Results tagged “houstonistbites”

Yes, that is some fried chicken you see. Yes, as the name would have you believe - this is a Mexican Restaurant review. Befuddled? Then you are too new. Or, perhaps, you don't know your fried chicken quite as well as you would like to think you do (just saying, or we need to be corrected by you, our reader). Houstonist loves a challenge, so we gave ourself one - get skinny(er) and keep giving you some food reviews that are not restricted to rice cakes and miniscule frozen entrees. To prepare ourselves for this resolved healthier-ness, we decided to have a last go at some stellar fried chicken. After the pies, cookies, roasted beast and gravy, stuffing and bacon grease addled vegetables the holidays bring, we need to do some thinking about what actually makes it to our pie-hole (and then becomes the junk in our trunk). However, a treat at times is in order - and the fried chicken and frozen margaritas at Spanish Village are a hella treat. We made this pilgrimage about a year ago-ish and found our "tasty" chicken to be too salty and somewhat dry and over-cooked, so, not-so tasty. The memory of chickens past brought us back around for another try.

Next time you are in the mood for an extraordinary lunch that does not involve valet parking you should hop on over to Yo Mama's Soul Food Restaurant on Antoine between 43rd and Tidwell. Yo Mama's (tee hee) has been slanging the groceries for 13 years now will not be closing any time soon judging by the lunch crowd. Folks from neighborhoods near (Oak Forest) and far (Sugarland) were waiting patiently in line to pick...

Sometimes nothing satisfies a hunger pain like a big helping of fried chicken and fixin’s. But not just any fried chicken. We wanted the kind that didn’t come off a conveyor belt; chicken that’s been soaked, seasoned and fried with love. Perhaps a place where Rockets players can be found after practice. Frenchy’s more than fit the bill. The original store on Scott Street almost always has a line of hungry patrons waiting to place...

After much anticipation, Sugarbaby’s finally opened its doors this past summer. As a rule of thumb, Houstonist always likes to give these big openings a bit of time to iron out wrinkles before we come in. In the meantime, we had images of a Houston version of Magnolia Bakery in NYC and Sprinkles in LA. And when we finally walked in, it took us a bit to take in the interior - all black, white...

We scream, you scream. We all scream for…frozen rice pudding on a stick. Doesn’t sound all that appetizing? Head over to La Paletera and give it a go. But be warned, you might find yourself coming home with a few more paletas (fruit bars) than you had planned. La Paletera is summer in a store. In addition to paletas, they also serve fruit cups (sprinkled with their signature lime/chili seasoning), snow cones, ice cream, smoothies,...

Tossed is a New York based fast casual rabbit food salad eatery on the west side of town. Having only been open in Houston for a couple of weeks, and despite the awkward name, there was quite a big crowd at Tossed when we tried it out for lunch recently. Located in an odd shaped shopping center at Briar Forest and Eldridge Parkway, we couldn’t help but wonder if this location would have any resemblance,...

Trips to New York City always entail a few specific requirements for Houstonist, one of which is a visit to Joe’s Shanghai for the mind-blowing soup dumplings. Our last visit to NYC was over a year ago, but the soup dumplings have haunted our dreams ever since. So we set out to find soup dumplings of our very own in the international mecca of Houston. After many disappointing experiences, we finally found a place that...

It’s hot, ya’ll. But we’ve got the perfect summertime treat to beat the heat. Hidden in one of the many new strip malls that are popping up all over Chinatown-Bellaire is a humble little place called the Juice Box (not to be confused with Minute Maid Park). This place is always packed with patrons hunkering for their fruit bowls. Fruit bowls people! The fruit bowls are only $5 and come in a plastic bowl piled...

After Krispy Kreme donuts left the Houston market early last year, finding a satisfying piece of fried dough got a little harder. Enter the beignet. Now, we’re not saying that the beignet is a substitute for the Krispy Kreme. Nor is the Krispy Kreme a replacement for the beignet. But if you happen to crave something sweet, doughy and fried, the beignet fulfills all three requirements. In a perfect world Café Du Monde would expand...

