Many of our readers are familiar with Corkscrew BBQ, the food trailer that serves some of the best BBQ in the entire Houston area. They've had universally good reviews, including a rare two-star review from The Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook. They've been so successful that they've had to expand from their original pit to a higher capacity model, and from their small food trailer to a modern, larger trailer. Even with these expansions, they still sell out of their BBQ every day. Rain or shine, in hot or cold weather.
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| Waiting for BBQ at Corkscrew |
Just about everyone who's been to Corkscrew loves 'em... with one notable exception. There's another BBQ place, called Pit Master BBQ, that's in a shopping center on the main road near Corkscrew's side-road location. Unlike Corkscrew, Pit Master is a full restaurant, with walls, air conditioning, restrooms, and all the other accoutrements that come with a brick-and-mortar shop. Yet they don't seem to be able to compete with the little BBQ trailer. It's a classic David-vs-Goliath story, but instead of David being armed with a slingshot, he's got BBQ meats as his weapon of choice.
Pit Master is only lacking two things: Great BBQ and a sense of ethics. I've eaten at Pit Master a couple of times, and found their food to be utterly unremarkable - the type of corporate BBQ that's available all over the place, and simply isn't memorable. Until Corkscrew opened, Pit Master was the only BBQ spot in the area, and without competition their unremarkable BBQ wasn't a serious problem.
Apparently the appearance of a master pitmaster like Will Buckman upset Pit Master's apple cart, because according to reports, Pit Master's owners have tried to get Corkscrew BBQ shut down. Repeatedly.
Nichole Buckman, one of the owners of Corkscrew BBQ, shares the sad tale on her Facebook page:
"Well we are working on going permanent, starting the processes this week. We'll be staying in the same location in the trailer, we'll be getting bathrooms put in and we'll be able to sell beer and wine, yea!
"Everyone can thank Pitmaster BBQ for that...why you ask? They decided to go to the commissioner and try and have us shut down for having a pit room and canopy that was APPROVED but not written in the laws of having a food truck. So all those still frequenting them, this is how they treat other local family owned business, they try and shut them down bc they are loosing business, which has NOTHING to do with us but all with the quality of their food.
"I wish they would think that when they try and shut us down they are potentially taking the roof over my kids heads way, food from their mouths and clothes off their backs. I would never do that to a person, its shameful. We will not be bullied by them, it's not the first time they've been trying to shut us down since we opened."
We make no secret about being fans of Corkscrew BBQ and their world-class food. And we applaud Nichole's positive attitude, and her drive to make her business even better. Corkscrew is a perfect example of how hard work, customer service, and dedication to a superior product will enable a small business to thrive, even in a tough economy.
We hope Pit Master tries a new approach - serving better BBQ, as opposed to whining to local government to get a family business shut down. Until that happens, we ask each of our readers to ask themselves what sort of business they'd like to support.
And we welcome a rebuttal from Pit Master in the comments. We'd love to hear your side of this sordid story.
Update: We recap the first Houston BBQ Festival.
When you think of America's great barbecue towns, you think of Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas's own Lockhart. But if Chris Reid and Michael Fulmer have anything to say about it, Houston will be added to the national short list of great places to enjoy 'Q.
It's not that Houston doesn't have great barbecue. It does. From legendary smokehouses like Thelma's, Burns, and Virgie's to current favorites like Gatlin's and Corkscrew, Houston pitmasters put out some superlative brisket, ribs, sausage, and other smoked meats. What's been lacking has been public perception and visibility, and the Houston Barbecue Festival aims to change that.
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| J.C. Reid, and a close friend (photo: Paul Sedillo) |
To be held March 24, 2013, the Houston Barbecue Festival brings together some of Houston's top barbecue talent in one location. Already on the docket are Blake's, Brook's, Burns, Corkscrew, Gatlin's, Gerardo's, Lennox, Pizzitola's, Ray's, Tin Roof, and Virgie's. More may be added.
The festival kicks off at 1pm, and runs until 5 at the Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road. (map). It's near the south end of MetroRail, so those who'd rather not drive have an option. For the price of an admission ticket attendees can sample tastings from each of the assembled 'Q joints - it may be the greatest assembly of pit talent under one roof that Houston has ever seen.
"You can get great barbecue in Houston, without having to drive to Lockhart." says J.C. Reid, one of the event's organizers. Reid is a food writer and noted expert on Houston barbecue. In 2011 Reid established the Houston BBQ Project, a comprehensive database of Houston barbecue joints, complete with an interactive map.
Reid and fellow event organizer Michael Fulmer have done their homework. The pair has travelled extensively throughout Texas, sampling barbecue from some of the state's most storied pits. In their travels closer to home, they discovered some excellent barbecue in Houston, and thus the impetus for the festival was born.
