​I had been meaning to finally have dinner at the downtown location of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse when I saw that it was participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks.  The fact that it featured a steak on that menu made the decision to go even easier.  Not just any steak, but a USDA Prime New York Strip dry-aged in-house, the type of steak that has drawn diners and raves by the score since the Pappas Bros. opened on Westheimer in the mid-1990s. 
 
The dinner last night, did not disappoint.  It was the best New York Strip I’ve had in memory and also the best Houston Restaurant Weeks meal I’ve ever had.  It was an excellent meal, period, and wonderful dining experience, even just sitting in the bar area. 
 
I started with a Caesar Salad, my usual steakhouse starter.  Featuring manageably sized pieces of Romaine lettuce, which I really enjoyed, in a rich, creamy sauce studded with properly crispy croutons made from good-quality bread, this was exactly what I had hoped for to prologue the beef course.  My New York Strip was perfectly cooked medium-rare, as requested.  Tender, juicy but was a slight bit of an exterior crust that exhibited a noticeable hint of the Kosher salt, black pepper and butter finish, the steak tasted like it should, just better.  Deeply flavorful, but without any discernible funk from the dry-aging.  It was terrific.  Well-done mashed potatoes and haricot verts were welcome accompaniments to the steak.  The friend I was dining with and I also split an order of their cheesy au gratin potatoes in the odd chance we might not get enough calories along the way.  Delicious, too.  To finish, I had a Key Lime Pie tartlet made with Graham crackers, toasted pecans, lightly sweetened whipped cream and a few fresh berries.  It also was very enjoyable, the product of a very adept pastry station, if tough to finish after the several large and caloric prefaces. 
 
Those three courses from the Restaurant Weeks menu was just $45, excepting tax and gratuity.  The similar 14-ounce New York Strip on the menu is $51.95.  Though the steak I had might have been a little smaller, maybe the 10-ounce version that is usually served at the bar, the three courses for $7 less is an excellent value, and provides more than enough food for nearly every diner, as each of the three courses is quite generous, in the typical Pappas restaurant manner. Then there is also fresh, top-notch bread on the table with softened butter upon request.
 
The visit confirmed that, to me, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – boisterous, always loud and usually delightfully indulgent and even excessive – and Georgia James are clearly the best two steakhouse concepts in the city.  Not only is the food excellent, especially the nearly unparalleled steak, but the compendious wine list is the most impressive in the city along with its sibling – and with some values, too, the acidic and tannic Burlotto Nebbiolo di Langhe 2016 for $55 that I had previously encountered at Public Services worked very well with steaks.  The wait staff here, too, is also a cut above among the local steakhouses.  The attentive, friendly and proficient service we had last night stood in stark contrast to the choppy, not-so-professional-for-the-considerable-price service I had fairly recently at Mastro’s, another upscale steakhouse.  The New York Strip and other foods were far better at Pappas Bros., too, as was the overall experience. 

If you are going to do the all-American steakhouse experience, which is always expensive, you can't beat Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston.  During Houston Restaurant Weeks, it is even somewhat of a value, all while benefiting the Houston Food Bank.  Do good while eating very well.
 
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
1200 McKinney (at San Jacinto), (713) 658-1995
5839 Westheimer (between Chimney Rock and Fountain View), (713) 780-7352
pappasbros.com

The New York Strip is more flavorful, but the filet at Pappas Bros. is about as good as it gets.

​It’s not quite fair to call The Original Fish Tacos at Berryhill a guilty pleasure, as these have long been quite good, in my opinion, and Berryhill Baja Grill Cantina – its ungainly full name these days – a commendable, comfortably casual counter service spot for generally inexpensive Mexican food that’s a little different than most local options.  I’ve been indulging in these for years at the location on 11th Street, which I often do after a haircut, as its just down the road from my longtime barber, Doug’s, formerly Doug and Don’s and Don’s before that, the barbershop in Rushmore.  There’s been comfort in the consistent quality and value in each for me.
 