After our first experience at Tart Cafe, we made it a point to return and try out other menu offerings. We went straight for the PMS sandwich, partially for the quirky name, partially for the prosciutto, mozzarella and spinach. Owner John Ray gave us an option of ciabatta bread or wheat. That was a no-brainer - ciabatta, toasted please. Our first bite was tasty, but each subsequent mouthful was better than the last until we ran out of sandwich and sadly stared at our empty plate.

Houstonist is always on the lookout for great lunch deals, especially when it comes to the red meat variety. Upon the recommendation of a snootie foodie, we headed to Texas Land & Cattle Steak House for their smoked sirloin lunch special for $9.99. Of the premium steaks, sirloin is considered the cheapest because it tends to be a bit tougher. But for $9.99 for an 8 ounce portion? A little extra chewing never hurts. The...

We recently tried out Chilosos Taco House as part of our never ending search for the best breakfast tacos in Houston. Owned by two sisters, Chilosos Taco House is located in the Heights on 20th Street near Studewood. This unassuming villa opened recently (within the past 6 months) and serves up some amazing (and cheap) Mexican food. The menu is neither extravagant nor complex, but instead offers the a quick alternative to the standard Tex-mex restaurant.

Tucked away in a small lot, between tiny parcels of tilled fields and across the street from grazing cows and Hieden Feed & Supply, lies a tiny white house with a neon "Open" sign and an old screen door. This little building had been an eating establishment for several decades before it became Tree's Cafe (named after the owner). Tree told us he took over the place after an older relative had been running...

We know you just had lunch not long ago, but it's time to start thinking about your dinner plans tonight. And oy, just look at you! You're all skin and bones these days—what you need is some protein and fat. Houstonist wants our readers to look strong, sanguine, and healthy, so we've drawn up a list of steaks that you might want to consider for tonight. Today's the hump day, after all, and we're...

For many Houstonians, the search for a superlative slice of authentic New York-style pizza can be a frustrating and dangerous lifelong quest, fraught with deceiving dead ends and hordes of zombies. While Houstonist can definately commiserate, we suggest plead demand that you go try the Chicago-style Buffalo Chicken Pizza at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse (from $9 for a mini to $22 for a large that feeds four guys). It is one of the most compelling reasons to replace a night on the town for a trip to the suburbs.

In an effort to “branch out," Houstonist recently had lunch at Phoenicia Deli located near the Westchase district. This Mediterranean deli serves up a wide menu, but the most popular item for lunch is the shawarma. We had the Chicken shawarma (other options are beef or falafel), which comes wrapped in a pita with tomatoes and potatoes (more on that later). While waiting for our lunch, we tried some of the complimentary pita and dipping...

Champagne and fried chicken? We’ll take two. The owners of The Tasting Room have brought us the much anticipated Max’s Wine Dive (4720 Washington Ave), opened just a few months ago at the new strip center on Shepherd and Washington. This hip urban joint is far from a dive, though the exposed brick walls, concrete floors and juke box might fool you. The Texas-size bar extends almost the entire length of the narrow restaurant, while...

Sound the horns ... tea is making a comeback! Just as brown is the new black and 40 is the new 30, it seems as if tea is finally becoming the hip hot beverage of choice in America. Two new tea houses have popped up in Houston this past year: The Path of Tea (2340 West Alabama) and Te House of Tea (1927 Fairview Street). Though both tea houses are distinctly different, they clearly pay...

Houstonist recently lunched at Christian's Totem on Washington Avenue, near I-10. In the spirit of passing along "burger-love" to Houstonians, we had to tell you about this little joint. It has undergone some remodeling of late, but, the burgers are just the same! Huge, juicy fully-loaded burgers with nice crispy onion rings or fries. We've had both the fries and the rings, they are fantastic - it just depends on your personal preference - we...

