Inside My Table #54 | Restaurant listings
Old-Fashioned Texas Eats
It’s hard to define “a Texas-style restaurant,” since Texas has so many different styles. How similar is the Texas that is hot, steamy Cajun-accented Beaumont to the Texas represented by, say, Amarillo or El Paso or Harlingen? For the sake of editing, we’ve pulled together a few spots that represent a variety of Texases. It’s a little walk down memory lane, a little cross-taste of the many kinds of foods and restaurants that we love in the Lone Star State. You’re welcome to send us your own additions to our list.
GOODE CO. SEAFOOD, 2121 Westpark at Kirby Dr., 713-523-7154, and other location. Entering this railroad-car restaurant is like stepping back into a Port Aransas restaurant circa 1950. The fish, shrimp and oysters are fresh as can be and cooked with a deft hand. We recommend the mesquite-grilled catfish, oyster po’boy and Mexican-style shrimp cocktail. $-$$
HOFBRAU STEAKS,1803 N. Shepherd near Katy Freeway, 713-869-7074. Very casual with a diner ambiance, this is a little touch of home (if your home was once UT/Austin). The menu centers on steaks (ask for plenty of grilled onions), including a plate-lapping chicken-fried steak, and the predictable sides. Good juke box. $-$$
JAX GRILL, 1613 Shepherd near Katy Freeway, 713-861-5529 and other location. Representing the eastern part of the state with its regular Friday-night Zydeco party, this mesquite-grilled spot is famous for its smoky burgers on toasted buns, a chewy T-bone, fried oyster po’boy and gumbo. This is the modern incarnation of a place like Lankford (below). $
LANKFORD GROCERY & MARKET, 88 Dennis 2 blocks east of Taft, 713-522-9555. This is the real thing, an old-style Texas cafe and ice house, just five minutes from downtown, that still serves cheeseburgers the way you should remember them. There’s breakfast and daily specials, too (e.g. chicken and dumplings, chicken-fried steak and enchiladas), but it’s the old-style burgers and cold Shiner bock that will call you back. Think Greater Tuna.
MAMA’S CAFE, 6019 Westheimer near Fountainview, 713-266-8514. We’ve said it before: It’s the bean burger with a mixed side of fries and rings that we love here. But sometimes after church on Sunday, we cannot deny ourselves the migas or pancakes or pork chop and eggs. Whatever time of day, funky booths and old stuff tacked up on the walls will lull you into a well-greased serenity. $
RIO RANCH, 9999 Westheimer at Briarpark in the Westchase Hilton, 713-952-5000. The most upscale of this Texas-eats collection, this hotel restaurant does a fine job of evoking a gentler time, with the rocking chairs and handsome fieldstone and wood outfitting. It’s always Sunday dinner here: buttermilk fried chicken breast, ranchero ribeye, cornbread dressing and mesquite-grilled skewered shrimp. $$
ROYERS’ ROUND TOP CAFE, On the Square, Round Top, 877-866-7437. It irks patriarch Bud Royer when folks assume (given its country stylin’) that this is still your typical chicken-fried steak stopover. Several years ago, the Royer family changed up the menu here to include shrimp-stuffed quail, pork tenderloin, pastas and a fork-tender beef filet. Moreover, there’s a noteworthy wine list. This is the Texas cafe of the future, a must-visit during wildflower season. $$
SWINGING DOOR, 3818 FM 359 at McCrarey Rd., Richmond, 281-342-4758. Established in 1973 by Steve and Ward Onstad, the original Swinging Door seated just 12. After a fire the following year, it was rebuilt and expanded. Its true claim to fame came in 1979 when the restaurant won the barbecue cook-off at the Houston Livestock Show ad Rodeo. Today it’s still family owned. They smoke their meats over pecan wood, and there’s great C&W dancing. $
SYLVIA’S ENCHILADA KITCHEN, 12637 Westheimer west of Dairy-Ashford, 281-679-8300. Sylvia’s proudly represents South Texas in this round-up. A casual glance, and you’ll think this is a typical Tex-Mex restaurant. But look again at the collection of enchiladas. There are always at least 16 varieties, including Crystal City (spinach with tomatillo sauce), McAllen (chicken) and King Ranch (fajita enchiladas with chile gravy).$
TASTE OF TEXAS, 10505 Katy Freeway west of Gessner, 713-932-6901. The restaurant wears its state pride on its sleeve ? er, walls. The place is stuffed with Texas artifacts, so full of history that hundreds of fourth graders get a tour (and lunch) here every year. It’s big and it’s very busy, but the wait staff is notably good natured. We’ll not soon forget the sight of three Asian businessmen, wearing bibs, tucking into steaks as big as the briefcases at their feet. $$$
THIS IS IT, 207 West Gray at Bagby, 713-659-1608. A modest steam-table restaurant, this is old-style East Texas dining, with such home-cooked favs as chicken and dumplings, ribs, meatloaf, beans and ham hocks and smothered pork chops, plus long-cooked vegetables, biscuits and cornbread. The ladies who dish it up usually know what you’ll like and how much you should have.$
WUNSCHE BROS. CAFE & SALOON, 103 Midway at W. Hardy St., Old Town Spring, 281-350-1902. German sausage sandwiches, squash casserole, great burgers and a few edible curiosities—saurkraut balls, anyone?—make this century-old saloon the town’s best-known draw. There’s live music and legendary desserts, too, including peach cobbler and chocolate whiskey cake.$
