What's For Lunch Houston?

Which one do you normally go to? Washington? I hate eating in the dark so even though Washington is much closer we go to Montrose because they have a bar and patio at the front with actual window.

It’s why I only go to one location of PF Chang’s too, if I can help it. The location original to Houston on Westheimer near 610 is bright and comfy. The one on outer Westheimer is like night all the time, what is with that??? I hate it.

Interesting JC - the Washington location is not listed on the website and hasn’t been for several weeks (I was originally going to take my friend there; Holcombe didn’t have the buffet a couple of years ago. We’ve been planning this for a couple of weeks).

The original Candelari’s on BIssonnet @ Newcastle (now a Luigi’s) was the first one I went to and was better! They did an awesome muffaletta. Everything has changed, me thinks, recipe wise. I never went to the Washington one except for the buffet a couple of times and to try the muff which was very different and not as good.

Maybe the reviewer on that website didn’t know which store they were at :confused:.

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We like the Washington location because we are known. We sit at the bar as the Wifeacita can peek in the kitchen and watch the ladies make tortillas.

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Oh yeah, there is a bartender and waiter that make skinny margaritas just the way we like them.

There is another bartender that I talk WWII history in detail that most don’t know, in between customers of course. It’s always busy but he’ll come over, lean in and make a comment or I’ll make one.

LOVE their skinnys! Best in town imo.

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Chow Fun with stir fried rice noodles, egg, beans sprouts and green onion. I had them add the optional shrimp and Chinese sausage, plus some Ginger-Lemongrass tea. It comes with a complementary vegetable egg roll and all the condiments.

Everything was good; egg roll was excellent. There’s lots of food - I’d say about 4 cups worth, so I’ve got two meals.

The Rice Box was a popular food truck, often setting up outside a bar or coffee shop in Montrose as I recall; then they had a stand in the Greenway Plaza underground near Greenway Coffee and Kuma Burger (now Burger Chan). This is their first stand alone location, 300 W. 20th in the Heights.

Limited seating indoors, maybe 10 stools at counters; a mostly-covered but not enclosed patio with more counter positions and tables. Hey, it’s Chinese take-out food :wink:.

A little far for me but I meant to come here yesterday after the eye appointment but my eyes were bugging me so much I just wanted to get home in a room with no lights on. I was back relatively close for a dental appt. today so I drove on over.

I’d probably be something of a regular if I was in the neighborhood.

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Why do restaurants do this? Serve main dishes on salad plates? Awkward.

The stuffed crab had too much unexpected baby shrimp in it, I was in a crabby mood today. B-

At the Deaux

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Baby shrimp are the worst. I prefer chunks of real Gulf shrimp.

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So who has the best stuffed crab/deviled crab in Houston? (are those the same things?) I can’t recall ever having one worth going back for.

Candelari’s is open. We drove by it on Saturday.

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I honestly can’t remember the last time I ordered this, but every once in a while it sounds good. I think I had a good one at Gaido’s.

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Poke bowl - to see what all the fuss is about. At Miyako.

You were so whelmed you were left without words???

It had some fun surprises, like a little pile of masago in a corner. I chose the salmon and it was mixed with the spicy Hawaiian sauce, I was expecting more of a sashimi with the sauce on everything. That bowl is full of rice with a thin layer of toppings that you can see there. The price is right at $11. I would order it again but probably go for sashimi next time, sushi is too messy for me because who can put a whole one in their mouth at once? Not me, unless the Heimlich trained folks are nearby.

We now have 2 good sushi places near the office building, Blue Fish and Miyako both on Washington. For variety Miyako is my pick, but Blue Fish has interesting non-sushi items also like duck cigars.

My Miyako love goes way back to the early 90s when I first had sushi at their downtown location, now closed.

