DIARY OF AN AMATEUR FOOD CRITIC

Being your “Average Joe” who just happens work in an industry and holds a position that affords me the opportunity to visit various eating establishments in and around the Houston area, and has also developed a penchant for putting my thoughts and feelings into words, I feel that I have a responsibility to myself to keep a record of my experiences at some of the local restaurants.

I am a notoriously hard person to please, as my family will readily attest. My personal opinion is that if you are visiting an eatery that provides a hostess and wait staff and it requires any more demand on your wallet than the local McDonalds, they are required to provide you with good attentive service and properly prepared food. I feel very strongly that if they fall short of these expectations, you, as a consumer, have a responsibility to complain and the restaurant’s management should never allow you to leave unsatisfied. If you don’t bother to complain, then it makes it easier for them to provide sub-par service to the next patron who comes in. My wife has walked to the car leaving me alone to fight many battles with poorly run eating establishments. Don’t get me wrong, I am never rude or overbearing when things are not to my liking and I always tip very well, even if the experience is only average. I usually make my complaint and give them a few moments to make the proper gesture. Usually, if they refuse to do anything to rectify the situation, I will go ahead and pay the bill and leave. In the past, I have filed this information in the back of my mind and used it for future reference if and when the name of the restaurant came up again. That is, until now.

This blog is not an attempt to inflict any retribution or damage to any restaurant’s ownership or management and is simply an exercise of my right to my opinion.This is my contribution to the restaurant patrons of Houston Texas.

Fogo De Chao

FOGO DE CHAO

8250 Westheimer Rd.

Houston, Texas

You should really skip a meal or two before you visit Fogo-De-Chao, especially if you want to have the opportunity to sample everything that is offered and get the full effect of the restaurant.

If you have never dined at a Brazilian themed restaurant, then you owe it to yourself to try this place. I can almost guarantee that you will return for a second visit. As with most Brazilian themed restaurants, the ambiance is part of the experience. There are more than a handful of employees who bring out large skewers of many different types of meat prepared in several different ways. You are prepared ahead of time by one of the hosts and given a cardboard disc which is red on one side and green on the other. If you have the red side turned up, they will not bother you, while if the green side is exposed the Gauchos who present the food will stop at your table and offer the food to you which they expertly slice off of the skewers with very sharp carving knives.

One of the most impressive things about this establishment is the salad bar, which they obviously spend a lot of time and effort making it very attractive. You have to be careful not to “Over-do” it at the salad bar or you won’t have room to sample all of the fine food. Once you are sufficiently full, the host will again appear at your table and attempt to get you to try their signature desert, which is a papaya blended ice cream that they will assure you has magical properties that will break down the meat in your digestive system.

The service is exceptional and the food is great. All in all, Fogo-De-Chao is a wonderful dining experience not to be missed. The price is a little steep, especially at night, but it is well worth it. My wife loves this place and I have taken quite a few clients with me to enjoy this dining experience.

This one gets a 9.2 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The Steamboat House

THE STEAMBOAT HOUSE

8045 N. Sam Houston Pkwy W.

Houston, Texas 77064

My wife and I were first introduced to this establishment when some close friends of ours took us there to celebrate my birthday. Let me first say that my wife was so enamored with the place that she made me take her back to celebrate her own birthday.

This place is one of the more unusual restaurant experiences that you will ever have. The opportunity to view all of the historical paintings and artifacts alone is almost worth the price of the meal. This place is a veritable museum of Texas history with some of the most unbelievable wall murals/paintings that you will ever see, not to mention the many framed documents of obvious historical significance.

The food is impressive; although, not the best that I have had. I would definitely go back for the food alone. The service is very good. The wait staff is very attentive and will not miss an opportunity to make sure that you have everything that you need. The Restaurant Owner makes his rounds and makes conversation with the patrons. He is very friendly without being overbearing or pushy and seems to really enjoy fielding questions about the restaurant décor.

The Steamboat House is upscale without the normally prerequisite snooty atmosphere. I would highly recommend it, especially if you have out of town visitors who would benefit from the Texas history lesson. You should be prepared to spend a few dollars when you visit The Steamboat House, but in my humble opinion, it is worth the investment.

