The Food Hedonist

Andy’s

I had been eyeing this place since I moved here in December.  It’s walking distance from my place in The Heights so it was only a matter of time before I darkened its door.

We were hungry one evening on our way home and I decided that tonight would be the night we checked out Andy’s finally.  Dana had been here many times in the past and talked about how they used to bring touring bands here because it was cheap and is or used to be opened 24 hours.

The first thing you notice is the “no frills” dining room.  Cheap wood paneling, and painfully 70’s era decor.  The place opened in 1977 and I’m fairly certain that it looks exactly the same in 2012 that it did the day it opened in 1977.  Apparently they knew how cool and “ironic” the decor would be in 35 years so they never bothered to update it.  Smart.

After sitting down I immediately noticed that there was no alcohol on the menu. Argh!  That’s usually a deal breaker for me but since it was late and we were just down the street from home and we were starving we stayed put.

This is by no means a “fancy” joint… and I’m more than fine with that… To me its all about the food.

Our waitress arrived at our table in a decidedly less enthusiastic way than you might expect your waitress to arrive at your table at TGI McCrapplebees… Which, again, I’m more than fine with.  It’s all about the food man.

I ordered some sort of combo plate with a tostada, beef taco and cheese enchilada.  Dana ordered caldo de rez.  I also ordered a steak soft taco on the side.

After people watching and trying to zone out some weird conversation between two guys talking about some sort of religious cult, our food arrived.

My food looked like most plates of food at any Mexican restaurant.  I first tried the steak taco that I ordered on the side.  Damn… it was really fucking good… As was the tostada, enchilada, and taco… I didn’t order anything out of the ordinary so the food was as good as I expected it would be.  I mean… If a Mexican joint cant make these things they are in serious trouble.

What I found extremely good was the caldo de rez that Dana ordered.  Amazing broth with potatoes, cabbage and beef amongst other things.. served with hand made tortillas and Spanish rice.  This was some good stuff.. and worth coming back for.

If this place served beer I’d certainly go back more often.  It is quite decent food… perhaps not the best in the world.. but it is good and is prepared and served lovingly in a humble setting and is not trying to be fancy with gimmicky decor or a goofy theme.  It is very much like an old Mexican diner… If there is such a thing.

The prices are quite cheap.  I think we both ate for around $16

Check on the 24 hour thing.  Great neighborhood dive.. would be better with booze.  Worth going in for the caldo de rez.

Go here.

1115 E 11th St
Houston, TX 77009

Sugarbaby’s

I’m not going to go on and on about this place.  Having said that… let me go on and on now for just a bit.

I don’t have a big sweet tooth… my girlfriend, however, does.  When I first came down to visit back in October my girlfriend took me here…Or should I say.. I went along with her.

I’m not really into over priced “boutique” cupcakes…. But my girlfriend loves this place.  The cupcakes are good and they have plenty of black and pink and damask print everywhere.  Don’t get me wrong… I’ll certainly indulge with cupcakes from time to time… typically at birthday parties or after about eight pints of Guinness at 3am when I find my girlfriends cupcake stash in the kitchen.

I’m not even going to pretend to be some sort of cupcake connoisseur but these are decent cupcakes and I’m sure are made of better ingredients than the Duncan Heinz, in the box, birthday cupcakes… But what do I know…. My girlfriend likes it. 

They do in fact make their cupcakes fresh daily, with fresh ingredients.  They offer $1 specials on their facebook page sometimes when they have not sold out for the day.  They are also generous as they have brought over boxes of “freebies” to my office.. which is just down the block from Sugarbaby’s.

The staff seem nice enough here… It’s always totally empty when we go…. The bathroom is green I think….They also have some lovely chandeliers…They do offer many specials on their facebook page.. so go find them and “like” them.

Cupcakes here cost about $3 each… about what you might pay for a dozen in the grocery store…..But like I said….They are of good quality…..and hey….it makes my girlfriend happy…..so that makes me happy.

Go here.  Make your girlfriend happy.

3310 S Shepherd Dr
Houston, TX 77098

Les Givral’s

Les Givral’s was mentioned recently on my girlfriend’s facebook page when she had mentioned Bánh mì.. I’m always down for finding new Vietnamese joints.. besides this one had a French sounding name.. You have my attention..  Gotta check it out.

