As Texans, we profess our love of Whataburger, the state's home-grown burger chain. Founded in 1950 by Harmon Dobson in Corpus Christi, Whataburger is known for its very good burgers, its fantastic customization options, and last but not least, it's delicious Fancy Ketchup.
What's the best part about this time of year? For us, it's a delicious holiday meal, enjoyed with family and friends. Wonderful food, great conversation, more food, relaxation. Well, relaxation for almost everyone. Not so relaxing for the home chef whose hard work makes the great meal take place: Creating a menu. Compiling recipes. Shopping for ingredients. Preparation. Hours of cooking. Collapsing in exhaustion while everyone eats. And the worst travesty of all: Not enough time to watch football.
Being a big fan of both great food and not working too hard, we were wondering if it is possible to use that 21st century concept of outsourcing to allow everyone to enjoy a relaxing holiday meal... even the home chef. A discussion about this very topic with a friend revealed two opinions: He was sure that no "take out" meal could compare to homemade, and I opined that a professional chef working in a commercial kitchen could prepare a meal that was easily superior to what even an advanced home chef could create.
Always up to a challenge, our friends at Hubbell & Hudson generously offered to send over one of their popular holiday dinners to see how it measured up to homemade. Since we're willing to make sacrifices and research this tasty quandry for our readers, we took 'em up on their offer and received two well-packed boxes filled with ready-to-heat components of a complete holiday meal for a big family.
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| Well packaged dishes |
We opened the boxes, and found all of the courses expertly packed and in perfect condition. We followed the dead simple heating instructions (also available on the website if you misplace the included paper... don't ask me how I know this.) Once we were done, we spread them out and invited the assembled omnivores to dig in.
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| Hubbell & Hudson's Holiday Ho-Ka Turkey Dinner |
First to be attacked were the side dishes. A container of whipped sweet potatoes was pure in its simplicity - we detected nothing other than sweet potatoes in the dish. I think this is a wise choice; you can complement it with caramel syrup and marshmallows if you want something extremely sweet, or with a simple bit of butter and nutmeg if you want something more savory.
Next up were the green beans. The fresh, lightly cooked beans were topped with sliced almonds and gently seasoned, and the result was light and refreshing. Our teenagers, not normally drawn to vegetables, made sure that we had no leftovers.
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| Green Beans that appealed to our teenagers. Remarkable. |
No turkey dinner is complete without dressing, and here we found the only misstep. Hubbell & Hudson used sweet cornbread in its dressing, and we felt that the sweetness of the bread was slightly overpowering. A more neutral cornbread recipe would have resulted in a dish skewed more toward the savory, and that would have made us happier.
The centerpiece of the meal was the whole roasted turkey. A free-range, naturally brined Howard Kaufman Farms turkey is roasted in-house at Hubbel & Hudson after receiving a savory, herbal house rub. The result is a delightfully juicy bird that has a rich, savory flavor throughout. Dark meat was deliciously flavorful, and the white breast meat (often dry when you buy a turkey and prepare it at home) was moist, subtly herbal, and in short, delicious.
We can't eat turkey without cranberry sauce, and Hubbell's was remarkable. Whole cranberries are seasoned with plenty of rosemary and a hint of orange, and the sauce was actually more of a relish - one that was fruity, complex, and utterly captivating. We wouldn't hesitate to spread this on a cracker and enjoy it even without the turkey.
For dessert, two pies were included. First up is the classic Texas Pecan Pie. After sampling this pie, no one can call Hubbell & Hudson stingy with the pecans; the pie was chock full of huge pecan pieces, with only a tiny bit of the sweet syrupy binder that holds the pecans together. The result is a pie rich in the flavor of roasted pecans, and not overpoweringly sweet.
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| Pecan Pie |
Next is the Hubbell & Hudson pumpkin pie. This rich, dense pie isn't your mother's pumpkin pie - the fresh pumpkin flavor is complemented by the complexity of significant spicy tones, most promiently ginger. Picking up a slice I was surprised by its weight - I can't ever remember seeing a more lush pumpkin pie.
