quail was prepared perfectly, the bacon was savory, lightly crisped, fatty and juicy. The grits were amazing! They were coarsely ground and the jalapeno and cheese weren’t overdone. I want to taste this dish again and again.

Jason’s dish: shredded pork and potato hash with poached eggs, avocado, and tomatillo salsa:

This reminds me: potatoes in Texas taste far better than any potatoes I’ve ever had anywhere else. I usually don’t like potatoes (for example: I don’t like CA burritos), but every potato dish I’ve had in Texas has had what I claim are the best potatoes ever. I don’t know what it is - I think they’re a different type of potato. They look like Yukon golds, but I have no idea what they really are. For some reason, they taste like the best things ever. I have become a potato-lover in Texas, but now I have to remember to not eat potatoes anywhere else if I want to avoid an unpleasant surprise. I wonder if Texans eat potatoes in other places and think, “Oh, these must have gone bad…”

My dish: Bistro Breakfast - grilled 4 oz tenderloin served with two poached eggs, rosemary potato cake, spinach and tomato hollandaise:

When I first saw the plate, I thought, “Aww, this looks like a miss.” But then I tasted it and was in heaven. Again, the potatoes. That potato rosemary cake was unbelievably delicious. The tenderloin was perfectly prepared (I asked for it rare), and while the asparagus was a little tired, I thoroughly enjoyed my dish. The eggs were nice and yolky and had a slow run to them, more goop than liquid (which was a good thing!). But my favorite part of the plate was the rosemary potato cake.

I will return to this place, as I was delighted with the food. I will warn you that the food takes a long time to come out. This may be because each dish is made to order; it can also be due to the fact that this place gets crowded quickly. The coffee was all right - our waiter was too harried to refill our cups, and the coffee wasn’t as good as the kind at Raven Grill. I forgot to mention that at Raven Grill, the coffee comes with tiny house-made cookies!

Backstreet Cafe

1103 S Shepherd Drive

Houston, TX 77019

713.521.2239

Please read this post because I have discovered something amazing: the best pork chops I have ever eaten. Ever. I eat pork very often; I love pork; I am picky about pork. BEST PORK CHOPS. One of the best dishes I can remember, actually.

Anyway, Jason and I were looking at places for a nice brunch that wouldn’t be too far of a commute (I had to catch up on a lot of work). We decided on Raven Grill because it’s in West University/Rice Village, which is very close to my apartment. We wanted to find a place that had Texas flavors, and I guess this place could be described as upscale Tex-Mex bistro.

Here is our appetizer:

That is a fried seafood cake sitting on top of a tower of thick-cut onion rings, which are hiding sour cream, chives, pico de gallo, and surrounded by flautas filled with cheese, chicken, corn, and peppers, and chicken quesadillas and blue corn fried oysters. I was not a fan of the seafood cake (too much salmon flavor to me and kind of tough and dry), but I liked the flautas and the oysters. I completely neglected the appetizer once I had a taste of my entree.

Honey-chipotle-glazed pork chops with baby spinach, sweet potato wedges, and topped with tomatoes, black beans, onions, corn, and sweet potato chips:

The baby spinach was very garlicky (in a good way) and didn’t leave my teeth feeling chalky. Very good and not soggy. There were two pork chops, very thick-cut, and I asked them to prepare it medium-rare after the waitress assured me that the quality of the pork was very good. They were prepared perfectly. The bones were blackened, the meat was seared on the outside, and very juicy, with no blood. Tender, fatty without actually having chunks of fat all over it, and the perfect consistency. The glaze may have been responsible for the caramelized outside and it was definitely responsible for the great flavor. Sweet, but not overly so, and it didn’t overpower the flavor of the pork. Slightly smoky flavor… I can’t rave enough about this dish. Every single bite of pork was perfect meat. There was no section anywhere where the meat was undercooked or slightly dry. I took my first bite and put my knife and fork down and told Jason he HAD to take a bite. Jason agreed that it was one of the best things he’s ever tasted in his life. I want to come back here just to order this dish. Oh, and tomato, corn, navy beans, and onions tasted good with the pork, too, but whether each bite of pork had it or not didn’t really matter, because it was always good.

Jason’s enchiladas:

Quite honestly, they were good, but because I was enjoying my pork so much, I refused to take more than one bite. I wanted every bite to be of pork or spinach.