Dana decided to head out on Friday to do some shopping and happened to find ourselves over on Washington so we decided to scope this place out.  I’m still very new to Houston and don’t really know the areas very well so I have to rely on Dana as my guide.. She mentioned how this particular area had changed quite a bit.. which can be a good thing and a bad thing..

We didn’t “GPS” the address.. We decided to just “wing” it.  We found the place.. It was in a brand new building with several different businesses.. Not really the sort of place I’m looking for when I’m looking for Vietnamese.  We parked in the parking garage attached to the building and started in.

As we walked down the block I couldn’t help but notice the overly manicured grass that outlined a building that looked like it would house several higher end boutique shops and I thought to myself.. I’ve never been in a “Vietnamese” restaurant like this.. They are usually in small Vietnamese strip malls or crammed into odd, random places..  As I rounded the corner I saw the glass walls of the restaurant encompassing one lone diner eating a Bánh mì..  At this point I was ready to bail but Dana reminded me that we were there at a weird hour so I decided to throw caution to the wind.

Upon entering the empty restaurant we walked in to face a bar with a pretty large spread of booze.. I thought to myself again.. Ive never been in a Vietnamese joint with a huge bar like this.. I have been known to enjoy an adult beverage from time to time so I thought that perhaps I may have stumbled upon the promised land.. a fully stocked bar and phở?  Hell yes.

We were greeted by the bartender and when I asked if we could just sit anywhere.. He directed us BEHIND the bar to a totally different place to order.. As if the idea to sell Vietnamese food was an after thought of some kind.. As we approached the counter to order the first things you notice are the giant LCD menu’s hanging on the walls which had to cost quite a bit.. Then the open kitchen behind the counter.. Which had, from the best I can tell, a full Mexican kitchen staff.

Now don’t get me wrong.  Perhaps I should make myself clear here.  It’s no secret that 99.9% of all restaurant kitchens in America are staffed by our friends from south of the border… Even the extremely posh French restaurants tend to have this sort of staff and I, for one, look at a kitchen staff like this as a stamp of quality.. But just as I would be puzzled to see a 100% Vietnamese kitchen staff making my tacos.. I was puzzled to see no Vietnamese cooks in this kitchen.  I really started to worry now.

I ordered the beef phở and Dana ordered the tofu Bánh mì.. We also ordered some spring rolls.

I went up to the bar and ordered a beer and started a separate alcohol tab.. Never done that in a Vietnamese restaurant before.  The bartender seemed pretty cool but while I was there ordering I just felt like I was in a nightclub before it actually opened.. I have had that feeling many times playing shows around the country… But never when out for a bowl of phở.

My “accoutrements”, as I like to call them, arrived looking very skimpy in comparison to, well, pretty much every Vietnamese place I have ever eaten at in my entire life.  Dana’s Bánh mì arrived first.  At first glance it looked right but upon closer inspection it just seemed like an attempted copy of Bánh mì.  The sandwich was OK but had some non traditional ingredients such as a dill pickle?  It was really dry and just didn’t seem nearly as good as the ones we have come accustomed to at places like Pho Saigon and PL Teahouse.

My phở arrived.  It was mostly broth with a small portion of noodles and beef.  I always taste the broth as it was made before I add hoisin and sriracha so I can really taste what they have made.  The broth was very light and seemed to be made of canned broth and an odd mix of spices that didn’t seem traditional.  I remember back in “the day” when I used to live off of Ramen Noodles in college.. I was pretty good and inventing, what I called, masterpieces..  This bowl of phở reminded me of one of those masterpieces.  Take that however you want.

You can’t help but notice the huge umm sculpture(?) thing made from 2x4’s.. It’s interesting enough…  The music is reggae and is quite good.. and its played loudly.  We started noticing several younger “hipster” type kids hanging around.  This seemed odd as well.  Did school let out?  I’m not sure what was going on with this place.. But I mean.. I guess I could see hanging out here if I was in my early 20’s, liked reggae and had no clue what real Vietnamese food tasted like.

