Hickory Hollow

I grew up in a town of 1500. My husband was raised in a trailer-house in East Texas. We met at law school in Waco, which is great town, but is not exactly the cultural center of the Western world. We are not fancy people; we are most comfortable at county fairs, pancake breakfast, and Coffee Stop in Crawford. That said, we felt at home at Hickory Hollow.

Atmosphere wise, Hickory Hollow can't be beat. The space is huge. The entrance is decorated with historic photographs, and the rest of the restaurant is decorated with neon signs and local artwork. There's an indoor gazebo and live music on Friday and Saturday nights. If you want a beer or a glass of wine, you help yourself from the large cooler before ordering at the counter. If you want a sweet tea, you'll drink it from a Mason jar. As soon as we walked in I told my husband that I really didn't care what the food tasted like, this place was perfect.

I guess I was having a bit of a premonition.

We went to Hickory Hollow on the advice of one of my husband's co-worker, who recommended we try the steak. We should have known better, since the menu is mostly composed of BBQ and fried items, but we went with the ribeye platters. We also got to help ourselves to the salad bar, which consisted of mixed greens, cheese, cucumbers, jalapenos, and two kinds of dressing. Not exactly gourmet -- and not exactly sanitary looking -- but not un-tasty either. We ate our little salads, drank our beer, and then the steaks were ready. This is what I got.



The good news: it didn't taste nearly as bad as it looked. The bad news: it didn't look too good. The steak was a well cooked, medium rare ribeye that had way too much gristle. My husband got the same platter, and his steak was much meatier and much more flavorful, so I guess it's hit or miss. The potatoes were serviceable but they didn't stay warm, and cold white gravy just isn't appetizing. My husband got the baked potato, and it was very good, so perhaps I just made a bad decision in a side dish. At the end of the day, this meal wasn't worth the $15 we paid for it.

Service was decent. The girl running the cash register seemed a little frazzled and may have overcharged us, though neither of us felt like arguing about it. You have to go get your food at the counter, but they do bus your tables for you, so that's a nice touch at a casual place like this.

I wouldn't discourage people from trying Hickory Hollow. The BBQ is supposedly very good, and the atmosphere is wonderful and welcoming. I just would discourage them from trying the steak. And the health department may discourage them from trying the salad bar.

Grand Lux Cafe

Grand Lux Cafe advertises having "something for everyone." It's true. We have been there three or four times; the first meal I ate in Houston was at Grand Lux. The size and scope of the menu is easily matched by the size of the space. Grand Lux is huge, glitzy, bordering-on-chintzy, fun and impressive. It can also be a little bit loud and a little bit crowded, especially on a weekend night. Weekday evenings are better -- with less people in the dining room, you can better enjoy the ambiance and the usually fabulous service.

One of the best things about Grand Lux is that whatever you're craving, you can probably get it. The night we went, I was thinking Asian, which can be a challenge if you're not eating at an Asian restaurant. We started with the Duck Pot Stickers.



These were actually really good. The outside of the potstickers were crispy, and not nearly as greasy as they photographed -- it was the perfect amount of greasiness. The filling was a savory, satisfying mixture of duck and mushrooms, which paired well with the warm hoisin sauce they were served with. Very nom.

I ordered the Crispy Caramel Chicken. The menu said the dish was Thai inspired. I don't pretend to be an expert on Thai food, but I've never seen anything like this at a Thai restaurant:



That said, it was really pretty good. The chicken was not nearly as sweet as I feared; it was reminiscent of General Tao's. A really good General Tao's. Would I order it again? Probably not, but that's not because it wasn't tasty. It's just with a menu so big, I imagine there's probably something better I could try.

I wasn't feeling particularly well that night (no worries--just tired, nothing to do with the food), so we skipped dessert. In the past we've tried the Molten Chocolate Cake, and it was AMAZING. You have to order it 20 minutes in advance because they make it fresh, and you can taste that. Definitely worth the extra time.

Cafe Adobe

Cafe Adobe claims to have the best margaritas in Houston. I haven't had enough margaritas here to verify that claim, but I can say that their margaritas are very good. And very strong. My husband and I ate outside on a Friday evening, and between the heat, the booze, and the fact that we hadn't had much to eat during the day (we skipped an appetizer to get a dessert, and the dessert ended up being another margarita), we left there feeling no pain.

