In Restaurant Dining During Covid 2020- Houston, Texas

Regional Dining Discussions Texas, Southwest
1

I’m tired. I’m super crabby from cooking so much and eating nostalgic foods like tuna noodle casserole and salmon cakes, just to find some joy and comfort. My hands are chapped from washing dishes and my actual hands for 20 seconds at a time and dousing them with alcohol. I’m also starting my father’s car to keep it running, and having “tailgate meetings” with the man who created me while wearing stupid oxygen depriving masks and not hugging him in his Independent Living facility parking lot. Generally, many are financially doing okay, while for some, income is decreasing faster than expenses are decreasing. I’m watching relationships deteriorate. Okay, enough of that Covid depression.

Okay then! I’ve been out to eat, more than once. I’ve been to Lopez twice (5 stars), Tony Mandola’s on my birthday in June (full menu, excellent service and pre-covid pricing), and last weekend, Mr. Lamb and I ventured out to the new version of Goode Company Seafood on I-10. Totally took me back to one of my first gatherings with this group there to have campechana. The new space is one big room, with a large bar in the middle. They moved a few feet over in the same shopping center into a new space. It is cool inside and painted with cool colors. I loved it. We were socially distanced and felt safe. They add a 5% “Covid fee” to every bill, and alert you to that when you arrive. The menu is very limited.

We went for lunch and figured they were doing HRW this month, but no, not this year, too much loss of revenue. Also, the dishes I wanted were not on the very limited lunch menu, those being soft shell crab, rainbow trout, stuffed crabs, mashed potatoes, all of which was too complicated they said for the abbreviated staff. Though there seemed to be plenty of staff there.

Here are some pics of our lunch, smoked red fish spread appetizer that was really good, house vodka martini, which at $13 was overpriced IMO, corn, crab and poblano soup that was super sweet, but why? It did have lots of crab and was served hot, bonus. But again, sweet? Fried seafood platter, excellent except for the overdone fries, catfish with seafood rice.

I’m not faulting this place for their shortcomings during this time. Restaurants are hurting and I’m hoping to help. There was good and not-so-good. Sure look forward to a return to normal. Take care

image
image3024×4032 2.68 MB
image
image3024×4032 3.21 MB
image
image3024×4032 3.03 MB
image
image3024×4032 2.49 MB

Uploading: DB9A7457-BF22-416F-9495-3856664E3445.jpeg… Uploading: DDF0CB5E-47B1-4C6C-BF9E-5A6113421356.jpeg… Uploading: 806DC802-4C5E-4CC6-87B8-1B31629EC704.jpeg…

image
image2048×1536 648 KB
image
image2048×2002 798 KB
.

4 Likes
2

I can’t believe I missed this.

We.ve been out a few times but nothing earth shattering.

Today Luby’s and a couple of other times and all that implies.

Saturday El Gallo on Gessner, beef fajitas for one feeds two and at 17.99 a steal.

We’ve been to Merida a couple of times, really liking the cochinita pibil.

Rudy’s 290 twice.

Gus’ Chicken on Washington, the Wifeacita’s wings were great my breast dried out.

A stop at El Tiempo for our world record consumption of margaritas, one apiece. It was a peak weekend time when the line is usually out the door but even with a lot of tables blocked off it wasn’t full.

1 Like
3

Last week I went to McCormick & Scmick’s happy hour at 4 to avoid crowds. They have a decent happy hour menu and I had a birthday gift certificate. We were far from anyone else and had a great time. Full description above.

I also went to a restaurant that opened a new location in far west Memorial just a few months before the lockdown. Called District 7, it has a menu of oysters, pizzas, salads and fish. There was only one other table dining at the time, though there were several on a patio in 100+ degree heat. Enjoyed a Roni pizza, described as double pepperoni and double mozzerella. There was plenty of pepperoni, but the mozzerella was weak. I like the dining room, but it’s in the bottom floor of an office building and I fear for its survival. I believe there are at least 2 other locations inside the loop and hopefully they are doing well. No other outings that I can recall in August.

When are all Luby’s going away? I understand they are closing them all eventually.

image
image1110×1136 361 KB

3 Likes
4

I’m hoping not soon, maybe it will be hard to do a deal in covid land.

