roflhouse

101610 — I’m pretty much on track to make weekly visits to Bootsie’s in Tomball. I just love what this great group of guys is putting out there for the rest of us to experience. From collaborations with the best in the city to their Heritage Dinners to Dessert Tastings to the super affordable 3rd Coast Tastings. Next level things are happening and you better get in at the first crack.

I’ve been praising the quality of Bootsie’s and my friends think I’m nuts to make the near 45 minute trek weekly to Bootsie’s from Sugar Land. The question I always get from friends, “Is it really THAT good?” You better believe it! This past saturday, Annie and I went and once again chose their 3rd coast tasting menu. Amazing value for the amount of creation and thought that goes into every dish. You simply can’t beat the value for your hard earned dollar.

Nothing beats some table side service from Ben, Chris, Randy as well as some shrimp and serenading from Mark.

1-1: Sweet Tea
1-2: Fried Cornbread w/ Lardo
1-3: Coffee Popcorn
1-4: “Reuben”
1-5: Table Decoration
2-1: Gulf Coast Shrimp marinated in Oranges with Cornbread and Buttermilk
2-2: Tagliatelle w/ eggplant and egg yolk confit
2-3: Smoked Pecan Wood Shrimp
2-4: Serenading and Smoking from Mark
2-5:
3-1: Smoked Pecan Wood Shrimp
3-2: Fried Boudain Balls w/ Creole Mustard
3-3: Teres Major w/ potatoes and mushrooms and house made steak sauce
3-4:
3-5:

519 Shepherd Dr
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 861-2233
www.brcgastropub.com

101610 — It’s been a while since I last set foot into BRC, since I’ve been hooked on my Tomball favorite Bootsie’s I’ve neglected BRC for a while and I wanted that to change. A quick tweet from Jeff on Friday with keywords “Blueberry Stuffed French Toast” and I penciled BRC in for Brunch on Saturday.

As I waited for Annie to make her way to the house, all I could do was dream about the potential epic brunch to come. We made plans to goto the Italian and Turkish festivals after, so a great brunch was a precursor to our walking adventures afterwards. As we sat down the waitress/bartender came out to greet us and started explaining the specials of the day only to be interrupted by Jeff with a quick comment of “Can’t wait to see your car”, gotta love the VW community. As she finished explaining the specials Annie and I mulled over a few dishes and I opted for the Oyster Chowder with Blueberry Supreme Stuffed French Toast. Annie opted for the Poached Eggs and Potato Skins. Jeff sent over some Fresh Baked Bacon Cheddar Biscuits w/ the amazing Bacon Jelly along with the Mac and Cheese of the Day as well as some life changing short rib hash. He turned my intent of a light brunch into an even more amazing meal. I need to put more BRC into my weekly rotation.

4/5: Brunch was a reminder why BRC is great at what it does.

2617 Yale St
Houston, TX 77008
www.jusmac.com/

101410 — A full day of errands and fun had Annie and I running around all around Houston, and naturally I tried to fit another new destination into the mix. After much hype and waiting and waiting from the Jus Mac crew from facebook, I was quite tired of hearing updates that had nothing to do with their potential opening date. When I finally heard they opened I attempted to adjust accordingly. After reading a facebook post about their long wait times ranging from 20-47 minutes, I was quite scared about how long I would have to wait for something I consider a side dish. Could Jus Mac be the place to make the side dish the main attraction? As we entered the establishment around 7pm on Thursday, we entered a quite packed little place. The parking? Horrible, don’t even bother attempting to make it in there if you remotely care about your car. Random trees and other patrons that have no earthly clue what the lines mean were everywhere.

