The Woodlands keeps growing, expanding west from I-45. Woodlands Parkway is currently over nine miles long, running through the heart of the community. And we're finally witnessing the restaurant scene expand slowly backwards. No longer must a diner endure a prefabricated meal from a generic chain restaurant in the newer areas of the Woodlands. While the Waterway and Market Street areas are still the epicenter of dining in the Woodlands, interesting new restaurants are opening further away from the "downtown" area.
A case in point is the new Blue Mug Cafe. It's an new venture from some established pros (The Altus culinary group). It's located at Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978 - about as far away from I-45 as you can be and still be in the Woodlands proper.
The Blue Mug has been open for about a week, and locals have already flocked to check it out. We've visited three times, and each time has found the comfortable dining room nearly filled to capacity. There's a buzzing energy about the place as friends, couples, and families chow down on the upscale renditions of American comfort food.
(Since the restaurant just opened, this isn't a full review, but rather a first look. We'll follow up later with a full review of the Blue Mug Cafe.)
We've visited during the day, so we've focused our explorations on the sandwiches. First up is the Capone, an Italian cold cut sandwich featuring spicy Cajun turnkey, honey ham, hard salami, and provolone served between two gigantic grilled slices of crusty Italian bread. This is a huge sandwich; I devoured half and was fully sated.
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| The Capone at the Blue Mug Cafe |
Next up is an offering that appears to be on its way to becoming a guest favorite: Jefe's Pot Roast Grilled Cheese. On two slightly more modest slices of the grilled crusty Italian loaf is piled a small mountain of Angus pot roast dressed with a subtle apricot BBQ sauce. Melty cheddar cheese is oozing atop the beef, and the result is slightly messy, rather delicious, and incredibly filling. If you order this at lunch time, you will leave very happy, but in need of a nap.
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| Jefe's Pot Roast Grilled Cheese |
We've not explored other areas of the menu (yet) but are intrigued by a few of the entrees: A tequila lime chicken pasta, served with homemade tomatillo sauce and a seductive chipotle and apricot meatloaf both caught our eye. We observed a mammoth hot fudge sundae (called, logically enough "Sinatra's Mammoth Hot Fudge Sundae") roll out of the kitchen, and concluded that it was easily enough for a family of four. Blue Mug Cafe is not stingy with its portions.
We've also heard very good things about breakfast at the Blue Mug Cafe. They open at 6am, and in-the-know commuters are being drawn in to such creative offerings as sweet potato pancakes, bruléed French Toast, and other American and Latin-influenced breakfasts. We can't wait to sample them.
Service at this fast casual establishment is friendly, and the kitchen is finding its rhythm and getting food to the table in reasonable time. The dining room is comfortable and family friendly, and a glass divider separates it from the bar area, which is already becoming a happy hour hotspot for this part of the Woodlands.
An attractive patio area wraps around the front and side of the building, and a modern pergola provides plenty of shade. Ample parking makes the visits easy, too.
For a week-old restaurant, things were running incredibly smoothly. We expect small bobbles at this point (you should, too) but we were pleasantly surprised by the staff's execution. We've enjoyed our visits to this promising new restaurant. We'll be back.
Blue Mug Cafe | 30420 FM 2978, The Woodlands, Texas 77382 | 281-292-2583 | BlueMugCafe.com
March means many things - the return of spring, NCAA basketball, and spring break. We were itching to get out of Houston, and wanted to explore a new part of the country, so we decided it was time for a road trip.
As Texans, we've done road trips all over the state, so we decided on a new destination: Tennessee. Far enough away to be different than what you'd see in Texas, but close enough so that we could complete the journey in a week. So we did some reasearch, plotted our course, packed up and headed to the Volunteer state.
Our journey out of Texas was taken down US 59 toward Texarkana. Since we were leaving Texas, we decided to grab Tex-Mex as our last meal in the Lone Star State, and ended up consuming some forgettable enchiladas in a forgettable small town along the route.
Before long we were in the great state of Arkansas, heading east on I-30. My memory of Arkansas was that there is nothing interesting to see along the entire stretch of I-30. And that's a shame, because for many driving through the state, that's all they'll see. We passed through Little Rock and merged with I-40, and took that highway into our first destination: Memphis.
Memphis is perhaps the prototypical southern city. Known for the blues, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King,, Jr. Sun Records, and Beale Street, Memphis has a rich history and a strong tradition of friendly southern hospitality.
Memphis is a town that's on the short list for BBQ lovers, so we knew we'd have to try the city's specialty: Pork ribs. But our research also revealed that Memphis is known for two other comfort foods: Burgers and fried chicken. So we planned to investigate each of these offerings, with the goal of learning how Memphis compared to Houston for these three Southern favorites. Knowing that schedules can be fluid for some hole-in-the-wall restaurants, we targeted a couple of recommendations from locals in Memphis for the best places to visit to sample these dishes.