Trying to fight off the impending coma caused by consuming this epic meal, I have to conclude that my original opinion was confirmed: The pros at Hubbell & Hudson could create something that I could never hope to duplicate on my own. It's going to be tough next year to hunt down all the ingredients, slave away over the hot stove for hours, and end up with a result that doesn't measure up to this meal.
On the other hand, I can always call Hubbell & Hudson next time. That would leave more time for watching football...
Hubbell & Hudson | Catering Information | 281-203-5600
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 received an interesting tip this week about a new place that had opened on Kuykendahl, a couple of miles south of the Woodlands. Called South Street Dining, it's an ambitious new restaurant located in a strip center in Tomball.
We drove down yesterday for lunch, and almost missed the place. From the outside, it's unremarkable, although there is a pleasant deck overlooking the parking lot. But once you open the heavy wooden doors, you're in for a surprise.
Inside you'll find a gorgeous, upscale dining room, finished in woods and natural stone, decorated in soft hues of taupe and tan, elegantly lit and very inviting. A slightly more casual bar area is to the left, with flat screens showing various sporting events. It's a very inviting interior, and considerably more elaborate than we expected.
It was also cold. We decided to lunch on the patio, enjoying the gorgeous Spring day in Texas. We visited for a late lunch, and there were only a handful of patrons scattered throughout the establishment.
Iced tea appeared promptly, and our waiter offered to bring us some bread. The bread service was simple but quite good, warmed french and herb bread, served with two flavored butters - honey cinnamon and chipotle. The bread was very good, and the attention to detail boded well for the upcoming meal.
Now on to the entree. We scanned the lunch menu, and noticed a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and some more ambitious beef, chicken, and fish entrees. Our eyes locked on to the chicken-fried steak, offered with some interesting sides, including garlic mashed potatoes and fried corn fritters. Very southern. Having found one of our very favorite chicken-fried steaks at Tomball's Goodson's Cafe, we ordered.
After a brief wait, the dish appeared. It was plated tall; the mashed potatoes served as an easel for the chicken-fried steak, and the dish was garnished with parsley and an odd, blue corn tortilla chip. Artistic, but somewhat awkward.
We cut into the chicken-fried steak, and applied a bit of the brown gravy. The steak was flavorful and not terribly overcooked, but the breading was a bit soft. The housemade brown gravy had a lush bacon flavor and a rich fatty texture; it was miles ahead of the white gravy served with most CFS plates. The size of the steak was good but not overwhelming; a nice choice for lunch, when taking leftovers is often not an option. This wasn't the best CFS we've ever tasted (or even in the top ten) but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Less successful were the mashed potatoes. They were whipped, smooth, creamy, but nearly flavorless. We'd venture a guess that they came from a box; there was no sign of any skin or chunks of potato in the smooth presentation.
The corn fritters (also served with a garnish of corn chips) were a bit better; soft yet slightly gritty, with a gentle corn flavor coming through the fried surface. We kept finding ourselves drawn back to them as the meal progressed.
All in all, we enjoyed our visit to South Street. Clearly, the owners are planning something ambitious here. The interior is beautiful, the service is friendly, and the food is generally good. We don't think the kitchen currently lives up to the promise of the marketing or the decor, but we still found the experience to be quite enjoyable.
We'd recommend the spot for either a date or an outing with friends, and we plan to return in the future.
South Street Dining
24914 Kuykendahl Road
Tomball, TX 77375-3381
(281) 255-3141
We're fans of Jasper's, the upscale restaurant concept from Dallas's Kent Rathbun. We love pretty much everything about their Woodlands location, from the great spot overlooking the Market Street park to the gorgeous modern interior to the excellent service to the creative takes on traditional Texas favorites. We've been many times, and consider it to be one of the best restaurants in both the Woodlands and the entire Houston area.
But a recent show on TV got our attention. The claim: Bon Appetit magazine ranked Jasper's BBQ ribs as their third-best ribs in the nation. That's a serious claim, and it runs contrary to our First Tenet of BBQ Wisdom: The Fancier the Store, the Worse the BBQ.
Since we love BBQ almost as much as we love a great burger, we had to test out the claim for our readers.
