New Houston Restaurant Recommendations

[Mack Tripper 691]

Indeed

[Storm the Field 5,256]

On 12/10/2019 at 12:15 PM, Storm the Field said:

Another tenant gonna give it a go at the ill-fated Balls Out Burger location in the Heights.

https://houston.eater.com/2019/12/9/21003419/micos-hot-chicken-opening-houston-heights

 

Bump. Looks like they did some major upgrades to the outdoor area, especially much needed fencing.

 

[GreenspointTexas 9,387]

Quiote was badass. Def worth trying

[elfenix 34,130]

was wondering what was going into that room

[Lazarus Bocanegra 303]

3 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Bump. Looks like they did some major upgrades to the outdoor area, especially much needed fencing.

 

Thoughts and prayers to everyone crossing durham heading east on 16th from here on out.  Somebody's gonna get killed by that fence 

 

[JimmyTwoTimes 79]

Agreed. Really tough to see the southbound traffic on Durham.

[royiv 9,045]

15 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Quiote was badass. Def worth trying

Agree with the exception of the posole. We thought it was underwhelming.

[Homesickhorn 2,194]

Bump. Looks like they did some major upgrades to the outdoor area, especially much needed fencing.
 

As opposed to cold chicken?

[Storm the Field 5,256]

Eater has an ongoing list of restaurant re-openings:

https://houston.eater.com/2020/4/28/21239989/houston-restaurants-reopening-may-1

[Storm the Field 5,256]

FWIW, I checked through a bunch of Houston restaurant FB pages yesterday and saw plenty that announced they're not planning to open for dine-in this weekend. I think a lot are waiting until later this month when occupancy limit is supposed to be increased from 25% to 50%.

[mycox 582]

Acme Oyster Hose is moving in the where El Real was. I've never been because why wait in that line when you can go to Drago's.

https://houston.eater.com/2020/5/11/21254974/acme-oyster-house-opening-houston-expansion-new-orleans

 

[TonyTexas 10,433]

3 minutes ago, mycox said:

Acme Oyster Hose is moving in the where El Real was. I've never been because why wait in that line when you can go to Drago's.

https://houston.eater.com/2020/5/11/21254974/acme-oyster-house-opening-houston-expansion-new-orleans

 

That’s a good building for something like Acme. It should do well. 

[tx 3 putt 75,576]

if they do it right, that place will crush it

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:35 PM, mycox said:

Acme Oyster Hose is moving in the where El Real was. I've never been because why wait in that line when you can go to Drago's.

https://houston.eater.com/2020/5/11/21254974/acme-oyster-house-opening-houston-expansion-new-orleans

 

I'd try to clone the original and drop it in the Montrose. We'll see if they can pull it off.

[TonyTexas 10,433]

I hope they can convert the sign

[Tylerocks 2,537]

Ragin Cajun Westheimer/Gessner is closing.  I think only the original will remain.

Dolce Vita in Montrose is closing on the 24th.  They were already planning on shutting down, but still sucks.

[TonyTexas 10,433]

Treebeard’s Download closing. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,766]

Damn, I've been eating there since 1980

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

4 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Treebeard’s Download closing. 

Certainly the best food/ambiance of the all the locations. I believe it's only location that sells duck gumbo. I've had some lunches upstairs patio. This stinks.

[riloh05 107]

22 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Treebeard’s Download closing. 

rent issue. maybe moving?

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

41 minutes ago, riloh05 said:

rent issue. maybe moving?

Correct. The owners said it was unrelated to covid and they were moving due to a much higher rent. I believe they're opening a signature location in Memorial. 

[TonyTexas 10,433]

4 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Correct. The owners said it was unrelated to covid and they were moving due to a much higher rent. I believe they're opening a signature location in Memorial. 

Yep. They are opening 6000 sq.ft. restaurant in the Memorial City area that will be their first to be open for dinner. Masraff’s and Texadelphia will be in same development. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

39 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

Yep. They are opening 6000 sq.ft. restaurant in the Memorial City area that will be their first to be open for dinner. Masraff’s and Texadelphia will be in same development. 

A little bit of a drive for me, but I'm happy Treebeard's sticking around. Also happy to see them add dinner to their offerings. Dinner at the Market Street location was very limited, and a summer only thing. 

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

Going to Dolce Vita tonight.  Been going there forever and wanted to say goodbye as it is about to close. (Not related to Covid — owner is ready to slow down some and cash in on the real estate)

[TonyTexas 10,433]

Tasting Room in Uptown shutting down after this weekend. 

[TonyTexas 10,433]

Barry’s Pizza closing down after 37 years. Building was a dump but the pseudo deep dish pizza was damn good. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

18 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

Barry’s Pizza closing down after 37 years. Building was a dump but the pseudo deep dish pizza was damn good. 

Yeah, that’s not good. 