First up is fried chicken, and one place kept being mentioned: Gus's Fried Chicken. This humble spot downtown near the Mississippi River is beloved by locals and visiting foodies alike, so we decided that dinner there was a must.
Gus's was within a mile of our downtown hotel, and on-street parking was available about a block away. We parked in the slightly sketchy neighborhood, and walked up to this Memphis landmark.
Upon entering Gus's, we made our way past the clot of people waiting for their tables; the line was almost but not quite out the door. The friendly counterman put our name on the list, and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table. Gus's is a slightly dingy but homey chicken joint filled with everyone from families to couples to business types, and apparently they were all in the mood for fried chicken. The juke box played a good selection of Memphis blues, making us feel at home and setting the stage for our meal.
Once we were seated, we placed our order and waited for another 20 minutes or so. Gus's is clearly not a place for folks who are in a hurry. Locals were split on the merits of white meat vs dark meat at Gus's, so we ordered a piece of each, along with seasoned fries and dirty rice.
After a brief wait, our chicken arrived, and it was time to dig in. The crust was golden brown and very smooth, and was fairly thick - no one would confuse this for fast-food chicken. Fried to a golden brown, locals assured us that this was chicken that we would remember.
Our first bite of the breast was a revelation.
The crust was indeed thick and crunchy, and nicely seasoned with just enough heat to keep this Texan's attention. The chicken within was perfectly cooked and remarkably juicy; I can't remember ever experiencing fried chicken that was this moist. The spicy seasoning permeated the chicken, and I happily gobbled down every bite.
Next up was the drumstick, also coated with a nice, thick crust. Biting into it was a slight letdown after the stellar breast; it too was juicy, but almost too juicy as the natural oil of the dark meat was present in copious quantities.
Sides were excellent. The dirty rice was moderately spicy and had a delicious, earthy flavor. The fries were frozen but well cooked, with a crispy snap, good fluffy potato flavor, and lightly seasoned.
Gus's World Famous Fried chicken lives up to its reputation. I've eaten some good fried chicken in Houston, but none measured up to Gus's stellar chicken breast. So if you're craving the best friend chicken, it's time to drive Outside the Loop and head to Memphis.
Score: Memphis 1, Houston 0
Next up: Burgers
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - 310 S. Front Street - Memphis, TN 38103 - 901-527-4877
Many of our friends who live ITL (Inside The Loop, a Houston term for the part of town inside I-610) maintain that there's nothing OTL (Outside the Loop) worth the drive. In our experience, they couldn't be more wrong.
We'd been hearing good buzz about a small cafe that had opened in a strip center at the far northwest corner of the Woodlands, and finally got a chance to check 'em out last night.
Eden Cafe is a small family owned establishment that serves a wide variety of cuisine. They're serious about variety: They have daily specials that are based on a specific cuisine. Tex-Mex Tuesdays, Italian Wednesdays, Comfort Food Thursdays, and Seafood Fridays (the day we visited.)
I ordered one of the specials - blackened tilapia. It was a beautiful tilapia filet expertly prepared, tender, moist, and nicely spicy. The sides were ver good as well: A mild Greek salad with plenty of feta, and a scoop of sweet potato casserole, rich, earthy, and loaded with nuts.
We also sampled their chicken-fried chicken, which was superb. Very moist, hand-breaded with a light, crispy breading, it was accompanied by a grilled squash/zucchini side that was delicious.
Another winner was the Pasta Marsala. A large serving of penne pasta with plenty of grilled chicken, mushrooms, squash, and a rich marsala wine sauce.
Prices are surprisingly modest. There's nothing on the menu over $13.
The restaurant was packed on Friday night, but the service was still friendly and professional. The owner, Ulises Larramendi, was greeting guests (many of whom were obviously regulars) and making sure things were flowing smoothly.
Browsing the menu, we discovered that Eden Cafe also has a full breakfast menu on Friday and Saturday ('till 3pm on Saturday.) They're closed Sunday and Monday.
Eden Cafe is a winner. It's a comfortable, casual cafe that serves very well-executed food. It's a worn phrase, but there's really something for everyone.
For those coming from ITL, it's a bit of a hike, but we think it's worth it. There are hundreds of small, family run cafes in Houston, but we've yet to find one that offers such a wide variety of food that is so expertly prepared.
We'll be back.
Eden Cafe: 33418 Egypt Lane, Suite 16, Magnolia, 77354, 832-934-2800, edencafe.net