I did a few reviews here and then promptly quit. Bravo. But I am back to revive the Reviews and rather than do full reviews again only to quit again, I’m going to do quick, but thorough, haiku reviews. Thank you, Andy Gullahorn, for letting me steal your idea.
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Cafe Express (First Colony, Sugar Land, TX) – I think I’m a little late to the Cafe Express game. It’s been around for a while but I’ve only been there once and that was a recent visit. I didn’t have really high hopes going into the restaurant but I was pleasantly surprised by the end of it. It’s hard to base a complete opinion on one visit so we’ll focus mostly on what I ordered. The staff at this location was mostly friendly, though they seemed a bit on the bored side. Can’t blame them. I ordered the Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger (shut up, I was craving a burger that day). It was a really good burger. Fresh-tasting meat (though it wasn’t cooked the way I ordered it), fresh veggies, a healthy heap of blue cheese and some of the best tasting bacon I’ve had on a burger. I love the sound of “Bacon Burger” but deep down I know that what I’ll get is a tough scrap of meat that doesn’t complement the burger at all. When you take your first bite you’ll end up pulling the whole strip out because you won’t be able to bite through the scrap of meat. Well, the bacon here turned out to be great. Huge strips that were firm but tore easily. It had great flavor too. That’s also rare in my bacon experiences. The fries weren’t too bad though I’ve had better (see Cafe Pita below). Needless to say, I’m turned around on Cafe Express. Or at least their burgers. Or at least the Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger. Or at least that one time. Dang.
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Cafe Pita (Corner of Westheimer & Lakeside Estates, Houston, TX 77042) – My confession is that I love Mediterranean food. I am always willing to try a good gyro in a hunt to find the best. Granted, most of my searching has been limited to Oklahoma and Houston; however, those aren’t the worst places to start searching. In any case, I stumbled upon Cafe Pita, which I believe is actually a Bosnian restaurant. I’ve only ordered one thing – the gyro – and I’ve been back many times trying to convert others along the way. This isn’t a traditional American pita with lamb wrapped in flatbread. It functions like an actual pita, where this tasty, soft bread is slit and filled healthily with lamb and plenty of tzatziki sauce. It’s served with extra sauce, onions, lettuce and tomatoes on the side but unfortunately (or fortunately), there’s not really a lot of room to fit it in the pita. It also comes with fries which, may I add, are some of the best fries I’ve had. They’re not special potatoes or anything – I think once they even looked like Ore Ida Crinkle Cut fries – but they’re deep-frying technique is right on. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Perfect, really. All that for what I recall is a $4.59 price tag. Worth the try if you’re into good gyros.
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59 Diner (Hwy. 59 & Kirkwood) – 59 Diner is the latest addition to the open-all-night restaurant scene down here and, though being open for several months now, last night (2/15/08) was my first time to go. I guess I should start with the obvious – all-night diners don’t always have a reputation for serving the highest quality food. There are some exceptions, I know, but I think we can agree that Waffle House isn’t the first choice when deciding you want to go out for a high class dinner. The food is alright. Not too flavorful or exciting. But it’s hot. That’s something. I had the chicken tenders and fries and my brother had the patty melt. They were both a tad on the dull side though I think the patty melt seemed to lack flavor altogether. Fries were in dire need of salt and even the coke was less than convincing. I can’t say I’m a fan of the setting there either – there’s not a lot of structure to the room. It’s a big open rectangle with tables and chairs in the middle and booths along the walls. No partitions, no walls, just you and everybody else.
That aside, let’s focus on the pros: the wait staff here were very kind. They were always pleasant, ready to help and just plain nice. You also can’t beat the free wi-fi available. That coupled with the fact they’re open 24 hours and you have yourself a nice place to get away and do a little work in the middle of the night (especially if you don’t mind the 50’s music blasting away in the restaurant). Not a bad place but I think I still prefer IHOP to it. I’ve also been discovering that quite a few IHOPs have free wireless service as well. Something to chew on.
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Escalante’s (Meyerland – Houston, TX)
Oh, be still, my heart,
Chimichanga – best I’ve had,
I’ve had quite a few.
Not too bad on price,
End the meal with Tres Leches,
You’ll be back for more.
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Pizza Hut (Sugar Land, TX)
Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust:
Pizza shrinks; waistline expands.
Bigger but happy.
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