I adore those quesadillas! I’ll eat yours.
1 Like
They’ll be yours because you’re paying for them, we’re saving our crab money for the enchiladas or nachos.
1 Like
Finally made it over to Ramen Bar Ichi for lunch, about 11:15 a.m. just after they opened for lunch. They close from 3-6 before opening again for dinner.
When you walk in, there’s a sign with a hanging clipboard urging you to “put your name on the waiting list” so I assume there is often a wait. The last name was put on the list at 8 p.m. last night.
I sat at the ramen bar, which wraps around the cooking area where at least 3 chefs were at work, but unfortunately you can’t see them, only their heads due to the counter height.
I ordered the spicy ramen. You get discounts on the fried chicken and potato salads with a ramen and drink purchase, so I ordered the “Mentai Mayo Fried Chicken” as well which is described as topped with a spicy cod roe and mayo sauce.
The ramen came out quickly, quicker that the Ramen Jin service. The broth has a nice heat, both temp and spice. There was a blob of something that seemed like a pork paste that I think should have been melted into the broth, since upon tasting I discovered it was cold (the lump is at the at 11:00 in the first photo below). Edit: I looked at Yelp just now and all the pictures of the spicy ramen have this lump in them! Haha, so I guess it is supposed to be there.
Upon ordering, I was asked if I want egg, well yes! I thought they all came with egg. Anyway, when it came it was whole, and with only a spoon and chopsticks I worred about how to eat it for a while before stabbing it with a chopstick and tearing it in half. It was very soft and somehow the yolk inside was almost jellied. How do they do that?? Several other “extra” toppings are available for a price.
The ramen was pretty good, but I can never eat fast enough to finish it before it cools as is the custom.
The chicken was tough/chewy and I didn’t eat much of it. The roe was mixed in the mayo and topped with black sesame and it was quite tasty. There was a lot for $4, and it comes with a handful of edamame, grape tomatoes and a cabbage bed. Condiments on the bar included a red paste that I assumed was hot pepper, but when I tasted it, I didn’t get any heat. There is also sesame seeds and what appeared to be pickled onions, but I didn’t taste them.
I know Japan held a special place in Anthony Bourdain’s heart and it was the first place he traveled to when he began his TV career. I am just so sad and disappointed at the news of his suicide today. The new Parts Unknown season started last month and I’m looking forward to the Berlin episode on Sunday. I saw your comment on PU, Doobs and I agree that this show is not as focused on food as prior shows, but a little Bourdain is better than no Bourdain.
About 10 or so years ago, I was sitting on a restaurant patio in Asheville, NC when who comes walking quickly down the adjacent sidewalk carrying a 12-pack but the rockstar chef himself. I about fell out of my chair. I watched him until he disappeared into a hotel a block away. RIP AB, you were larger than life. 
3 Likes
The menu description says there is a ‘spice paste’ in the bowl. Maybe it isn’t stirred in so you can control how much you want to incorporate?
I had trouble coping with that whole egg, too. First time I’ve encountered that. I picked it up in the spoon, bit it in half.
Pickled ginger strips - beni shoga. Like what you get with sushi.
I liked that cute little sesame seed grinder/dispenser.
1 Like
Good news, at least for me. Tamashi has opened a second location on Holcombe @ Kirby. That may not actually be closer to me than the one on Silber but I won’t have to deal with the West Loop to get there.
Found a website.
1 Like
I realized I’ve had gumbo 4 times recently, all just as part of checking out new neighborhood places. And while a couple of them were worthy of having again, none were really top notch, so I decided to check out a few other offerings.
I went to Boudreaux’s, West Loop location. I ordered a bowl of seafood gumbo and some boudin balls. Not in my neighborhood but still really convenient.
An order of boudin balls is 5 pieces plus fries but they’ll sell 'em to you individually. These were hot and crispy, almost the size of a tennis ball; Boudreaux’s dirty rice is very flavorful. The Honey Creole Remoulade sauce was just meh. If the menu hadn’t told me, I would have guessed it was supposed to be a tartar sauce. Next time, I’ll check out the condiments table to see what else they have. You really need something with the balls, I think.