We visited Jasper's on a beautiful Thursday for a late lunch. We started with the one thing we can never pass up at Jasper's, their outrageous housemade potato chip appetizer.
The thin-cut russet potatoes were flash-fried to perfection, and covered with Maytag bleu cheese mixed with chives and a mild soft cheese sauce. The result is nothing short of amazing. We've recommended this dish to everyone who goes to Jasper's, and the feedback we get is universally positive.
But now it's time to get down to the ribs. Our server suggested that the half rack was plenty, so we took his advice and ordered them. After a reasonable wait, they appeared.
The half rack was split into two three-rib bits, artistically stacked, and served with their creamy "baked potato" salad.
We dug into the ribs, and were impressed by their tenderness; the meat came off the bone without any significant effort on our part. It was thoroughly basted in Jasper's spicy-sweet BBQ sauce, and more of the sauce was on the side.
All we could taste was the sauce. We simply couldn't taste the meat, and we didn't use the extra sauce.
We are firm believers that world-class BBQ is delicious with no sauce at all, and should be served with the sauce on the side, not pre-slathered on the meat. We find the preapplication of BBQ sauce to be a crutch to disguise meat that hasn't been adequately rubbed or smoked; it's popular at high-end, high-volume BBQ restaurants because the meat doesn't have to spend hours on the smoker - the flavor comes from the sauce. Folks who've never been to a great Texas BBQ joint probably won't see anything wrong with this saucing technique, but I contend that they've never really had great BBQ, either.
Bottom Line: We enjoyed the ribs, but weren't blown away at all. We believe that better ribs can be had at the County Line upscale BBQ chain, not to mention at landmark establishments like City Market in Luling.
And we're convinced that Bon Appetit really shouldn't be ranking ribs.
We'd observed a new place going in along I-45 across from the the Woodlands Mall. It was named Ambience... and we had no idea what it was. One Saturday we ventured in, and discovered a new, family-run restaurant and lounge.
Upon entering, we found a lovely setting. Dark yet inviting, the interior was totally redone from the location's previous incarnation. As you enter, on the right is a large lounge area, with lots of leather seating and a full-service bar.
Further back is the dining room. We were seated promptly, and soaked up the vibe of the place. It feels more like a nightclub than a restaurant; there's a second bar on one side of the room, and the blacked out roof, sound system, and mood lighting add to that, um, ambience.
Our server appeared with the menu, and we were surprised... in a good way. A nice selection of international sandwiches and wraps, as well as an eclectic set of entrees - Asian, South American, Mexican, Italian, and American. Prices were good: Entrees are in the $9-11 range, and lighter dishes like sandwiches ranged from $6 to $8.
We tried the Argentinean Chimmichurri Mini Burgers. Instead of the traditional ground beef slider, ours featured marinated and grilled fajita meat, swiss cheese, grilled onions, a bit of lettuce, and housemade chimmichurri sauce. The result was delicious; a multicultural kaleidoscope of flavor. We opted for the yucca fries, a light and healthy alternative to the traditional french fries, and used them to sop up every drop of the chimmichurri sauce.
Our companion tried the empanadas. Ground beef, delicately seasoned and wrapped in a pastry shell, these were among the best we've tried. The side of housemade onion rings were a good accompanyment; the batter was light, crisp, and slightly sweet.
Service was prompt, professional and friendly.
We didn't partake (since it was lunchtime) but Ambience offers live music or a DJ on weekends, and they rearrange the tables to allow for dancing. Dinner and dancing is a tradition that we miss, and we think they've got a great concept for the Woodlands area.
Combine the excellent and varied cuisine, great service, a nice room, and very reasonable prices, and Ambience is a winner. We're looking forward to returning soon.
Houston is one of the nation's great food towns, and we're fortunate enough to have many great restaurants at a variety of price points. And unlike the restaurant scene in many towns, Houston's is driven by its great restaurateur families, not by its great chefs. The Vallone, Mandola, Cordua, Pappas, and Goode families are examples of those who set the course of the Houston restaurant scene, and have been doing so for years.
For these families, customer service comes first. It's not about ego, it's about business, and establishing a long-term relationship with their patrons.
