Quick Review: Bacon Cheeseburger at Pappa's BBQ

The Pappa's Family operates a TON of regional chains around Houston that are well known for serving good food in large portions.  There's Pappa's Seafood Kitchen, Pappadeaux's, Pappasito's, Yia Yia Mary's, Pappa's Steakhouse, and Pappa's Burger. They had an Italian themed chain called Pappa Mia that didn't work out. I'm really surprised they never did an Asian themed chain called "Pappa San's" to be quite frank.  They bought out the venerable Texas chain Luthor's about a decade ago and renamed it Pappa's BBQ.  They ran into some trouble at first due to changing the recipe for the BBQ baked beans and a few other items.  After backpedaling and retooling a bit, they began to gradually add new items to the menu while not messing with the longtime favourites that Luthor's had made famous for so long.  While normally I'd like to wax eloquent on their spicy, slow smoked brisket or juicy, pepper, barbecued chicken, I'm instead writing about their absolutely awesome burger!  Specifically their Bacon Cheeseburger.  So without further discussion here is...

Pappa's BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Blueprint:
8 oz beef  patty, split midway through cooking and cheese packed inside
4 strips of peppery, smokey bacon
Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles
Grilled Onions
Mayonnaise (you can get mustard if you wish)


This burger is grilled, not slow smoked like the brisket.  However it is a great, hot from the grill burger.  The size is generous and it is served hot and VERY JUICY.  As Food Critic Alison Cook would say, it has TREMENDOUS ooze factor between the toppings and the meat juices combined.  The burger is seasoned with something akin to a brisket rub--I detect mainly salt, pepper and paprika in it.  The meat has a sweet quality to it.  The grilled Texas Yellow Onions I requested homogenize well with the beef and veggies.  Bacon  is on top with the mayo, cheese between the pieces of the patty, salad ingredients on the bottom.  The location at Westchase (near Gessner and Westheimer, where I ate) is usually very generous with the toppings, which are all fresh and crunchy.


The Foodie Professor's Report Card on Pappa's BBQ:


Bacon Cheeseburger: A-
Service: B+ for friendliness, B- for Speed
Cleanliness: A-
Atmosphere: B


Overall Grade: B+

I did a video review of this burger over a year ago.  Here is the video for your viewing enjoyment:




For all of you chicken wing fans, take note:  They are now offering slow smoked BBQ Buffalo Wings.  I think I will try some to enjoy during a football or hockey game soon!!!

Pappa's BBQ--Locations all over town.  I went to:
9797 Westheimer Rd, at Gessner
Houston, TX 77042
713-780-0081

And remember:
Eat Happy!!!
Zao an, Y'all!!!

Quick Review: Beaver's GastroPub

Beaver's Houston has been bantered about on the net by a number of fellow foodies. After having heard a number of great things about them, my kids and I headed there for a Sunday Brunch and had a very good experience. Thankfully the weather was a little cooler post rain and we ate our brunch on their casual patio.

My kids selected their Quesadillas, kid's cheeseburger on Texas toast and their Mac & Cheese. I had the "Dam" Good Breakfast--two eggs any way you want it, topped with Carolina Vinegar Pulled Pork, Beaver Browns and in-house made sausage or bacon. I had my eggs hard scrambled with cheese added, and I chose the home-made sausage.

Mac n Cheese
Sparkling Lemonade

In a single word, WOW! This was some really good food for a casual ice-house/restaurant to be serving. The spiral-noodled mac & cheese was in a very creamy white cheddar sauce and the kids gobbled it up. My daughter enjoyed the Quesadillas, which had generous amounts of White Cheddar in them, and my son enjoyed his burger. I sneaked a few tastes of their dishes--the Mac & Cheese is really good. Almost as good as Yardhouse's (Mac+Cheese)^2, but without the chicken, mushrooms and bacon. The burger is properly seasoned but not too peppery--more savoury.

