Mel's is a little country cafe with a big dose of charm. It's a place where you can take the family (or the softball team) to get a down-home meal. It's located in Tomball, on the outskirts of Houston, a reasonable trek from the Loop (and a short hop from the Woodlands).

Mel's is know for their outstanding hamburgers, and they are superb. Hand-formed patties are juicy and delicious, and the toppings are plentiful and fresh. This is one of the best traditional Texas burgers you'll find anywhere.

NBA linemen, sumo wrestlers, and masochists can try their luck with the Mega Mel: Six hamburger patties (totaling a pound and a half of beef), a quarter pound of cheese, a pound of bacon, and a veritable mountain of fixin's. If you can finish this monument to burger excess in under two hours, you earn a place on Mel's Wall of Fame -- and probably a trip to the ER via LifeFlight.

Those with more modest appetites are well served by the regular Mel's burger. The chicken fried steak is also worth sampling; it's offered in "small" (a half pound) and large (a pound). Nicely hand-breaded, and served with a cream gravy that's moderately peppery and quite good.

Service is prompt and friendly, the dining room is clean. If you've not tried Mel's, round up your appetite and hit the road. You'll be back.

Mel's Country Cafe: 24814 Stanolind Rd, Tomball, 77375, 281-255-6357

Here is our list of Houston's Best Burgers (January 2009 edition)

10. Barnaby's (Montrose)
9. The Tavern (W Gray)
8. Mel's Cafe (Tomball)
7. 2-M's (Rosenberg)
6. Beck's Prime (multiple locations)
5. Jasper's (Woodlands)
4. Farrago (Midtown)
3. Smashburger (Reliant)
2. CJ's Cafe (Woodlands)
1. Christian's Totem (I-10 W, ITL)

A newcomer to town jumps on the list - Smashburger, the Denver-based chain, bumping Jax Grill out of the top 10.

Someburger is the classic walk-up hamburger stand that's miraculously survived into the 21st century.

It's another blast from the past: Old-school thin-patty hamburgers, lovingly prepared on a classic flat griddle. All the usual toppings are available, and they're fresh and tasty.

The staff at Someburger are great; many have been there for years. These folks know burgers, and take pride in what they do. And it shows.

Sides are quite good: Best are the onion rings, which are fried properly, only slightly greasy, and have a nice snap to them.

There's no dining room, but there are a handful of picnic tables outside the hamburger stand. Many folks choose to eat in their vehicles, especially during a hot Houston summer.

By today's standards, the burgers are downright cheap. $6 buys a burger, fries, and a Coke, and a slice of Texas history to boot.

Someburger is another place that every Houston burger lover needs to try for himself. I'll bet you go back again and again.

Someburger: 745 E 11th St, Houston, 77008, 713-862-0019

The Bibas empire as moved the idiosyncratic West Gray store to some upscale new digs on inner Westheimer. Located in the slot occupied by the late-but-not-terribly-lamented Rouge, Bibas has moved uptown in more ways that one.

The new location is lovely; much more upscale than the funky old spot. And the staff seems to have brought their attitude upscale to match the new digs - on our recent visit the service was prompt and professional.

Fortunately, the better-than-average Greek food as made the trip. Gyros are very good; the high volume assures that the meat is very fresh, the veggies are crisp, and the pitas are right off the pita-making-thing. Other Greek specialties are good as well: I often order the kotopita, the savory chicken dish served in flaky, layered pastry.

But my favorite thing at One's A Meal remains the pizza. The crust is hand tossed and chewy with a crunchy exterior, and the toppings are fresh and flavorful. My fave is the standard pepperoni, Greek-ified with the addition of feta cheese. It comes out chewy and gooey, and is one of the best pizzas in town.

Prices seem to have climbed slightly with the new fancier digs, but it remains a real bargain, especially for the neighborhood.

If you'd rather not wait in Niko-Niko's line, drive a block and enjoy both better service and better food.

One's A Meal: 812 Westheimer, Houston, 77006, 713-523-0425


Rise & Dine Restaurant has opened its first restaurant in the Houston area, choosing the Woodlands as its location. The company is based out of Columbus, Ohio.

Rise & Dine is open from 6:30am to 2:30pm for breakfast and lunch, and specializes in fresh, wholesome food and friendly service.

The restaurant also offers catering for large or small events.

Rise & Dine

Jimmy's Egg, the landmark breakfast spot in Oklahoma City, has set their sights across the Red River and into Houston. They announced today they they'd signed an area development deal that includes all of Harris County.

