When we visited Jax Burgers shortly after they opened last summer, we enjoyed the restaurant and its signature burger, but felt that it just missed the mark. The hamburger patty was a bit bland and unseasoned. But we generally liked the place, and on a sunny late June afternoon we decided to visit again.
The restaurant was just as we remembered it - sparklingly clean and full of the aroma of grilled beef. The Jax logo was prominently displayed all over the restaurant, and two flat-screen TVs were displaying a couple of different sporting events.
It was time to check and see how the burger had fared after Jax settled in. We ordered at the counter, and our burger promptly arrived. We bit in, and had a surprise...
A very pleasant surprise.
We're happy to report that the previous problem we had with the burger has been addressed, and addressed well. The beef patty is still a half-pound of never frozen beef, but it's now sporting a lively seasoning of black pepper and just the right amount of salt. The bite of the pepper is front and center, and it plays a nice counterpoint to the rich flavor of the high fat content beef. There's a new swagger, and a bold, beefy flavor that is worthy of the lovingly hand-formed patty. The difference is like night and day.
The patty was griddled to a nice medium - hints of pink were still present in the center. The thickish slice of good quality American cheese was nicely melted, and the eggy bun also spent some quality time on the flat top, and the result was a gloriously oozy burger. Veggies were fresh, but not terribly crisp.
Interestingly, the burger arrived upside-down - something we can't recall ever seeing before.
We're glad to find that the staff at Jax have improved this burger, and we welcome Jax into the upper echelon of Houston burger joints.
Keep up the good work, guys!
Drivers around Houston's Galleria were surprised to see a new billboard pop up today, and it's a heartwarming story. Lewis Krantz, long-time real estate professional in the Houston area, executed a tremendous romantic gesture for his lovely bride Sharon (a real estate agent with Martha Turner properties.)
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| Photo Credit: Ellen Krantz |
In honor of their 50th wedding anniversary, Lewis commissioned this special billboard. He went even further than this, and arranged for it to be unveiled to Sharon to the cheers of assembled friends and family members.
Lewis, you've impressed us with this gesture, but you're making the rest of the guys in Houston look bad. Well played, sir. And congratulations to the young couple!
calling "this economy." However, even the best-run luxury lifestyle
establishments, particularly those in fitness, food, and furniture, have
suffered recent reductions-in-force or closures, even in the upscale Galleria
and in the trendy, aggressively marketed and re-gentrified Houston Heights.
Whole Foods opening their brand of a high-end, self-described "ultimate"
shopping experience, located between Montrose and the Heights at this particular time. The land in Houston
hasn't really suffered, so it can't be an opportunity that they can't refuse on
the lot.
Hubble and Hudson, a handful of Rice
Epicureans, and HEB's latest crown jewel, Buffalo Market. All of these
groceries/restaurants play in the epicurean/green/organic market space.
were here, and why right now. Years ago, I'd been a customer of Whole Foods in
Austin, both at the North Lamar location and at Westgate, and found them to be
largely venues for a slacker/yuppie mix of posers with attitudes about what
makes a good kiwi or pomegranate. I
guess that no matter how right I was at that time, what I neglected to register
that they did, indeed, have kiwis and pomegranates, fresh ones.
opinions given new data, and surely enough, as the tour progressed, I had no
choice but to readjust those old stereotypes of Whole Foods. This place, or at
least our great town's latest incarnation of it, is a lot more than a
"luxury shopping experience"—that is, a place that simply stocks the
better or rarer items. Whole Foods represents a comprehensive commitment to genuinely
implement "green" in every aspect of their business.
but every packaged item, every bulk item, every fresh-made item, every prep
facility, and every sourcing practice. It also includes the architecture of the
building and even the physical plant, right down to the water reclamation
subsystem that provides the water for drinking, washing, cooling (even the meat
lockers) and landscaping.
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| Water reclamation system at Whole Foods |
used whenever available, and items are offered strictly when they are
available, on a seasonal basis. Local sourcing and seasonal offering
significantly reduces the business' carbon footprint in trucking transit and
long-term storage.
philosophy. This is the only place I know of that I could buy anything from a
box of cookies to a fresh-made deli sandwich from one of the many fresh-food
counters and not have to worry about consuming one gram of color additives, trans-fatty
acids, artificial sweetener, endangered animal, unsustainably-farmed grain,
stripped grain, or bleached grain.
offered in a beautiful, bright,
comfortable facility with an near-zero carbon footprint. Downside: no
double-stuff Oreos...
