222 replies to this topic

[JimH]

After reading through that link Bruce, that red sauce was more likely made with pasilla peppers. It just did not seem that hot.

[brucesw]

Right there at the corner of Wilcrest and Bellfort?  I didn't realize there was a tortilleria going in there - and tamales too?  Tortillerias have been springing up all over the place in recent years.  I'll have to check that one out, thanks.

Yep, a couple of doors down from the BBQ place. The pork tamales, well I sacrificed myself and ate a half dozen. They were flatish averaging 2 to 2.5 fingers across. Of the 6 I ate only one was more masa than meat. I've had all kinds of tamales, dry, super greasy, mostly masa, fat rather than meat and mystery meat. These were quality tamales, the pork was shredded with no fat included, in almost all there were good chuncks of pork. The masa was moist but not greasy. The two sauces included with the tacos, a dark red sauce and a green sauce. The red sauce tasted like it was made with anchos for flavor and chipotle for some smokey heat. I really liked that sauce, the bottom of the condiment cup had black seeds in it, I wonder if they were from a chipotle pepper? I only use the canned version. The green was tart and mild but you could taste the tomatillo and a little garlic? The place is clean and the ladies very nice but speak little english. They serve breakfast tacos, enchiladas etc. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the menu.

I just checked it out. In the window they list enchiladas potosinas and rojos, other things, but I got there too early. At 11:15 all they had ready was still breakfast taco stuff. I did get a couple of pork tamales to go and had them for a snack but they were very dry, I'm guessing leftovers from yesterday rather than fresh made? Not bad - I'll look forward to trying them some other time as well as the enchiladas. Chips and tostadas looked good but I didn't see any tortillas!

The business card lists two other locations - on Gulfton in the Gulfton Ghetto and on S. Gessner, probably looks like it'll be between Bellaire and Harwin.

[JimH]

Well, I've got another 6 to eat tonight, maybe I just got an exceptional batch. They were good though.

[JimH]

6 perfect tamales for dinner tonight. My only guess is that yours came out of a steam pan whereas mine were pre-packaged in saran wrap after they were cooked and held in a warmer. The texture of the masa is almost creamy.

[brucesw]

Either that or we got different batches. Yours sound great. I'll give the place another try but wait until later in the day.

Since they have other locations, I wonder how much is done on premises? I'll have to look for a tortilla press machine next time.

[JimH]

I'm going to hit them again after my appt in Clear Lake but I'm tamaled out so I'll try the enchiladas.

Update: They don't serve the enchiladas, they pre-package the for sale in a cooler. I had a beef plate and the meat was over-cooked and the refritos were nasty. The corn tortillas were once again very good but I did not have anything worth filling them with. Stick to the tamales.

Edited by JimH, 23 April 2009 - 02:23 PM.

[brucesw]

I'm going to hit them again after my appt in Clear Lake but I'm tamaled out so I'll try the enchiladas.

Update:  They don't serve the enchiladas, they pre-package the for sale in a cooler.  I had a beef plate and the meat was over-cooked and the refritos were nasty.  The corn tortillas were once again very good but I did not have anything worth filling them with.  Stick to the tamales.

Ouch. Thanks for the warning.

I haven't been hitting any new places for a couple of weeks after a couple of really disappointing experiences. I've been hitting some old favorites like Capt. Benny's, Capt. Tom's, Hickory Hollow for CFS, and whittling away at all the stuff in the freezer.

I went to La Sani today for the first time in a long time:


Clockwise from 11am - Daal, Chillies in gravy, Kari Pakora (fried vegetable balls in yogurt), and Grilled Chicken Boti. I also sampled the Chicken Karahi which wasn't as good, had some naan and the Shahi Kheer with pistachios, almonds and saffron.

Very satisfying. I skipped the Beef Masala which didn't look very interesting to me and some brown rice. Those chillies were the hottest thing I have ever had there and they did a nice job on my congestion from all the pollen these days. I needed tissues within a few seconds of finishing the first one. I've never seen them before. I think the place may have undergone a change of ownership. The condiments/salad bar component has been expanded.

This is my favorite Pakistani place after Himalaya and it's real convenient to me for a quick lunch.

Edited by brucesw, 23 April 2009 - 11:24 PM.

[brucesw]

Stopped in today at Tortilleria Milpa Real, 10001 W. Bellfort, just off the Beltway, to pick up some tortillas for practice sessions for the enchilada cook-off. They had a sign up for almost a year before finally opening.


Tortillas, tamales, champurrado. The tortillas are not as good as those from El Bollilo but better than store bought and they'll serve my purposes.

Tamales were great, larger than any I've had except those from Dona Tere, piping hot, a little dry, possibly due to the fact they were too large for the shucks and so only loosely wrapped in two, but the juices from the meat and flavorings permeated all the masa and they were very tasty. The pollo rostizados, a vivid orange color, looked great but I wasn't in the market for one. They have birria de chivo and lengua de res on the weekends only - didn't see any.

