Conventional wisdom in the Houston dining scene says that the farther you get outside the Loop, the harder it is to find great restaurants. Heck, some foodies won't go OTL (Outside the Loop) at all for dinner, claiming that it's a wasteland with nothing but chain restaurants serving reheated generic food.
After some time to relax and unwind, the first course appeared. It was a light dish featuring large Gulf shrimp, veal sweetbreads, and a cauliflower salad.
Ever since they opened we'd heard great buzz about the Hubcap Grill, Ricky Craig's tiny burger joint nestled next door to the Alden Hotel downtown. We visited shortly after they opened, but we were underwhelmed by the burger... it was good, but we weren't blown away.
Our foodie friends assured us that this was an anomaly, and we recently revisited to find out for sure. A rainy Wednesday proved to be a great day to visit, because for once they weren't packed to the gills.
The Hubcap Grill truly is a tiny place. Only a handful of tables exist inside, there are a few more on the now-covered outside patio. We've seen the lines at lunch; savvy downtown burger lovers have turned this place into an institution.
During our visit, Ricky's dad was manning the counter, while Ricky and his cooks were in the back whipping up the burgers. Ricky was gracious enough to give us a brief demonstration of what makes the Hubcap Grill's burgers special:
So how was the burger? In a word: Spectacular.
Hubcap's style of burger is a thin, traditional fast-food-style burger, but the similarities to any fast food chain end there. The beef is hand-formed, well balanced between lean and fat, and extremely fresh. Ricky griddles it on a small, hot, well-seasoned griddle, and the result is a deliciously caramelized crust on a deliciously juicy patty. The cheese is American, melted to an oozy flow of goodness, and the meat/cheese ratio is dead on. The vegetables are cut in-house and extremely fresh, and the bun is custom made each day for Hubcap and lightly toasted. The finishing touch on our burger were some soulful grilled onions, marinated overnight and lightly grilled, retaining flavor and moisture.
What impressed us most about Hubcap Grill's approach to burgers is the attention to detail. Clearly, Ricky Craig is a chef who is passionate about burgers, and he has done his homework. Everything from the meat to the condiments to the bun has been thought out and refined. The fries are fresh, hand-cut and prepared using a painstaking process that results in some of the very best in town. Even the beverages are carefully considered: Bottled soda instead of fountain, assuring that the flavor doesn't drift because the fountain is out of calibration.
We applaud Ricky Craig's approach to burgers, and his attention to detail. And the proof is in the result. We are proud to list Hubcap as one of Houston's Best Burgers, moving ahead of Christian's Totem as the best traditional burger to be found in Houston.
And we won't wait so long to go back.
Hubcap Grill - 1111 Prairie - Houston 77002
713-223-5885 - www.hubcapgrill.com
The Woodlands area is becoming a respectable culinary destination, but we're often frustrated by the lack of independent restaurants in the Woodlands proper. Bucking this trend is Caffe di Fiore, a small storefront cafe located at the far West end of Woodlands Parkway, and area that is badly in need of interesting places to eat.
Caffe di Fiore - 10110 Woodlands Parkway - 281-298-1228 - caffe-di-fiore.com
We'd been hearing good things about a new burger place that opened south of the Woodlands on 2920. Called Jax Burgers, it's not associated with the longtime Houston favorite Jax Grill.
We drove over, and discovered a clean restaurant in a strip center. Parking was easy, and we walked in and ordered.
(This was our first post with a video segment, shot and edited on the iPhone 4. We think it adds to the review - what do you think?)
UPDATE: We've visted Jax several more times, and it's even better.
Great food comes from great ingredients, and often the produce found at the local grocery store leaves much to be desired. As any chef will tell you, the solution is to buy direct from the farmer, but that's often very difficult to do.
If you live on the North side of town, it just got a bit easier, thanks to Neal's Berry Farm & Farmer's Market.
Located on Gosling Road a couple of miles south of the Woodlands, Neal's is a comfortable, air-conditioned farmer's market, and a sprawling berry farm, where intrepid cooks (or their kids) can harvest fresh berries straight from the vine.
The indoor market features a variety of produce that's either grown on the premises, provided by local farmers, or brought in fresh from Neal's network of producers. The selection changes frequently, and everything is remarkably fresh.
To guarantee maximum freshness, the more perishable produce is stored in a climate-controlled cooler; a rarity at farmers' markets.
Neal's also offers a variety of prepared homemade gourmet items, including dressings and sauces. They also offer a complete make-your-own blackberry cobbler kit, taking the guesswork out of home baking without resorting to the industrial mixes found on your grocer's shelves.
The kit has everything you need, except for water, butter, and the blackberries. Of course, Neal's can help with the berries, too, thanks to the large blackberry orchard behind the store. You can purchase packaged blackberries recently picked by Neal's staff, or you can pick your own, strolling down the rows of tall blackberry plants.
Even during our end-of-season visit, the blackberries were plump, plentiful, and very sweet.
We got the full tour from the proprietor, and his pride in the beautiful grounds was infectious. A restaurateur for many years, Mr. Neal is familiar with the challenges of getting fresh produce, and he created this farmers' market as a solution to that vexing problem.
We were impressed by the quality of the produce at Neal's, and think you will be, too. If you're in the area, come check it out.
Neal's Berry Farm & Farmer's Market
24527 Gosling Road
Spring, Texas 77389
281-255-3699
THE WOODLANDS - Chef Jeromy Robison announced today that he and Chef Austin Simmons have left Tesars restaurant in the Woodlands to pursue other opportunities.