I give it an 8.8 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Perry's Steak House

PERRY’S STEAKHOUSE

9827 Katy Freeway

Houston, Texas

Next to the Memorial City Mall

This is one of those reviews that you always enjoy writing. I have been to this establishment on three different occasions and am still trying to find something to complain about. The outward appearance of the building is well appointed, attractive and basically gives off the vibe that you are visiting a very upscale establishment. The parking attendants are very professional, friendly and attentive which gives the first impression that your visit is appreciated and puts you at ease. When you walk in the door, you are met by several very attractive hostesses who very happily escort you to your table.

One of the first things that you notice when you walk in the door is an abundance of personal wine lockers that are reserved for special customers. As you are led into the main dining room, you can’t help but notice the beautiful, very impressive wine rack in the center of the room that is enclosed on all four sides by glass. This is a fitting centerpiece in a beautiful, upscale establishment. The service is second to none that I have ever seen. There is always someone standing at the ready in the event that you may need something, whether it be an addition to your order or simply a refill of your water glass. I have not ordered anything off of the menu that I would not recommend to anyone; however, if pressed for the information, I would suggest that you try the pork chop, which is one of the things that they are known for. The evening portion is definitely enough food to feed more than one person, but once you try it you will want it all to yourself so that you can take the other half home for a midnight snack. One of their signature appetizers is a fried asparagus dish with crab meat that will round out your dining experience for the night. Don’t miss the opportunity to try it while you are there.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give Perry’s a 9.7 (Only because I need a little “Wiggle Room” in case I happen to find a better restaurant somewhere in town).

Tokyo One

Sushi Restaurants are becoming more and more popular with the American people. The thing about Japanese food is either you like it or you definately don't. Fortunately, as you can tell by the ever increasing number of Japanese restaurants throughout the country, the percentages are getting higher and higher for the people who do.

If you are like me, you have an unconcious instinct to rate the smaller, family owned sushi restaurant that has a real Japanese Sushi chef working behind the counter who can barely speak any recognizable english much higher than the more comercial, assembly line places. God forbid that there might be a sushi restaurant out there that is set up buffet style where you walk down a line and choose the type of roll or sushi that you want from trays of pre-made tidbits that may have been sitting out there for hours and you aren't sure how fresh it is, let alone whether it has been kept at the proper temperature the entire time that it has been there.

Fortunately for everyone, Tokyo One has broken all of the steryotypes that have been troubling most of the many American Sushi enthusiasts.

This place is one of the cleanest, most well run Japanese restaurants that I could have ever conceived in my wildest dreams. If there is a Japanese dish that you like or have even thought of trying in your wildest dreams, they have probably got it on their emense buffet line.

Everything is clean and very well taken care of at Tokyo One. The restaurant is incredibly impressive from the minute that you walk in the door until you leave. The staff is very attentive and go to great lengths to make you feel at home.

I have been here many times and have always been impressed and left very sattisfied. There are no quality issues that I can think of. The food is very asthetically pleasing and is always kept at the proper temperature.

Based on the number of people who frequent this establishment, I would say that there are few if any Japanese restaurants that excede this place in quality or popularity.

If you are worried about going to a "Cheap" Japanese restaurant, you can put your mind at ease. This place is pretty proud of itselt asn you will be able to attest once you finish your meal and pay the check.

As I said, I have been there many times and will continue to visit each and every time that I make a trip to Dallas.

By the way, there are a couple of Houston locations that I am not quite so fond of.

Asthetic Beauty: 10

Food Quality: 9

Service: 6- 7

Would I go back? You bet...................................

Trulucks Seafood Restaurant

Outwardly looking at this place, you would be very impressed. When you walk in the door, your opinion continues to be very high. This place is very asthetically pleasing. If you were looking for an extremely nice restaurant to take a date or an out of town guest to and ensure that they were duely impressed, this would be one that would do the trick for you.

My wife loves this restaurant. I, on the other hand, have gotten past the point of being impressed by the outward appearance and have become not-so ennamered with the place after I have become more familliar with it.

I'm not basing this review on one Truluck's location. I have been to the Austin and the Dallas Restaurants and they are very simular in all respects.

And become more familliar, I have. Quite a few of my customers who work in the galleria area of Houston seem to enjoy visiting this establishment. It is one of those restaurants that seems to be "The Place To Be" in the galleria area. Any time that you go there during a business lunch time, you are likely to see many professional people, and that is a big thing for the executive oil clique.

