brucesw

Yes, the beef nihari was awesome. I remember thinking I could survive for months on just the gravy from the beef nihari and the naan glazed with ghee. I've never tried the beef nihari at Himalaya.

I'll confess to having a thing about old-timey hamburger stands and I like Someburger and have made the trip from the SW side several times just for the burgers, but I understand that kind of burger is not for everyone. I'd definitely take it over Whataburger. I'm sure it's a preformed patty but otherwise I like the piping-hot, fresh-off-the-grill factor, which you will not always get at Whataburger, and the freshness of the ingredients. With the size of that place, I'm sure they can't store all the fixings for very long in advance! I like the nostalgia factor too: the sign in the window which advises customers that fries and onion rings, shakes and malts come in one size only. There's not only no drive thru or kiddie playground, there's no biggie size or supersize or even indoor dining. All they need to complete the experience is some tinny speakers under the eaves blaring out Billy Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, etc. I haven't been in about a year, though. I've always gotten the double-meat cheese but that's a bit large for my tastes and appetites now; I might not like the single meat burger as much. I think double-meat burgers were probably unheard of back in the 50s when that place was built. It was a chain started in Austin with locations in many Texas cities and about 15 in Houston at one time. There's one other surviving location in downtown Baytown in a 1960s era building with the added amenity of indoor dining, but the burgers aren't as good.

lol. I have been taking note of recommendations from you and jscarbor for years and have 'discovered' a number of good places that way. Burt's is great. Wish it were closer to me. Is Zydeco the place in the former Pizza Hut or Pizza Inn? I've been wanting to try that for a couple of years but am seldom downtown. The one time I got there it was just after 2 and they had closed. I've been to Bombay Sweets a couple of times and wasn't impressed - the offerings were mostly gravy it seemed and the poppadums were stale and the naan - well, hard to find any that measures up to Himalaya, although as I recall the naan at Sabri Nihari was very good. I'm looking forward to the opening of India House on W. Bellfort, about a mile from me. They finally broke ground on this long planned community center late last year and are nearing completion. A couple of small strip centers have sprung up across the street and there are vacancies in the former Randall's center down the street, so I'm hoping some enterprising businessman will see an opportunity for a restaurant. Then I came across old news stories about the place saying it will have a restaurant and food court on premises. Hopefully they won't be institutional places.

Agreed. I've been to Sabri Nihari just once - thought the beef nihari was great. I've been meaning to try Aga's on Wilcrest, just off 59 - one very good review on b4 and it's near me. Tortas Las Llardas, Hillcroft, just off 59. Cramped space; this is a chain with several locations. I had a chilanga w/ham, beef skirt, chorizo, melted cheese, avocado, tomato, hot sauce on a sesame seed telera - good, but a little skimpy on fillings. Many other choices. Mexico's Deli - on the recommendation of Kerr. Dairy Ashford, just north of Westheimer. Can't remember the name of the torta but it had sirloin (very thinly sliced), ham (ditto), queso, avocado, guajillo sauce on telera bread (sesame seed). A better sandwich; great salsas on the side, a cup of Mexican beef broth with fideo. Great place, wish it was closer to where I live. Also have hit The Russian General Store, Golden Grains, and Saba's recently, plus El Quetzal bakery on Gessner and Carrbbean Cuisine on Bissonnet - great jerk chicken. Will report on them when I get some more time.

I've been once and thought it was very good, better RB poboy than Rajin Cajun. I've been to Boiling Pot Cajun Cuisine, Bissonnet about 1/2 mile inside the Beltway, hoping to find something that good out here on the SW side. !st visit: excellent oyster poboy, 6 juicy oysters on a 5" roll with a unique, house-made hot sauce on the side that was more like the bright orange salsa at Jarro Cafe than a typical bottled Louisiana hot sauce. The bread wasn't toasted, though the menu said it should be. 2nd visit, only 4 oysters, bread still not toasted, no hot sauce. The gumbo was a pale beige color, tasty but skimpy on the fillings. It's a family run place; different family members contribute recipes so they tell me. I don't know if I'll give them another try; they're going to have trouble making it. They're behind a former Popeye's (now a Brenda's Taqueria) and you'd never see them form the street if you weren't craning your neck. I've only seen one other customer there in my 2 visits. Saw another new one Sunday that I may check out, Eliya's Sabri Nihari, up Hillcroft from the original Sabri Nihari, near Lee High School. I wonder what the deal is with that?

