Case's Food Reviews: Installment One

My last excursion onto Texas' great roadways included some stops along the way at some of the places Texans love to stop have a bite. I've got three Houston places that I'd like to let you know about. Oh, there are much more, but for the sake of space and time, I'll do just three for now.

I'm going to take a moment to tell you folks about said restaurants and what I'll watch out for next time. For each place that I have visited, I've also got a grading system much like the one we use to rate our blogs, in that five stars indicate really great and one star is terrible.

Now, I'm going to let 'er rip!

1. Goode Company Barbeque, Houston - Always a very reliable place for great smoked meats and sides, they've got a new location off U.S. Highway 290 and FM 1960/Highway 6 on Houston's northwest side. It's a place that has what I consider Houston's best barbecue. Many chains worry about the quality suffering when there's more than one location. I've been to all of these, and the quality is still consistent. This place keeps chugging along with great brisket, Czech sausage, and wonderful, flavorful pork ribs. Their creamy potato salad is the best of any place that I go to for barbecue and I wish I only knew their secret. And it's the only place I get jambalaya served with my barbecue, successfully combining the elements of Central Texas and South Louisiana. Great sandwich choices and sensational jalapeno-cheese bread, too. Experience this place. (Rating: 5 *****)

2. 59 Diner, Houston - This has the look of many diners from the 1950s/60s era. I need to try this place for lunch or dinner sometime, but breakfast here is just okay, and nothing special. The best thing about this place was the hash browns, with great shredded potato taste. They did have good pancakes on a visit I made last year, along with a decent order of biscuits and gravy. My more recent visits included their Texas toast. The egg choices were pretty good (I got scrambled each time) and the menu is full of variety like you would expect. I also took time to order their pork chops, but they had kind of an odd seasoning that would be better suited for fancy dinner choices rather than for breakfast, and the powers that be would have been better off just pan-frying them. Don't order the sausage patties; they taste like the microwave kind and have a texture that's too tender. And there's no spice whatsoever. I'll have dinner here next time, but never again for breakfast. (Rating: 3 ***)

3. Guadalajara Hacienda, Houston - This is one mighty fine place and is a very popular hangout for many Houstonians who love their Tex-Mex. And for this Dallasite to enjoy even more of it. I've made a few visits here the last few years and had great selections like their sampler platter, which included marvelous chicken flautas and empanadas. Since I'm a nut for enchiladas, I tend to frequently order them when I go out for Tex-Mex, so this place had some very fine cheese and beef enchiladas with some tasty chili gravy. The tamales were delicious, although mushy, but had good flavor. Good rice and beans, and maybe the best chips and hot salsa in the Bayou City. They've also got some exotic and regional selections like grilled quail, camarones Pacifico, and assorted chicken and seafood choices, along with burritos, tacos, and fajitas that I'd certainly love to come back for. Give this place a go! (Rating: 5 *****)

So, there you go. Three very wonderful --- and, dare I say, very legendary --- Houston food places to pamper your palates. If you're ever visiting that area on business or pleasure, or for those of you that live down there already and possibly know about them (and, perhaps, eaten there, as well), I do recommend them to you for your perusal. Enjoy. I'll have more food reviews periodically on Case's Column in the future, so watch for the next one!