Favorite Restaurant(s) in Houston (Pasadena, Humble: floor, sushi, gas)

[modster]

I don't cook, so I eat out a lot, usually at moderately priced places. I tend to be disappointed in really expensive places that are not that much better, but costs 3 times as much.

One recent find is a little Italian place on the corner of Airline and Patton called Sweet Temptations. Horrible name, great food. The people that run it used to work at some of the better known Italian places in town. The food is really good and reasonably priced. Their tiramisu (sp?) is absolutely top notch. You can bring your own wine in. Last time I went they did not even charge a cork fee. Super accommodating.

Short of the Pappas brothers steak house, which is very expensive, the Bar-b-que Inn at Crosstimbers and Yale has an exceptionally good filet. Their fried shrimp, fried chicken, (I see a pattern emerging) and of course chicken fried steak are all exceptional. It is a time warp of old east Texas style cooking. Very old school, and very good. If you are sick of the poor service you usually get from the college kids waiting tables at your local chain restaurant, this one is a great reprieve. The waitress that has been there 15 years is still referred to as "the new girl."

The other place that usually has the good waitresses is the original Ninfa's on Navigation. If you have tried the other Ninfa locations, do not base your opinion on that. This one is different. You can't call yourself a Houstonian and not have darkened the doorstep of the original. Two other recommendations would be the original Teotijuacan at Cavalcade and Irvington, (there are two other locations, one on Bellfort near Fondren and another on Airline), although for fajitas I usually go to El Jardin on Harrisburg. Their regular mixed plates are respectable, albeit unremarkable, but I do like their fajitas and margaritas.

For breakfast places, Dot Diner at Gulfgate has a very respectable one. It is still part of the Pappas restaurant dynasty. It is also good for their daily sort of "blue plate special" type of diner foods. They bring you hot rolls the size of brick, with a cup of whipped butter. Enough to ruin any Adkins diet attempt. Barnaby's (four locations, Fairview, W. Gray, Woodway and Shepherd) has a great breakfast too. They are also a good "cheap eats" place.

Oh and some of the best doughnuts in town are at Snowflake doughnuts, Winkler at Howard.

This has been a real health food tour, hasn't it?

[coog78]

I still like Shipley's for donuts. Has anyone been to Crave cupcakes in Uptown? The Red Velvet cupcake keeps getting mentioned by people.

Dry Creek on Yale in the Heights has a burger called the triple bypass burger which is topped with bacon, cheese, and a fried egg and lives up to its name; tasty but ouch.

[texas7]

Dry Creek is also good for people who want to get that Austin type atmosphere inside.

[rubynicholson77056]

Originally Posted by coog78

Thanks everyone for all of the responses so far! This thread has turned out to be a lot of fun.
I still can't stop laughing that someone called Black Eyed Pea soul food, priceless!!!

I am definitely going to try some of the pizza suggestions, Tony Mandola's on W. Gray, and although only a few blocks away, definitely want to try Mockingbird Bistro.

Cheers and Salud everyone!

Hey being from MS, I find some of the dishes at Black Eyed Peas to come really close to MS soul food...still doesn't beat my own tho!

Oh and I didn't call it priceless....just good.

[rubynicholson77056]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Blech. Try Alfreda's Cafeteria in Third Ward/Museum District for soul food.

I'll have to check it out.

[JL]

Something a bit out of the normal... a while back, Treasures had some good lunch buffets, in particular the seafood gumbo. St. James also had some seafood buffets on Fridays.

[Texas Mack]

Speaking of gumbo, I had some chicken and sausage gumbo at this place in Kemah and I can't for the life of me remember the name of it (it's on the northbound side of HWY 146 just south of the Boardwalk).

That gumbo was great!

[Mom2Feebs]

Texas Mack, was it Sundance Grill?

[LostInHouston]

Originally Posted by Texas Mack

Speaking of gumbo, I had some chicken and sausage gumbo at this place in Kemah and I can't for the life of me remember the name of it (it's on the northbound side of HWY 146 just south of the Boardwalk).

That gumbo was great!

T-bone Toms, perhaps?

[crbcrbrgv]

Okay, just had to get everyone's opinion. Me and my wife went to PF Changs. We felt it was Pei Wei with fancy decorations and servers. Anyone else agree?