Some resources for Houston: Indian restaurants Pakistani restaurants Indo-Pak restaurants You will see that there is some overlap. I have eaten at only 2 of the Indian restaurants, Shiva in the Village, which is good, and Bombay Sweets, in Little India on Hillcroft, basically a candy shop with a small buffet. There have always been lots of Indians at Bombay Sweets but I've not been impressed with the food; the buffet is not kept very fresh and isn't very good, but it is very inexpensive. I have eaten at 3 of the Pakistani restaurants: Sabri Nihari, which is a branch of a restaurant in Chicago. This is very good, on a par with Shiva, with excellent beef nihari and naan on a lunch buffet that is very inexpensive. However, it is outclassed by Himalaya across the street (which is on all three lists but is really Pakistani). The food here is just outstanding. This is one of my 'don't miss' recommendations for Houston. It is a very quirky place - the owner's desk is in the dining room, the lunch-time special is served on a divided, plastic school lunch tray, etc., but none of that matters. I have also eaten at a Pakistani place not listed, Salaam Namaste, which bills itself as Indo-Pak fast food and Paan corner. This is as much a game room as restaurant and English is very halting; food is not as good as Himalaya, though it's not bad; the menu is small and not everything on the menu will be available everyday. There are any number of restaurants not on the lists which probably represent only about 60-70% of the restaurants in Houston. I am aware of at least 2 others, Desi Play Zone which is just down the street from Salaam Namaste on W. Bellfort (both just around the corner from Savoy) and also serves food, and Mefdi Grill and Pan Corner, a very new place on Bissonnett, just outside Beltway 8. I have intentions of getting to Aga's in the near future as it is near me and I am looking forward to the opening of India House this spring or summer, also very near me, which will eventually have restaurants and a food court. There are posters on the Texas board on eG who know more about the Indian restaurants in Houston than I and you will find many who will also endorse Himalaya so if you're headed our way come on by and post Bruce. EDIT: I see Sabri Nihari is not listed for some reason. Here is a direct link on the same site. Sabri Nihari Edit again: Out looking for lunch today I spotted another, Eliya's Sabri Nihari (?!), about half a mile up Hillcroft from the other Sabri Nihari, near Richmond. I'll try to check it out.

This sounds good to me. I've never been big on alcohol before or with a meal and would love to have a choice of teas. Maybe someone knows of someplace in Houston that does something similar?

I know, weird, right? ← Volume? Nah, they couldn't have more locations than HEB, I guess, but they do have a lot state-wide, 50 listed here in the Houston/Galveston area, 5 in Austin: La Michoacana Platillos are a good bargain.

I've encountered it at a few eateries but I can't recall any specific ones other than Prasek's in Hillje, south of El Campo - a little far! Maybe Christian's Tailgate on Washington? However it's usually in stock at Spec's downtown, by the six pack or singly. You can also get it by mail order from the Dublin plant and I think I calculated it'd be cheaper that way, but I prefer to get it just occasionally. These are the 7-8oz size bottles. Spec's has a good selection of real cane sugar beverages from all over. Jarritos is good, too.

Interesting. I pass right by the soda section at Sam's without looking since their prices are easy to beat elsewhere. Coca Cola de Mexico is widely available here year round at taquerias and even taco trucks and at numerous supermarket chains including Food Town, Fiesta, and even SuperWalmart. I've seen it from $.79 to .83 per 12 oz at the latter. I'm not that fond of it, though. Now the Dublin Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar, that's great.

I was headed over to El Temucano for congrio the other day and spotted a new restaurant, Carioca Brazilian and Latin American grill. I went back today to try it out. The port-a-sign says there's a home-style Brazilian buffet for $7.99 and I thought I'd try it to sample several different dishes but it turns out buffet is all there is. There's no printed menu and the dishes on the buffet change every day according to the very friendly and helpful young lady who spoke only halting English but tried to explain all the dishes. She also ran down a quite extensive list of her repertoire of dishes. This is your Houston-typical strip center restaurant in a very new strip center just north of Bissonnett on Synott. The buffet today included rice, black beans, a fish stew with coconut milk and probably tilapia, perhaps a version of moqueca (?), a little sweet and a little citrusy, I thought; fried fish that was probably either cod or pollock (some pieces had lots of bones), potato stix, mashed potato salad with peas and possibly some bell pepper strips and parsley, roasted brisket, the lean part but with lots of fat attached, and farofa, the toasted yuca flour that is used as a condiment, I understand. There was also a tossed salad that looked very good and a 'vinagreche' (?) which she was at pains to insist was not pico de gallo, though it looked much like it. I guess that was supposed to be used as a condiment, too, but it was quite substantial and I used it as a salad. They don't serve tea; I had a Guarana, a Brazilian soda. I passed over the beans, rice, farofa and the salad on this visit. My taster's a little off because of allergies but I though everything was good and I plan to return. I wish I had thought to ask for the Brazilian names of the dishes but I'm a little out of it today. They're open from 12 noon 6 days a week, closed Tuesday. Not a destination restaurant unless you're like me and just like to try new places. I'm on a kick about Central and South American fare these days and I was glad I happened across this one which isn't listed on b4 yet.