5

That’s exactly WHY it will be sooner rather than later. They were trying to find a buyer pre-Covid. Even the Pappas dynasty couldn’t make the chain earn a buck. But post-Covid? A cafeteria?

Fuggidaboudit.

Luby’s is (Texas) toast.

I’ll miss it.

2 Likes
6

Well they are serving you, so it’s not like a buffet. We had just started liking the buffet at Nirvana Indian restaurant and they are now serving it also, I hear. That makes me a bit sad because I like more sauce than meat and other quirky habits. The price was great though, unlike the menu prices which are above average. But I’m sure y’all heard the salad bars are all toes up, like Sweet Tomato. Places like Salata have always served the salads.

1 Like
7

Pappadeaux 290, bumbling amateur service.

The Wifecita is down in the Valley so I decided to get some crawfish etouffee to dine in and get some to go.

The server and runner brought the food on a tray which promptly collapsed leaving the etouffee at a 45 degree angle. The top of the plate was a mess but the bottom half was fine. It was served with no offer to re plate. I prefer to mix my own crawfish and rice with minimal rice.

From my vantage at one of the bar tables the two people next to me and a woman at the bar were given below average service. I usually sit at the bar but seating was unavailable and it didn’t matter as the bar guy was an indifferent tortoise with all his half dozen or so patrons.

Compare this to El Tiempo that has pro waiters that have been there years instead of the kids at Pappadeaux.

Oh yeah, the crawfish etouffee was excellent.

3 Likes
8

That’s why I go to Pappadeaux, the food is excellent. The service is usually wanting, particularly the bar service which is always slow.

9

Liquidation is anticipated by the end of the year.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Luby-s-plans-to-dissolve-pass-proceeds-to-15549815.php

10

Seems severely UNDERVALUED to me.

3 Likes
11

This is one of those very very rare cases where it really pains me to say “I toldjaso”.

1 Like
12

“Ihateu” :open_mouth:

13

Is it because you know I ate a fried fish and mac n cheese lunch or because you think my prescient observation hastened their demise?

I still love y’all by the way. How is wifecita these days?

2 Likes
14

Prescient? A relatively good word coming from your nascent brain. How’s that for a rhyme?

The Wifeacita is fine thank you and she and Gomer say hey.

She was in the Valley for about a week which included a failed attempt to go to the beach at South Padre which was closed even though the Galveston beaches were open covid or not.

Now having said this about that I’m planning a beach outing IF the Brazoria County beaches are open. I know a beach where the next humanoids will be at least 100 social distanced yards away.

Going to the beach isn’t the same. Gone are the days of putting a dollar of 24 cent gas in the VW Bug, loading up all the beer and anything else we could find.

Now I’ve checked the county website about beach status with no luck, called Red Snapper Inn where we’re going with an ambiguous answer about the beaches, so tomorrow I’ll call the county.

We’re going anyway and will eat well I just don’t want to load up a bunch of beach stuff we won’t use.

1 Like
15

What do you think about Galveston in the next few weeks or so.? It would be two nights during the week. Not a weekend. We’re debating…

16

Never mind. I was thinking the crowds would be gone after Labor Day. But I just remembered that Sept/Oct is prime wedding/party season in Galveston. Guess we’ll just stay put here.

17

I suggest coming during the week, you’ll have the island to yourself plus hotels are way less expensive.

1 Like
18

We went to Beck’s Prime W. 19th a few weeks ago. I got the Kirby salad, yes a salad, pretty much a standard salad with raspberry vinaigrette but I added seared ahi. The ahi was perfectly cooked but overpowered by mesquite.

The Wifeacita got chili, no beans of course, plus a broccoli salad, all good as well.

The place was full to max 50 percent capacity.

2 Likes
19

Back in the days when I ate hamburgers five times a week, I would often get a chicken sandwich or ahi burger, but if I’m going to Beck’s these days, it’s not gonna be for a salad!

Glad to see you taking your health seriously. :mask:

1 Like
20

I sat in the patio at the new White Elm restaurant by the owners of Chez Nous in Humble. This is a much more casual restaurant with a French flair. I had a curry chicken salad on croissant with fries and it was all very good. I’m glad patio weather is back! And not a moment too soon.

https://www.whiteelmcafebakery.com/

2 Likes