Nelore Steakhouse

My in-laws were in town recently for the Metro Houston cooking show, and we decided to check out Nelore. None of us had ever been to a churrascaria before, but I liked the concept. Waiters come around the dining room with various cuts of grilled meats on skewers. Patrons can choose which types of meat to sample, and when. Side dishes and salads are located on an all-you-can-eat buffet. When you're full, or just need a break, you turn a card over on your table to signal the waitstaff to stop; otherwise, they'll continue to offer you meat for as long as you sit there.

Nelore boasts a HUGE selection of both meats and sides. I'm proud to say that I tried almost everything: chicken sausage, leg of lamb, sirloin, filet, and even a parmigiana coated pork chop. I didn't do too shabby at the salad bar either.

 

Everything was tasty. All of the meat was slightly dry, with a robust charbroiled flavor. I also noticed that the cuts of meat were a little more marbled than what I usually buy; my steak was flanked in a large piece of white fat that infused it with a lot of flavor. It wasn't what I was used to, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.

 

However, nothing was fantastic. Only two items really stand out from everything I tried: the parmigiana-crusted pork (because it was so different) and the mango cream dessert (both because it was unique and it was delicious). Service was predictably wonderful. None of the waiters seemed to really abide by the card system -- they approached you regardless of whether you were trying to signal them not to -- but that's OK; more than once we found that we weren't really as full as we thought we were, once we were offered something new.

 

The real disappointment was the bill. Nelore charges nearly $40 per person for dinner, before drinks and dessert. We didn't know that -- prices aren't listed on the website -- and it was a little bit of a sticker shock. Even though we sampled a lot of food, there is no way that we ate enough to justify that price. If you're going to pay that kind of money for a steak dinner, there may be better options.

Rio Ranch

Remember when I wrote my little rant about "voting" for restaurants with your business, and how you shouldn't frequent restaurants out of habit when they're not very good? Well, that principle works both ways. The only thing that bothers me more than seeing a really bad restaurant remain open is watching a really good one close. And I'm worried that is exactly what will happen to Rio Ranch if something doesn't change soon.

My family and I visited on a Saturday night and were surprised to find that we were one of only two tables of patrons. Since they were visiting from NY, I wanted to choose a restaurant that really said "Texas", and I couldn't have done a better job. Rio Ranch is decorated with steer heads, a large stone fireplace, and (friendly and professional) waiters wearing bolo ties.

The special that night was filet mignon with cream sauce, a baked potato and a skewer of shrimp and veggies. Quite an impressive plate of food!



And not a bite of it was bad. Every single one of us had a perfectly cooked piece of meat and shrimp. We were also treated to very good margaritas and large beers. It wasn't cheap or fast, but it wasn't overly expensive or fancy either -- the meal was comparable in price and the restaurant in atmosphere to Outback. Only the food was a lot better than at Outback.

So I'll end this review with a plea: please, please go to Rio Ranch. I hate seeing local places go under, particularly really good places. And Rio Ranch is really good.

Capital Grille

How's this for romantic? My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary last Sunday. On Saturday night we ate dinner at The Capital Grille in Houston, the same restaurant that we ate at in Washington DC the night after our wedding. I know, I know, I'll give you a second to do it.

AWWW!

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the food.

We started with the carpaccio, a starter we enjoyed last year in DC. This is really one of the most delicious appetizers I've had anywhere. You can taste every flavor clearly: the delicate Waygu beef, the tart lemon vinaigrette, and the spicy arugula salad. The best thing about this carpaccio is that it tasted EXACTLY like the one we had a year ago, so that brought back some great memories. And it's pretty too!



I tried something new for dinner this year: bone-in Kona crusted sirloin with a caramelized shallot butter. The waited recommended it because it is very popular, and the dehydrated shallots in the butter remind him of McDonald's burgers (um...OK.). I didn't let that dissuade me, and I actually really enjoyed this steak.



The meat was cooked PERFECTLY and the Kona crust added a nice smoky flavor and slightly crispy finish. The sauce tasted nothing like a McDonald's burger, but was salty, savory and just a little bit sweet. My only complaint was that the meat had a bit more gristle than I like. Oh, and my husband's order (the porcini rubbed Delmonico) was better. But he ALWAYS orders something better than me, so I wasn't surprised.

We had two side dishes (mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) and a bottle of wine (a 2007 Spanish red, I believe), all of which were predictably wonderful. We also had the berries and cream for dessert, which was a light, fresh, perfect-for-summer finish to our delightful meal.

As for service: our waiter was friendly and accommodating, but he was a large step down from the server we worked with last year in DC. Part of it may just be that we were on our honeymoon last year, and there are lots of good feelings associated with that. Another part of it is that we asked our waiter to check on something for us (whether they had a particular side-dish that we really enjoyed in DC) and he failed to follow through. It may be because we looked pretty young compared to other patrons that night; I feel like servers sometime think younger people can't or won't tip well, or don't know the difference between good service and bad. That may be true of many young people, but it's not true of my husband and I. We were there on a special night, we spent a lot of money, and we expected really good service. That we didn't quite get that is the only (minor) complaint I have about an otherwise really good meal.



Oh, and by the way, hi Davis.

Pappas Brothers

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.

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.