Houstonist: Urbanist: Washington Avenue

Jim Parsons

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:14:39 -0600

Ooh, you know what else is good at Catalina Coffee: the Earl Grey tea cookies. Those are tasty little buggers, as the British probably never say.

JC281

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:19:00 -0600

wanted chime back in here, i've been to el rey a couple times now since the post. had never tried it before, but now i'm a fan! thanks houstonist!

Katharine Shilcutt Gleave

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:09:02 -0600

It's tough to fit even one-tenth of all the cool stuff into one Urbanist article, that's for sure. But I agree with you -- Catalina Coffee is where it's at. I love that place. :)

Adam P. Newton

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:21:40 -0600

What an excellent post, Mrs. KSG. You truly do know how to travel a stretch of road and convert the sights, sounds, and tastes into words. Bravo! Yet, while I know that you couldn't include quite everything in your run-down, I'm a obliged to point out a few places on Washington that you kinda missed: 1) Walter's On Washington: my favorite little dive bar/club/venue for all manner of punk, rock, and hardcore shows. 2) Mary Jane's: Sorry to all of you lovers of Pearl Bar, but this is where it was at back in the day. Maybe it's just a personal preference since one of my Top 5 Concert Memories is from this place, but I'll take a dirty bathroom over a valeted hipster joint any day. 3) Catalina Coffee: While I do appreciate the mood and food of The Daily Grind, if I want a real, classic-to-the-core doppio, I'm dropping by to visit Max over at Catalina (Sawyer & Washington). All of that being said, I thoroughly enjoy ALL of the Urbanist articles here on Houstonist. Kudos to all of the writers for this feature.

Katharine Shilcutt Gleave

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:25:07 -0600

JC281

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:53:27 -0600

Will try both soon and report back!

Jim Parsons

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:18:49 -0600

El Rey. Mmm. The Cuban tacos and homemade lemonade are sounding mighty good right about now. JC281, I have a friend who swears by Bright & Early's omelet in a cup. If you try one, let me know.

JC281

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:45:03 -0600

fun post whats a good starter order for an El Rey noob? I've driven past that place probably over 400 times. It has never appealed to me at all, but there is always cars in the drive thru.... same goes for bright and early....they just have the basics, or some hidden treats?

ignacio

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:05:16 -0600

Great job! My favorite resturant is Laredo Taqueria across from Pearl Bar (My 2nd home). Best tacos in Houston.

Katharine Shilcutt Gleave

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:33:29 -0600

That's the first I've heard of that news, RestaurantHound. He was still with Americas as recently as last week's Houston Restaurant Week. He's just a man on the move, ain't he? Thanks for the heads up. :)

RestaurantHound

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:44:24 -0600

Actually, chef jones was asked to leave by Cordua and is now going to work at Beavers. MAX's has greatly improved since his departure and their business is better with the new staff in place - hence the announcement of the next location in Austin and Texas Monthly naming it one of the top 10 restaurants in the state to eat in for 2008.

Katharine Shilcutt Gleave

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:27:15 -0600

Me, too. Jonathan Jones is actually up at Americas in The Woodlands now, and they're lucky to have him. :)

houston_adrienne

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:48:02 -0600

Great post! I really hope that Washington Ave doesn't get too fancy for its britches. And I hear that Jonathon Jones from Max's is now at Beaver's.

MaryJane

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:17:27 -0600

Love Wabash!!! Miss Rockefeller's, The Satellite, The Bon Ton (which became Mary Jane's). Condo boom - I hope it busts. Agree on Max's, I'll get my dog at JCI and my chicken at Barbecue Inn or Spanish Village, thanks.