Similar in size to a Starbucks in other grocers, this is a separate business,
similar to how Panera bread shares space with Schlotzky's in Austin. The
Starbuck's-killing features here are the local roaster, and the availability of
some of the rarest coffees in the world. Now, these top-shelf brews are not
cheap, but they are appropriate and creative 21st-centruy alternatives to
bringing a bottle of wine to every holiday. Be forewarned however; the
"Dom Perignon" of coffees can run you $75/lb of roasted beans.
with the coffee shop seating. Both areas are equipped with wi-fi and feature
works by local artists. I didn't get any good shots of the art, sorry. One of
the more interesting interactive pieces is the "art vending" machine:
a converted 1960s cigarette machine that
makes original art placards, suitable for a coaster, for $5 apiece. It's all
similarly-appealing, non-threatening -but-still-occasionally-provoking, urban
fare.
freshly-prepared food area; I'm loathe to call it a "food court"
simply because of the images that that phrase recalls to me. The Whole Foods
version as the deli, Italian, pizzas, bistro, olive bar, extreme dry-rub
barbecue with ready-to-go, all-organic briskets, and then the perfunctory salad
bar and premade cold fare. This area is so huge you might even be able to
navigate your cart through on a Sunday, which believe me, is going to be
pa-aaaa-aaaked.
remain:
Peanut butter grinding. This is a station where you can grind and jar
your own peanut, almond, or cashew butter.
Bulk area includes barbecue rubs and seasonings,
including a tethering system that discourages "scooper-sharing" from
container-to-container, a big pet-peeve of mine.
Wine bar, conveniently located right by the
cheese counter, that opens at 8am, which, oh, BTW, offers 24 beer taps. I'm
thinkin', if you take advantage of this amenity, you may want to bring a designated
driver AND shopper.
associates. Any specialist in any area is always happy to tell you about how
they achieve their quality and how they're doing things differently, and their
sense of ownership and pride is obvious. This point perhaps illustrates the
difference in the Whole Foods experience that I realized that day: Everyone,
every facility, every practice, spoke with one voice, one message—and that is
the hallmark of the most successful ventures in the world.
iPad-addicted, Croc-clad hipster clones, but if you're someone who takes your
green commitment beyond the purchase of a Prius, beyond whining on political
blogs, into actual practices in your life, then this is your store. You are why
Whole Foods is expanding; you are the niche I didn't see before.
maybe we don't have enough. They're not a player in the luxury grocery space at
all: their product is a slice of a relevant, green lifestyle, from the food
itself (no additives, organic) to how they get it there (local, seasonal
growers) to how they offer it (green outlet architecture and engineering).
doesn't just talk the talk.
We were thrilled to hear that Five Guys was opening up close to the Woodlands, and visited this store on 1488 near 2978 the day after it opened. We drove out 1488, and saw the store on the left, just before 2978.
Our only beef? The orders of fries are just too big. Even a small is way too much for one person. So we just skip the fries, which is a shame because they're pretty darned good.
Bottom line: Go. If you like burgers, you won't be disappointed.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries | 6619 FM 1488 | Magnolia, Texas 77354 | 832-934-2660
Question of the Day:
What restaurant turned out to be your most pleasant surprise? A place that exceeded your expectations by the greatest amount?
For me, that would have to be the popularly-priced chain Cheddar's - specifically the Louetta location.
On the first visit, I walked in expecting an Applebee's-like experience with mediocre prefab food served by disinterested staff. But I was amazed by the quality of the food served, the prices, the pleasant decor, and the genuinely friendly staff.
After the surprisingly enjoyable meal I chatted with the manager, who shared that the secret to their high quality and affordable pricing was to make everything in-house. That's more what I'd have expected from a small mom-and-pop store than a national chain. Bravo.
So what restaurant gave you the most pleasant surprise? Respond in the comments, please.