The Original Fish Tacos at Berryhill consist of two or three large pieces of breaded and fried white fish placed in two soft corn tortillas and served with shredded red cabbage, a fair amount of cilantro leaves and a spiked mayonnaise sauce.   The tacos are large.  The fish is always clean-tasting, often arriving at the table piping hot from the deep fryer with the cabbage adding some firm texture to the usually crispy fish and the cilantro and sauce helping with additional complementary flavors.  I always spoon on a lot of the watery tomato-based salsa found at the condiments bar that helps some more, especially its spicy small pieces off jalapeño.  Berryhill used to use catfish but now, from all I can gather from a cashier who seems to be the manager, it is a white fish from the sea that is not tilapia.  It works well, if not as well as the catfish did.  The pieces of fish sometime become mushy a little too readily, mostly courtesy of the mayonnaise-based sauce and the addition of the salsa.  It detracts from the taco, but it’s still an enjoyable, messier dish.
 
I can’t say these tacos are in the same league as what you will find in San Diego or Ensenada, but these have been more enjoyable than the ones I’ve had up the road in Orange County at cheap chain outposts. I find that an order of two Original Fish Tacos makes for an inexpensive and quick lunch.  Two with water with tax and tip comes to $9.64 these days.  A find value that also includes chips and salsa.  The help-yourself chips found with the salsa are store-bought and really not very good even when there are no hints of the occasional staleness.  Though both the chips and are below par, I can’t help but finish a basket helping make for a properly satiating lunch.
 
There are eight Berryhill locations now.  They used to vary widely in quality.  I am not sure these days, as I’ve only been to the 11th Street location in years.  Not as interesting as satisfying as the original location in the Village many years ago, it can still be a decent stop that’s a at least a decent value.
 
Berryhill Baja Grill Cantina
702 E. 11th Street (a few blocks west of Studewood), (713) 225-2252
berryhillbajagrill.com

​One of the most anticipated, if not the most anticipated, annual area restaurant-related event began the other day on August 1, Houston Restaurant Weeks.  Running through September 2, when diners visit one of the 282 participating restaurant locations and order from the Restaurant Weeks menu that will feature a set multi-course menu with several options, the restaurant will donate $7 during dinnertime and $3 for lunch to the Houston Food Bank.  Lunches are $20 and dinners are $35 or $45, with some optional upcharges at some places.  If you don’t know, the Houston Food Bank is a rather worthwhile local charity, a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger relief charities, which happens to be the largest food bank in the country. 
 
Helping the community is rather easy, just dine out at one of the restaurants and order from the Restaurant Weeks menu.  It’s not only easy, but enjoyable.  It has resonated with locals: since Cleverley Stone started the event in 2003, it has raised well over $10 million for the Houston Food Bank.  Houston Restaurants Weeks seems to encourage people to visit restaurants, and especially restaurants that are new to them.  In addition to aiding the charity, it has definitely increased traffic for local eateries, both new and familiar.  August was once about the slowest of months for area restaurants.  No longer.  This has helped not only the bottom line for the restaurateurs but also their staffs, who are among the lowest-paid workers.
 
With so many restaurants, there is certainly plenty from which to choose.  The restaurants from Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught – Backstreet Café, Caracol, Hugo’s and Xochi – which are known for doing a very good job for Houston Restaurant Weeks, are taking part again.  Some other notables include Amalfi, Etoile, Latin Bites, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Potente, Riel, Reef, and Houston’s grand dame, Tony’s.  Do some good and have some fun, visit one of them or one of the many other participating restaurants during this next month.

A delectable dish from one of the participants, Bistro Menil

​Flying to the Chicago area last weekend, I was looking for a convenient place to meet a friend near O’Hare and ended up at a branch of Harry Caray’s, more properly Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse.  I had enjoyed trips to the original location downtown many years ago.  And, this most recent visit worked out well.  I needed some food as I waited, and my order of toasted ravioli, that deep-fried St. Louis treat, was quite tasty.  Crusty ravioli filled with a mixture of four cheeses, and served in a very pleasant, light marinara sauce.  As it turned out, my friend has had very good luck with the place for business meals, and a cousin I saw that weekend had long liked up their pastas.
 