Thanks, Kerr. Bummer. b4 has a listing for The Big Mamou on Studewood @ 9th, opening soon. I was thinking maybe that was going to be it. I have 2 Frenchy's within a couple of miles of me. Seems the pieces have gotten very small and the chicken is greasier. Maybe I need to keep driving over to Scott. Best FC I've had in a long time came with Enchiladas Rojos con Pollo at a taqueria on Business 146 in Baytown. Dark amber, with a crispy and chewy crust, sort of like a cross between chicharron and chicken, very moist inside. Like Pollo Campero but better. I've been having to make trips over to Baytown but haven't been in a couple of weeks. I want to order the Pollo Frito and see if it was just a fluke. Taqueria el Sol de Mexico was the place and according to the menu there are 6 around the area. I tried another one on Wilcrest next to Lopez but they didn't have the pollo frito and what I got was very mediocre Tex-Mex (er, Gringo-Mex), nothing like what I got in Baytown.

My number one don't miss in Houston these days is Himalaya, a Pakistani place on 59S at Hillcroft, about 15 mins from downtown (if you avoid the afternoon rush). Very inexpensive. See the thread on Beaver's on this board; I haven't gone. Luling City Market is a fav of mine at the Richmond location, haven't tried the new one. Haven't been to Burns in several years and wasn't impressed; how late is it open, though - 8pm? Another vote for Hugo's - note: Mexican, not Tex-Mex. The only thing I really like a Goode Co. restaurant for is the venison chili at Armadillo Palace, just down and across the street from the Taqueria on Kirby (and next door to the original Goode Co. BBQ.)

Whatever happened to this place? Name? I'm salivating for some fried chicken and don't think I can wait until Easter.

I was in Hillje about a year and a half ago and they told me they were going to be in some Houston stores soon. I believe you may find them in some Super WMs.

Update on the Akaushi beef quest: found only their fully cooked beef sausage at the Kroger Signature store on Westpark @ Buffalo Speedway, regularly $5.49/12 oz on sale 2/$5. It's really not comparable to Texas sausages like Holmes, Chappell Hill, etc., more like knockwurst. Very good. I'll use it as a plump hot dog. Rice Epicurean on Holcombe had ground beef, sirloin tip steak and filet of sirloin, plus the sausages and summer sausage (out-of-stock) for $6.99-7.99. Not really the cuts I was looking for so I went back to K and got some more of the sausage on sale. I went ahead and got some of the frozen hamburger patties at Foodtown. 6 patties/32oz for $3.99. Handformed patties a little over 5 oz each; makes very good hamburgers and not a bad price for that quality of beef. Don't know when I'm going back toward San Antone, could be any day.

Thanks, I'll check it out next time I'm at WF.

Brother's-in-Law BBQ, 503 Freeport, north of I-10E. I hit this on one of my trips to the Baytown area after reading on b4 that it has killer chili. Place was absolutely packed at 1pm; fortunately had a take-out window. Chili was mild, hamburger grind, probably made with Gebhardt's. I'd guess home-made rather than out of a can but nothing to write home about. Some bits of tomato and onion, worked well on some hot dogs at home! After sampling the chili I was going to go ahead and get a beef sandwich to sample their oak-smoked bbq while I was there but the line at the window was too long and I wanted to get back on the road. I'll have another chance to try it in the future. Decent chili is even harder to find that great Q. I like the venison chili at Armadillo Palace, frozen beef chili from Guy's Meat Market on OST, and the chili at Spec's downtown isn't bad. Anybody know of any other that isn't out of a can? BTW - every other restaurant on Freeport from I-10 up to Brothers (about a mile) was either a taqueria or a taco trailer. I don't know if I've ever seen a bigger concentration of taco trailers in a stretch like that but about half of them weren't open.