If I’d known how big the bowl of gumbo was I wouldn’t have ordered the boudin balls, so I’m glad I didn’t know. This was huge, at least 3.5 cups, I’d say, and very good. Shrimp, crawfish, a little fish, maybe a little crab; there were spoon-sized chunks of tomato, larger pieces of onion, green bell pepper and celery, the latter three cooked almost to disintegration. Surprising was the modest complement of rice, maybe only a half or 3/4 cup in that big bowl. It was very soupy, and very filling. There was just a little heat but there’s a counter with lots of hot sauces to choose from.
The garlic toast was the biggest disappointment, no crustiness, soggy from all the butter, wonder bread consistency. Pooh.
This is definitely a notch or two above all the little places in my immediate hood. 15% discount for seniors all day Wednesday makes this a steal. I qualify.
I plan to try BB’s, Pappadeaux (there’s one south of me on 59/69 that I never remember is there) and Kitchen 713, maybe some others.
2 Likes
But today I decided to try something completely different 
.
Louisiana style Seafood Courtbouillon at Floyd’s, Sugar Land location. Blonde roux, shrimp (very good), crawfish (some little bitty babies), some fish, probably catfish, maybe crab??? Toward the very end, I bit into a small chunk of what must’ve been crab shell and then found what looked like crab claw meat. Wish there’d been more. Onions, multi-colored bell peppers, rice, garnished with scallions.
The catfish (maybe, but hopefully, not swai) was the weak part; I would’ve preferred, say, redfish? There was a little heat but this wasn’t as decadent as it looked like it was going to be. I tried Floyd’s proprietary hot sauce, a dark reddish brown concoction. Aged blended peppers is listed first on the ingredients, then vinegar. Like most Louisiana hot sauces, it’s very vinegary. Unfortunately, the color just comes from caramel coloring, but I liked it better than Tabasco.
This was the lunch portion, served with a small side salad. I would not have been able to finish the full sized version.
Courtbouillon is not offered at many places; i perused the web trying to determine just what differentiates it from gumbo. It would be possible to read essays, op-ed pieces, theses, dissertations and restaurant reviews for weeks and still not have a definitive answer. Louisiana’s version of courtbouillon seems to derive from bouillabaisse, gumbo from African and Carribean roots. Courtbouillon may not start with roux, or maybe not even have any? I give up. Last time I had any, it was redfish courtbouillon at Magnolia Grill on Richmond, which ironically was a distant cousin to Floyd’s, from the original Louisiana families that started the Landry’s group.
I may be back here for the gumbo is a couple of weeks. It’s a nice restaurant and was very sparsely populated at lunch.
2 Likes
I’ve been to the Katy Freeway location and was not impressed, guess I’ll have to give it another go!
Luna Pizza - Kirby location
Well this was a disappointment. The pizza was dry and not really hot. The jalapenos I added to their standard menu personal size 9" pepperoni pie (PEPPERONI, MOZZARELLA,
PROVOLONE & GRANA PADANO) were sliced room temp and laid on top. I hate to say, but I think they are premade. It came out quickly, within minutes. Needs more sauce and cheese. Luckily you can get those little bottles of olive oil on the condiment station which I used to douse the pie. WHERE’S THE MOZZARELLA?? The pie comes with fresh oregano, red pepper and the grana padano on the side, and I dumped it all on.
I love the idea of the mini chop salad ($3.5) which was full of cubed salami and cheese, olives, artichoke hearts tomatoes and more. I took a large to go for someone else and it was only $7.5.
Next? I’m in a pizza mood, though this may have killed it. And it gets 4-1/2 stars on yelp, go figure.
I worked in Stafford from 90-95 and am quite familiar with that Pappadeaux and ate there at least every other week and always ate at the bar.
My go to dishes were snapper Pontchartrain, the crawfish combo of 1/2 fried and 1/2 etouffee, plus an occasional fried seafood platter and never had a bad meal there.
One night I was having dinner with friends and had eaten most of my crawfish combo and was going to get the rest to go when a manager came by and we both looked down at my plate and saw a fingernail size piece of glass.
Entrée comped, a fresh order was made to go plus I was given a $25 dollar gift card.
We all joked about bringing a “throw down” piece of glass in the future.
I thought about going today but decided against it. Don’t go to Pappas restos very often because of their huge portions.
Ever had the gumbo?