We entered the place and saw this catastrophe of a menu, the font that made up the menu was horrible, some of the worst menu font I remember seeing in a LONG time. After a short headache, we ordered the Popeye (Fresh Spinach, Onions, Mushrooms topped with Mozzarella and Parm) and the Taco Mexi (Beef, Tomato, Avocado, Onions topped with Colby Jack and Tortilla Chips). Total wait time from ordering to table? 30 Minutes. Luckily the Octoberfest and awesome random conversations kept the wait time bearable. A few quick snaps later and we both tore into our mac and cheese skillets. As I moved the skillets around I noticed they were amazingly warmed, not exactly hot from cooking as the mac and cheese would indicate. Seems as if they just scoop the mac and cheese into the skillets for show. The first few bites in and I was pleasantly surprised, Jus Mac took forever to open but delivered on their promises. They have great mac and cheese. Therein lies the problem; How often can I eat mac and cheese? The real answer should be, not that often.

Mac and Cheese will always be treated as a complement to my main dish, not a replacement for it. While Jus Mac does have appetizers and soups, guess what? It’s more of the same in a different form. I will definitely be back, but the question of when will linger in my mind. I hope they resolve their issue with running out of food and closing early, can’t be good for business at all.

3/5: Jus Mac lives up to the inflated Facebook hype, but it still hasn’t matured enough to be a full entrée jus yet.

4601 Washington Avenue
Houston TX 77007
713 966 6123

http://www.thecounterburger.com/

101410 — After some great crepes at Melange Creperie and Buffalo Sean, Annie and I headed over to discovery park for some fun and photos of random stuff and in the process I received a call from one of my good friends Amir. The first words out of his mouth were “Where are you?” This was the universal unasked question of “I’m hungry, where can we go eat?” Since he was on one side of I10 and I was at Discovery Green, I asked him if he wanted to try out this new burger joint from California. Oh how I wish I could have taken those words back. As we parked our cars in front of The Counter (Burger), we noticed it wasn’t exactly packed for a Thursday at noon, that should have been my first indication of what to come.

I am a huge burger fanatic, I love my random toppings and the idea that I could build my own burger was something I wanted to try. The checklist they hand to you is quite labor intensive, while I do love the option of choice, it is a bit overwhelming. I believe I chose a pretty standard, unassuming burger. Beef? Check. 1/3rd Pound? Check. Gruyere Cheese? Check. Bermuda Red Onions, Dill Pickle Chips and Organic Greens with Sprouts on the Side? Check. Applewood Smoked Bacon for a $1 more? Check. Hamburger Bun? Check. Garlic Sauce? Check. As you can see, I made more decisions in one seating at the Counter than I had made the entire week prior to my visit. The waiter commented about the amazing-ness of the Parmesan French Fries with the Parsley, Rosemary and Garlic Aioli, so Amir ordered some while I chose my ever favorite Fried Pickles. A short 10 minute wait and the Pickles came out, then the fries, then the burger. “Awesome” I thought to myself, everything was super quick, they even cut my burger in half for me since I was sharing one with Annie. Next, the first bite into the *ice* *cold* burger. WTF? Yup, the burger was just as cold as the accompanying onions and lettuce that it rested on. The meat had the personality of the bun, dense and cold. This was a burger that didn’t even deserve to be on the level of Whataburger, hell, Five Guys and Smashburger rival this Counter burger with ease. A part of me wanted to leave and head over to Hubcap Grill downtown.

So what are we left with? Fried Dill Pickle Chips, Parmesan French Fries, 2 Burgers and 3 Sodas. Damage? $38 + tip. This is my formal apology to The Burger Guys and Hubcap Grill for cheating on you with the ugly girl, I can’t even back my way out and say she had a great personality. It might possibly be the worst burger I’ve ever had.

2/5: Choose Your Burger Adventure at the Counter, you’ll end up on the path to fail and the only way for redemption is to head over to Hubcap or Burger Guys for an extra life.

fail burger is fail.

