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The Heights Restaurant And Bar Scene - More Coming


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I also was there Friday and ordered a Shrimp Poboy and Fries and was not very impressed. The poboy literally had only 5 shrimp on it and I am not sure they weren't pre-breaded or something strange. I really had high expectations for this place hopefully it was just an opening night thing and the quality will improve.

this is a concern on mine. when they were "open" for White Linen Night last year, we got these empanada type things (not sure what they really are) but i was talking to the guy- who i believe was the owner- working the window and when he put in my order, the girl took out a huge frozen bag of the things (like a foodservice bag, not a ziplock or storage bag) and threw them in the fryer. i know places use prepared foods and that can be ok depending on the price and atmosphere. so, i have to wonder how much of their food they make and how much they buy?

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I don't know if this has been mentioned before but perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the lack of restaurant diversity in the heights may be due to the lack of diversity in the residents?

My thoughts exactly! 5 shrimp makes it what--a Eighth Loaf?

5 shrimp makes it a "keep on driving".

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I don't know if this has been mentioned before but perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the lack of restaurant diversity in the heights may be due to the lack of diversity in the residents?

5 shrimp makes it a "keep on driving".

I ate at Big Mamou's yesterday. My aunt ordered the shrimp po-boy and I had 9-10 shrimp on it. They were very tasty. I had the combo meal of 1/2 a Cajun Po Boy and cup of gumbo (a pretty good deal for $8.50, I think). The gumbo was great, the sandwich was decent. A friend of mine had the muffaletta and loved it.

They are still working out the kinks, the lady taking orders had no idea how to work their computer system, but other than that, the food came out quickly and was all in all pretty good.

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this is a concern on mine. when they were "open" for White Linen Night last year, we got these empanada type things (not sure what they really are) but i was talking to the guy- who i believe was the owner- working the window and when he put in my order, the girl took out a huge frozen bag of the things (like a foodservice bag, not a ziplock or storage bag) and threw them in the fryer. i know places use prepared foods and that can be ok depending on the price and atmosphere. so, i have to wonder how much of their food they make and how much they buy?

Its possible, but the kitchen is wide open for viewing and they had all the raw ingredients out and were actively cutting them up and making food when I went. I suspect since they didn't have a facility during last LITH to make these on sight, the chef could have pre-made them. Nothing I had suggested it was anything but fresh, and the fried shrimp was most certainly made on the spot. The only thing I saw that gave any indication of a prepared food was the sausage used in the jambalaya. That was store bought. (and wasn't andouille either). There's some great Texas sausages out there, I definitely think they could buy locally for that.

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I went to the Big Mamou last week and ordered the Mamou Salad! Yeah, I know I'm supposed to get something Cajun, but hell, they didn't have pork chops available I became indecisive-- then the girl at the register said goat cheese and I couldn't stop myself from ordering it.

I have to say that salad was fantastic! It was a mixed greens/goatcheese/cranberry/rasberry vinegrette ordeal. Yeah, nothing too original, but it was fresh and tasted fantastic. I think I'm going to go tonight again and try something else... maybe

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I don't know if this has been mentioned before but perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the lack of restaurant diversity in the heights may be due to the lack of diversity in the residents?

I don't know what part of the Heights you are familiar with, but there is plenty of diversity in the people and the food.

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I went to the Big Mamou this weekend. I had the catfish poboy, my friend had the shrimp poboy, and we shared a bowl of gumbo. Overall, we were both pleased with the food - especially for the price. We both had a lot more than 5 pieces of fish/shrimp. :rolleyes:

It's a casual place where you order at the counter, grab a beer out of the cooler and then sit and wait for your food to come out (which didn't take long at all). I'm anxious to try them again once they have their full menu available. I also noticed a sign that said they would serve brunch starting the middle of April.

Another friend of mine mentioned that he had breakfast at the newly expanded El Bolillo bakery on Airline. I didn't get a chance to ask what all they served. Does anyone else have more info? Do they mainly have breakfast breads and pastries or do they have additional items on the weekend such as eggs, etc.?

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Its possible, but the kitchen is wide open for viewing and they had all the raw ingredients out and were actively cutting them up and making food when I went. I suspect since they didn't have a facility during last LITH to make these on sight, the chef could have pre-made them. Nothing I had suggested it was anything but fresh, and the fried shrimp was most certainly made on the spot. The only thing I saw that gave any indication of a prepared food was the sausage used in the jambalaya. That was store bought. (and wasn't andouille either). There's some great Texas sausages out there, I definitely think they could buy locally for that.

great news. i would try it at least once either way, but the posts here made me concerned when i remember that... either way, the thingies we had that night were good. just not homemade...

i look forward to getting over there soon. if the food is good, the only real disappointment will be that they didn;t add a bigger patio.