Tickets are available online, and will not be sold at the door. Admission is $40, which includes tasting portions from all participants. VIP tickets are available for $80, which include one hour early admission, drink tickets, and a swag bag including an event t-shirt.
When:
March 24, 2013 1pm - 5pm
Where:
Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road (map)
Longtime Houston specialty food retailer Rice Epicurean Market today announced that they plan to close four of their five stores and lease spaces to The Fresh market, a specialty food retailer from North Carolina.
Press Release from Rice Epicurean
Press Release from The Fresh Market
The store on Fountain View at Inwood will remain open.
Our take:
We think it's unfortunate to see an iconic Houston gourmet grocer sell out to a national firm, but we can't say we're surprised that it happened. Rice Epicurean has always been a pleasant, serene place to shop, but their prices often aren't competitive with other specialty grocers and their selection is lacking compared to other, bigger stores.
Trader Joe's opened its doors in Texas this morning, and the residents of the Woodlands showed up in droves to welcome this newest import from the West Coast. This fabled grocer is known for quality food, an interesting, well curated selection, and affordable prices. We joined the crowd to see what all the fuss was about.
Amazingly delicious "Cookie Butter" - creamy gingerbread spread. I'm anxious to try this on waffles, bagels, plywood...
A sample of TJ's Mandarin Orange Chicken - one of the best frozen Chinese entrees we've tried.
And last but not least, one of the Charles Shaw wines, aka "Two Buck Chuck". (Now $3, thanks to inflation.)
The assembled masses were scooping up items left and right, and the lines for checkout were easily 30 shoppers deep. But Trader Joe's friendly staff was doing a great job of keeping the line moving, and doing so with a smile.
If opening day was any indication, Texas has a great new addition to the grocery store scene. Trader Joe's combines an interesting product selection with great prices, and that's a winning combination that will draw in foodies for years to come.
We'll be back.
The Beer & Cheese festival is a great way for Houstonians to become acquainted with new and unique pairings of different styled beers and cheeses. Throughout the event, beer and cheese experts will be available to answer questions. Featured local Texas Breweries include Rhar & Sons (Fort Worth, Texas), St. Arnold (Houston, Texas), Karbach (Houston, Texas), Independence (Austin, Texas) and Southern Star (Conroe, Texas).
The event will take place at Hubbell & Hudson Market, located at 24 Waterway Avenue in The Woodlands, on Saturday June 30th from Noon to 5PM.
Admission to the event is granted with any cash donation to Montgomery County Youth Services. Participants are required to verify age to sample products.
Hubbell & Hudson Kitchen will continue offering an oasis for beer and cheese lovers throughout the summer with their own weekly Beer & Cheese sampling event starting, Monday July 2nd and every Monday thereafter.
For more information, check out the Event Website.
We have sad news to report during National Burger Month. Coal Burger, the coal fired oven burger concept from the folks at Grimaldi's, has closed. We were fans of the burger, but will admit that there were consistency issues: Sometimes the burger was perfect, sometimes it was dried out. Apparently cooking ground beef in a 1000+ degree coal-fired oven requires a very deft touch.
Combine the consistency issues with the notoriously dicey parking situation at the Woodlands Waterway, and Grimaldi's decided to close this restaurant after less than a year.
According to our sources, Grimaldi's plans to expand its pizza operation into the Coal Burger space.
We have no word on whether other Coal Burger locations in Arizona are closing as well.
We were excited to hear that Trader Joe's, the California-based specialty grocery company, was heading to the Houston area. We were even more excited to find out that their first Houston-area location would be in the Woodlands, across the street from our neighborhood HEB.
We've been keeping an eye on the progress, and it's been good. The building is complete, the sign is up, and now the work is underway getting the interior of the store ready for business. They're making good progress.
We're anxious for them to complete the store, so we can check out the unique product selection. We'll keep you updated on the progress.
JerryBuilt Burgers, the hot new fast-casual burger place, has announced that the grand opening of its Woodlands location will be this Saturday, March 31, at 11am. The Woodlands location is located just off the ring road around the Woodlands Mall, near the Container Store.
JerryBuilt Burgers is a locally owned chain that features high quality ingredients that are locally sourced when possible. They serve Niman Ranch beef, Blue Bell ice cream, and buns from Three Brothers Bakery, for example.
We previewed JerryBuilt's first location on Holcombe, and were very impressed with the thoughtfullness and attention to detail behind this burger concept. When we visited they were still fine-tuning the burger, so we're looking forward to seeing how they've tweaked their creation.
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| Cherie Johnson (Photo: IMDB) |
You may know Cherie Johnson, best known for her roles on situation comedies such as Punky Brewster, Family Matters, The Parkers and her leading role in the movie I Do.I Did. Ms. Johnson is now ready to make a name for herself as restaurateur. She has enlisted the help of close friend Janice Wright, founder of Houston 411 Magazine and Kay Matthews with Extraordinary Cakes.