Dam Good  Breaky

I very much enjoyed my brunch. There are all kinds of pulled pork you can get in the Houston area. The Carolina Vinegar style is more rare. The pork was tender, juicy and the sweet meat, fused with the sour vinegar, the peppery seasoning and the eggs mixed together very well. The Beaver Browns were exceptionally good--it was more like fancy potatoes au gratin with crumb topping than hashed browns. Crispy outside, tender inside, savoury seasoning, and quite satisfying. And the home-made sausage patties were by far a hit with me and my son who asked for a taste. There is a unique blend of white and black pepper and savoury seasonings in there that meld well with the marbeled pork sweetness of the meat. Very delicious and a hearty brunch for me & the kiddos.

Overall I consider Beaver's to be a winner.

The Foodie Professor's Report Card for Beaver's


Food Quality: A on all dishes
Service: A for friendliness, B+ for speed
Cleanliness: B+
Atmosphere: B+

Overall Grade: A-

Next time I come over there, I intend to try their Beaver Burger.  The menu description sounds just plain delcious. 


Beaver's Houston
2310 Decatur Street
Houston, TX 77007
713-864-2328

And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!

Review: Sam's Burgers, Fries & Pies

Although Sam's Burgers, Fries & Pies is new, it's already gotten some love from local foodies. My brother-in-law Bill asked if I'd tried them, and after reading the recent feedback, I found myself in a line-up during the Friday lunch rush. And it was lined up out the door! But after seeing a large number of happy looking diners stuffing their faces with what looked and smelled like some really awesome burgers, and hearing several exiting customers insist it was worth the wait, I remained in the line-up.

Just a heads up: be patient if you come during the lunch rush. I waited about 20 minutes in line, which isn't excessive but as Sam's menu says "Good food takes time!" While I waited for my burger, I sampled a piece of one of their homemade, from scratch pies--key lime. Those two bites... Mmmmmm... Just the right blend of sour, sweet & crunchy! This pie was so good--and since I was really hungry, it helped me to be able to wait for my burger. As the dessert board says "Eat Dessert First!"

8 minutes later, my meal arrived. A reasonable speed given how'd busy it was. Now without further delay here is your...

Sam's Angus Bacon Cheeseburger Blueprint:
6 oz Angus Beef Patty
Crispy Bacon
Cheddar cheese
Lettuce, tomato, pickle
Course ground Mustard and Mayo
On a locally sourced egg bread/brioche bun
And a circle S brand on it!!!



The meat is sweet, peppery, slightly juicy and chewy. The bun is fluffy and soaks up the ooze, but a little gets out. The cheese and bacon are on top--nice sharpness to the cheddar and a crunchy smokey sweetness to the bacon. The pickles and lettuce are crunchy and very fresh, as are the tomatoes--all veggies are on the bottom. Mustard on the top bun, mayo on the bottom bun. In the past, I have tended to be dismissive of how burger toppings were stacked, but I am starting to see how the positioning of savoury, sweet, salty, spicy and sour ingredients can affect a burger's taste. Sam's burger is a very good burger all the way around.

Menu Board, Pie Case and Dessert Board at Sam's BF&P

And not to forget, the fries are natural cut, in house with skins on, crunchy and salty, and are a nice add-on to the burger.  Your options for a burger include Angus Beef, Buffalo, Spicy Turkey or a Vegetarian patty that is made in-house by owner Sam Crosser and his staff.  Your choice of cheeses include American, Cheddar, Swiss or Blue for 75 cents extra.  Avacado, bacon, sautéed mushrooms or caramelized onions are 95 cents extra each.  The proprietor, Sam Crosser, is visible leading from the front like any good restaurateur should, and that always wins points with this diner.  He was a bit too busy to chat today, but I hope to chat with him in a later visit.  Per the staff members I spoke with, everything except for the bun is prepared in house, from scratch, and the bun is locally sourced.  I will also add that I was VERY GLAD to see the huge crowd there lined up and supporting a great local business.

The Foodie Professor's Report Card on Sam's Burgers, Fries & Pies:
Bacon Cheeseburger: A
Key lime pie: A+
Cleanliness: A
Ambiance: B
Speed of service: Order taking B-, Delivery of Food A
Friendliness of service: A


Overall Grade: A-

Sam's Burgers, Fries & Pies
1017 Dairy Ashford
Houston, TX 77077
281-496-4052

And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!