306 E 53rd St
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 459-1010
foodanddrinkaustin.com

100810 — As we planned our trip to Austin a couple of weeks ago to see deadmau5 at Austin Music Hall, I quickly started jotting down where I wanted to go eat during our weekend stay. My top two favorites in Austin are Foreign and Domestic and Uchi, since both open for dinner only, it’s a definite struggle to get the timing correct, another hurdle is the reservation policy at both establishments. With an uncertain departure time from Houston, I decided to wing it and head straight to F&D with hopes of making it on time for the Blue Hour (read HAPPY HOUR) Menu. The Blue Hour menu contains some drink specials and my favorite, the food specials that include Fried Bacon Tartine, Tomatoes and Manchego and Fried Okra and Shishitos. With the Fried Okra being one of my favorite dishes in Austin, it felt like a rather long drive from Houston as we headed straight for F&D.

Upon entering F&D, some eye contact and a firm handshake with Ned, Chris, Sven and I made our way to the end of the bar. Within 5 minutes the wonderful Blue Hour treats made their way in front of us along with The Pantry Dropper and the Cyclist. As we ate our way through the Blue Hour menu we looked over the ever changing regular menu. My eyes and stomach made the decisions easy, Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Mousse, Popovers, Venison Heart Tartare for appetizers. Sven chose the Heartland Beef Waygu Flank Steak (w/ Long Squash, Chili, Brocolli, and Carrot Butter), Chris chose the Revival Meats Red Wattle Pork Steak (w/ Candied Olives, White Anchovy, Butter Greens, and Maytag Blue Cheese) and I went with the Roasted Octopus and Maine Scallops (w/ Crispy Potatoes, Peppers, Chorizo, and Squid Ink).

A little while after we ordered our appetizers, 5 more friends arrived with another 2 shortly behind them. Essentially we took up their entire counter space, it is of course the best seat(s) in the house. As we drooled over the dishes that were being prepared for other customers it was finally our turn, gorgeous dish after dish presented itself in front of us. My octopus and Scallop dish was amazing, perfectly cooked scallops under a black creamy squid ink solution under a bed of prickly crispy potatoes. I had a sliver of the Waygu Steak prepared rare, at it held its own beautifully as compared to other steaks I’ve had, it’s a shame my stomach can only handle so much in a single sitting (lol).

We polished off the appetizers and main entrees as our lovely waitress decided to tempt us even further with the dessert menu. During my previous visit I had to dip into the greatness that is the Bacon Root Beer Float, as much as I had to resist, I decided to order the Apple and Fig Strudel with Pomegranate Ice Cream. An unassuming scoop of off white / pink ice cream contained some of the best tasting ice cream I’ve ever had. It literally kicked my ass with flavor. A welcome ending to a great meal. I will forever recommend F&D to anyone that asks me for a recommendation in Austin.

4/5: Foreign and Domestic contains everything that is win in a small package.

112 Commerce St
Tomball, TX 77375
(281) 516-9699
bootsiescafe.wordpress.com

100510 — I’ve been excited for this day ever since the first tweet went out from Bootsie’s and Chris, I’ve experienced Chris’ desserts before during prior dinners such as Lazy Summer Repast and random outings to Bootsie’s. The idea that Chris would be putting together a complete dinner with at least 10 courses was enough for me to skip work for the latter half of the day. Armed with my trusty camera, girlfriend Annie and good friend Sven and we sat down at the end of the table and prepped for what was to come. Annie said her favorite was the star anise with pickled cucumber seeds, while mine was the eclair with the candied bacon. BACON FTW. The additions from Bootsie’s was great as well, the pig ears and cajun corn nuts were a welcome extra against the canvas of desserts.

