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Historic Houston Restaurants


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The 4 Bill Williams: S. Main @ Holcombe, OST @ MacGregor, just north of Richmond on 59, and .......?

Actually, the S. Main Bill Williams was on the NE corner of S. Main and Dryden... just south of the University Blvd intersection with S. Main. Ernie Coker's Ye Olde College Inn was Bill Williams' neighbor on the north side of Bill's place. Bill also had a coffee shop downtown on Milam or Travis and several blocks south of Foley's.

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mkultra, it wasn't Ta Hua I was thinking of, but I do remember that place. Your description of "Americanized Chinese food" was right on the money - nothing great, but dependable.

They had an item on the menu which we used to always order that I've never seen anywhere else - Green Onion Pancake. It wasn't a pancake in the Western sense, more like a cross between a crepe and a thick tortilla, with chopped scallions cooked into it. It was much better than I'm probably making it sound.

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They had an item on the menu which we used to always order that I've never seen anywhere else - Green Onion Pancake. It wasn't a pancake in the Western sense, more like a cross between a crepe and a thick tortilla, with chopped scallions cooked into it. It was much better than I'm probably making it sound.

I've had that in other places, although I can't remember if I had it there. It is served with a plum sauce.

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I've had that in other places, although I can't remember if I had it there. It is served with a plum sauce.

Sounds like my great grandmas potato patties. She made these with leftover mashed potatoes mixed with egg and green onions and flattened it out like a pancake and fried it in bacon grease. I feel my arteries hardening at the thought.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Anyone rememebr a pie place that was just outside of the heights? I think it was across 45N from the Heights...on the east side...it was right on the freeway. The sign could be seen from the freeway...it was an image of a man dressed in a little babie's clothing (it mightve been 3 men) and they were holding a big pie. The actual big sign is still up...at least it was 6 months ago when i was in houston...but it's painted over with something else.

????

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been meaning to start a thread on this for a while...

Is anyone willing to give up some of their favorite Houston finds? Restaurants, bars, shops, or things to do that seem to have remained somewhat to largely undiscovered by other Houstonians?

By way of example, I'm thinking of places/things like:

Domy/Brasil Outdoor Movies - Domy Books and Cafe Brasil share a back patio and, each Monday night, they show a free movie.

Nundini Imported Food Store - Would be a "find" as an imported food store, a deli, or as a gelateria - and it's all three.

Shady Tavern - An old-fashioned ice house in the Heights that is very welcoming to newcomers. The shady trees and outdoor seating make it a stand-out among local ice houses.

Lankford Grocery - Delicious hamburgers, and the most down-home atmosphere of any restaurant I can think of in Montrose.

I know places/things like this can be jealously-guarded secrets, but you'll have our thanks - and presumably the business owners' thanks - for sharing one or two...

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One of the places that I'm always amazed that many Houstonians have never been to, is Canino's and the produce market on Airline drive. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning. One of the best bakeries in town, El Bollio, is across the street from Canino's. Pick up a sweet roll and a cup of coffee, and you can stroll the market for a couple of hours, picking up cheap produce for Saturday night's dinner.

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Variety Fair on Rice Blvd.

Allrecords on West Gray.

Brazos Bookstore on Bissonnet.

Bellaire Broiler Burger

Cafe Artiste

JMH (?) Market in West. U.

Admittedly, these aren't as obscure as some of those mentioned. Still, all a part of what makes Houston special, and all somewhat threatened by larger national chains and big-box competition.

marmer

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Admittedly, these aren't as obscure as some of those mentioned. Still, all a part of what makes Houston special, and all somewhat threatened by larger national chains and big-box competition.

Bellaire Broiler Burger and JMH Market were new to me. Here are some more links/info:

Variety Fair

Brazos Bookstore

Cafe Artiste

AllRecords: "A small privately owned 'record' store filled to the brim with CDs, tapes, and yes, even albums! One of the best sources in Houston for all kinds of music. People have been coming to AllRecords for years to get the best in Jazz, Broadway, Pop and Rock. Customers browse and chat with each other as they flip through the racks...no lone downloading, here...this is the old-fashioned way of shopping. The owner, Fred, is a great resource. If he doesn't have it, he'll try his best to get it for you! 1955 West Gray, 77019 713-524-4900"

Also...

Canino's Produce Co.

El Bolillo Panaderia

Texas Junk Company

They were, unfortunately, on the rat and roach report a while back.

Ack. A link to the story re Nundini's.

Edited by tmariar
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Ack. A link to the story re Nundini's.

Wow. I knew I had heard Marvin rattle off their name, but I forgot that their problem was ROACHES everywhere....I thought it was something more tame like slime in the ice machine.

Edited by jm1fd
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I have roaches in my kitchen, and I eat there every day. Roaches are a fact of life in Houston, and it didn't sound like they were on food prep areas. Besides, you have to decide, do you want poison spray everywhere, or can you live with roaches?