Review: Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls Ice Cream

Thanks to Alec Baldwin and Saturday Night Live, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream has a new flavour called Schweddy Balls.  Thankfully, it isn't made from the literal pronunciation of that word, or it would NOT be reviewed in this blog for sure.  This flavour is a Limited Batch and thus far, I have searched a few Randall's locations, some HEB and Krogers, and not found ANY pints of it in Southwest or West Houston.  It seems the only limited batches they sent Houston were Maple Blondie and Fair Goodness Cakes!  I'm about to complain to their customer service line about this issue.  I ended up having to go to the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop over at City Walk in Sugar Land's Faux Downtown area in order to "get my hands on some Schweddy Balls"--pun NOT INTENDED!  And  it was quite delicious!  So without further ado here is your...

Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls Ice Cream Blueprint:


Vanilla Ice Cream with a hint of rum
Chocolate Rum Balls
Fudge Covered Chocolate Malted Milk Balls

This flavour is available in Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops everywhere.  It's supposed to be available in stores, but after having visiting several Kroger's, Randall's, HEB and Wal-Mart, not to mention Rice Epicurean, Whole Foods and Central Market, it seems those pints are as elusive as rain has been in Houston or Sasquatch for that matter.  This flavour is very good.  I'm a fan of Christmas Rum Balls and Malted Milk Balls, and these combined with Ben & Jerry's Ice cream with a hint of rum make a wonderful, sweet treat anyone would love.

Lucky for Ben & Jerry's I'm only grading on how good this tastes, not on the availability in Houston outside the Scoop Shops.

The Foodie Professor Awards Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls an A+ for great taste and good humour too!

And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!

Review Best Burger-Stafford TX

My kids' uncle Bill recommended Best Burger!  A local that sells flame broiled Burgers and Chinese Food over off Alternate 90 in Stafford, TX--a Southwestern Suburb of Houston. Given Bill's appetite and love of good food, I decided to pay a visit to this local establishment and give their fare a try. The atmosphere is unique--a cross between a small burger joint and a Chinese restaurant, that even has a few Mexican dishes to serve as well. FYI: The Kwan Family have owned and operated Best Burger for over 29 years. For my lunch I chose their bacon cheeseburger deal--includes the burger, fries and a soda for $5.89 plus tax. So without further ado in this page here is your...

Best Burger Bacon Cheeseburger Blueprint:
1/4 beef patty
Thick cut bacon
American cheese
Lettuce, tomato and pickle
Mayonnaise, ketchup & mustard
On a yellow egg bread bun

This is a good, standard burger at first bite. After a couple more, several good qualities come out. The flame grilled taste and the seasoning of the meat work very well. FYI: this is a thin patty burger. The bacon is thick cut, crunchy and chewy at the same time, and has a nice, sweet, smokey flavour. The veggies are very fresh--all tucked under the patty with the mayo. The mustard and ketchup are below the patty and above the veggies. The cheese and bacon are on top of the patty. This arrangement is less messy than some burgers. The yellow bun is tasty--almost like an egg potato bread. It holds the contents of the burger together nicely.

A cross between a local burger joint and a Chinese Restaurant
That is Best Burger's Style!

The fries are crinkle cut and a little thick. They are fried very crispy on the outside but tender on the inside--NOT burned. I like that they had Chinese Style mustard and Sriracha pepper sauce as well as ketchup to dip them.

The meal is tasty and an overall value, but a heads up to readers: Best Burger is CASH ONLY. Many diners are not aware of this, but taking credit, debit and charge cards costs more than taking cash due to bank fees at both ends--both the issuing card's and the bank where the restaurant has their business accounts.  Furthermore, due to possible fraud, many businesses do not receive the actual payment until 2 or 3 business days after the transaction.  Many banks will give them use of these pending funds for a fee, which again, makes operating the business cost more and these costs are passed on to customers in the form of higher prices. One other heads up: soda refills are $0.25 each and iced tea gets only one free refill. For those that might balk at this, this is a local business and there are relatively high marginal costs for them to give free refills compared to a corporate juggernaut. One quarter for a refill in a cup you've already paid for is basically selling it AT COST, so they are not profiting from it whatsoever.  I consider these policies to be reasonable but I know some folks might not.  As an Economics Professor by trade, I understand these things, but not all of my fellow Foodies get it, so I would hope an explanation here is helpful.

