90638 Tue Jul 08 18:10:50 -0700 2003 16 5 Texas 0 497987 Hi, Coming to Houston for a visit this summer, and I need some advice. I am looking for suggestions for dining options during my visit. Specifically, I am looking for: - a good steak restaurant. Whether it's a hole-in-the-wall or a refined "old-boys" steakhouse, I'm game for a good steak. - a recommended seafood restaurant. For seafood, I am leaning towards a 'raw bar'-type of place - cold beer and plentiful crabs and oysters. Any suggestions for places that have a plentiful supply of blue crab would be sincerely appreciated. - a good Sunday brunch. Good food, but more importantly, kickass bloody mary's and mimosas. I apologize in advance for not researching enough beforehand, but my search results were pretty convoluted. Tue Jul 08 18:10:50 -0700 2003 0 jaydee 1 497996 Personally I would skip steak here, you can go to 20 other cities in USA and find the same steakhouses or better. If you really want a steak than I would atleast skip the chain high end joints and hit Hofbrau's on shepherd. I haven't been in years but they are on the edge of being an institution. Another place would be The Stables. For a different take on steak you can go to Tila's and order the filet, it is a great piece of meat. For crabs I guess I really don't know whats out there in Houston but I think Beaumont has a place called Sartins for all you can eat, I think they are blue crabs. I remember it being a tasty meal. If you want some Bloody's check and see if the Stros are in town for an afternoon game and head to B.U.S bar on texas ave. near minute maid. B.U.S has or atleast used to have an all you can drink make your own bloody bar. You can catch a burger and skip the brunch thingy. Tue Jul 08 22:47:57 -0700 2003 497987 0 John Scar 2 498007 Well, Mr. Scar, I usually agree with you, but you are waaaaaay off the mark here. Hofbrau is a fairly low quality steakhouse, about on the level of Outback as far as quality of beef goes. In addition, there are a couple of good quality steakhouses in Houston that are not in "20 other cities in USA." For instance, I find Lynn's to be one of the best around; steakhouses don't get much better than the Pappas Bros. and they are only in Houston (where they also have the C&H Steak Co. which also serves dry-aged steaks) and Dallas (for now); and, for a pretty good steak that is better than the better national chains at about the same or lower price, there is Vic & Anthony's near the baseball field downtown (Minute Maid Park?) -- yeah, I know that last one is owned by Landry's Restaurants, but it still is pretty good (I am told that Brenner's on the Katy Fwy. is also good). In fact, top tier steakhouses like the Palm and Capitol Grille (which, like Ruth's Chris, is one of the very few national steakhouses still serving dry-aged beef) may have close to 20 locations, but many places (like Austin) don't have them. Then there are the South American steak places: rodizios are starting to spread across the US, but there are very many cities (like Austin) where they have not made an appearance. I think one of the better ones is Fogo de Chao (the Rodizio Grill is cheaper but not as good). For Argentine style steaks (different from the Brazilian churrascarias) there is the Argentine Grill (El Buen Bife) on the Southwest Fwy. near Kirby. In addition, there are Churrascos and Americas restaurants for South American style beef. (BTW, I ate at another Cordua Brothers restaurant last time as I was in Houston: Artista in the new Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Very good and I especially liked the ability to select the sauce and accompaniment to my meat/seafood choice.) I could go on, but I will spare you. Yeah, Sartin's in Beaumont is good for crabs, but Stingaree (Crystal Beach) is just as good but is closer and has a better view/atmosphere. Of course, there is Truluck's for stone crabs-- it is a bit expensive, but the stone crabs are good (especially on the night [Monday or Tuesday?] when an all-u-can-eat is offered for the stone crabs -- everything else can be hit-or-miss there). There are (or used to be) several crab houses in the Kemah and Seabrook area, but I haven't been down there since Landry's Restaurants turned Kemah into a cheap carnival atmosphere. Besides all that, I am at a complete loss why you didn't mention Tampico and its red snapper a la plancha! Yeah, I know that the poster asked about crabs, but still . . . For other seafood in Houston, I like Goode Co. Texas Seafood (the original near Kirby on Westpark -- haven't tried the new location on the Katy Fwy.) which serves fresh Gulf seafood. Florida Seafood Grill on Kirby (I think the sign outside the restaurant still says "Floridita") isn't bad (they have one other location here in Austin), if you like south Florida style seafood (with an attempt at a south Florida seafood restaurant atmosphere). There are also: the Arandas ostionerias for the type of seafood that Mexican immigrants are likely to eat; Pesce (if you like large portions and rich sauces [lots of butter and cream] and prices to match); Sinh Sinh for great Asian style seafood (and Dungeness crabs); and the list is almost endless. As far as bloody marys and mimosas are concerned, I have discovered that the former is a very personal taste (almost rivaling barbecue tastes) and the latter are pretty much all alike as long as fresh squeezed orange juice (or a close approximation) is used -- the quality of the sparkling wine does not matter a twit as far as taste goes. Anyway, there are literally thousands of places that serve brunch -- lots with mimosas and some with bloody marys. It