IronTiger

Whoa, they were FAKE? That's too bad, even though I've never been to it, I was thinking how awesome the "full size ficus trees were". Shouldn't this go in the Houston History section, like the Memorial City Mall one I made?

I think those missing patches is concrete foundation.

Well, I was at Mall of the Mainland a few weeks ago, and it felt pretty unsafe...it's mostly the non-race specific, roving gangs of teenagers that freak me out...and I'm a teenager too!

I think that the area where Taco Casa is, at the corner of Wellborn and Rock Prairie, used to be Sonic. I'm pretty sure it was A&W before that. Am I right?

Excuse me, but this is the BCS thread with BCS restaurants. I believe you wanted to go to here!

Well, I actually posted an "expose" in a nutshell on my blog here, to demonstrate the great changes... Man, you guys seem like you're having a blast discussing Houston restaurants! I had done a similar, unrelated thread that didn't do very well.

Saks Fifth Avenue! OK, next question: When I was in Houston last, I tried to snap a picture of the former Foley's HQ. Is that it, next to the Mega Millions sign? (apology for the terrible photo)

Oh! That "cake and pie" place was Royder's, or at least, Royder's was the last owner of the place before NailSpa. Old Country Buffet, too, near Kroger was like a more-crappy version of Golden Corral.

Wouldn't that be where Jack in the Box is now?

Oh, and Luby's Cafeteria and Chelsea Street Pub & Grill were there. I don't have any pictures of Chealsea Street in Post Oak Mall but here is a picture of it in a mall in Memphis (mall is now demo'd)

T-Bone Jones and Tom's BBQ were pretty notorious for serving bad meals before going defunct. However, both were great restaurants before things went downhill. Also, Confucius Chinese Cuisine (where Walgreen's is now) was an ornate building and had some of the best egg rolls ever. I believe it was right near Imperial Chinese (which was near the pawn shop?). Also, when did the "Egg Roll House" on University close?

Given that the area restaurant guide came out relatively recently, I'd like to take this time to have discussions of old restaurants. Here are a few: Tuscany's: The Gelato place closed down and is replaced by some sign of a karate guy kicking! What happened? The abandoned steakhouse on Texas Ave.: You've always seen it...it's the one with the tepees and the vine-coated sign, between Kroger and Wal-Mart...but what is it? Defunct Post Oak Mall Eateries: According to an insert when Post Oak Mall opened, Chick-fil-A and Corn Dog 7 opened as well as the following eateries: Funnel Cakery, Giovanni's, The Great Hot Dog Experience, Ken Martins Chicken Fried Steak (looks like that venture didn't go too well), Peanut Shack (it's actually a candy and nut shop that still seems to exist in forgotten places), Pepe's, Potatoes Etc., Salad Bartique (that is how it's spelled), Seafood Shoppe, and Sesame Hut. Also, McDonald's, Orange Julius, and Subway had presence as well. Swenson's was also in it, as well as the now-defunct location near Los Cucos. I believe it closed Dec. 2005 but I could be wrong. The ice cream there (as well as the clown ice creams) were awesome! I wasn't sad to see Pancho's (where Los Cucos is now) go. Pancho's had these creepy sun masks all against the wall. They gave me nightmares! T-Bone Jones was a sad loss, but you couldn't find it unless you were looking for it after they redid University. Tom's BBQ I have a menu of, but I never ate there. That's all I can think of for now...anyone know of these places/have restaurants they knew of too/etc. etc.?

Yes, before Golden Wok was Golden Chick, a fried chicken place featuring (on the facade) a chicken wearing glasses. Next to that was a Texaco (a nice one), torn down for a Walgreen's. And Oakwood was originally 5th grade, but they changed it to 5th and 6th. The dog on the Pooh's Park sign stayed for a long while, even after the site was redeveloped.

Here are some old pics of what you want: (scroll down a bit on the page) http://mallsofamerica.blogspot.com/search?q=houston+galleria