Lenox used to cater our church and company picnics years ago -- have never been to the restaurant. Luling City Mkt - I probably hit that more than any other since it's closest to me -- must go before 1pm; I try to make it before noon. Yes, I know it's not as good as the one in Central Texas but I like the ambiance of eating off butcher paper and you can find a lot worse Q in Houston. I went to Burns a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed at all. I've been meaning to try it again since so many people rave about it but haven't gotten around to it. Beaver's - haven't been yet. Will report when I do, but like I said, I'm not much into Q these days. Thelma's - been going for several years, tired of the inconsistency. Usually go for catfish but last time I was there, a couple of months ago, that was not very good either.

I haven’t been eating much bbq lately - I think I od’d a couple of years ago. Back then City Market in Luling was my favorite overall for doing the triumvirate of brisket, ribs and links so well. My second fave was Black’s for brisket and sausage. Then it was Louie Mueller’s, mainly for the sausage (best I ever had) and also the single best gimme piece I ever had. Otherwise Mueller’s brisket and ribs didn’t always impress. Last of the places I frequented was Kreutz. My first visit there was awesome, except for the fact I ordered the shoulder clod instead of brisket, but all subsequent visits have had problems such as over-cooked or over-salted meats. I’ve never been to Smitty’s or Chisholm Trail or Cooper’s but I have been to Gonzales Food Market and while it’s good, it doesn’t measure up to the 4 above. I’m sorry to say I hadn’t been to Williams in Houston in over a year before it burned but it would have been in my top 5 with the ones above. Post-Williams I’m hard pressed to say Houston has any great cue anymore. I most recently tried Houston BBQ Co.on Eldridge Parkway. I had just some ribs in keeping with my more modest appetite these days, and was planning on bringing some brisket and sausage home but the ribs were so disappointing - no smoke ring, not quite ready to serve - that I decided to cut my losses and leave empty handed. I can say the potato salad was above average. Looking at reviews on b4 however apparently I should've tried the brisket. The best Q I’ve had in the past year was at Novosad’s in Hallettsville. I went with a friend a year ago and went back last week. I’m surprised this place doesn’t get more comments; perhaps because it’s so far from any major population center? Here’s a pic we took a year ago: This time around I just went for brisket and ribs and brought some sausage and some of their wieners home. Although the brisket looked about as good as that picture the meat was actually quite dry, cooked dry I’d say. The ribs were even fattier than pictured and very good, although less flavorful than I remembered, probably just the result of less rub. Novosad’s is right downtown, just a half block off the courthouse square. I thought I remembered it was only open W-Sat, 10a-3p, but the sign in the door said Tue-Sat, 8:30a-3p. They also do lamb ribs and pork chops. The macaroni side is good; I don’t care for sweet slaws and I wasn’t impressed with the confetti slaw w/pineapple which Robb Walsh says is their best side, and I haven’t tried the canned, chilled peaches which he says are the standard dessert! I’ve also been to Austin’s in Eagle Lake 4 or 5 times in the past year. The sausage is the thing, one of my top 4 favorite sausages in the state, but their sides are very good too. The brisket is above average but not exceptional, the sauce, a thick, tomato-ey, ketchup-y concoction, is pretty bad. I’ve never tried their ribs or their occasional specialty, cabrito. Their eating area is covered but not enclosed and the weather's been miserable everytime I've been so I've eaten in the car:

It's pretty much been my experience over the years that you get a great burger at Lankford most of the time but every now and then they seem to have sent out for the burger. That's part of why I like Christian's a little better - more consistent. I'd just like to find a place that does a 4 or 5 oz burger well consistently; I just don't like to stuff myself with the bigger (8 oz?) burgers; I want some room for a side, too.