Maybe I am jaded when it comes to seafood restaurants since I spent a considerable amout of my life in New Orleans and other Sout Louisiana cities and towns. Maybe I have come to expect that when you order ant type of seafood, that you will get a certain quality for a reasonable price.

Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to paying a premium price for good quality food, but for some reason, I just don't get it. The food is "OK", but not 5 star quality. I can't quite understand paying 40 bucks for a small hand full of stone crab legs, when i am used to going to a very clean, well run cajun seafood restaurant and getting a dozen "Very Large Select" crabs for 40 bucks, and the people are incredibly nice and unbelievably glad to have you there.

But then again, who am I to argue with success. Every time that I go there, the restaurant is full and you are lucky to be able to find a place to park your car.

My take on this restaurant on a scale of 1 to 10 is as follows:

Asthetic Beauty: 10

Ambiance: 10

Service: 8

Food Quality: 8

Money's Worth: 6 - 7

Don't shoot the messenger> This is only one man's opinion. If you disagree, don't be afraid to write your own blog.

Texas De Brazil

As a general rule, Brazilian food is just that: Brazilian food. Don't get me wrong, whenever you decide to pony up the extra cash that it takes to dine in a Brazilian restaurant, the food is far above average to say the least.

I've made my pilgrimage to the Houston Fogo-de-chau location on numerous occasions and have never once had a complaint about the food. Through my many, but not particularly happy trips to Dallas, I have frequented many different average to considerably above average restaurants. I have thoroughly enjoyed many of them, but none moreso than Texas-De-Brazil. The food is very comparable to Fogo-De-Chou but that is where the comparison ends. Fogo has become very comercial over the years and their personal relationships with their customers has suffered for this very reason. Their food is great, as usual, but they rush you in and out like they are moving so many cattle to market. Gone are the personal relationships and special treatment unless you are obviously among the very elite. Texas-De-Brazil, on the other hand is one of those places that you feel an imediate sense of comfort whenever you walk in the door.

The bar immediately greets you and is very inviting, to say the least.The wine list is extensive and very considerable. The premium, "by the glass" list is mainly comprized of Itallian, Spanish, Chillean and Argentinian wines; although the overall list is quite extensive. I settled on an Argentinian Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. Four glasses later, I was not in the least disapointed and had not the slightest inclination to change to another brand. When I asked to be seated in the dining room, I was treated with the utmost dignity, even thought I was dining alone during one of their obvious busy periods. I was greeted by a manager by the name of Traian. He pronounced it to me a couple of times and when my limited comprehention of any dialect other than the English language made itself evident, he asked me to refer to him as "T", which was alright by me. He was very attentive, even though my obvious single status suggested the possibility of a "not very impressive" tip. He was anxious to answer any and all of my questions and was very helpfull when I needed something. Incidentally, I left a 20+ percent tip on a bill that totaled up to a C-Note plus pocket change. For one person for dinner, I consider that on the upper end of the spectrum, but based on the food and service, you won't hear the slightest complaint from me.

After dinner, I looked at their cigar selection which was small, but impressive to say the least. Imagine my surprize when they had my favorite, and in my opinion, the top of the line in "legal" cigars right in the front of the humidor, and at a very reasonable price. I was able to get a 6" torpedo, Perdomo Edicion-De-Silvio for 29.00. Believe me, I have bought more than a few of these at 40 bucks each and I have had more than a few personal conversations with Nick Perdomo himself. When I made my purchase, I fully well expected to have to take it with me and find another place to enjoy it. Imagine my surprize when the manager came up to me at the bar and insisted that I have another drink and enjoy my cigar at their bar. In my opinion, this is the best bar and after hours relaxation spot in the entire city of Dallas. (I would probably throw 95 percent of Houston into that mix also). If I had to rate this place on a 1 to 10 basis, It would get as close to 10s across the board as any place that I have been in quite a while.

By the way, these guys send me a free meal invitation on my birthday and my wife and my aniversary every year, and I have only been here twice before. Until I find a better place, this one is right at the top of my list right along side of Perry's in Houston.

Billy Chilton
(281) 546-1792
Houston Cuisine
Diary of an Amateur Food Critic