all depends on your price range, type of food you desire, and area of town. Check the Houston Chronicle or Houston Press websites for suggestions. Wed Jul 09 12:58:16 -0700 2003 497996 0 Mesquite 3 498008 Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that the summer is crab season but I would avoid Gulf oysters at this time of year, especially raw. They are available but they are small, milky, not very salty, and just plain not succulent (and, if you have certain chronic health problems or are otherwise immunocompromised, now is certainly not the time to be eating raw Gulf oysters). Wed Jul 09 13:58:56 -0700 2003 498007 0 Mesquite 3 498009 I agree with Mesquite's post. All excellent suggestions. On the weekends, Benjy's in Rice Village does a wonderful brunch with Mimosas and Wasabi spiked Bloody Marys on the menu. Wed Jul 09 14:37:06 -0700 2003 498007 0 KP 3 498013 You are right about the steakhouses, we do have a lot of places. I guess my point is that they all serve pretty much the same piece of meat. I can name maybe 10 steakhouses (Berns in tampa, Bobs in Dallas, 3 forks-dallas,Peter Lugar-NY-, Craftsteak-NY-, Gibson's-Chitown, Magnum-chitown, Prime-Las Vegas, Wildhorse-Marble Falls, Tx) that are in other cities that have as good or better steaks than anything in houston. Pappas is a little overrated imo but that's me. I almost mentioned Lynn's but didn't because I have never eaten there although I have heard many good things. As far as Hofbrau goes, sure it lower end, I never said anything about what level it was and back in the day it was a great place to get a steak. The Austin hafbrau was even better if I remember correctly. yeah it serves a choice cut but it can taste good can't it? After reading your post I thought to myself that you are right and that a place like fogo or argentine grill would be a great choice. I totally forgot about stingray and that is a great call. Sorry I didn't mention Tampico, glad you did.=) Wed Jul 09 16:06:10 -0700 2003 498007 0 John Scar 4 498027 Austin's Hoffbrau serves select (at best) but I love it because it's such a great institution and they make up for the beef with the lemon butter, fries and that great, old fashioned vinegary salad. Thu Jul 10 05:59:15 -0700 2003 498013 0 Greg Spence 3 498028 Ruth's Chris serves wet aged beef, I believe. Thu Jul 10 06:06:01 -0700 2003 498007 0 Greg Spence 4 498029 Well, since Ruth Fertel (may that wonderful lady rest in peace) sold it to some faceless corporation a few years ago (1999? -- before then it was absolutely dry-aged beef), I cannot say for certain, but, upon checking the corporate website, it appears that it is still dry-aged. Although it does not specifically state that it is dry-aged, it does say that the steaks "are refrigerated and aged for 24 to 28 days" and then sealed and shipped to the restaurants. If they were wet-aged, they would be sealed before the aging process and likely would not be aged as long. Thu Jul 10 10:52:39 -0700 2003 498028 0 Mesquite 5 498037 They're wet aged. I'm sure of it. If you are the same Mesquite who challenges my ability to cater, I'm doing an office party at Emma Long Metropolitan Park at 1:00 tomorrow, site B. Come and taste. I welcome your opinion. Thu Jul 10 21:12:41 -0700 2003 498029 0 Greg Spence 6 498038 What about me? I don't think you can cater!=) Fri Jul 11 11:54:02 -0700 2003 498037 0 John Scar 7 498039 Come on! Fri Jul 11 12:19:34 -0700 2003 498038 0 Greg Spence 3 498033 Rodizio's closed down, thank God! Thu Jul 10 12:41:46 -0700 2003 498007 0 LazyMF 3 498597 Rodizio's has been closed down. Don't go there!!! Steaks-The Capital Grille (stay away from Hofbrau and The Stables...YUCK!!) Seafood-Pappadeaux or Magnolia Grill. Brunch-The restaurant in the lobby of the Adam's Mark on Briar Park. Live jazz on Sunday along with bottomless mimosas, crab, shrimp, omelets to order, along with fresh pasta toss, eggs benedict and many other brunch items as well. All this for $25.00. Tue Aug 12 20:56:45 -0700 2003 498007 0 San-San 1 498016 Glad to hear you're coming to Houston, we have by far the best food in Texas and in some categories (BBQ and Vietnamese), some of the best in the US of A. Steak- Pappas Steak House. Or, for something completely different, the Charrasco steak (flat Argentine steak) at Charrasco's or America's restaurant. Seafood-For the money I prefer Tony Mandola's Blue Oyster Cafe. Or Goode Company Seafood. Pesce is fine but too costly. If you want crabs, Van Loc (Vietnamese) is another option. I eat there all the time but haven't had the crabs in a long time. But they were wonderful. Sunday brunch-I'm sure you don't want dim sum, but if you do, go to Kim Son (ONLY the Southwest Freeway/Corporate exit location) or Golden Palace on Bellaire. A friend says the Omni Riverway is the best in town (for American brunch), but expensive. Enjoy Wed Jul 09 16:43:46 -0700 2003 497987 0 Tex Nosh 2 498020 What was I thinking? Hell yeah Churrascos! Wed Jul 09 17:53:12 -0700 2003 498016 0 John Scar 1 498019 steakhouse - I second Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Also, don't forget Lynn's Steakhouse-their steaks are "cut with a fork" tender. seafood - Either of the two Goode Company Seafood places. Any Pappas Seafood House. Any Pappadeaux. I know I sound like a corporate shill, but they're all good. brunch - I second La Reserve at the Omni. They have a little knee-high section just for kids to get kid-food at. Also don't forget the Ruggles Grill on Westheimer. They are notorious about losing reservations, though, so confirm, confirm, confirm--and still expect to get shafted. Wed Jul 09 17:36:21 -0700 2003 497987 0 Deacon