The menu at Harry Caray’s – there are three of these in addition to their other concepts – has long-popular and more current Italian-American and Italian-themed preparations like Eggplant Parmesan, pasta alla Vodka, Shrimp Scampi, fried calamari, and a well-regarded signature Chicken Vesuvio, a Chicago Italian-American classic, along with salads, seafood, and then wet- and dry-aged steaks in filet, strip and ribeye cuts.
 
The Italian steakhouse, at least in America and at least in name, has predated Harry Caray’s use of it in recent years.  There are hardly any steakhouses in Italy, though.  Outside of the Florentines and later other Tuscans, there has been no steak tradition in Italy.  In fact, the bistecca in the famous bistecca alla fiorentina comes from the English “beefsteak” because there was no suitable Italian name for the dish. Similarly, rosbif is the Italian word for roast beef.  I was in Piedmont late last year, a region that is very proud of their beef, and asked a winemaker during long luncheon if there were steaks to be found in Piedmont – which I hadn’t encountered in two trips there – or anywhere else in Italy, in addition those Tuscan steaks.  He said that there might be a steak somewhere in the Veneto, he wasn’t exactly sure where, but that was about it.  There are plenty of steaks to be found here, of course.
 
“Being American is to eat a lot of beef steak,” as Kurt Vonnegut rightly observed, and Italian-Americans found it both profitable and enjoyable to serve steak, as have innumerable other restaurateurs over the years.  The first Italian steakhouse might have been The Palm in Manhattan that opened in the 1920s, even if it did not consciously start out as a steakhouse.   It was later joined, especially after 1990, by numerous others primarily in the Northeast and Midwest.  These served similar preparations and steaks as the typical grand American steakhouses.  What made them “Italian” was simply that the menu was filled out with a number of rote Italian-American dishes, and usually the restaurant’s full name included the phrase, “Italian Steakhouse.”
 
The phrase Italian steakhouse does make some sense in this country, even if there really is very little or no Italian heritage involved.  What it translates to is a menu of aged steaks often from the great slaughterhouses of the Midwest in familiar cuts and preparations alongside a slew of Italian-American dishes.  These have long been two of America’s favorite cuisines, after all, and what’s wrong with that?

Lunch at an actual steakhouse in Italy a few years ago

It was fifty of years ago tonight that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the moon, in case you have missed any of the considerable news surrounding the event and the slew of television shows about it.  The best of the shows I’ve seen have been the trio that aired on PBS last week, which were quite illuminating and very well-done.  I’ve also heard reminisces from my folks who remembered quite vividly watching it and where: Praha, a Czech restaurant and bar in the Yorkville section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  My Mom remembered drinking White Russians, appropriately or not.
 
There are certainly no memories of the moon landing for me, but all of the publicity around it has made me remember the trips to the Johnson Space Center as a kid.  I loved heading there.  This was before the creation of Space Center Houston, which I found that to be far less enjoyable visit.  Back then at the Johnson Space Center, you could walk through the actual Mission Control.  Sometimes, if things were slow with a not so important mission, they would let a couple of us kids to play with the controls.  They also had a lot of moon rocks lying around, too, and I seem to remember that they let us touch and play with those.  I don’t what I did with the one that might have ended up in my pocket, though.  It’s probably worth something today. 
 
We were treated to lunar buggy races, test of the in-development ray guns – created in case those Ruskies tried anything on the upcoming international space station – and we got to see a couple of the Martians walking around the campus who used to hang out there.  One December visit we were serenaded by a group of old rocket engineers with at least a couple songs including “O Tannenbaum.”  Another, that they sang more heartily could well have been a Party song, as I later realized that they were part of Werner von Braun’s team.  They were nice old Nazis, in any case.
 
As interesting as all this was, best of all, there was all you could drink Tang, the drink of the astronauts.  My memory could be a little faulty about all this.  Except for the great taste of Tang….well, for a kid.