[tx 3 putt 75,576]

52 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

Barry’s Pizza closing down after 37 years. Building was a dump but the pseudo deep dish pizza was damn good. 

damn, one last pizza would have been nice

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

3 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Tasting Room in Uptown shutting down after this weekend. 

Was this place a cougar hot spot or something? I never understood the appeal.

[tx 3 putt 75,576]

24 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Was this place a cougar hot spot or something? I never understood the appeal.

earlier this year the only two cougars in the place were the two I was with (on a thursday night). hotel granduca across the street has very nice rooms, fun little bar 

 

[Fat Bastard 617]

Went to the Wood Shed (bbq place) or whatever the fuck Love’s restaurant at Levy Park is called. Great space on a nice day but the food absolutely sucked all the way around. 

[tx 3 putt 75,576]

7 minutes ago, Fat Bastard said:

Went to the Wood Shed (bbq place) or whatever the fuck Love’s restaurant at Levy Park is called. Great space on a nice day but the food absolutely sucked all the way around. 

 

odd spot with pit room right down the street 

[TonyTexas 10,433]

Another one bites the dust

 

[elfenix 34,130]

First Bernie's I had was one of the best burgers I've ever had. That was back when there was just the one truck. Never had one quite that good from them again.

Not sure $15 burgers can survive in this town with oil at $33 anyway.

[Smax 3,799]

That bites we loved Bernies

[Js1 83,686]

Way better (to me) than Burger Joint or Hubcap.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,766]

On 5/26/2020 at 5:54 PM, TonyTexas said:

Tasting Room in Uptown shutting down after this weekend. 

This saddens me.  I've had many a memorable evening begin there.  The Uptown location is much better than the one in CityCentre

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Way better (to me) than Burger Joint or Hubcap.  

This. The Fire Drill was a very good burger. The garlic tomatoes will be missed. 

I didn't love their prices. I can't remember them offering a happy hour or a special. 

I wish overpriced burgers and $30 fajitas a swift good bye. 

[Js1 83,686]

15 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

This. The Fire Drill was a very good burger. The garlic tomatoes will be missed. 

I didn't love their prices. I can't remember them offering a happy hour or a special. 

I wish overpriced burgers and $30 fajitas a swift good bye. 

Sadly, I'm seeing more restaurants re-opening with either a COVID service fee or increased prices due to supply chain issues and reduced occupancy affecting revenue. 

[elfenix 34,130]

$30 fajitas is a bargain right now

[DCA_HORN 725]

Out of all these $20 burger places I'd still take a Becks over any of them. I really dont get the hopdoddy fascination.

[Hank Scorpio 17,691]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:26 PM, Tylerocks said:

Ragin Cajun Westheimer/Gessner is closing.  I think only the original will remain.

Dolce Vita in Montrose is closing on the 24th.  They were already planning on shutting down, but still sucks.

God

On 5/18/2020 at 10:50 AM, TonyTexas said:

Treebeard’s Download closing. 

Fucking 

On 5/26/2020 at 8:30 PM, TonyTexas said:

Barry’s Pizza closing down after 37 years. Building was a dump but the pseudo deep dish pizza was damn good. 

Dammit 

[SydneyCarton 47,488]

2 hours ago, elfenix said:

First Bernie's I had was one of the best burgers I've ever had. That was back when there was just the one truck. Never had one quite that good from them again.

Not sure $15 burgers can survive in this town with oil at $33 anyway.

Ditto. It was at the Bone Yard (I forget the actual name) on Old Hempstead/Westcott way back in the day, early on when I had just started dating my now wife. Fucking Homeroom and the tipsy onions for the goddamn win. That had to have been a year or two even before they opened in Bellaire. 

Disagree with JS1, though, I'm a much much larger fan of Hubcap. Best Burger in Houston now that the Totem is gone. Although I've lived near the one in Shady Acres since it opened, which has to be 5-6 years now, and I've never seen more than 2-3 tables with people there, AND they aren't open on Sundays...I have no idea how Hubcap stays in business. But I'm not complaining. 

[SydneyCarton 47,488]

9 minutes ago, DCA_HORN said:

Out of all these $20 burger places I'd still take a Becks over any of them. I really dont get the hopdoddy fascination.

Beck's Prime is trash. Then again, there's no accounting for personal taste. After all, someone actually married and pro-created with Greenspoint. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

27 minutes ago, DCA_HORN said:

Out of all these $20 burger places I'd still take a Becks over any of them. I really dont get the hopdoddy fascination.

I can cook a better steak than Beck's Prime. They just don't season their meat correctly if at all. 

I'd say Hopdoddy is on the same level as Bernies. 

Bubba's appears to have made it. I can't imagine their rent is very much. They're located on a vacant lot underneath an overpass. 

Edited May 28, 2020 by billfromlaketravis

[DCA_HORN 725]

I dont order a steak at becks. They know how to season a burger though. I would go to hubcap over becks though if there was in the neighborhood.

[elfenix 34,130]

Ditto. It was at the Bone Yard (I forget the actual name) on Old Hempstead/Westcott way back in the day, early on when I had just started dating my now wife. Fucking Homeroom and the tipsy onions for the goddamn win. . 