Houstonist had to get our "burger on" after our first birthday party - had to. So, we phoned in some bacon cheeseburgers and rings for ourself and a co-worker from Pete's Fine Meats on Richmond Avenue. Normally, a "go burger" is kinda listless by the time you get to where you're going with it - this one was not super hot, but still warm enough and juicy. The onion rings were not homemade, however, they...

Impress your family, bake the pie or pies for dessert! It is much more impressive to have a homebaked pie, rather than one with a bar code on it (we admit that "Gramma Kroger" does a passable job) - our family is onto the "re-plating" trick. Here's a traditional pumpkin pie recipe for you to give a whirl (note: don't forget the creamy whipped topping). Traditional Pumpkin Pie 1 pie crust 1 15-ounce can pumpkin...

Blanco's, located at the corner of Buffalo Speedway and W. Alabama, is known more as a honkytonk, serving up the likes of Gary P. Nunn and Alvin Crow, both of whom we've seen there. However, Houstonians may not be aware of the lunch specials, burgers, quesadillas and other offerings they serve up. Recently, Houstonist went in for lunch to get the standard bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. Difficult to pass up, are the red...

A recent venture to our closest Cafe Express resulted in our sampling the Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger, to which we added avocado (nice addition and enough to share with our lunch companion). Albeit we are not fond of chains, Cafe Express has never let us down for quality and quantity - it is pricey-ish, however. Falling into our "gucci burger" category, along with Pappa's Burgers, but also worth the price, is this particular specimen....

Houstonist made a botched burger attempt this past weekend at Guy's Meat Market. At first - we were sorely disappointed to learn that you can only get one of Guy's smoked burgers Tuesday - Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (or - until they are gone). Rats. Well - that's a frenzied drive from work in the making - just to try one of the burgers billed as "one of the best". The...

Have we been remiss, or what? …Promising burger information – working diligently toward that end – only to be distracted by the holiday. We do apologize for the burger review delay. Houstonist was unpleasantly surprised by a recent trip to Jax Grill in Bellaire – shocked, actually. We got our bacon cheeseburger and rings – the ole usual. The burger was juicy but over-grilled upon arrival and cooled to downright dry meat with a...

Houstonist reminds you that we're diligently working to bring you the best information available should you love burgers — the sacrifices we make! To that end, we made our way to Pappas Burger for our usual bacon cheeseburger and onion rings (shown in the photo). Like many of our favorite joints, Pappas is a walk-up — and a crowded one. The waitstaff was extremely friendly, and management visited our table once we were seated...

Houstonist understands the importance of bar food, so we were interested in checking out the offerings during a recent trip to Pub Fiction for a friendly get-together with our bowling league compadres. Pub Fiction is located across Smith Street from the Spec’s Liquor Warehouse in Midtown and has a moderate amount of parking available; inside, it has a hip "nightclub marries sports bar" look, with a wall of televisions and an area for live...

The first in our series of Mom & Pop burger joint reviews takes us to Annie's Hamburgers, 10821 S. Post Oak Road. We tried the bacon cheeseburger (dragged through the garden, of course) and an order of onion rings. And we weren't disappointed! The burger was hot, juicy and fresh, cooked over a gas flame — a similar method to some fast-food restaurants. The bacon topping the gently melted American cheese was thick and crispy,...

Houstonist loves burgers — bacon cheeseburgers, to be specific (and please drag it through the garden, because we love all the typical burger accoutrements, too). Sure, there are larger chain-type burger joints that are perfectly yummy, but we give our props to the "Mom & Pops" that serve up not only better burgers, but also warm fuzzies from supporting local businesspeople. In that spirit, we're kicking off a series of burger reviews. Today, we're listing,...

The Oak Forest neighborhood (just north of the loop near Ella) has a lot of history. The 60 year old subdivision was once the largest subdivision in Houston. It's now known for its affordable small frame homes and retro feel, with many Mom & Pop stores that have been in business since the early days. What it lacks, compared to other old areas like the Heights, is hip, artsy places to hang out. Well,...