Anyway, a few more:

How could I forget Murder by the Book on Bissonnet?

Fred's Italian Corner on Greenbriar

The Hot Bagel Shop on Alabama

British Isles in the Village.

This would have been so much easier twenty years ago, when we could have added World Toy and Gift, Kaplan's Ben-Hur, Phil's Restaurant, Hamburgers by Gourmet, Zeke's, Neal's Ice Cream, Chicago Pizza Company, British Market, Cactus Records, the Ale House, and Avalon Drug to the list. :(

marmer

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I have roaches in my kitchen, and I eat there every day. Roaches are a fact of life in Houston, and it didn't sound like they were on food prep areas. Besides, you have to decide, do you want poison spray everywhere, or can you live with roaches?

Indeed. The fact that a place appears on Marvin's report is generally not sufficient to make me quit going there - by the time these reports air, the cited establishments have usually addressed the issues in question anyway.

I was going to post this link earlier, but the website was temporarily unreachable:

Hot Town, Cool City

That's probably the closest thing to a canonical list of unique Houston places I've ever seen. The film premiered at the MFAH a couple of weekends ago, but I was unfortunately unable to attend any of the screenings; however, there is apparently a DVD for sale on the website. The director/producer is a former veteran operations director for Landmark Theaters.

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I have roaches in my kitchen, and I eat there every day. Roaches are a fact of life in Houston, and it didn't sound like they were on food prep areas. Besides, you have to decide, do you want poison spray everywhere, or can you live with roaches?

OF COURSE the roaches were on the food prep areas....because that's where the food is. Roaches don't like to hang out in the living room and watch TV...they live and crap indiscriminately in the KITCHEN because that's where the food is.

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Roaches are a fact of life in Houston, and it didn't sound like they were on food prep areas. Besides, you have to decide, do you want poison spray everywhere, or can you live with roaches?

Yeah - I wasn't going to say it, but it's not going to stop me from getting their gelato (no slime in the ice machine, after all). I've read that they supply the gelati served at most Italian restaurants in town, and I'm certainly not going to go on a gelato boycott. Plus, the report was nearly two years ago - and I haven't heard another report since. For some (like jm1fd, sounds like) it will be a non-starter, though - and I can understand that point of view, too.

Anyway, a few more:

How could I forget Murder by the Book on Bissonnet?

Fred's Italian Corner on Greenbriar

The Hot Bagel Shop on Alabama

British Isles in the Village.

Good ones. All of the above have been good ones.

Thinking about the Rice area made me think of Valhalla (some of the cheapest beer in town). Which made me think of Alice's Tall Texan (and their goblets o'beer). Though those two may also fall more under the category of "what makes Houston special" - like many of the places on the excellent Hot Town, Cool City website - than "undiscovered".

Edited by tmariar
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OF COURSE the roaches were on the food prep areas....because that's where the food is. Roaches don't like to hang out in the living room and watch TV...they live and crap indiscriminately in the KITCHEN because that's where the food is.

My sense, borne out by what exterminators have told me, is that they are more likely to inhabit cool, dark, places or places where they can find water. They like bathrooms for this reason. They also like electronics, maybe for the warmth or because they have some sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. I have replaced two phones in my office this past year because they were full of little German cockroaches. (!) It's not just me saying so; Matsushita has recently released a printed circuit board impregnated with pyrethrins (roach poison) to minimize damage to gear caused by short circuits from zapped roaches.

The Nundini report said the roaches were found behind posters, unused equipment, and the plastic wrap box.

I'd be a _lot_ more worried about 59 Diner's off-temp meat storage cited in the same article.

marmer

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My sense, borne out by what exterminators have told me, is that they are more likely to inhabit cool, dark, places or places where they can find water. They like bathrooms for this reason. They also like electronics, maybe for the warmth or because they have some sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. I have replaced two phones in my office this past year because they were full of little German cockroaches. (!) It's not just me saying so; Matsushita has recently released a printed circuit board impregnated with pyrethrins (roach poison) to minimize damage to gear caused by short circuits from zapped roaches.

The Nundini report said the roaches were found behind posters, unused equipment, and the plastic wrap box.

Interesting. I've nearly ALWAYS seen them in kitchens in houses.

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Never been to Lankford, but I have heard they have the best burgers in town.

Favorite oddball store is Texas Junk on Welch at Taft. Just what it says, an eclectic collection that is fun to check out.

My realestate agent took me there after I bought my house two months ago. The place was packed for lunch and has weird hours. It was good but the the decore is pretty shabby. I can understand old school originality even with the wavy floor but it needs a full rehab. Maybe keep the wavy floor. Dare I say Fudrukkers is my favorite burger. Applebees makes a good one too.

Lankford... not bad. Oh and they had cobbler!

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Soundwaves is a pretty cool place. It has coffee, great music selection, listening stations, great surf board and decent skateboard selection. Softgoods and good skateshoe selection. Fun place for surf skate music types and more.

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