It seems like Vietnamese food was a serious afterthought at Les Givral’s..  This, of course, is just my personal opinion.  I fully expect hate email defending their sweet grandmothers recipes.. But I can only give you my personal opinion.

This is a cool place for a drink, probably, but not my choice for a bowl of phở.  Stop in for a drink, some spring rolls and some awesome reggae tho!

You are on your own here.

El Taquito RICO

My local taco stand..

Present this time at our table were three steak fajita and two chicken fajita soft taco’s, carnitas tostada, avacado tostado and a chicken quesidilla…  I love this place.. but trust me.. Even I couldn’t eat that much food.. But it was more than enough for Dana, myself and her four year old daughter.

I can’t help but always feel slightly awkward when I order here.. and I can only communicate with one of the very nice ladies here.. but they always accommodate me without pointing and laughing.

The food was as good as always… And by that.. I mean it was awesome.

Go Here.

3701 North Main Street

Houston, TX 77009

(713) 426-4242

El Bolillo Bakery

We are usually the only “gringos” when we come here…. So.. as I have stated in previous blogs.. That is a sure sign of quality.

This Mexican bakery has tons and tons of hand made breads and treats of all kinds..  They have an area that will make custom cakes for you..  I got a beautiful cake here for Dana on her birthday for a mere $20.. This cake would have cost twice that or more elsewhere…  We got a strawberry dulce de leche cake on her birthday and it was amazing.

There is also an area where they make fresh tortillas.. I’ve not bought any of these yet.. but I’m sure they are amazing.. We generally come here when we are craving sweets… which is pretty often.

This place is great.. simply grab a tray (or two) and start loading up!  My pictures do not give you a clear idea of just how much is in this place… cases and cases and racks and racks full of cakes and pastries of all sorts… A word to the wise.. never EVER go here on an empty stomach or you will leave with the entire store!

Parking can be a real bitch (another sign that whats inside is of real significance).. I have started parking on the block behind the bakery and walking around… I thought I was being smart.. but it seems like that’s what the patron’s “in the know” are doing… Trust me… you could park and walk 4 or 5 blocks before you are able to maneuver that packed parking lot… a very minor “inconvenience” ..I look at it as a way to burn a few last minute calories before I eat myself into a food coma.  From the perspective of the owner.. Having a business that’s so insanely popular that your parking lot is constantly overflowing is a very good problem to have!

Seriously… load up.  The staff are extremely nice.. The baked goods are of great quality and they are dirt cheap.  The tray pictured above was less than $6

Go here.  But find your own secret parking space.

PL Teahouse

Ever walk into a restaurant and just know you are in for a treat?  I usually have that feeling when I walk into a Vietnamese restaurant.. no matter where I am.. but PL Teahouse has a different sort of “vibe”.. but a good one to be sure.

We stumbled on this place while in search of a particular place that sold Bánh mì on fresh baked french bread.. We found the French bakery.. but right next door was this interesting looking place.  I went inside to scope it out to see if they also sold Bánh mì..  They did..

I didn’t really check out the menu very much because I typically only order phở so I didn’t feel the need to peruse too much.  Dana, however, was all about Bánh mì today.

The hostess/waitress was very friendly and was willing to allow us to order off menu.. We ended up getting a couple Bánh mi.. one tofu and one vegetable with avocado.  I ordered phở with beef skirt and meatball.  I’m normally not a fan of the meatballs but the lady talked me into trying theirs because they make them fresh and are “very special” according to her.. How could I say no?  We also ordered a couple of custom spring rolls.. We decided to do shrimp and avocado.

The hostess kept coming back to talk to us.. I love when people in a restaurant are enthusiastic about the food they make.. She went on to explain how they make everything fresh, including the French bread and stock for the phở.  Enthusiastic waitstaff always equals good food.. They know when the food they are serving sucks and tend to not get quite as excited about it.

Dana slipped off to buy a bubble tea. She has it memorized now.. If that tells you anything.  #B14 Coconut Cream.. I had some… It was pretty fucking good.. Even after I had slightly dulled my taste buds with copious amounts of sriracha.

