roflhouse - Latest Comments

Re: Coal Burger (The Woodlands, TX)

mary — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 18:58:16 -0000

I will try,nothing like a burger with no poison in it

Re: The Pass (Houston, TX)

Laineybgs — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:18:40 -0000

gorgeous shots!

Re: Tesar’s (Woodlands, TX)

Woodlands Traveler — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:49:48 -0000

It's no wonder they didn't last - part of a long list of restaurants attempting to fill the void now held by Kim Son Cafe. The Asian food restaurant currently seems to be holding their own and might actually last in a location that has been host to 4 previous attempts; some not lasting even 6 months before closing.
The Woodlands Eats!

Re: Coal Burger (The Woodlands, TX)

Woodlands Traveler — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:39:25 -0000

We ate there all of 3 times - the first time right after they opened and not surprisingly, that was our best experience. The last two times were only so-so. Great view from the balcony looking over waterway square - too bad they couldn't survive in burgerland... Lots of competition for the ground-round-dollar out here in TW. We've reviewed a few of them and sadly they didn't make the top 5.

Re: Favorite Meals of the Year?

Faisal Hasan — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:47:51 -0000

Congress (Jan), Siena (Aug), Fleur De Lys (Sept).

Re: Favorite Meals of the Year?

Amir Bushehri — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:13:50 -0000

bootsies - july

Re: El Gran Malo (Houston, TX)

Matt Chow — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:23:24 -0000

yeah being slightly late had its advantages, the food hit the table pretty soon after you arrived. the valet guy just kinda pointed back towards the street, since it was complimentary he had no problem allowing us to park our own cars however none of the EGM valet lots were marked.

When we arrived, there were no hostesses of any sort nor any signs to seat yourselves, i dont know how they do it on the weekends, but when people seat themselves, tables get overlooked and there is a lack of order in terms of this table arrived before that table and so forth. the service was slow to start but picked up with a furious pace, at its peak when you arrived.

the heat? excellent.

Re: El Gran Malo (Houston, TX)

Eric S — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:50:17 -0000

Since you asked, I guess I'll chime in...

Being late gave me a slightly different impression. I thought the staff was very attentive. It seemed like someone was always checking on us to see if someone wanted another drink. Also, I thought everything came out quickly, which impressed me given the amount of food we ordered.

I agree with you that the empanadas tasted good. I really liked the guacamole. I seem to eat a lot of bland, mushy guacamole, so having some that had a some texture and a little more going on flavor was was really nice.

I had 3 drinks: a michelada, an apple pie margarita and a shot of pecan/cayenne infused tequila. I should have given you a taste of the margarita - it had the cinnamon/apple flavor nailed perfectly. Made for an excellent dessert. Both of the other 2 drinks had a spicy kick to them.

That's one thing about EGM: they aren't afraid to bring the heat. Seems like a lot of the items on the menu are pretty spicy, and I dig it.

I thought the burger had a nice beef flavor and that the topping were good. For example, my slice of tomato was a nice thick cut and actually tasted like tomato. The bun had a good flavor and held up nicely to all that toppings. I might have liked a little more pink (and corresponding ooze) from the meat, but that's a quibble. A comparison to Hubcap is kinda silly, since they're very different burgers. I'd say it holds up well against other bar burgers like Petrol Station or Rudyard's and should be added to the roster of ones to try for all the burger hounds out there.

Do I want to do a mini Mexi burger crawl with El Real, El XX and El Gran Malo? Yes, yes, I do. That would make for an enjoyably gluttonous afternoon.

I avoided the valet by parking on the other side of Ella next to Tony's. Probably cost me, like, 100 feet of walking, which was no problem.

I'd certainly go back to try the tacos, especially the pork belly, and to work my way through a couple more of the infused tequilas. It's a really intriguing list. They're onto something good there.

Re: Brasserie 19 (Houston, TX)

Amir Bushehri — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:52:24 -0000

Well said, I had my reservations about a restaurant in that area...high rent sometimes equates to low quality but I was pleasantly surprised...I will be back for 2nds!

Re: Coppa Ristorante Italiano (Houston, TX)

Matt Chow — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:59:27 -0000

definitely on the list for next time!

Re: Coppa Ristorante Italiano (Houston, TX)

Eric S — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:01:48 -0000

Get the meatballs next time. They're pretty awesome.

Re: The Dessert Tasting by Chris Leung (Houston, TX)

Vanessa Trevino Boyd — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:02:06 -0000

My favorite was the brie cheesecake. Sort of a no-brainer, but I thought the St. Germain foam was particularly interesting.

Re: Amir. August. Austin. #birthweek (Austin, TX)

Amir Bushehri — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:48:26 -0000

33 sir!! :)

Re: roflhouse 38?

mark-eric c. — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:46:49 -0000

Ok this took a little longer than I thought. Not because I couldn't think of any, but because there were TOO many! Houston Is blessed with tons of great eateries! Why we don't get the respect and admiration that New York, LA, Miami, or San Francisco get is beyond me. Anyway these are my top 38, in no specific order of greatness, but America's is STILL my #1 favorite!