We had coffee with our meal, and I loved it. Not as good as the Kona coffee at Gramercy Tavern, but good, strong coffee, with that slightly chocolaty taste that coffees that I like all seem to have. It reminded me of the coffee I enjoyed so much at BStar in SF.

Raven Grill

1916 Bissonet Street

Houston, TX 77005

713.521.2027

This picture describes the food pretty accurately. Tasty, lots of BBQ sauce slathered all over it, and moist pulled pork. Was it the best pulled pork ever? No, but it was still tasty and good. I enjoyed it and I’ll be back (especially since this place is practically across the street from my apartment).

We have to try pecan pie at every place that offers it. Tasty, but in that guilty way, when you know you can do better. So far, Salt Lick has the best pecan pie that I’ve ever had, although I think Houston is supposed to be the best place for pecan pie.

Pappas BBQ has several locations, as it is a prominent chain in Texas. I should add that Pappas restaurants come in several incarnations: Pappacito’s Cantina, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen (really good seafood for a chain restaurant), Pappa’s Seafood House, Pappa’s Grill Steakhouse, Pappa’s Brothers Steakhouse, Pappa’s BBQ, and Pappa’s Burger. I think the chain is known for being consistently good, but never the best.

Frenchy’s is a fried chicken fast food chain, which should turn me off, but am I glad we tried it.  Apparently their chickens are never frozen and they fry them in small batches, which makes them crispy, oily, and never soggy.  They are also fried very, very quickly.  Our order was ready seemingly within seconds of placing it.

I had no idea what to expect, and since the price was so cheap for 3 pieces, dirty rice and a piece of cornbread, $3.99 or something, I suspected that the pieces would be the size of chicken nuggets.  So I ordered collard greens and seafood gumbo as well.

This picture is not very good because it was relatively dark in the apartment.  Here is a photo of the chicken:

The chicken was very good.  Crisp, crackly, oily skin, and juicy, moist chicken meat.  This chicken should shame all other fast food fried chicken.  The pieces were also enormous.  I could only finish 2 pieces.  The cornbread was also good.  It was sweet and honeyed.

The collard greens were a little bitter, as they should be, but not amazing, and the salty seafood gumbo was clearly made with frozen ingredients.  The dirty rice was tasty, not phenomenal.  My recommendation is for the chicken and the cornbread.  I also saw on the menu that I can get macaroni and cheese, so I will be back to try some other comfort foods from Frenchy’s.

There are several locations, so here is the link to their website:

Frenchy’s

99 Ranch Market to open in Houston!

In order for me to successfully “cook” while I’m living on my own, Asian markets will be extremely important. I want to be able to go all out whenever I eat out in Texas, so cooking healthfully at home will be crucial to preventing astounding weight gain. I’ve noticed that I tend to be able to keep my weight in check best when I prepare Korean food, though, so hopefully I’ll be able to find a good Korean market relatively close to where I live. In Houston, “relatively close” translates to “within 20 miles.” Southern California living has really spoiled me in terms of convenience.

Hugo’s is where Jason and I went for our last meal in Houston, and it was pretty epic. This place is a bit on the pricey side (entrees range from twenty-something to thirty-something in price), but the food is really worth the money. We lucked out and arrived in time for the Sunday brunch buffet, which cost $27 per person. We got to sample an amazing Mexican buffet that had so many different dishes that even though I only loaded my plate with one bite of each, I got too full to sample everything, so there were several dishes that I was unable to try, highly unfortunately. There was even a separate dessert buffet on the other side of the room (included in the regular buffet price).

I don’t remember the names of everything that I sampled, but everything was delicious and several of the items were dishes I had never tasted before. Mexican food in Texas is different from what you encounter in California, generally, as it isn’t baja, but pueblan and oaxacan, usually, as well as gulf cuisine. I love them all.

Everything was fresh and expertly prepared.

Although it is too expensive to frequent this place regularly, it is a must if you visit Houston and want good Mexican food. Arrive very early or make reservations, because this place is very busy and you will have a long wait if you don’t take precautions.

Hugo’s

1600 Westheimer Road

Houston, TX 77006

713.524.7744

Jason’s college buddy Bruce introduced us to his younger brother Eric, who lives in Houston. We got along very well and he took us to a fantastic place in Little Saigon called the Boiling Crab. It is a small chain, with a location in Westminster, funnily enough, but there were some key differences between the 2 locations.