My plate of accoutrements arrived before my phở and it was piled very generously with sprouts, jalapenos, thai basil & lime.  Once my phở arrived I was so ready.  I had not had phở in about 5 months.. I like to have it at least once every two weeks.. So I was pretty damned excited to say the least.

I always taste the broth as it was made before I go nuts with hoisin and sriracha.. The broth was very good.. all the scents and flavors of cinnamon, clove and star anise were very present.. I love when Vietnamese places go a little heavier on these spices in their phở.

After getting my bowl prepared and digging in.. I was in a total euphoric state and frankly, downright giddy..  I think Dana was starting to think I had sustained a blow to the head when she had gotten up for her bubble tea.

Phở, sushi and pad thai are my three all time favorite foods.. (It’s pronounced “fuh” not “foe” btw).. This place was flat out awesome and my first and only bowl of phở in Houston since moving here..  I will need to scope out more places before I can adequately rate it… But as far as compared to other phở I’ve eaten in different places in the United States.. This is amongst the best.

Phở was $6.99 for a large.. You do have to order off the menu for it strangely enough.  The Bánh mì was dirst cheap.. Under $3

Very good.  Go here.

2808 Milam St # G

 Houston, TX 77006

(713) 874-1466

I love BBQ.  Having grown up in North Carolina I’m rather partial to BBQ pork with a thin vinegar based sauce… But every time I’m in Texas I always try to go to a few joints to see what the deal is with Texas BBQ.

Goode Co. BBQ.  We stopped here on a whim.. Dana had been here before and said it was good so I was game.

First thing I noticed was the stacks of hickory wood.. that is typically a good sign.. unless its a place trying to fool people into thinking they are actually smoking their meat.  In this case… the wood was not a prop.

Wooden floor, poor lighting, menu scrawled on multiple chalk boards, the smell of BBQ, beer on ice in #10 wash tubs, rude people behind the counter…. seems pretty authentic to me…

I don’t really remember exactly what I ordered.. but it was a sliced brisket plate of some sort with a side of pinto beans and some jalapeno bread.  Dana just had the sliced brisket sandwich and potato salad.  I also had a Shiner.

You order in this place in a “cafeteria” style manner…as is the case with most Texas BBQ joints I have decided.  There is a little station to grab extra accoutrements if needed.. (I always need my extras stuff to add on).. In this case I just got some extra onions and jalapenos.

In Texas they give you sliced white bread with your BBQ.  I’m not a fan of this practice.  In fact the whole “sliced white bread with your BBQ” pisses me off.  I normally will just go with a “plate” unless there is a sandwich option with a nice bun of some sort… and that is never the case in Texas.  In this case the jalapeno bread, that appears to be made fresh on the premises, helped me past my “sliced white bread” hang up.

Typically, in Texas, you have brisket, sausage and ribs in pretty much all BBQ joints.  I’ve never been a fan of gnawing tiny bits of meat off of ribs and while I love smoked sausage, It’s not really what I’m wanting when I go for BBQ.  I always go for the sliced brisket plate in Texas.. and since I live here once again.. unless I can find a BBQ place that is doing some magical things with a pig down here.. I guess that’s what I’m sticking with.

The food?  It was O.K.  The brisket was kinda dry.. Maybe it was the day.. Nothing remarkable about the sauce..The beans seemed like little went into them after they opened the can.  The jalapeno bread was good.

Maybe I’m not “used” to Texas BBQ.  I’ve had it many times in my day.. even lived in Texas for nearly two years prior to this time.  It just doesn’t seem like BBQ to me..  Maybe if I look at it differently.. like smoked beef.  I do like a properly done brisket.. In fact.. Ive eaten some very good ones… This one was not the worst…but certainly not the best.  BBQ will always be about swine to me.  Pulled pork sandwich for me please.

I don’t remember the pricing.. but it seems like the sliced brisket plate was around $7 or $8.

This place apparently has been around since 1977 and has BBQ, Seafood, Mexican restaurants, does catering and has a “doo-dad” shop (As I later discovered)…  In my opinion.. they are spreading themselves too thinly rather than focusing on doing one thing well.  Stop trying to build some sort of “half assed food empire” and pick one and do it well… In the long run you will be far more successful that way. 

No need to seek it out… If you find yourself there.. You probably won’t die.