One of the Kwan family members who owns an d operates Best Burger, Emmanuel Kwan, was working the till and running the whole show. Overall he was very friendly and the service was quick and efficient.

The Foodie Professor's Report Card:
Bacon Cheeseburger: A-
Cleanliness: A-
Ambience: B+
Service: A
Value: A
Overall grade: A-


Best Burger
2203 S Main
Stafford, TX 77477
281-261-0232

And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao An, Y'all!

Review: Guy's Meat Market Slow Smoked Bar-B-Q Burger

There was an episode called "The Best Burger in New York" for the CBS-TV Show, "How I Met Your Mother" where Marshall Eriksen (Played by Jason Segel) was obsessing over a burger he had during the first few weeks after he moved to New York City.  At his room-mate, Ted Mosby's behest, he got out of the apartment and began wandering around.  Right around the time he was starting to get hungry, he stumbled into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a Green Door and a Red Neon Sign that said "Burger", right in between an Adult Video Store and a Taxidermists.  Marshall unfortunately never thought to take down the name of this burger joint and it's become a lost Isle of Atlantis Quest for him... and apparently Regis Philbin.

Behind the Green Door is the Best Burger ever to Marsall Erikson

The point of that episode to me was that although plenty of places can serve you "just a burger", when you get an exceptional burger like The Burger Guy's Sonoma Burger, it becomes way more than just a burger.  It's a piece of appetite satisfaction that there are very few substitutes for.  While Guy's Meat Market isn't serving a fancy, Akaushi Beef burger, it is serving up a slow smoked, backyard barbecue style burger that has a nice red smoke ring like properly smoked beef brisket and seasoning that also echoes the same flavour.  And an 8 oz pre-cooked weight patty for under $6.00, it's also a good value.  So without further ado, here is your...

Guy's Meat Market Slow Smoked Bar-B-Q Burger Blueprint:


8 oz ground round steak patty, ground in-house
and slowly smoked 
Fluffy, locally sourced bun
American cheese (if you please)
For veggies I added:
Lettuce, tomato, pickle, jalapeños
And Mayonnaise

Just a head's up:  Guy's is a lot like a small town corner store that also sells barbecue.  You see such places all over Texas and parts of the Southeastern United States.  There are no tables to sit and eat your lunch.  Take out only.  They have good choices of chips and sodas to buy with your meal, but you're either going to eat it in your car or you'll need to pull over somewhere to get your burger on.  Also, Guy's is a meat market--you can buy meat there.  They are butchers and know how to properly cut various types of beef, pork or whatever else you want.  Furthermore, if you are too late for a burger, they have really delicious barbecue that several folks from the local neighborhood raved about as I waited in the line-up for the burger.  Now, let's talk about the burger:

I sat down in my car and took a bite of the burger.  In a word: DAYAM!  I mean a double-syllable DAYAM!  This burger had a red smoke ring in it like brisket!  It had a mixture of seasonings that included pepper, paprika, garlic and a few others I couldn't quite place.  This tasted like slow smoked backyard burgers that you'd scarf down over a summer long weekend!  The bun was fluffy and kept the contents inside.  The veggies were fresh and they didn't overdo the jalapeños or the mayonnaise, like some places would.  The staff was very friendly, and there was quite a line-up, many folks from all over the Med-Center and elsewhere out to get their burger on.  After three bites, I could taste the reason for the line-up.  USA Today featured Guy's Meat Market on a list of 10 Great Places to Sink your Teeth into a Burger.  For all its foibles, USA Today got this one totally and completely correct.

One last warning:  if you want a burger, they make them Tuesday through Friday, 11 AM to 1 PM, or whenever they sell out, whichever comes first.  No burgers on Weekends as far as I could see and they are closed on Mondays. Since Guy's Meat Market is strictly takeout, I'm only going to grade the food, service and cleanliness.  The Ambiance is rustic.:

The Foodie Professor's Report Card:
Guy's Slow Smoked Burger: A+
Service: A
Cleanliness: B+


Overall Grade: A and one of Houston's Best Burgers IMHO.