That's funny. My first Bernie's was also at the Bone Yard while dating your now wife.

[billfromlaketravis 11,291]

Ike's Sandwiches on Heights Blvd appears to be temporarily closed. This is devastating news. 

[TonyTexas 10,433]

I haven’t been but you usually can trust Allison Cook, particularly when it comes to burgers. 
 

Alison Cook’s Burger Friday: Just GRK broke my brain and my point scale

Meat juice adorned my chin, Alison Cook writes. French fries flew every which way. A driver in the next car regarded me with something akin to horror, or maybe it was just alarm.

Alison Cook May 29, 2020Updated: May 29, 2020, 11:20 am

Greek Burger from Just GRK

Photo: Alison Cook / Staff

Yesterday was National Hamburger Day. I dislike those made-up promotional “holidays,” when journalists typically dance to the music of public relations professionals. Yet there I was, parked in a strip mall on the Interstate 10 West feeder road a couple exits past Beltway 8, gobbling a burger like a wild animal.

Meat juice adorned my chin. French fries flew every which way. A driver in the next car regarded me with something akin to horror, or maybe it was just alarm.

How, I asked myself, had it come to this?

Let me explain. Food reporting during the pandemic dictates takeout for yours truly, but takeout is not friendly to the whole burger genre. Burgers are best eaten on the spot, hot off the grill, while the meat juices are still seething quietly and the toasted buns, melted cheese and fresh ingredients, if any, are at their best. There’s a short window of excellence, followed by a long curve of diminishing pleasure.

So I had resolved to eat my first few bites of every takeout burger (and every French fry order) right there in the restaurant’s parking lot, the better to judge its merits fairly.

More Information

Just GRK

11325 Interstate 10 W., 832-623-6048; justgrk.com

But my first bite of the Greek Burger from Just GRK, the distinguished little Greek grill, set off something primal in my brain, and I just couldn’t stop at a couple of bites. Without really meaning to, I scarfed down the whole thing. Here’s why:

PRICE: $12.95 for the Greek Burger with hand-cut fries; $1 for the cheese option.

ORDERING: Just GRK has a detailed, efficient online ordering option set up on their website. I opened an account for myself, placed my order — marveling that they actually gave me the option to specify degree of doneness — plugged in a pickup time, and paid via credit card. (There’s no option for leaving a tip, my only sorrow.)

My food was ready right on the dot, handed to me through the passenger side window when I called their number to say I had arrived.

ARCHITECTURE: Salad stuff, in the form of a tomato, on top; and on the side, in the form of a quick-pickled house cucumber relish. On a shiny, toasted bun goes a thick beef patty, a thin mantle of Greek white cheese, a slice of tomato and a healthy schmear of garlic sauce. That’s it.

QUALITY: I loved everything about this burger, from the expansive, juice-splooshing clarity of the tall, aggressively seared beef patty; to the lively seasoning; to the lush tomato slice; to the thick, assertive garlic sauce. This marvelous substance is the kind of condiment you’d expect to find on a gyros or shawarma sandwich, the kind of stuff that makes aioli seem prissy in comparison.

If the garlic sauce sounds scary to you, you can opt out of it on the burger ordering form. Or just order a regular burger. But I found the Greek Burger uniquely satisfying, with the primacy of its good beef, its expert cooking, its thin slice of salty Greek cheese, and its essential simplicity. It really did speak to some primitive part of my brain, and I was helpless to stop eating once I had begun.

OOZE RATING: Glorious.

LETTER GRADE: A ++. This burger broke my brain, and my point scale.

BONUS POINTS: Very good, crisp hand-cut fries complete the burger picture here. They seem to be more highly seasoned than they once were, which meant I wound up eating less of them, but they are very nicely made. And get this: to keep them from sweating and wilting inside their styrofoam clamshell, a staffer had stabbed the top of the container with a fork to make dozens of tiny holes, so that the expanse looked like a distant galaxy. It worked!

SUPER EXTRA BONUS POINTS: I got a chance to take home a quartet of Just GRK’s scintillating dips (tzatziki, eggplant, skordalia and kefalotiri, a red-peppered feta whip), along with three pita rounds’ worth of fresh pita triangles. Not to mention two lovely spanakopita turnovers, filled with spinach and feta, their envelopes a delicate crunch.

LOCAL COLOR: The strip center parking lot in which I ate offers few thrills. But seeing the friendly faces of brother-sister team Chris and Anastasia Nikolas, even half hidden behind their face masks, meant everything to me. The corners of their eyes crinkled up in welcoming smiles, and I am pretty sure mine did, too.

alison.cook@chron.com

twitter.com/alisoncook

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by TonyTexas

[DCA_HORN 725]

Ike's Sandwiches on Heights Blvd appears to be temporarily closed. This is devastating news. 

Wtf? They were packed even during all of this bs.