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I went to Big Mamou the other day as well, it was okay.

I had the half grilled shrimp po-boy and cup of gumbo. Poboy was decent, gumbo had good flavor but was more like a jambalaya as it wasn't really a soup (more thick than gumbo should be).

We also had the fried green tomatoes... not bad.

Wife had the oyster poboy and it was good.

Service was excellent. Everyone was extremely friendly. That being said, there isn't room in this town for mediocre food, they need to step it up a bit.

Also... tried Vietnam yesterday and it was pretty good.

We had some Tres Leches from El Bolillo at work the other day... it was excellent. I will be going there this weekend to try other items.

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I went to Big Mamou the other day as well, it was okay.

I had the half grilled shrimp po-boy and cup of gumbo. Poboy was decent, gumbo had good flavor but was more like a jambalaya as it wasn't really a soup (more thick than gumbo should be).

We also had the fried green tomatoes... not bad.

Wife had the oyster poboy and it was good.

Service was excellent. Everyone was extremely friendly. That being said, there isn't room in this town for mediocre food, they need to step it up a bit.

Also... tried Vietnam yesterday and it was pretty good.

We had some Tres Leches from El Bolillo at work the other day... it was excellent. I will be going there this weekend to try other items.

I will try Big mamouu tomorrow. I tried Vietnam and saying it was average is a compliment.

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last time i went to vietnam it was average as well. i think the food paid the price for the renovation...

Went to Big Mamou today instead. They have some work to do. Meat pies were good but miniature. I have never seen then that small and was surprised. The dipping sauce was excellent. Had oyster po-boy. Got shell in more than half the bites I took. Bread did not hold together and sandwich fell apart.

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Yeah, I was there for opening lunch on Friday. The food is really good. I had a fried shrimp po'boy w/ spicy fries, my friend had fried green tomatoes and jambalaya. The po'boy was really good, fresh bread, about 5-6 decent sized shrimps. Fries were adequate, like other spicy fries. The jambalaya was really tasty, but for $8 we only got a small scoop. Expensive for just rice. I HOPE that was a mistake as they had literally just opened and everyone was trying to figure out their place in the greater scheme, so I hope we ended up with a smaller portion that what should normally be served.

The menu is limited now, no crawfish on weekends (yet). No Abita beer (whats up with that?). No bread pudding. I suspect those will come in due time, they just have to get used to things. I'm curious what others thought, but its a great addition to the hood imo.

I just received an email from the owners of Big Mamou and thought you'd be interested in what it said. Sounds like they are listening to their customers which is always a good sign.

Friends and Neighbors,

Rufus and I would like to thank you all for your encouragement and support. The overall response from the neighborhood has been terrific! We're still working from our "Soft Opening" menu, but we are adding items each week, such as bread pudding with Jack Daniel's Whisky Sauce and Pasta Wednesday (last week was a shrimp and crawfish linguini scampi-style). This week we are adding Dirty Rice to the menu.

We also wanted to let y'all know that we now have Abita beer!

Our first brunch will be Sunday, April 12 (Easter Sunday). We've planned a special menu for the Easter holiday,

complete with Mimosas and of course, pancakes for the kids!

We've had a number of folks ask us about our fantastic Po-boys and muffalettas! We strive to use the freshest

and most authentic ingredients available. Our bread comes directly from Gambino's Bakery in Kenner, LA. It is baked, flash-frozen and

shipped daily to Houston. Likewise, our shrimp are from the Gulf of Mexico, wild-caught, not farm-raised in Viet-Nam or China. Our oysters are from Matagorda Bay, TX, and our Natchitoches Meat Pies are really from Natchitoches, LA. And to insure that we have the freshest produce available,we use local markets and it is delivered daily (or as often as we need it!).

The weather is warming up a bit, just right for sitting out on the front deck or back patio with a cold Abita or nice glass of Pinot Grigio!

Edited by Omar2bar
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Omar2bar,

That is very good news. I think with some repitition/familiarity and experimentation the flavor of their food is going to get better (and it wasn't bad by any means).

They should also carry Abita Rootbeer for the kids. (or adults who love a good root beer). I might have to go for a muffaletta and a turbo dog this weekend though. I'd like to see the addition of crawfish tails and boudian poboys and perhaps some andouille sidedish. (maybe once they get into full swing this will happen) I'd also like to see beignets more frequently (its currently only from like 9-11am on first saturdays) with some true New Orleans style coffee (with chicory). Late night beignets and coffee are the best after a night out on the town.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hit Big Mamou tonight, I would rate it as good. I had the shrimp poboy, it was certainly big enough. They still have the soft opening menu. I'm not sure about the layout of the place. The building is nice, not very big. They have an order-at-the-counter thing going, and I think if they got rid of that and used the 2 cashiers as waiters they could fit 3-4 more tables inside. The front porch isn't huge, but they have a back porch with 4-5 picnic benches. One thing I never really thought about but noticed with 11th St Cafe as well is that the lots on Studewood are incredibly shallow. It's really hard to pull off a business AND parking. It's gotta be a small time place, and at least half a block long.

