"Must-Eats" Around Houston

[SuperLuckyCat]

Can we start a thread where people can post a quick review of something recommendable you ate recently in Houston? I'm interested in what you eat on regular basis - not just the big special $$ meals out (but love to hear about those) but your usual must-eats or places you stumbled across.

I'll start:

Saturday PM a friend and I popped in for some quick dinner at Onion Creek Coffee House on White Oak in the Heights. We both had their version of pizza which is on split ciabatta bread. I had jalapenos, salami and white cheddar and she had vegetables and cheddar. I am normally a cracker-thin pizza crust girl (like La Griglia or Kenneallys) but these were delicious! The crusts were crunchy and had lots of pockets of oozey cheese. They have a nice wine by the glass menu and we got out of there for under $20 for dinner for two! Terrific atmosphere, so laid back and we saw someone get an impressive-looking carrot cake on the way out (one more glass of wine in me and I MIGHT have asked that stranger for a bite of it (and don't think I've never done that).

[jscarbor]

The original Givrals for Banh Mi.

Cali Sandwich for vermicilli with pork and eggroll.

Taqueria La Flor for tacos and outrageuosly hot green sauce with chips.

Tampico for grilled snapper platter.

Villa Arcos for breakfast tacos.

[fifi]

My current culinary ruts:

Droubi Bros for just about anything Lebanese/Middle Eastern (various locations) - I get their sampler plate for lunch.

Outriggers (Seabrook) - coconut shrimp

Topwater Grill (San Leon) - those big shrimp with jalapeno and cheese wrapped in bacon, black beans to die for

Dona Tere for tamales - I wrote about this place here.

I will probably think of more.

[LDLee]

We've been doing takeout from Ming's Cafe.

When we lived in Oak Forest, would always get breakfast tacos from Fiesta Taco's. Best chorizo, egg and cheese tacos you will find. Still looking for someplace comparable in the Heights.

Margarita's at Tila's on Shepherd.

Saturday afternoon tour at St. Arnold's. A thirty minute tour of a microbrewery to drink free beer that is excellent, can life get any better.

Van Loc for Pho and Spring Rolls.

[FoodMan]

Cafe Piquet on Bissonet is one of my favorite lunch spots near my work. They have great Cuban food. My favorite is the Pirnil with yuca and mojo. I would stay away from their sandwiches though, not very good .

This past week we tried a new place on the South west freeway feeder going south past hilcroft. It's called London Sizzler, they serve pretty good Indian/English food.

Elie

Edited June 30, 2004 by FoodMan (log)

[Jaymes]

Can we start a thread where people can post a quick review of something recommendable you ate recently in Houston?  I'm interested in what you eat on regular basis - not just the big special $$ meals out (but love to hear about those) but your usual must-eats or places you stumbled across.

What a great idea! Sort of a "Houston Food Trail" thread, I guess you could call it.

Long may it live.

Edited June 30, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[fifi]

Hi folks...

I have changed the title of this thread to focus in on what is developing into a really interesting aspect of this thread.

We need to keep reports on individual restaurants in separate threads to assist all of us when we do searches and to keep our discussions of those restaurants more focused. This is an overt, shameless appeal to please start a new thread on a particular restaurant that you go to for your "Must-Eats" so that we can discuss in more depth now and over time. And please continue to post your local culinary obsessions here.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[franktex]

Sacred Heart Society Spaghetti Lunch every Thursday from 11-1:30pm. Bunch of Italian guys have been doing this for over 60 years. The menu consists of Spaghetti, Italian Sausage, Meatballs, Baked Chicken w/Spaghetti Sauce, Livers & Gizzards w/Spaghetti Sauce, bread, and awesome Italian Creme Cake.

It is located off Airline/I-45, on E. Whitney.

Edited June 30, 2004 by franktex (log)

[jscarbor]

Kim Son Dim sum on weekends.

Lopez's nachos especiales. I just love em, been eating them for 20+ years.

Santong Snacks beef noodle soup, especially during the winter time but summer is ok too. Great dumplings as well.

Sinh Sinh for fresh seafood and bbq duck.

Just to add a couple more to my list.

[fifi]

OK... this is upscale, but, at Brennan's, I can't sit down to dinner, lunch, or Sunday Jazz Brunch for that matter, without the Turtle Soup.