A recent review in the Houston Press made me shudder at the alternative. Katharine Shilcutt's "The Tastes of Textile" was a fascinating look into a much hyped restaurant that's one of the rare ones in Houston - the chef is the personality behind it, for better and for worse.
Textile is Scott Tycer's latest venture, and Houston foodies were eagerly anticipating this talented chef's next moves after the closings of his previous ventures, Aries and Pic. In Shilcutt's review, it's obvious that Chef Tycer is on his game (with a couple of notable exceptions) when it comes to the food, but it also shows the problem of letting a huge ego in the kitchen run the show.
The article mentioned that Aries, the highly regarded Tycer fine dining venture, was closed in a fit of pique. Stories about Tycer's temper have run through Houston food circles, so few are suprised by this.
And in this latest venture, Tycer's shadow seems to be looming over the dining room, and not necessarily in a good way. Shilcutt writes:
"...but there seemed to be an odd undercurrent of apprehension in the restaurant. The palpable nervousness of the staff, coupled with almost clinical service, made for a very uneven meal: The food was very good, but I was almost afraid to enjoy it."
No matter how wonderful the food, a restaurant lives and dies by the entire dining experience. And a staff that is scared of the chef's reactions aren't going to be able to provide a great experience, as Shilcutt describes:
"Staff spoke in hushed voices, and interactions were limited. My dining partner and I were eager to know about the laconic wine list, the cocktails prepared at the potent-looking bar and the provenance of certain ingredients. Our inquiries were met with polite yet quiet and restrained answers while the staff almost imperceptibly continued to glance over their shoulders towards the looming kitchen door. The maitre d' solemnly recited the ingredients of each dish as it was presented as though he were dictating a crime scene."
What a contrast to the warm, genial service we've come to expect at high-end Houston restaurants.
"I wasn't able to finish the large piece of pork tenderloin, and left a scant bite on my plate. As the busboy cleared our plates away, the sommelier caught sight of the morsel I'd left behind. He whispered curtly to the busboy to clear that piece of food off the plate before he took it back into the kitchen so that Chef Tycer wouldn't see it. This eavesdropped conversation only served to underscore the nerves that everyone seemed to be feeling that evening."
Ouch. We have little doubt that Tycer will find his groove in the kitchen; the man has serious culinary chops. But it seems that Textile is yet another Tycer venture where his diva attitude overshadows his superb skills.
I can't ever remember reading about this sort of problem at a non-Tycer restaurant in Houston.
Perhaps this is the reason that Tycer's ventures tend to shine brightly then crash and burn; do patrons really want to dine in a room where everyone is on edge, in fear of the next outburst from the boss?
Sometime you should trust your first impression.
We were out in the NASA area on a sunny Sunday, and were in the mood for a nice brunch somewhere. But we had no clue where to go. The only place that serves brunch that came to mind was Cullen's; the over-the-top restaurant offering poorly prepared Applebee's fare at inflated prices.
Maybe if we tried some things that would be difficult to ruin it would be a success? Could Cullen's pull of a respectable meal? After all, it is a striking venue, the giant stone edifice located alone in the middle of nowhere. At least we'd enjoy decent food in a pretty atmosphere.
Let's ignore our first impression, and give 'em another chance. Maybe they'll surprise us.
It was not to be.
We arrived, and were promptly seated, in the cavernous and nearly empty main room. We were again taken by the extravagance of the setting, but couldn't help notice the little things that were done poorly. A talented interior designer could make this a spectacular room; apparently none were available when Cullen's was built.
On to the food. Our plan for the day was "Keep it Simple".
We started with the Wedge salad. A wedge of bibb lettuce, bleu cheese, bacon, some roast beets... this has to be tasty. Nope. The bleu cheese was overpowered by some shockingly lemony dressing that was a bad idea, and apparently the bacon market was cornered by Allen Stanford, because the few tiny bits present couldn't be tasted amidst the lemony morass.