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What about all the restaurants on Washington Ave? From Dharma Cafe on Houston Ave. all the way to Candelari's on Washington Ave. at Westcott. There are many many in between of all sorts. Benjy's, Raia's, El Tiempo, El Rey (Cuban), Soma, and on and on. It's not any farther than the Westheimer restaurants are from Briargrove residents.

Vietnam on W. 20th is fabulous and has recently doubled in size. Collina's, Thai Spice, Shade on W. 20th as well.

There are great seafood restaurants on Airline between N. Main and 610, along with a Chicago Italian Sausage restaurant and a fine dining Italian restaurant as well.

Textile on W. 22nd near Shepherd is an adventure in fine dining. Bedford, Glass Wall.

Cajun? The Big Mamou just opened on Studewood.

I can't go on, I am starving and there is nowhere to eat around here. Guess I have to go to Montrose. :)

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What about all the restaurants on Washington Ave? From Dharma Cafe on Houston Ave. all the way to Candelari's on Washington Ave. at Westcott. There are many many in between of all sorts. Benjy's, Raia's, El Tiempo, El Rey (Cuban), Soma, and on and on. It's not any farther than the Westheimer restaurants are from Briargrove residents.

Vietnam on W. 20th is fabulous and has recently doubled in size. Collina's, Thai Spice, Shade on W. 20th as well.

There are great seafood restaurants on Airline between N. Main and 610, along with a Chicago Italian Sausage restaurant and a fine dining Italian restaurant as well.

Textile on W. 22nd near Shepherd is an adventure in fine dining. Bedford, Glass Wall.

Cajun? The Big Mamou just opened on Studewood.

I can't go on, I am starving and there is nowhere to eat around here. Guess I have to go to Montrose. :)

well, i don't think everyone considers the washington corridor the heights. some do, but i don't. for me a lot of times a "heights" restaurant is one i can walk to so it needs to be north of 10, west of 45, south of 610 and there is nothing in tombergrove so even though i can walk there, it doesn't count.

but if you go back and read the thread we did discuss the places you mention :) . i know it's a lot to sift through. for my own sake, i am going to try Vietnam again this week but if it's as mediocre as it was last time i went, i may just wash my hands of it for a while.

Edited by heights_yankee
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What about all the restaurants on Washington Ave?

Hey EMME! Have enjoyed your posts on Swamplot, assuming you're the same EMME.

Yeah, this thread was started back in May 2006, and a lot has changed since then. Now the thread has become the default repository for a lot of Heights-restaurant-related posts, and so it's gotten overly long. I like to see individual restaurants have individual threads (and some do) - but the one I started on El Gallo de Jalisco (a nice little neighborhood taqueria on White Oak with limited hours) got moved by the moderators (who are generally very good at tidying things up) from the Heights section to the general restaurants section, so maybe there's an advantage to having this one very long thread for discussing Heights restaurants, even if the title has become misleading.

I think the Heights can claim pretty much all of these restaurants as at least "Heights-area" restaurants. A friend asked this weekend what the closest Indian and Middle Eatern restaurants are, though, and that stumped me a bit. Not a lot of Heights-area options there, unless I'm forgetting somewhere...

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Hey EMME! Have enjoyed your posts on Swamplot, assuming you're the same EMME.

Yeah, this thread was started back in May 2006, and a lot has changed since then. Now the thread has become the default repository for a lot of Heights-restaurant-related posts, and so it's gotten overly long. I like to see individual restaurants have individual threads (and some do) - but the one I started on El Gallo de Jalisco (a nice little neighborhood taqueria on White Oak with limited hours) got moved by the moderators (who are generally very good at tidying things up) from the Heights section to the general restaurants section, so maybe there's an advantage to having this one very long thread for discussing Heights restaurants, even if the title has become misleading.

I think the Heights can claim pretty much all of these restaurants as at least "Heights-area" restaurants. A friend asked this weekend what the closest Indian and Middle Eatern restaurants are, though, and that stumped me a bit. Not a lot of Heights-area options there, unless I'm forgetting somewhere...

Thank you, yes it's me, EMME from swamplot.