1. Americas
2. Empire Café
3. Brasil
4. Chinese Café (the original on Bellaire)
5. Arcodoro
6. Mai’s
7. Dolce’ Vita
8. Prince’s Hamburgers (best turkey burger)
9. Corelli’s
10. Miyako (original on Westheimer)
11. Hugo’s
12. Cheesecake Factory
13. Boondoggles (ok not in Houston proper but Clear Lake is close enough..)
14. Ruchi’s
15. Ouisies Table
16. Ziggys
17. Benjy’s
18. Goode Co. BBQ
19. Chuy’s
20. Café Mawal
21. Champps Restaurant
22. Sherlocks (Rice Village)
23. Hobbit Café
24. Ruggles
25. Fountainvew Café
26. Escalante’s
27. Houstons
28. Mama’s Café
29. BJ’s
30. District 7 Grill
31. Pete’s Fine Meats
32. The Grove
33. Fogo de Chao
34. Fadi’s Mediterranean Cafe
35. Gravitas
36. Red Pepper
37. Ragin Cajun
38. Azuma (downtown)

Thanks....and Happy Eating!

Re: roflhouse 38?

Matt Chow — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:04:41 -0000

It's time to update the Eater 38, your answer and ours to any question that begins, “Can you recommend a restaurant” This highly elite group covers the entire city, spans myriad cuisines and collectively satisfies all of your restaurant needs, save for those occasions when you absolutely must spend half a paycheck. Every couple of months, we'll add pertinent restaurants that were omitted, have newly become eligible (restaurants must be open at least six months) or have stepped up their game.

Via Eater Chicago

Also, it isn't so much oversight of Bernies so much as my excuse of "I haven't been there yet" =)

Re: roflhouse 38?

Frankel — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:55:43 -0000

Here's my rough off-the-top-of-my-head list, with the following criteria:

1. Every place is listed on the merit of food alone, not ambiance, value as a date setting, service, beverages, or desserts. In addition, I didn't list any bars, dessert-only establishments, coffee houses, etc. so as to focus on the food and the main meal.

2. I treated this is as my "if you were allowed to go to a set list of 38 restaurants in Houston, what would they be?" list. So my list is entirely self-serving.

3. I only included places I've been to at least twice. I've never had the chance to eat at, say, Tony's, so I can't fairly rate it in something like this.

4. I eat at a lot of different places and am constantly looking for new ones, so this list is subject to very quick and frequent change.

So, anyway, here goes, in no real order:

1. Himalaya
2. Shiv Sagar
3. London Sizzler
4. Udipi Cafe
5. Shri Balaji Bhavan
6. Bismillah Cafe/Restaurant
7. Zaika Indo-Pak Restaurant
8. QQ Cuisine
9. FuFu Cafe
10. Banana Leaf
11. Cafe Kubo
12. Yuan Ten
13. Sichuan Cuisine
14. Confucius Seafood Restaurant
15. Indika
16. Pondicheri
17. Giacomo's Cibo e Vino
18. Vinoteca Poscol
19. Dolce Vita
20. Hugo's
21. Vic & Anthony's
22. Vieng Thai
23. Red Pier
24. Danton's Seafood
25. La Guadalupana
26. Stella Sola
27. Istanbul Grill
28. Jake's Philly Steaks
29. Kasra
30. Bijan Persian Grill
31. Cafe Pita +
32. Benjy's (both)
33. BB's Cajun Cafe
34. Seoul Garden
35. Spec's Deli (Midtown)
36. Cyclone Anaya's
37. La Sani
38. Chinese Cafe (Richmond @ Galleria area)

Re: roflhouse 38?

Annie Banannie — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:16:18 -0000

i know right? Bootsie's would be numero uno. It's okay, it's coming soon!!

Re: roflhouse 38?

Eric S — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:08:08 -0000

So, since I didn't start reading Eater until it came to Houston, could you clarify something for me? Is it the 38 restaurants you most want to eat at? Or is it the 38 restaurants that you consider the best in Houston (whether I've eaten there or not)?

Cause, like, if it's the 38 best (or most important) restaurants in Houston, you gotta have places like Tony's, Reef and Da Marco on the list. If it's just your 38 favorite, there's more flexibility (which is what this list looks like to me).

Either way, I think you could come up with 50 pretty easily, even removing the 3 bars.

Another thought: what drops off when Underbelly and the next Rucker restaurant opens? Also, I'd happily read Matt Chow's guide to Chinatown; definitely need to check out Arco after seeing you tweet about it. Guess my old standby Dim Sum King is passe.

Finally, any list of 38 that includes The Modular and Mam's but not Bernie's Burger Bus is pure insanity, and you should be highly ashamed of yourself for the oversight.

Re: roflhouse 38?

Amir Bushehri — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:05:51 -0000

tony thai didn't make the list...sad that bootsie's is not open for this list...

Re: [hrw] Ava Kitchen and Whiskey Bar (Houston, TX)

Amir Bushehri — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:17:27 -0000

food was fine...space was 40-something trendy and uncomfortable...well said matt...

Re: [hrw] Philippe Restaurant and Lounge

Amir Bushehri — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:12:59 -0000

lunch looks much better than dinner did...hrw dinner menu is a big let down. nice review!

Re: Coal Burger (The Woodlands, TX)

Matt Chow — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:09:50 -0000

I can't comment for the vegan crowd but for the burgers there, they seem to be very hit or miss right now. Thanks for reading!

Re: Coal Burger (The Woodlands, TX)

KellieP0314 — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:29:02 -0000

Personally, I just tried this place for the first time today and was very pleased with my meal. I ordered the "From the Garden" lettuce wrap for the additional dollar, and sweet potato fries. I was pleasantly surprised at how their brown rice and black bean patty, with the roasted tomato, and crushed avocado could taste so good. Completely converted to vegan, not yet but well on my way with this delicious and healthy alternative. Compared to eating at most places that boast of organic food choices, this foodie votes Coal Burger #1 on the Vegan Chart.