Before that, I worked briefly in the DA’s office around a crusty old detective who had written a book about one of the cases he solved of the gruesome murders of an entire Houston family. In one of the undercover scenes, a wired operative is trying to get a taped confession at Miyako. For some reason, it has stuck with me that he was bothered by the recorded sound of a person eating sushi. He was a great guy though and this story has nothing to do with anything. :grin:

Miyako

Blue Fish

The Cop Who Wouldn’t Quit

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I thought you were so disappointed you didn’t want to talk about it :grinning::grinning::grinning:.

I have’t tried poke yet but I saw a place along Beechnut just off 610, across from Meyerland Plaza - Poke Inn. Looks like a build your own place. I may give it a try.

There used to be a Little Miyako at Meyerland Plaza. I only went once.

They seem to be a cheap throw in/filler on seafood platters. I agree, I’ve never had one worth eating again.

It sounds good,
“look honey they have stuffed crab, let’s order the platter.”

Hit up the new King’s Bierhaus on T.C. Jester in the Heights today for a late lunch. It’s new construction with a super high curb all along the front so get your knees in shape before going or walk way down to another area to find a handicap ramp. I gotta say, it kinda flummoxed me but I guess it won’t flood! Think the warehouse district curbs on The Strand in Galveston.

Patrons are greeted by a single order counter where they are told to grab a menu and order before being seated. It’s a big menu of food, beer and German wines and I wanted to look it over at a table. No dice. You gotta order SOMETHING, anything, to gain access to a table, then you can order further food and drink from the wait staff. Go figure it out, I can’t. So she said just order a drink and I quickly picked out a pilsner and then she suggested an appetizer while we look at the rest from our table and we ordered the recommended deviled eggs. We took our wooden number 150 and, glancing at a few other people standing awkwardly around the foyer trying to look at the extensive menu in dim light, we headed to a booth in the nearly empty restaurant.

From there, we had complete table service by men in lederhosen and women in push-up underthings. There is a nice and large dog friendly biergarten through garage type doors, an inside middle section of all picnic tables and a back inside section of tables and a few booths for 4, select your own environment.

I’ve had the sausage and schnitzel at the Pearland location so I decided on trying Oma’s Famous Fried Chicken with a side of spaetzle all the way instead of the Austrian potato salad it came with. DH went with the traditional sausage (all types available including exotic animal and vegan) with sauerkraut and cucumbers.

The eggs were good, topped with a small square of chicken schnitzel hot from the oil and a splotch of bacon jam.

Turns out Oma makes her leg and thigh chicken quarters with something very similar to Shake n Bake, and she definitely made it long before I arrived. It was served from a warmer of some kind. The spaetzle was held together with swiss cheese and topped with bacon and onion. The sausage were as advertised. The salad dressing was really good but I couldn’t place the familiar flavor.

I’m sure this place is hopping on weekends and it should enjoy a full house as the weather cools. I just wonder how it doesn’t jam up in the foyer when that happens. Maybe this is just a lunch service arrangement, who knows. I found it silly and inefficient.

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Hmmmm. Disappointing. I’ve had this on my list since before it opened, have tried to get friends to go there - maybe just as well it never worked out?

They have competition - Height’s Bier Garten on Shepherd and I’ve read somewhere of another one headed to town from Galveston.

I take it they didn’t flood during Harvey??? They’re right on White Oak Bayou.

They built up high. The sausage and schnitzel are pretty good.

CANE ROSSO on Shepherd in the Heights

Service was slow with only one overworked but friendly server working. The place was not busy, maybe 6 tables at a time were occupied.

Wings were cool and not spicy as advertised - “coated in calabrian red chile hot sauce,” rather they tasted strongly of citrus.

Pizzas were good but not Dolce Vita good. I miss that place since they closed for lunch.

Wings, $7 for 6 pieces, not gonna order again:

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Luana pizza - sausage, hot soppressata, mushrooms, san marzanos, housemade mozzerella:

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Friday Night Frankie Pizza - pepperoni, candied jalapenos, san marzanos, housemade mozzerella, grated parm:

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The place is cement floor chic:

Cane Rosso

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