My sister lives in Garden Oaks and she has to go across town to get Indian food. Mayhaps some Indian restaurants will see this post and come on over.

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Washinton Avenue needs a bit of restuarant diversity to compliment the Heights proper ...

Some suggestions for your entrepreneurs

- Late Nite Curry?

- Ethiopian?

- A good La Fendee or Niko Niko's type of Mediterranean place (Chatters does not cut it).

- A Mongolian hot bowl place?

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Washinton Avenue needs a bit of restuarant diversity to compliment the Heights proper ...

Some suggestions for your entrepreneurs

- Late Nite Curry?

- Ethiopian?

- A good La Fendee or Niko Niko's type of Mediterranean place (Chatters does not cut it).

- A Mongolian hot bowl place?

Heights area is in desperate need of a good mediterranean place and a good indian place. These seem to be the two major cuisines that are lacking. Also, maybe a good, not so trendy sushi place (i.e. Soma) for the Heights area.

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Heights area is in desperate need of a good mediterranean place and a good indian place. These seem to be the two major cuisines that are lacking. Also, maybe a good, not so trendy sushi place (i.e. Soma) for the Heights area.

How about a decent bagel place as well? We could use one of those in the Greater Heights area.

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How about a decent bagel place as well? We could use one of those in the Greater Heights area.

we could use one of those in houston in general. hot bagel is solid, but it's still not as authentic as i like

generally, we need a good eat-in bakery. i mean, Dacapo's is good--- if you want what they have. they aren't open for breakfast and they close too early. i think we need a place where we can grab some pastries and coffee to go, have fruit breads and fresh bread all day long and cakes/pies whole or by the slice for after dinner. if they have ice cream, all the better...

although some of you might remember, i've been lobbying for an ice cream place in the heights for a while now.

Edited by heights_yankee
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we could use one of those in houston in general. hot bagel is solid, but it's still not as authentic as i like

generally, we need a good eat-in bakery. i mean, Dacapo's is good--- if you want what they have. they aren't open for breakfast and they close too early. i think we need a place where we can grab some pastries and coffee to go, have fruit breads and fresh bread all day long and cakes/pies whole or by the slice for after dinner. if they have ice cream, all the better...

although some of you might remember, i've been lobbying for an ice cream place in the heights for a while now.

El Bolillo fits the bakery bill, although I would like more yeast breads and croissants in the area. What about Crickets for ice cream? Raindrop Chocolate on Waugh just south of Allen Parkway has fabulous cakes and gelato, and to die for chocolate candy. You're right about the bagels. A good bagel shop would be nice.

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El Bolillo fits the bakery bill, although I would like more yeast breads and croissants in the area. What about Crickets for ice cream? Raindrop Chocolate on Waugh just south of Allen Parkway has fabulous cakes and gelato, and to die for chocolate candy. You're right about the bagels. A good bagel shop would be nice.

I heard Raindrop's last night was this past Saturday.

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El Bolillo fits the bakery bill, although I would like more yeast breads and croissants in the area. What about Crickets for ice cream? Raindrop Chocolate on Waugh just south of Allen Parkway has fabulous cakes and gelato, and to die for chocolate candy. You're right about the bagels. A good bagel shop would be nice.

crickets is not open after dinner. i have asked the owner to stay open later but i dont think it makes $ sense for him to accomodate me alone. i think that more people walk to dinner around the 11th and studewood intersection so more people would be inclined to stop for a cone after dinner. any place that opened would also have a lot of after school business from Hogg...

el boillo isn't very walkable either.

raindrop is not in the heights.

I heard Raindrop's last night was this past Saturday.

this makes me very, very sad. when i was pg with my 1st son, a group of us preggers would go there all the time. i still go occasionally but nothing is as simple once you add a 2 year old to the mix. he should try reopening in the heights. i hope he reads this!!

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crickets is not open after dinner. i have asked the owner to stay open later but i dont think it makes $ sense for him to accomodate me alone. i think that more people walk to dinner around the 11th and studewood intersection so more people would be inclined to stop for a cone after dinner. any place that opened would also have a lot of after school business from Hogg...

el boillo isn't very walkable either.

raindrop is not in the heights.

this makes me very, very sad. when i was pg with my 1st son, a group of us preggers would go there all the time. i still go occasionally but nothing is as simple once you add a 2 year old to the mix. he should try reopening in the heights. i hope he reads this!!

El Bolillo is a 3 minute walk for me, so I guess that is a subjective matter. I will suggest Don to open a chocolate shop in the Heights. I wish he would. I am so sad to hear that Saturday was his last night. He put alot into that place. If I find out the reason for his closing, I will post it. It may have just been so he could have a life again. It was pretty all consuming for him.

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