drinks _ blue moon x campari and soda

snacks _ ruben x pig ears x cajun corn nuts x pickled okra

amuse _ almond tart, nutmeg quiche, sauteed butter apple, elderflower in olive oil & vinegar, sweet cinnamon cream
01 _ oatmeal cookie, ginger crisp, raisins in white port, sour cream
02 _ star anise bavarian, fennel honey consomme, pickled cucumber seeds, candied orange peel, cucumber sorbet
03 _ eclair, brown butter pastry cream, banana chocolate glaze, candied bacon
04 _ danish, goat cheese, candied papaya, orange foam
05 _ macaroon, condensed milk buttercream, toast foam, black sesame cream, coffee sauce
06 _ peanut butter mousse, granola w/oats, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, yeast, mascarpone cream, grapefruit cells
07 _ popcorn panna cotta, cumin pecan streusel, dried carrot, caramel powder
08 _ basil semifreddo, coconut, paprika pineapple, toasted meringue
09 _ gingerbread spice mousse, chocolate financier, milk chocolate covered almonds, citrus confit gelee
10 _ candies – matcha mochi, candied poundcake & candied banana cake, blue cheese truffle, crispy marshmallow

tasty dessert tasting is tasty.

100110 — I can’t get enough of this place, as if I didn’t come here and recommend this place enough, they had to offer up the magic tweet: “$20 5 Course 3rd Coast Tasting.” I headed straight there from Dallas.

- Duck Ham, Pork Rinds, Fried Kale
- Crudo
- Ham Hock Ravioli
- Milk Bread
- Texas Red Fish w/ Okra
- Parfait covered in Coconut Milk and Candied Pound Cake

All that for $20, you gotta be kidding me! Best deal ever!

8300 Preston Center Plz
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 890-7900
www.hillstone.com

100110 — After a fun day at the State Fair of Texas and a great food coma induced slumber, I woke up and headed to North Park for some afternoon shopping and met up with a fellow Audi car enthusiast Rob before heading over to R+D Kitchen down the street. Around 130pm we arrived to a full house, a short 15 minute wait later and we had our table. A few minutes later and Matt K joined the table. He recommended that I try this place out, am I’m glad I did. I ordered the deviled eggs to start off with, at $3 for 4 it was a bargain, and definitely healthier than anything else I had received at the fair. For my main entree I went with the MattK recommended Reubensque Sandwich (Corned Beef, Baby Swiss and Toasted Corn Rye). After having the excellent Kobe Corned Beef at Beaver’s the prior week, it would be tough to match the quality, but great for R+D Kitchen, they came pretty damn close, the slaw included in the sandwich was on point. Their fries were skinny shoestring potatoes that fit the bill. Annie ordered the Mediterranean Seared Tuna Salad (Sushi Grade Tuna, Avocado, Cucumber and Goat Cheese). I had a small taste of her Tuna, and while it was a bit too cooked for my liking, the seasoning and salad was beautiful. I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone in the Dallas area.

3.5/5: Great Selections from a limited menu.

State Fair of Texas
3921 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75210
www.bigtex.com

093010 — Well, my girlfriend and I had to make the pilgrimage to the State Fair of Texas. Fried Frito Pie and Fried Beer? Magic words if I ever saw or heard them. We left Houston around 10am and 3 hours later we paid the $15 parking fee (ouch!) and entered with our 20oz cokes in hand for a bargain basement entry of $4 per person. With the inner fat kid leading my stomach and nose, we made a quick route to the Deep Fried Frito Pie, of course this didn’t come before handing over $80 for some coupons that I would need to redeem for my goodies. For the next 4 hours Annie and I would roam around the fair grounds in search of Fried Beer, Fried Green Tomatoes, Fried Okra, Fried Peach Cobbler on a Stick, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls, Fried Lemonade, Fried Butter, Fried Elvis (Peanut Butter, Jelly and Bananas), Koolaid Pickle, Dublin Dr Pepper, Corny Dog and Deep Fried Smores Pop Tarts. Definitely a mouth and stomach full and well worth the $80 I spent on a potential Fried Overdose.

My favorite of the night has to be the Fried Frito Pie, the crisp batter and the bite of the frito pie against the cool sour cream worked extremely well. The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls were easily the best dessert with the Smores Pop Tart a close second. I’d definitely have to give a huge skip to the Fried Beer, but it’s honestly one of those things you need to experience just so you never do it again. The koolaid pickle was a supposed sweet and sour harmony in a single vessel that came out essentially as a deep red pickle, nothing exciting or tasty.