First of all, crawfish in Houston are much larger than crawfish in Los Angeles. The crawfish in Houston resemble small lobsters, some with claws big enough to hold a sizeable amount of meat. Second, the seasonings in Houston are much stronger and spicier. Alcohol is also slightly less expensive in Houston.

If you order 2 lbs or more of crawfish at a time, it comes with half a cob of sweet corn, soaked in the same seasoning that you ordered for your crawfish. This corn was doused with such spicy, lemony, salty, cajuny seasoning, that it burned a hole in your tongue, but as your teeth broke the kernels, a hot sweet and juicy torrent of sweet corn juice would put the fire right out. The flavor was amazing.

I was a novice, so my fingers and hands got tired quickly and were a bit sore for a while afterward from breaking the shells. The crawfish were fresh (very few of them had missing limbs or cracked backs) and enormous. I liked them a lot and was craving crawfish for weeks afterward. I am aware that crawfish season is pretty much over, though, so I’ll have to wait until next year for the next good crop. We got crawfish juice and seasoning everywhere, so it was very handy that we wore our bibs before eating.

The crawfish were served in plastic bags, and the tables were covered in butcher paper so that you could create your own piles of shells wherever you wished. I would recommend dressing in dark clothing or clothes that you don’t mind staining whenever you come here.

The Boiling Crab

8300 W Sam Houston Pkwy S #268

Houston, TX 77072

281.988.4750

I’m excited about posting about this place because we loved it so much. We came over for a late breakfast/early lunch (was about noon when we arrived), and had a little trouble finding it, at first. It’s TINY, and located immediately adjacent to a gas station (I’m pretty sure it shares a wall with the gas station’s mini mart). The food was simple and incredibly good, and we hope to become regulars here, if our hearts can handle it.

I was craving breakfast, so I ordered The Southern Man:

2 eggs any style (I ordered them over medium, and they came out precisely the way I had hoped), fried catfish, cheese grits, bacon or sausage (I chose bacon and didn’t regret it one bit) and buttermilk biscuit with a massive amount of butter in a cup. Yes, that is a plastic cup of butter you see next in front of the bowl of cheese grits. Wow, I ate less than half of what I was served. Believe me, I wanted to finish it all, as it all tasted so great, but I just could not handle it.

First of all, the bacon was thick-cut and usually I don’t like it so crispy and crunchy, but I think it had been finished in the oven and wasn’t greasy or blackened. It was also surprisingly spicy, and reminded me of crumbly jerky. Then I tasted the fried catfish, and good Lord, it may have been the best fried catfish of my life. It was so FRESH. The crispy cornmeal was crackly and broke in such a lovely fashion. The fresh fish was flaky and flavorful. I couldn’t eat much of the grits because they filled me up too much, but if you like grits and you like cheese, you’d enjoy them. The eggs were perfect: runny yolks and firm whites, seasoned with salt and pepper, and not covered in buttery grease, but not burnt and lacy, either. I didn’t touch the biscuit because I was so full at that point that I knew one bite would cause my stomach to rupture or blow.

Maw Maw’s Chicken and Sausage Gumbo:

This tasted like the real deal: muddy, smoky, spicy, and delicious. I don’t know how to describe it, but you’ve got to try it if you like gumbo. The picture does translate the flavor well, I believe.

Jason’s Bedtime in the Bayou Po’boy: Fried gulf shrimp

I am usually not a fan of po’boys because I can’t hack the mayonnaise, but this was the best po’boy I’ve ever had. BB’s has mastered the art of the perfect fry-up; I think that’s what makes their fried food so good. No grease, just crackle and fresh ingredients. I am drooling just recalling this place.

I am including one last photo of the fried catfish so that you can see the quality of the fish meat underneath the batter:

This fish did not come from SYSCO or a freezer. This is fresh fish, and perfectly prepared. You can see the way that the batter broke as well. Amazing. Jason and I will be returning to this place over and over again. Our server checked on us often without being intrusive, and he was very cheerful and friendly. This was probably our favorite restaurant in Houston. And, the prices were amazing for what we got, not just in terms of quality, but quantity as well. Everything that we ordered was under $10. Another thing that excites us is the late hours they hold. They’re open until 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays!

BB’s Cajun Cafe

2710 Montrose

Houston, TX 77006

713.524.4499

For dinner on our first night in Houston, Jason and I were primarily concerned with proximity. We were trying to find an affordable restaurant that was near our hotel, but also favorably rated. We settled on Beaver’s Ice House, and it was quite the pleasant surprise.