It was almost exactly twenty years ago today, in July of 1999, that I started work on the first edition of Houston Dining on the Cheap and began to become a professional food writer.  The local restaurant scene was much different then than it is today.  In a forlorn bookshelf at home I spotted a copy of Zagat’s 1999 guide to Houston, which can help provide some perspective.  Zagat’s top restaurant was Deville, a French concept in the Four Seasons, followed by Rotisserie for Beef & Bird, Chez Nous, Café Annie, La Reserve that was in the Omni, Mark’s and Brennan’s.  Four of the top seven were French-themed; I am not sure if Houston was ever a great city for French food.  Another top-rated one was unapologetically Continental, a description that no longer applies to any local restaurant.  The best Mexican and Tex-Mex options were deemed to be Otilia’s and Pico’s and, quite oddly, Little Pappasito’s.  The top Chinese restaurants included Empress up in Champions Village, Hunan and Shanghai River, though laudably, Fung’s Kitchen, too.  Chinatown was much smaller and terra incognito for nearly all Houston diners back then.  And hardly any of the Italian restaurants listed actually served Italian food.
 
In those two decades, the dining landscape of Houston has changed quite a bit, nearly all for the better.  In short, the Houston restaurant scene has improved in every regard than how it was twenty years ago: the food is better and usually more interesting at restaurants, there are many more enticing dining establishments, with a good deal more worthwhile choices in a greater range of cuisines and concepts, and with much wider and better beverage options.  I can’t think of any type of restaurant that’s not as good as it was a couple of decades ago.  Many of these trends are national; a fair number of them are designed to increase the size of the check.  Caviar service, anyone?  With all the changes, a few things have stayed pretty much the same: a level of casualness continues, more so than other top restaurant cities, most likely because the frequent heat and humidity; the level of service remains functional at best at the vast majority of restaurants; and Houstonians still love, love, love steak.
 
Below are the most notable changes to me since I’ve been writing about Houston restaurants.
 
On the plates

• Diversity – Houston chefs have much more fully embraced the diversity of the local dining scene, incorporating a range of influences, cuisines and ingredients found in the Houston area.  This trend is seemingly found at nearly every restaurant that does not have a defined cuisine.  Looking at a recent menu from Riel, a restaurant I like, you’ll find chimichurri sauce, Chinese sausage, kimchi, soba noodles, béarnaise sauce, and mascarpone among the components shown.
• Small plates – The advent of small-plate and sharable dining in recent years, for better or worse.  Though not unusual across the country, it stood out in contrast with New Orleans, where I went for a couple eating trips in the past year or so.
• Local foods – There has been a much greater emphasis on local and regional food sourcing, usually resulting in tastier items on the plates.  The names of nearby farms and ranches are often displayed on menus proudly asserting provenance.
• Humanely raised meats – Along with the more locally sourced products, the meats are often from animals raised without hormones and without constrained quarters.
• Better burgers – The past decade has witnessed the appearance of often-excellent burgers at nice restaurants.  This time has also seen the advent of quality counter-service national chains.  Both welcome occurrences, if not for my cholesterol level and waistline.