"These entrepreneurs fill the void in public interests in investing in these areas either from apathy or lack of available funds" stated Mr. Means. "I believe these ladies have the recipe for success in this venture and in future opportunities. This belief has led me and my investment group to support their activities" continued Means.
We look forward to checking it out.
Datt's It | 10101 Bissonnet | Houston 77036
We'd read cryptic press releases about a new restaurant being developed in the Woodlands, and wondered what was behind all the mystery. Called Zunum, it's a new concept being launched on Research Forest within the city of Shenandoah. The team behind Zunum isn't new to the restaurant business, owning Russo's Pizzeria.
The concept is a unique one. Zunum is a place for families, catering to both children and adults while not expecting either to compromise. For the adults, Zunum offers them a place to "relax and enjoy a gourmet meal in an adult environment", while the kids can "play, be active, and behave as kids in a safe environment".
That's the promise. Short of attaching a Chuck E. Cheese to Tony's, how would you pull this off? On a drizzly Tuesday, we went to find out.
Zunum's execution is tasteful, and shows a clear vision. The front of the house is a modern, airy restaurant, featuring dishes aimed at an adult palate. It's a bright, attractive space, featuring modern decor and muted earth tones.
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| The dining room at Zunum |
Behind a glass wall are multiple supervised play areas designed for kids of different ages. Cleverly avoiding the one-size-fits-none issue, the first play area features soft surface, active toys, and a bright, fun environment for toddlers and early school-aged kids. The area is themed with creatively imagined creatures, each with its own back story; I expect that at least one will appeal to every young child.
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| Little kids' play area at Zunum |
The bigger kids (up to age 12) have their own space, with an active climbing area and a zone featuring multiple state-of-the-art game consoles. There's also a private party room complete with an interactive projection game system sure to fascinate both kids and adults.
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| Big kids' play area at Zunum |
Parents can keep an eye on the little darlings via a panoramic window between the play areas and the dining room; thankfully there's a door that should keep the roar to a minimum.
Unlike other places that cater to kids, Zunum has a wide variety of inventive dishes that won't make the grown-ups think they're in the penalty box. Beer and wine are available. From seafood to salads, panini, burgers, crepes and pastas, there are dishes to appeal to almost anyone. There is, of course, a dedicated kids' menu with the usual suspects and also a variety of healthier options.
On their recent soft opening, we sampled several of their dishes, and management graciously picked up the tab. Since the restaurant isn't officially open, this isn't a full review, but rather a preview of what's to be offered when the doors open.
We started with a couple of appetizers. Our favorite was Zunum's unique spin on the traditional Italian bruschetta. The crunchy Italian bread was topped with a generous portion of marinated tomatoes and shaved parmesan cheese, but the flavor profile was more southwestern than Italian, a surprise that we found delightful.
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| Bruschetta at Zunum |
Next up was Zunum's tuna tartare. Chunks of fresh tuna were bound in a creamy dill sauce with avocado, with wasabi drizzles on the plate to spice things up.
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| Tuna Tartare at Zunum |
We then ventured into the entrees. Zunum's version of parmesan crusted chicken caught us by surprise; instead of breaded chicken with the traditional marinara, the grilled chicken breast was topped with artichokes in a creamy mushroom sauce. It was served with chunks of potato and gently grilled asparagus.
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| Parmesan Crusted Chicken at Zunum |
We couldn't avoid a the epic, 1 pound Zunum Burger that was featured on the menu, even though it contains two or three times the amount of meat we usually prefer in a burger. Up for the challenge, we put in our order, and this behemoth appeared:
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| Zunum Burger |
Yes, folks, that's a 1 pound burger patty parked on a bun the size of a personal pizza. We'd forgotten to mention cheese, so a quick spin back into the kitchen resulted in a lovely glaze of melty, high-quality American cheese. The burger was so huge that we cut it in half for maneuverability, and we were impressed by the meat's perfect medium preparation.
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| Inside the Zunum Burger |
Other than its enormous proportion, the burger was exactly what we hope for in a burger; nicely handled and seasoned beef, good quality cheese nicely melted, and fresh, crisp veggies. The only flaw was a bottom bun that simply wasn't up to the task of supporting a pound of juicy beef; we wonder if Mrs. Baird's will consider titanium reinforcements. Maybe not.
All in all, we're intrigued by Zunum's unique concept. We believe that a restaurant that offers to delight both kids and parents has a bright future in the Woodlands, and we look forward to the grand opening and seeing how crowds react to this unique restaurant.
Zunum | 1620 Research Forest Drive | The Woodlands, Texas 77381 | 281-419-5400