[Kevin72]

When I visit Houston (I live in Dallas but my parents live in Houston):

--Anything at Mai's (Vietnamese place in downtown)

--The sopa appetizers at Hugo's, or their chocolate desserts

--Rueben on an Onion Roll at Kahn's

[Jay Francis]

Cafe Caspian. Any of the wonderful Iranian stews on the menu.

Lafayette Seafood. Oyster Poor Boys or just about anything on the menu.

[txaggie]

Star Pizza (spinach pizza on a deep dish whole wheat crust) and Freebird's (I'm an Aggie and going to Freebird's brings back good memories of Aggieland)

[JetLag]

The fantastic French Fries with homemade mayo at Cafe Montrose. The best in Texas or for that matter the Planet

[orenlund]

fungs kitchen- great chinese

[CtznCane]

I'd give a second nod to Fung's Kitchen (worked next door almost when I lived in Houston) and I also liked the Crazy Cajun in Seabrook.

[hazardnc]

I lived in Houston until I graduated from high school in 1979. I haven't been back in nearly 7 years. One dish I crave and miss more than any other (and this includes Blue Bell ice cream and Ninfa's green sauce) is the potato salad from Nielsen's Deli on Richmond Avenue. There is no other potato salad in the world as good. I once wrote Gourmet asking for the recipe. The owners of Nielsen's politely refused to share their secret, though I suspect it is the mayonnaise. I have tried to replicate it - even searching Danish cookbooks for recipes. To me, there is no better meal than a leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich with a side of Nielsen's potato salad and slaw.

Tied for second place: a cheeseburger from Roznovsky's washed down by a cold long neck and the po'boys from Antones with a bag of Fritos and a Dr. Pepper. The chow chow on those po'boys is wonderful.

[fifi]

Welcome hazardnc.

Ever so often, nothing but an Antones po'boy will do. Believe it or not, they really haven't changed. Luckily, they deliver them to my local Randall's. Red wrapper and Dr. Pepper. What is it about Dr. Pepper and those po'boys?

[fifi]

As this thread is ticking along nicely, I thought it was timely for your host to make another shameless plea for separate restaurant threads.

I would be interested to see threads on what you have eaten there and why you think it is a "must have". Specific dishes that you recommend are always useful. Other helpful information is address and what type of place it is (casual, fine dining), maybe a web site link if there is one. This doesn't have to be any fancy review type thing. Content is really up to you.

What we are trying to do is start threads on individual restaurants that are particularly noteworthy. Then maybe other folks will chime in with their experiences. That way we can build a bigger base for restaurant information.

The only other suggestion I would make is that you title the thread something like this one. That is so the thread is easily found with the search engine and hopefully other folks that have dined there will add their experiences over time.

Thanks for your support... Carry on.

[jscarbor]

Droubi's is another place I crave. I just don't get there much. Best Gyro meat in town. Great Hummus etc.

What about the Burgers at Christians Tailgate on Washington and I 10? What a great burger!

[fifi]

Thanks for the tip on Christians Tailgate. I go by there fairly often but haven't tried it. Now I will.

[FoodMan]

I just had lunch at another local favorite, Riviera Bakery and Patisserie, on chimney Rock between Richmond and Westheimer. They have wonderful baguettes, boules, and large French breads in addition to fabulous breakfast breads (brioche and croissants). For lunch they serve a few sandwiches and some salads. The owner/baker is of Asian decent whol lived and learned to bake in France and he makes the best baguettes in town, the kind that is crunchy and chewy with a real bread taste. You really will not care what kind of ham he is putting in the sandwich, high quality or Oscar Meyer.

Elie

[jscarbor]

Another must eat is the chicken and waffles at the Breakfast Klub on Travis. The chicken is 6 wings that are dipped in a buffalo wing style sauce the breaded and fried. Its like an inside out wing. The waffle is very good as well. This place is well run and very eclectic. It gets very busy on saturdays. And believe its only open from 6a to 2p?

[Lone Star]

Barnaby's - a regular lunchtime haunt for us. The Cobb salad with honey-mustard dressing and the best fries in Houston!

Kams for dumplings

Nikko Nikkos - all time favorite is the Chicken soup, have to have it at least once a week.

Barbeque Inn - chicken fried chicken

Yale grill - cheeseburgers

El Tiempo - fajitas

[fifi]

Basis this thread, I have to make it to Barbeque Inn. But I will be ordering the Chicken Fried Steak. I haven't had a really good one in a very long time. And I can't believe that I have never been there.