First, a note about atmosphere. We sat out on the patio, next to a fountain and some potted plants. The garden accessories helped to block out the traffic and it was easy to forget that we were on a busy road in a major city. It was sunny and warm but not unbearable, and the other people were having a good time but not loud or distracting. Pretty much a perfect outdoor dining experience.

We decided to have a little fajitas with our alcohol. I smelled steak on the way in, and that's what I wanted. What arrived was a delightful little platter of grilled flank steak, well made guacamole and salsa, lettuce, grilled onions and jalapeno peppers. The tortillas were warm, with little black marks that indicated they were probably homemade. We each got two fully assembled fajitas, as well as a bit of extra goodies we made into "fajita salad", out of one large order. I can't pretend that I can remember much of what they tasted like, but I think that they were good. Not as good as the margaritas. But then again, not much could have been.

Red Lion Pub

Full disclosure: I really like Red Lion. We've been there twice, and I already feel like it's my home pub. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is homey and welcoming. So if you expect this review to be anything close to unbiased, you're going to be quite disappointed.

As you might imagine, the food at Red Lion is mostly British pub favorites, with a heavy Indian influence. My husband and I enjoy making meals out of appetizers. Last time we were at Red Lion, we ordered two dishes off their "Nibbles" menu, the samosas and the baked tandoori chicken quesadillas. Thank goodness my husband didn't let me talk him into ordering three things, as the size of these "appetizers" was generous, to say the least.

The samosas were not as good as the one we tried at Blue Nile. The crust was different -- where the crust at Blue Nile was a flaky pastry, the crust at Red Lion was crunchier and deep-fried. The filling at Red Lion was also a lot spicier. Like I said, the portions were gigantic, making the samosas difficult to eat. I couldn't exactly identify what was in either of the dipping sauces, and I didn't love either of them. The samosas weren't horrible, but I probably wouldn't order them again.



The quesadilla was something we were ordering for a second time. We love the fact that this enchilada is built on a crispy pita instead of a tortilla, and the spicy tandoori chicken filling pairs so nicely with the carrot and cucumber "salsa" on the side. This is a very successful melding of Tex Mex and traditional pub cuisine. And it's more than enough for two.



We paired our nibbles with a delicious Belgium white beer on both visits. And on both visits we were treated to excellent service at the bar and in the dining room. Prices are a bit steeper for appetizers than at other places, but so are the portions. Red Lion is worth a little extra. It's an authentic, friendly, fun place that makes you feel right at home, no matter where you're from.

Labor Day Special: Uncle Buck's

My friend Amy got married this weekend in Grapevine, Texas, so that's where this review is coming to you from. It's nowhere near Houston, but it's Labor Day weekend, so maybe you're travelling. Or maybe you're starting to plan your holiday trips, and you're going to be flying out of DFW. Either way, the Embassy Suites on Bass Pro Drive and the attached Uncle Buck's restaurant are worth a look-see.

The hotel and restaurant are attached to an impressive Bass Pro Shop, so therefore the entire place has an outdoorsy theme. We ate at the bar, located upstairs from the restaurant. Going up we noted big vats of Uncle Buck's home brewed beer. The seats were fashioned out of plastic deer antlers, and the Dallas Cowboys game was playing on several large-screen TVs. As someone who loves the outdoors, I felt right at home.

I had to try a home-brewed beer. I went with "Buck Naked", a light beer advertised as a "gold medal winner" (who or what is awarding those medals remains to be seen). Buck Naked was good but not great. It's taste and consistency were much like a Bud Light.

The food sticks with the outdoorsman theme. Lots of game meats and fried foods. My husband and I shared the venison stuffed mushrooms and a Big Sky burger. The mushrooms were stuffed with ground venison and cheese. They would have been delicious, but were served too hot for my little mouth and I scalded myself. Thankfully I had a giant glass of beer to cool my burns and ease my sorrows.

The burger was more successful. It was made out of bison meat, which is similar to beef in flavor but much leaner. Bison can tend to be a little dry, but the very good barbecue sauce lent this burger plenty of moisture, while french fried onions gave it a little crunch. Overall, a decent meal at a very affordable price.

Our bartender acted as our server, and he did a good job. He was available but not pushy and everything arrived quickly from the kitchen. Overall, Uncle Buck's is decent food for the traveller who wants something other than Whataburger on the road. It's low priced, accessible, and filling. Worth a trip to Grapevine? No. Worth it if you're in Grapevine, particularly if you're staying at the Embassy Suites? Buck Yeah.