We're big fans of the work that Jeromy and Austin have been doing, and wish them well in their future endeavors. We have a feeling that they'll be back in a kitchen soon, and hopefully will remain in the Houston area.
UPDATE: Chef Jeromy Robison has been named Chef d'Cuisine at Uchi Austin, and Chef Austin Simmons is Executive Chef at Hubbell & Hudson in the Woodlands.
Hubcap Grill, one of downtown Houston's best burger spots, has a new way to extend its reach. Following the lead of successful cooks in Houston and Austin, they've gone mobile, with the Hubcap Grill Burger Truck.
The truck will be circulating around town, hitting the Montrose, Washington Avenue, and Heights areas. They'll be working both lunch and dinner.
We would like to extend our congratulations to Chef Jonathan Jones of Beaver's Ice House for his recent wedding to his lovely bride Maritza. They were wed last Thursday in a private ceremony.
(For those who have not met her, Maritza is also a chef, most recently working under Michael Kramer at Voice.)
We've lived in the Woodlands for about five years now, and have watched the restaurant here scene steadily grow and improve. No longer just a sleepy little suburb, the 80,000+ residents of the Woodlands can enjoy dining out at some of the best restaurants in the Houston area. From high-end establishments like Tesars and Jasper's, to small mom-and-pop restaurants like Eden Cafe, Capri, and Mel's, the Woodlands area has something for everyone.
One particular area of interest is pizza. Houston isn't a great pizza town (Sorry, Star Pizza) and many folks believe the best pizza can be found in the suburbs, particularly Sugar Land and the Woodlands. You'll find great local spots like Brother's Pizza and Pizza Tonight, and bigger chains like Russo's and the stellar Grimaldi's (from Brooklyn.)
We'd been hearing good things about a small pizza place that had quietly opened two locations in the Woodlands. When one of our trusted sources said that the pizza was worth trying, we headed out to investigate.
We drove west from our central Woodlands headquarters to the Sterling Ridge location of Gozzetti's. Located in the well-hidden Marcel Crossing Shopping Center, Gozzetti's is a small, tidy spot with both indoor and outdoor seating. We were immediately greeted by the gregarious staff, and we learned a little about their story.
Gozzetti's is owned by two families who moved to the Woodlands from New Jersey. Unable to find the kind of pizza they were accustomed to in their home state, they decided to make their own, using ingredients imported from the East Coast.
Gozzetti's formula begins with a thin, hand-tossed crust that's made in-house. And these crusts are big - a large at Gozzetti's is 24". (That's not a typo). Next is the specially blended sauce, spread sparingly, as they do on the east coast. Above that are a mixture of imported (from NJ) cheeses, and the meat and veggie toppings.
The result goes into a conventional conveyor oven. And what comes out is the reason we're here. From this unremarkable oven emerges a pizza that's among the best in the Houston area - thin, crunchy/chewy, and loaded with flavor. Gozzetti's gets the foundation right - the thin, tasty crust, the right amount of tangy sauce, and a rich, gooey cheese layer supports the top quality toppings. We sampled the traditional pepperoni (large diameter, similar to what they use at Ciao Bello) and the untraditional bacon and pineapple. All were delicious.
We've often bemoaned the lack of great pizza in Houston. Thanks to places like Gozzetti's and Grimaldi's, you don't have to go far to find great pizza in the Woodlands. And for you inside-the-loop folks, it's a nice drive out on a sunny day.
Gozzetti's Pizza
8000 McBeth Way, #170
The Woodlands, Texas 77381
832-585-0303
Gozetti's Pizza
25919 I45 North, Suite A
The Woodlands, Texas 77380
832-585-0600
Ever since we moved to the Woodlands half a decade ago, we've frequented Jasper's, the Market Street home of Kent Rathbun's "Upscale Backyard Cuisine". A recent glorious Saturday morning had us craving brunch, so we headed over to Jasper's, and snagged a spot on the shaded patio. We'd not been in a while, and the patio was just as inviting as we had remembered. The picture-perfect spring weather didn't hurt, either.
We were in the mood for French Toast, and Jasper's Vanilla French Toast sounded superb, complete with Carmelized Honey-Banana Syrup and Applewood Smoked Bacon. So we ordered, and after a slightly longer than expected wait, our plate arrived.
So this is a brunch entree at Jasper's? One tiny slice of bacon? Two pieces of toast, cut in half, one slightly burned and one undercooked? I suppose the smattering of fresh berries was supposed to make up for the miserly portions. It didn't.
Honestly, this plate makes me wonder about what's going on in the kitchen. We understand that cost control is an important part of designing a menu, but one skimpy half-length slice of bacon? Two pieces of toast? Heck, even IHOP is more generous, and if your upscale brunch falls short in a comparison to IHOP, you have serious problems.
We grudgingly finished our order (the good housemade syrup disguised the burnt flavor of the toast fairly well) but were still quite hungry. So we decided to order something else; in this case, Jasper's Potato-Leek Hashbrowns.
What arrived were two lightly browned potato discs, with some leek and scallion mixed with the potato. Nice presentation, but it resulted in one crucial problem: Once you get away from the crust, the hash browns aren't brown at all, and in this case they were nearly uncooked and mushy. We left most of them on our plate.
We've been big fans of Jasper's since they opened in the Woodlands, but this brunch confirmed rumors we'd been hearing about the product slipping. Hopefully Chef Rathbun will visit from Dallas and straighten things out at his Woodlands location, especially now that he's got serious competition from Tesars across the street. Tesars' brunch is nothing short of spectacular, miles ahead of Jasper's lukewarm effort.