Guy's Meat Market
3106 Old Spanish Trail
Houston, TX 77054
713-747-6800

And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao An, Y'all!!!

Review: Tony Thai on Bellaire Blvd.

Tony Thai is a wonderful restaurant my family and I have eaten at many times.  However, I haven't taken the opportunity to review them until now.  We were celebrating a family event during the Labor Day Weekend and thoroughly enjoyed a mix of great Thai  Dishes.  We had beef and seafood Pad Thai Noodles for the kids (N1, did one with Beef and one with Seafood), Tony Wings (A9 on the menu) and Fried Fish Cakes (A1) for an appetizer; and Green Curry with Tofu and Eggplant (E17, replaced the chicken with Tofu and Eggplant), Crispy Whole Tilapia (E3), and Mixed Seafood Clear Noodles (N2) for Entrees. See the shots below for lovely, full colour glorious shots of these wonderful and awesome dishes.

Tilapia, Fish-cakes, Pad Thai with Beef, Clear Noodles with Seafood

Tony Wings, Pad Thai with Shrimp, Green Curry with Eggplant and Tofu

Tony' Thai's plaiting is very well done--the meal is a feast for the eyes, as well as the nose, mouth and belly.  The dishes are very colourful and flavourful.  The spicy dishes are properly spicy, but the heat doesn't overpower the meat or veggies in the dishes.  The kids really enjoyed the sweet and meaty taste of the Beef Pad Thai while the adults were very happy with the the Tilapia (crisp on the outside, moist on the inside), the Green Curry was sweet and had a strong coconut milk flavour in it, with the eggplant and tofu firm, yet tender.    The fish cakes were acceptible, but those Tony Wings were awesome!  The Tony Wings are sweet, spicy, reminiscent of Mai Palloi sauce, sweet start, hot finish, wings were crunchy and saucy, yet very meaty--no skinny chickens here.  The Whole Party ate their fill and there were very few leftovers when we were done.

Tony Thai's service was timely, efficient, friendly and respectful.  Minimal waits for refills on iced tea or water.  Dishes turned around quickly and were properly cooked.  They were also flexible and made adjustments to the ingredients of a couple of dishes since there was a vegetarian in our party.  Overall a very good and satisfying dining experience.

The Foodie Professor's Report Card for Tony Thai:
Food Quality:  A
Ambiance:  A
Service:  A
Cleanliness: A

Overall Grade:  A

Tony Thai Restaurant
10613 Bellaire Blvd. A10
Houston, TX  77072
281-495-1711

And Remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao An,  Y'all!!!

Odds and Ends for September 1, 2011

Greetings Readers!  Just a few odds and ends I would like to cover in the first blog entry of September:

1.  Fadis and Niko Niko's Tied for best Mediterannean in the last poll!  Both are great--I love their food, perhaps more than I should.  I really wanted to know what the "Other" places were.  Please if you vote for "Other" in poll give the name and info in a comment when you answer so I can investigate those places!

2.  New Poll Up for Houston's Best Pizza.  I've named several local places/limited chains I love.  Sorry, but no Domino's, Pizza Hut, Papa John's or Cici's allowed!  Please be sure to vote.  If you choose "Other" please post it in the comment section of any recent blog posts.

3.  Hatch Green Chile Fever will be waning as time goes on.  Be sure to get to places like The Burger Guys, Chuy's or Itty Bitty Burger Barn before Late September to enjoy great Hatch Green Chile Pepper dishes!!!

4. If there is a place you like, please tell me about it.  If I've not visited it and it is a LOCAL, INDEPENDENT restaurant or a LIMITED chain, I'll consider reviewing it. 

5.  Be sure to check out Channel 2's weekly restaurant report.  Boy do I miss Marvin Zindler! 

Thanks again to all of ya'll for reading this blog!  Food is a joy of mine and I love sharing places and foods I like with other people.



And remember:
Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!