Champurrado was very good, just a hint of cinnamon so I added a bit more. No churros in evidence or listed. I should have headed on West to Shipley's at 59 and W. Bellfort - does Shipley's do churros?

Tamales $1 apiece, tortillas $1 a lb., champurrado (about 16 oz) $1.25, birria de chivo $8.99/lb, pollo rostizados $6.99/$9.99. One of the workers spoke good English.

Edited by brucesw, 26 April 2009 - 02:42 PM.

[JimH]

I saw that place the other day, I'll have to give it a try. How are you on Jamaican? I tried a place the other day and I liked their goat curry, very tender, great flavor. It's called The Hummingbird Restaurant, 9750 Hwy 6 South. The staff was really nice and helpful but they were sold out of alot on the menu.

[brucesw]

Never had a goat curry at a Jamaican place that I can remember. I've usually gone to Caribbean Cuisine on Bissonnet, near Sharpstown Hi; very good jerk chicken. There's another one on Biss near Boone, Tropical Island or something, but gets mixed reviews on b4 and never any cars there.

I checked in on Milpa Real today wanting to try the pollo rostizado but they didn't have any. I think they may have had a power outage and lost a lot of supplies. It was dark inside and fans only. She said they wouldn't have it until next week. The WalMart Neighborhood Center near there at S. Gessner and W. Bellfort was even more barren than it was the first time I went in after Ike; they lost power yesterday and had to throw out all their perishables. I've decided the tortillas at Milpa Real are not any better than store bought except that they're fresher; by the time a couple of days pass they're pretty indistinguishable from store-bought.

I stumbled on the Udipi at 3559 Hwy 6, near Settler's Way the other day. I've never remembered to try them up in the Hillcroft neighborhood so I took advantage and went in. It was kind of late in the lunch hour and the food on the buffet was not very warm but good otherwise and I want to go back and get there earlier.

I had the vegetable biryani, not as spicy as the biryani's at Himalaya but good; iddly and iddly fry (I liked the fries better), bajii pokara (I think I got that right - battered and fried chile pepper strips), mehdu vada (lentil donut), a mushroom masala that was very 'meaty' tasting, and an eggplant curry I can't remember the name of, all very good. They bring you out a freshly made dosa and the guy was very helpful, explaining about the chutneys - he brought over the 3 - a coconut chutney, one with tomato (served warm, the warmest thing I had) and another one. One of the last two was pretty spicy, can't remember which now. Also tried the gulab jamoon which were cooked almost to the point of dissolution. Everything is labeled. I skipped a few things; they also had Rasam, a soup, daal, plus fresh fruit sections and Sheer for desserts. Looks like they've got a big enough menu to have different things on the buffet regularly. $7.99 for the lunch buffet, 11a-3p ($2 more on weekends).

I haven't been impressed with Bombay Sweets buffet on Hillcroft; this was better as far as I'm concerned, not as good as Bhojan but I'll be going back to try again.

Edited by brucesw, 29 April 2009 - 03:11 PM.

[JimH]

I mis-spoke, on the menu it reads "curried goat", "a Jamaican favorite".

[JimH]

No, I haven't had the time to get back there.  I have tried Smokin' Mike's on Hwy 6 just North of West Airport (in the same strip center with Javred Nahari), I thought the sausage was great but pass on the rest.  I have no experience with Pakistani food but I did like the beef nahari at Javred Nahari, the owner is very nice - even scored a free dessert first time there.

Great - another Pakistani place. I'll have to try them both. Beef Nihari is an incredible dish.

To update: Javred Nahari, was bought out and after a remodel renamed Chandni. I tried their beef nahari tonight, not as spicy as the previuos owners but there was more beef and it was very tender.

[brucesw]

I tried the new Moroccan place, Casablanca Couscous and Grill, on Richmond where Miguelito’s Venezuelan used to be, across from Pete’s Fine Meats. I’ve been watching for it to open but it slipped out of my mind and the next thing I know, it’s being reviewed in the Chron. It’s a low priced alternative to Saffron; the menu is small and not very helpful as far as explaining the offerings. There are I think 4 couscous, a similar number of tagines and some grilled offerings, a salad, a sandwich, a couple of desserts, tea and coffee and sodas.



I went for the Chicken Tagine with golden raisins and onions. There are no sides on the menu and this comes just with some warmed up I think store-bought pita wedges. This was very good but like Alison Cook in the Chron, I was wanting a side of something to break up the monotony. Still, it was a very reasonable price. Cook wrote pretty much a rave review and local noted food explorer Jay Francis has also weighed-in, saying this is already on his list of 10 places to take visitors to Houston to show off our diverse dining scene. I wasn’t anywhere near as taken with it as the two of them but they’ve both sampled several dishes and this is the only time I’ve been. I’m thinking it would be a good idea to always go with someone so you could share dishes and get a little variety in the meal.

They have no website, no menus to go, not even business cards yet. While I was having my meal the cook/owner was outside working on the landscaping; he is apparently also the only person who can operate the cash register. This is a real pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps place but the food is very promising.