We started with a special as our appetizer: rabbit livers served with cornbread.

Judging from the name of the establishment as well as its website, we did not expect to discover that the chef would travel an hour or so out into the country to find a ranch that provided fresh rabbits for him to use in his cooking. The livers were not gamey, but still had a mild liver taste that was good. The livers were prepared in a “dry” fashion, that is, they weren’t sauteed in oil or anything wet. They were roasted, it tasted like, and served with a delicious sauce and delicious pan-fried cornbread.

This is Jason’s Pit Boss “Chickwich” - all-natural smoked shredded chicken made sloppy with “Ring of Fire” BBQ sauce, a fried egg, crispy cornmeal onions, cole slaw, and a pickle:

It was even more delicious than it sounds. Definitely my favorite, and our server claimed it was her favorite as well. The chickwich was unbelievably huge, and I tried to get a picture of it in relation to Jason’s head:

Notice that you’re facing the “closed-side” of the sandwich. This is what it looked like after Jason tried to squash it down.

Here is my smoker sampler for one:

My favorite part of it was the brisket. It was so tender and juicy and had that wonderful pink smoke ring. It collapsed under my fork and I wished my plate was all brisket. The sausage was house-made, and you could tell that it was special, but it wasn’t to my personal liking. I think other people would have enjoyed it more. I didn’t like the ribs at all, but that may have been personal preference as well, because Jason devoured mine happily. I like my rib meat to slide off the bone at the touch of a fork. I was far too full to even consider trying the Texas toast that accompanied my dish. I was also a little turned off by the pulled pork, because while some pieces were tender, some were tough and dry, and there was an interesting pickled, vinegary sauce that doused it all that I wasn’t very fond of. I think it may be an acquired taste.

Braised greens - simple greens, chicken stock, bacon:

Very good greens. I love collard greens and the like. These were no disappointment. Huge fat chunks of bacon floating around also delighted us.

This place felt casual; you could see picnic tables and umbrellas outside as people downed their beers in jeans, but once you entered, people were dressed a little more to impress and it seemed popular with old and young alike. There were dishes that were good ole home cookin’, but there were also more gourmet dishes like the rabbit livers. They had a pretty good beer selection, and the servers were extremely friendly (actually, I think it’s difficult to find unfriendly people in Houston, from our experiences so far). I would come back to this place - it was a little bit more expensive than I had expected, but it was also a fun and comfortable place to eat. I think I’d like to come back some time on a hot summer evening and just drink ice-cold beers outside on the patio.

A warning: this place is a little difficult to find. I would highly recommend using Google maps, or a Garmin or some type of navigation system, as it’s in an unexpected location, comfortably and tightly nestled among residential houses.

Beaver’s Ice House

2310 Decatur Street (Sawyer @ Washington Ave.)

Houston, TX 77007

713.864.2328

I didn’t want to title this post “Avalon Diner,” because I didn’t like it very much. It’s been very highly rated on various sites such as roadfood.com or Yelp!, and it was even listed in Gourmet Magazine as being one of the best burgers in the country. It’s not. We were very disappointed, and the food was a bit pricey for what it was, which was mediocre diner food. The service was almost nonexistent, although I did notice the host yelling at our waiter later for disappearing while on the job, so I’m guessing ours was an isolated case, or rather, the diner is working on improving their service.

Here is the cheeseburger I ordered with some onion rings:

You can tell from the picture that it is nothing special. It was just a regular burger. In-n-Out burgers are much, much, much better. The lettuce was tired and wilted, the tomatoes were pale and bland, the meat was all right, but probably defrosted after sitting for months in the freezer.

One thing I will be open and honest about is that we were tired when we arrived. Our flight had arrived that morning, we were hungry, it was extremely hot and humid in Houston already, and I was feeling nauseous from exhaustion, a migraine, and mild heat stroke. There is a possibility that on a different day, I might have liked the burger. But hungry as I was, I couldn’t eat much of it (nor did I want to - I started feeling sick after a few bites) and I think if it had been a good burger, I could have scarfed it down. The milkshake was way too sugary and sweet, as though they had tried to make up for the lack of flavor by dousing it in artificial sweeteners.

The onion rings were very crispy, but the batter didn’t taste very good and the onions tasted as old as their other produce. I’m not going to include the address of Avalon Diner because I would not recommend that you eat there any time soon. If I ever go back (and I doubt I will, at those prices) and the food has improved, I will be sure to post on my blog.