Sabor Venezolano - food truck, Westheimer @ Fondren - mentioned in the past by Robb Walsh and I think jscarbor on this thread? I had the patacone(s), a Venezuelan sandwich that uses slabs of plantain, grilled or pan fried, as the bread, with some shredded beef, lettuce, tomato and (?) mayo (?). $5. Included some avocado and a small strip of ham. Smaller, more expensive, and not as good as the patacones at the late Pana's Cafe on Scarsdale which had more meat, thinner plantains, and a home-made green garlic dressing instead of mayo and some mild white cheese. # 1 Xetalan (or Xatalan?) - Long Point @ Wirt - panaderia, Guatemalan. Doing a good business despite the difficulty of reaching their parking lot due to construction in the intersection. Bakery items are displayed in charming old wooden cases. I got a puff pastry thing that I think had the word Mia in the name, but I forgot to write it down. Kind of heavy for a puff pastry. Also a chuchita, $1.25, a 'snack-sized' Guatemalan tamale with chicken - actually was bigger than a standard Tex-Mex tamale, wrapped in corn shucks, with a big chunck of chicken breast inside; masa dough was very firm but not too dry. Interesting. Better was the full sized tamale de puerco, ($2.50) about the size of 4 or 5 Tex-Mex tamales with a creamy textured masa and a generous portion of pork. I also got atole de elote - warm corn drink - a warn corn milk shake, if you will. They oughta have these on the menu at burger joints -- you could get some fiber and roughage at the same time you get your sweets! Very rich and excellent. $1.25 for a small.

Thanks for the tip on Janak's -- I've seen it before but never stopped. I'm very familiar with Austin's, stopped at Novosad's on the way out, and picked up sausages and wieners at Patek's and Maeker's in Shiner again this trip. I've usually gone out to Rosenberg to get on 90A - or, because of the back-up on 59, got on 90A even before Sugar Land. Now that the 59 widening has opened up so far, the back-up may not be such a problem so I thought I'd try the other route for a little diversity. I'm starting from the SW side so it's probably about the same mileage either route and I've been meaning to stop at Nowak's in El Campo for years but never gotten around to it. I also usually stop at Besetney's in Hallettsville for kolaches and home-made bread, but didn't this time.

Thanks for all the info Morgan. I'm looking forward to getting out there again in a week or so. Eddy - is that the sausage/brisket people? I see their products all over these days and have tried a couple of items. I'm a big fan of Texas sausage makers. I saw the very brief Wiki article on Heartbrand which mentioned the Rangers involvement. For the benefit of concerned taxpayers perhaps it should be pointed out they were/are off duty! I want to make some chili with this stuff. Do I need to use your name when calling this Cindy Martin?

Dairy Treet - Yoakum, Texas I know you’re probably thinking ‘What th..???’ But Dairy Treet in Yoakum serves one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. It’s not a special sauce it’s a special cow, specifically Akaushi beef from Heartbrand Beef in nearby Harwood. I had read about this recently and wanted to try it so I went out of my way to stop by on a recent trip. I’ve never had a Kobe beef burger and on the way out I was wondering what condiments to get, if they offered a 6 and 8oz variety, etc. The decision was simple - the Heartbrand beef burger is on the menu in just one configuration, a 4 oz burger for $3.99 (vs. $2.50 for a regular burger). I decided to go with the flow and said yes when the lady asked if I wanted that all the way, thinking I could scrape the excess off if they over-dressed it. Fortunately the condiments on the burger were a modest amount of lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and mustard and mayo; the focus remains on the very good beef. The bun was over-toasted, the hand-formed patty, a generous 4 ozs cooked I’d say, was over-cooked to my taste, but it was an awesome burger and very satisfying. Though it was over-cooked the burger was still juicy, a result of the marbling of this breed of cattle I suppose. Actually, 4 oz is about right for me as I’ve changed my eating habits over the last year and prefer smaller portions; I suppose they’d make a double meat burger if you asked for it, though it isn’t listed on the menu. I'm wondering if this may have ruined me for my favs in Houston, Christian’s. Lankford and Blake’s. I certainly was impressed on the first bite and I now have a new route to Austin/San Antonio, etc.: down 59 to Edna and then 111 straight into Yoakum. Dairy Treet is located right downtown, one block from where Business 77A and 111 conjunct, in a building that also houses a Dollar General and a Beall’s. There’s window service or counter service indoors. I didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the menu and walked out so satisfied I didn’t think to ask for a to-go menu, but I remember they served Blue Bell, had okra (presumably fried) as a side in addition to fries and onion rings, and fry their dogs, which is not common around here. According to the Heartbrand website their meats should be available in Food Town stores, Rice Epicurean and maybe some Kroger stores in the Houston area. I checked a Food Town near me and all they had were frozen burger patties, 32 oz for $3.99 (6 patties). I’m going to check a Krog Sig and Rice to see if they have the meat fresh. http://www.heartbrandbeef.com/shop/?page=shop/index