We all know that Pappas is a huge chain; the company owns Pappasito's, Pappadeaux's,Yia Yia Mary's and lots of other restaurants all over Texas. However, there are only two Pappas Bros. Steakhouses (one in Houston and one in Dallas). We had a WONDERFUL meal at the Houston steakhouse this weekend, and I feel compelled to write about it, corporate chain or not.
Let's talk about ambiance and service first. Both are exemplary. Pappas is modeled after a 1940s steakhouse, with dark wood paneling and waiters in black ties. In the front there's a piano bar, where we enjoyed drinks as we waited for our table. Everyone -- the bartenders, the hostesses, and especially our waiter -- was friendly and professional. We were in a good mood when we sat down.
Our waiter suggested we try the chef's special appetizer, braised bone marrow. I've never had bone marrow before, but what we got was very special: savory, salty and totally satisfying. Our waiter claims that the waitstaff convinced the chef to try that recipe. If that's true, the chef should be listening to his servers a lot more, because this was delicious.
For dinner, I had the filet duo: two filets, one topped with red wine sauce and a shrimp and the other topped with cracked crab. The filets were wonderfully tender. The seafood was tasty, although my shrimp was a bit overcooked. We had two family style sides: mashed potatoes and mac and cheese with crab. We didn't actually order the mac and cheese (my husband is allergic to shellfish) but the waiter brought it out accidentally and let us keep it for free. We were happy to have it. Both sides were fantastic.
At the end of the meal we declined dessert, as our stomachs were seconds from popping. Our sneaky waiter asked us what we had been thinking of, and then brought it up out to us for free for my husband's birthday. It's little things like that which make a meal special. And the creme brulee we got was one of the best desserts I've ever had. Creamy, cool, rich and fantastic. Get it, even though you'll probably have to pay for it.
Pappas is a special-occasion place. Our meal took 3 hours and cost us over $200. That's not a bad thing. It's nice to have a great meal every once in a while. And everything about Pappas was great -- the service, the atmosphere, the food and wine. If you have a special event coming up, give Pappas a try. Don't let the corporation behind the place scare you off; Pappas is special.