 
On the menus

• More and better wine – Wine lists have gotten much longer and much more interesting, with best wine lists having a mostly European in focus.
• Craft cocktails – Cocktails have become a lot more serious, and a lot better. 
• Better beer, too – Well, at least more beer options, mostly from local small breweries.
• More booze – Hand-in-hand with growth in cocktails, the range of spirits have gotten much broader, with much more expensive choices.
• More steak options –There is now a larger – and much pricier – range of steak options including American Wagyu, the famed Japanese breed and steaks from true Kobe beef, and even the most-prized and expensive grade, A5.  To give just one example from an upscale steakhouse, B+B Butchers sells a cut of steak from Hyogo Prefecture in Japan from “100% Tajima cattle, the rarest and most exclusive beef in the world” it proclaims.  Four ounces will set you back $220.
• More crawfish – Crawfish is far more widely found than it once was.  I was part of a group that held the very first crawfish boil at the West Alabama Ice House in the mid-1990s, which was deemed as rather exotic.  Now, there seems to be one there every weekend during crawfish season along with about every low-key bar with a substantial patio.  Then there is even Vietnamese crawfish that has drawn national attention.
• And, more money needed to order from the menu – Dining is generally more expensive, even factoring in the effects of inflation.  Two give a couple of examples, a burger and fries at a non-fast-food restaurant twenty years ago cost me $6.60 on average and a plate of brisket at a barbecue joint was just $7.60.  If the prices had followed the annual rate of inflation since then, I should have expected to pay $10 and $11.50, respectively.  Those same meals in the past year have cost me an average of $14.30 for the burger and fries and $17.50 for the barbecue.  Beef has gotten much pricier since then, especially brisket, but also it’s gotten considerably more expensive to operate a restaurant inside the Loop.

 
On the town

• It’s just better eating – As I mentioned above, the restaurant scene has gotten better in nearly every regard than it was twenty years ago.  There are better restaurants in every category now than compared with twenty years ago and what is on the plate is typically tastier because of the ingredients that are better and the greater skill and imagination of the kitchen staffs involved.
• Gotten noticed – Houston has received deserved national attention for its dining.  One indicator of that is now each year at least one Houston restaurant will be listed among the best new restaurants in the country.  And Chris Shepherd was recently proclaimed the best chef in the world by one publication.
• Chefs as the reason to visit – Who is the kitchen has been why many people decide to visit a particular restaurant.  A Chris Shepherd, Manabu Horiuchi or Bryan Caswell or that a new executive chef who worked for them now heading a kitchen is a how many people choose where to dine.  In that Zagat guide from last year of the last century, the phrase ‘celebrity chef’ hadn’t been coined.  There was probably only a few who would have earned that accolade back then, and Robert Del Grande and Mark Cox were about the only two who drew diners.  They still do today, sort of.
• Captivating ‘cue – Barbecue has gotten a lot better since the opening of Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland in early 2014.  Now the list of terrific barbecue includes Pinkerton’s, The Pit Room, Truth, Blood Bros., and Roegels to name just the best ones.
• Close-in Chinese – Authentic Chinese food has become available inside the Loop, most notably with Pepper Twins and Mala Sichuan, but also Wanna Bao and Spicy Girl.  Though I’m most concerned about inside the Loop, where I live and work, high-quality and truly Chinese food can be found in many parts of the city now, including Sugar Land and in Humble, near the airport, where my boss from China has raved about the a place there that serves the best Peking duck in the area, a recommendation the Chronicle recently seconded.  Chinese influence has greatly expanded in the past twenty years.
• Upscale Mexican – Mexican food has found nicer, more authentic and proficient outposts, led by Hugo Ortega and his team’s trio of Hugo’s, Caracol and Xochi.  Pico’s – which is better than it ever was in the years it was on Bellaire Boulevard – Saltillo and Cuchara are three more, plus several nicely affordable counter-service spots, 100% Taquito, Mexico’s Deli and Polanquito, to name a few.
• Truly Italian today – Italian, more truly Italian, has become much more widespread, if not widespread.
• Superior fare from the sub-continent – Better and more upscale Indian options like Kiran’s and Surya and the more casual but immensely enjoyable Pondicheri; and then there’s the even the much more casual Himalaya.
• Heights on the rise – The rise of interesting dining options in the Heights has been very welcome.  Squable, Better Luck Tomorrow, Calle Onze, Fields and Tides, and Eight Row Flint are places that are worth the drive.  I’m still bummed about the failure of Hunky Dory, Bernadine’s and Foreign Correspondents, though.
• Chinatown expanded – Chinatown has expanded and with a good deal more options than there were in the past, and now includes various regional Chinese cuisines, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese and savory, sweet, full-service, counter-service to name an incomplete list of them.
• Valets – Valet-parking at nice restaurants has become the norm, not the exception, as the city’s center has become much more populated.  But, far less diners need parking today with the advent of the ride-sharing services.