Wow, sorry about your pizza but glad you enjoyed the salad. That’s really what I went for the last time and what they served me wasn’t the same. Interesting to see yours looks more like what I got the first time. Seems like they have a problem of consistency?
I don’t do pizza very often and mostly stick to places where I can get a slice or two instead of a whole pie. I’ve tried a lot of frozen pizzas over the last few months and just given up. I’m pretty picky about crust, first of all.
1 Like
Your mileage may vary, obviously. I like Boudreaux’s better than Ragin’ Cajun on Richmond. Hadn’t been to this one in several years. I think I’ve decided in the past I like it better than BB’s but will test that soon. I’ve always felt BB’s is over-hyped.
I like the gumbo at Deaux for what it’s worth. The crusty bread comes with it and it’s a filling meal at the bar. Probably my favorite gumbo in town is at Segari’s on Shepherd, for reelz. They also have a small bar area with 5 or 6 stools that a few regulars (men) eat lunch at regularly. The rest of the very small space is white table cloths.There are no prices on the menu so be sure and ask.
1 Like
We don’t mind huge portions as we love leftovers.
I’ve had the gumbo more than a few times and it’s good but not great and I’m looking for great gumbo in Houston, maybe it’s BB’s which I’ve never had.
1 Like
I have only been to BB’s for the first time in the past 6 months after a new one opened not far from my home. I thought the fried shrimp was the best I’ve ever had, and returned with my whole extended family on New Years Day since everyone was too ill during Christmas week to get together. That was a brutal flu season. But I’ve only had the fried shrimp and the RBR was adequate but not great.
Speaking of RBR, this is something I’m excited about: Walk On’s is coming to Houston. I’ll put this on the openings page too.
Took a road trip last weekend and had lunch at Walk On’s Bistreaux and Bar at the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. This chain is part owned by Drew Brees, some sort of Austin, Texas/New Orleans, LA baller. 
It’s a sports bar (duh) but the food is guaranteed house made and it was, in fact, very good. Being in LA makes me crave RBR and the version here was absolutely spot on, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. My only complaint is that it is a small side dish, like potato salad or something. IMA NEED A BOWL OF THIS. Also, more beans, less rice.
In my google session following, I learned that Walk On’s is opening 8-10 restaurants in Houston soon, beginning with Spring and Katy locations! Woohoo!
1 Like
A place that serves better bread than Boudreaux’s will be a plus. I’ve heard about Segari’s for years, never been and never think about it. Maybe I’ll finally get around to checking it out.
For many years now, maybe as much as 15, I have almost exclusively gone for the chicken and sausage variety of gumbo. That may be because of Burt’s or maybe because I’m a sausage fanatic and so drawn to it or something else.
For now I’m stickin’ to seafood gumbo. And ‘seafood,’ not just shrimp, which several places offer. I wish I was getting more crab. Some places offer to add crab for a fee.
I remembered this article from the Press.
Knapp was the short-lived critic for the Press who came here from NOLA just before the position was eliminated. As such, I thought she was worth paying attention to. I’m certainly no expert and my tastes are (probably) evolving as I try new bowls.
Potato salad in gumbo??? Okay, show me where.
This list is why I’ve got 713 on my list.
I was thinking Lambsy reported on the Liberty Kitchen version with fried oysters but it won’t come up in a search. I’m leery. Soggy, fried oysters? Anyway, it’s too late in the season for good oysters imo.
Maybe I shoulda started a separate thread for gumbo. Too late, I guess.
Never too late! I’ll wait. Danton’s has a unique gumbo, very very dark with few chopped veggies. Raw seafood added to the very hot roux just before serving so it is perfectly (and not overly) cooked when served with rice on the side as is best!
Returned to Izikaya Wa for lunch and the place was packed including the outside picnic table covered patio. We were the only caucasions I saw, a sign of authenticity? Definitely a draw for the Japanese ex-pats.
Next time I’ll try the curry dish they are proud of, today I just wanted sushi. The handroll special comes with 4 rolls, soup and salad for $12. Bargain.
Also tried the octopus takoyaki which just remind me of Anthony Bourdain. They came scattered with bonito flakes and drizzled with spicy mayo. A little starchy for me but interesting.
1 Like