Next was the frito pie. On the menu it sounded very interesting; "berkshire pork & chairman's reserve beef chili, toasted corn chips, texas goat cheese, oregon cheddar, creme fraiche & scallions"
What came out was perhaps the worst frito pie we've ever sampled. The heart of the problem was the "berkshire pork & chairman's reserve beef chili". There may be a blander chili somewhere on the planet, but it's a safe bet it's not in Texas. Combine that with nearly flavorless cheese and a glop of sour cream (what does sour cream have to do with frito pie, you ask? So did we, after trying it) and you end up with a really bad rendition of this ballpark favorite. (And yes, the average little league concession stand does a better job.) The generic fritos were lacking in flavor as well, but at least they were crispy - that's the only positive we could find with this unfortunate creation.
Finally the main course: Chicken-Fried Ribeye. Served with truffle-scented country gravy, mashed potatoes and wilted greens. How can you mess up a chicken-fried steak, especially if you start with a ribeye?
You can mess it up by not trimming the lumps of fat and gristle from the cut of meat before you bread it. Our first bite was about 2/3 gristle, underneath a fairly decent hand-breaded coating. The truffle-scented country gravy seemed to be standard CFS white gravy with a bit of fake truffle oil added; as with everything else served by Cullen's, the overwhelming experience was blandness. And after the chunk of fatty gristle that was our first impression, we weren't anxious to finish the entree.
The mashed potatoes weren't bad. They weren't terribly good, but they weren't bad. For this brunch, that was a major success.
The large, round room was essentially empty; there were perhaps six parties dining there. We were seated right in front of the window to the kitchen, where staff milled around, not doing much cooking. Our waiter was an enthusiastic but clueless young man who disappeared for long periods of time, apparently not waiting on others.
At one point the general manager walked by and asked how we were enjoying lunch. He got an earful; we politely described the failed dishes they pumped out. He nodded politely but seemed essentially uninterested. He did say he was going to "take care of the the food" for us, which we assumed meant that we weren't going to be charged for this dreadful meal.
Nope.
Our check arrived, with one item (the ribeye) comped. "Didn't like" was the reason. I suppose there was no button for "Utter Failure in the Kitchen" on Cullen's no doubt state-of-the-art point-of-sale system.
Or perhaps there was, and it was worn out from overuse.
Post-Mortem: The items described on the menu actually could have been quite good had they been executed successfully, with the meat properly trimmed and the dishes properly seasoned. Perhaps if they invested a bit less in the over-the-top setting and a bit more in training the kitchen staff, they could improve things.
With a great deal of rework and attention, Cullen's could one day be a mediocre establishment. But don't hold your breath.
Cue's Burgers & More is another blast-from-the-past restaurant located on S. Post Oak, the Street That Time Forgot.
Walk into the strip center location, and the feel is more of a small town cafe than a restaurant in a major metropolitan area. Cue's is the place where local social clubs meet, and where the police grab a bite during their shift.
Their burgers are pretty good, but not amazing. Thin machine-formed beef patty, griddled flat, and served on a generic bun with the usual topics. We had no luck getting them less than well done, so the ooze factor was factored out. But still a step or three ahead of what you'll find at a typical fast food chain.
Cue's offers a full breakfast menu, and a variety of other dishes. Best thing we've found there are the excellent pork chops - they're not huge, but they're nicely seasoned and flavorful.
If you're looking for a reasonably-priced meal in a very relaxed setting, you can do a lot worse than Cue's if you're on S. Post Oak.
Cue's Burgers & More: 10423 S Post Oak Rd, Houston, 77035, 713-726-0313
Attention to all fans of 70's funk, attractive women, and man food: Brick House Tavern & Tap has opened a location on Highway 290 in northwest Houston.
Following in the footsteps of Hooters, Brick House is a new example of the "brestaurant" concept that is gaining in popularity. Combining guy-friendly comfort food, a "man cave" atmosphere, and an attractive, all-female waitstaff, Brick House is positioned as a guy's home-away-from-home, a place where he can relax with his buddies and behave in an un-politically-correct manner.
Beer selection includes tableside micro-kegs, 40 ounce bottled beers, 100 oz beer bongs, and hand-pulled cask beer.
Brick House Tavern & Tap, 12910 Hwy 290, Houston, 77040, 713-462-0576, brickhousetavernandtap.com