 
On the minds (and at the fingertips) of the diners

• Smarter patrons – Diners have become more knowledgeable about food, wine and dining in general.  This has made them more demanding and the Houston restaurant scene even better.
• Smart phones and social media – Social media and smart phones have helped to popularize restaurants and dishes that can beautifully photographed here, there and everywhere.
• Weaponized diners – Diners have a weapon against restaurants that don’t live up to their expectations with Yelp and other platforms.
• More tipping – The expected amount of tipping has increased from 15% to 20%, all while restaurants typically pay there wait staff just $2.13 an hour, a wage that has not changed in years.

 
I’m sure that I’ve forgotten more than one significant item, like delivery services, but this article is already long enough.

One of the artful presentations at Shun, on Shepherd.

​The gin-and-tonic is so very well-suited to Houston’s often hot and humid weather, which lasts for nearly half the year here.  It’s cool with plentiful ice and refreshing with the crisp-tasting and effervescent tonic water – engendering a relaxed feeling because of the complementary, smooth- and usually dry-tasting London-bred booze – and nicely bolstered by a bit of fresh citrus, is easy to drink when even not-so-well-made.
 
The cocktail has the added benefit that the recipe is pretty much in its name if sans lime.  Along with the rum-and-Coke and Jack-and-Coke, it’s the about simplest drink to concoct at home.
 
And gin-and-tonics have gotten better in recent years, part of the advent of the craft cocktail movement that began here a decade ago.  The biggest reason has gotten much tastier is because of the availability of high-quality commercial tonic water, most notably the Fever Tree brand, which is found in most even somewhat serious bars serving cocktails these days.  As Justin Vann, a proprietor of the excellent Public Services downtown mentioned to me after I complemented him on the tastiness of their gin-and-tonic that it’s mostly in the quality of the tonic water, as the drink is mostly tonic water, after all.
 
But, the best gin-and-tonics I’ve ever had have been at BCN, the upscale Spanish restaurant in Montrose.  The offer about twenty different versions these days, half seasonal, using various gins and tonic waters, all of which I’ve had or sampled have been terrific, including a few recently.  The Spanish have done wonders in advancing the range and palatability of the gin-and-tonic.  This seems to have begun around fifteen years ago or so, possibly in reaction to the influx of British tourists to Spain.  I don’t really know, but I certainly enjoy the result.  Aromatics in the form of herbs and citrus play a big role in BCN’s creations like prominent sprigs of rosemary and strips or pieces of lemon or another citrus.  On my last visit I had a summer offering made with blood oranges that had a red hue and drank quickly coming in from the hot sun, another with Fever Tree Elderflower tonic water, lavender grapes, lemon and thyme, and the Mediterranean featuring Gin Mare, Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic water, rosemary, olives, and sea salt.  BCN pours only part of the small bottle of the tonic water into the glass to start and you can add more along the way.  This actually makes the drink more enjoyable as you consume more of it, even as the percent of alcohol in each sip diminishes. 
 
Though the gin-and-tonics taste very good no matter where you sit at BCN, if you can grab one of the nine seats at the bar, you can interact with an excellent bartender, which can add to the visit.  They do an exceptional job.
 
If you need any further reason to consume also drink gin-and-tonics, think about your health.  You surely don’t want to get malaria; the quinine in the tonic water has prophylactic properties against malaria, which is why the British created the cocktail in the first place.  And the cheap gin tasted much better mixed with the tonic water and chilled in the very tropical climate of southern India.  We can believe that the cocktail tastes far better today with much better gin and, more so, much better tonic water.  Add to that inspired creations like you find at BCN, it’s a reason for celebration.
 
BCN
4210 Roseland (near the intersection of Montrose and Richmond), 77006, (832) 834-3411
bcnhouston.com

​By the end of my first trip to Italy many years ago and what proved true in a few subsequent trips, especially in the inexpensive trattorie and osterie that I was visiting, is that with the complimentary bread on the table that’s the custom there, the better the bread, the better the restaurant.  This also proved very true here in Houston during the past week. 
 