Jimmy's Egg started as a 50-seat restaurant in 1980, and has expanded into a small chain in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa area.

The Houston location will be the first venture outside of Oklahoma.

Press Release

A few significant restaurant closings in the Houston area:

Azzarelli's, Katy
Backdoor Sushi, River Oaks
The Brownstone, River Oaks
Chocolata, The Woodlands
Hunan River, River Oaks
Little Hip's Diner, Washington Ave.
La Mesa Bistro, The Woodlands

This, my friends, is a serious burger.

This unassuming Texas icehouse, located on I-10 inside the Loop, has been grilling a spectacular burger for years. It's arguably the best in Houston.

A great burger starts with the meat, and Christian's is superb. It's moist and tender, but not dripping with grease... the ooze factor is just about perfect. The meat has a nice char-grilled flavor, and it's complemented by wonderful fresh vegetables. The bun is browned on the grill; nothing fancy, but it completes the burger with zen-line balance.

This is a big burger. The single fills me up easily; the double should be reserved for professional athletes who are breaking training.

Christian's doesn't skimp on the fries, either. They're well-cooked, crisp on the outside and tender inside; again, just right.

If you're a burger fan, and haven't tried Christian's, go right now. We'll wait 'till you get back and tell us about it.

Christian's Totem: 7340 Washington Ave, Houston, 77007, 713-864-9744

I like burgers. I love good burgers. I adore great burgers. When I heard about Smashburger, I said to myself, "Self, another foreign (i.e. from out of Texas) burger chain has invaded Houston. Maybe it'll be OK, but I don't have high hopes. It's a chain, so it's going to be lame."

I was dead wrong.


Smashburger makes an excellent hamburger. It starts with a hand-formed patty (1/2 pound in this case) smashed fairly flat. It's topped with a slice of thickish American cheese, and remarkably fresh veggies -- we're talking truly crisp here. The assembled product is perched atop a fresh eggy bun, and the burger hangs over the bun about 3/4" on all sides.

Interestingly enough, this burger doesn't come across at all as an upscale burger. It's more of a traditional, down-home griddled burger, but prepared with remarkable balance and attention to detail.

How's it taste? Superb. The beef is griddled expertly, with plenty of ooze left. The cheese/beef combination approaches the Golden Mean; the combined flavor was about as dead-on as could be. The super fresh veggies added their flavors to the mix, but everything stayed distinct.

Christian's Totem, Beck's Prime, and the rest of the top notch burger joints in town now have a new, serious competitor. I'd have to give Beck's a slight edge for more flavorful meat (the mesquite taste is excellent) but Smashburger nails the beef/cheese ratio and the combined flavor is really excellent. I think this is the best chain burger in town. I still have to give the overall edge to Christian's Totem... but the mediocre experience that is Christian's Tailgate in Midtown demonstrates just how impressive Smashburger's consistent approach really is.

There may be better burgers in Houston, but I'd not fault anyone for naming Smashburger as his favorite.

(Update: A friend pointed out that I'd not mentioned the fries, and that is a mistake that should be corrected. The Smashfries are unique and delicious. It's cone of paper (artfully presented in an iron holder) filled with thinish, machine-cut fries, probably thawed and fried. The magic is in the execution: They're fried perfectly; crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and then seasoned with rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt. Very unique, and a wonderful counterpoint to the great burger.)

The biggest fault? The location. They're at Kirby and S. Main. Although I do see property values rising in that neighborhood now.

When's that Woodlands location opening?

Texans love to argue about BBQ. Each of us has a short list of favorite places, with the very best usually located in small towns, far away from the commercial pressures that lead to "City BBQ" which is a compromise at best.

When you talk to enough folks about BBQ (and we love to talk BBQ) a few places keep coming up over and over again. City Market in Luling is one of them. And for good reason.

City Market serves up some of the best BBQ you'll find anywhere. The sausage is very good. The brisket is superb.

But the ribs are spectacular. Among the best anywhere. Meaty, perfectly smoked, fall-off-the-bone tender, and seasoned with a dry rub that imparts an unmatched sweet / savory flavor that has to be experienced to be understood.

Sauce is available, but is wholly unnecessary. The meat stands on its own. That is the mark of stellar BBQ, and Luling City Market delivers.

There are only two negative about this place: It's closed on Sunday, and it's about 140 miles from Houston.

(And please don't confuse "Luling City Market" in Houston with this establishment. Different owners. By comparison, the food in Houston can barely be called BBQ.)


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