In the last several days, for some reason, I’ve had a few meals in Italian-themed restaurants.  First, the new, self-proclaimed Italian-American B.B. Italia in the former longtime home of Carmelo’s on the west side, then the original Carrabba’s on Kirby, which I hadn’t visited in at least a couple of years, and yesterday, Nundini Chef’s Table that is set gloomily in the midst of a windowless retail space.  The bread at B.B. Italia, a small, noticeably fresh, somewhat spherical boule, was fairly mediocre, not nearly as good as the breads later at the original Carrabba’s and Nundini.  And, the food, too, at B.B. Italia was not nearly as tasty, which is an understatement.
 
It’s not surprising that the bread at Carrabba’s was better than at B.B. Italia.  Proprietor Johnny Carrabba bought Common Bond, the city’s best commercial baker, back in 2016.  At lunch at Carrabba’s, the basket of very crusty white bread – that tasted like it was probably even leftover from the previous night’s service – and a brown roll both did excellent work sopping up the olive oil and dipping sauce and then leftover tomato sauce from my pasta dish. The soft squares of the pre-pranzo focaccia at Nundini, if not tasting of coming from Common Bond, was also enjoyable, and better.
 
Though the bread at B.B. Italia might have been disappointing, I didn’t realize right away that it would be a harbinger for the rest of the meal.  That was quick to prove true with the simple Caesar salad that was basically just cut up romaine lettuce, heavily white and pale green, in a straightforward dressing dotted with lame, unevenly and often barely cooked croutons – not helped by the bread, of course.  It wasn’t bad, but measured up poorly to about any version of the salad I’ve had in memory.  The pasta dish I ordered was necessarily better, but also below-par of what you would expect at a restaurant, at least what I would expect.
 
It was the Grandma’s Ravioli, ravioli filled oddly with short rib stuffing, and served with what is described as mushroom Marsala ragù.  Though the pasta shell was actually pretty decent, the filling of minced beef and, more so, the sauce, a thin bit of Marsala wine with mushrooms about, not a ragù at all, tasted discordant to me and made the dish much less than the sum of its parts.  Plentiful grated Parmesan (or maybe it was Parmigiano) could not help too much.  The sauce tasted to be, basically, just quickly cooked cheap Marsala.  My dining companion also had a pasta dish, ravioli topped with a pesto.  That pesto was an overly liquid-y version that tasted almost solely of basil; the pine nuts and taste of cheese was entirely missing.  We agreed that their pesto tasted nothing like that made in its home of Liguria or in the neighboring regions where it is also found; also, a far cry than what I make at home with a mortar and pestle.  It was also not nearly well-done as the version I just had with similarly properly prepared potato gnocchi Nundini, which was appropriately more viscous and richer, more flavorful with evident pine nuts and cheese in the mix.
 
B.B. Italia seems to be playing at Italian-American food.  Both the dishes and the concept seemed to be artifice to me.  What I experienced there was the antithesis of soulful food.  None of this would have mattered too much at B.B. Italia if the food was very good, or good, but it was not.  It was a far cry that the food that I had at Carrabba’s on Kirby the other day.  Maybe it’s not surprising, given that Carrabba’s on Kirby and Voss – not the chain outposts, of course – have long been judicious and often eminently enjoyable destinations for well-made, sometimes upscale Italian-American cooking with a local bent.  I had ravioli at Carrabba’s, too.  It was far better.
 
I have to state that I found the name of Grandma’s Ravioli for what I ordered at B.B. Italia as rather ridiculous, even pandering, as it alludes to the fact that it might have been something a typical Italian-American matriarch might have regularly cooked for the Sunday lunch.  Not so.  The ravioli dishes cooked by the Italian-Americans here were ricotta-stuffed and served in a tomato sauce.  No one cooked ravioli that with minced beef short ribs.  This is just made up.  Then came the ravioli filled with ground meat that were long a staple at Italian-American restaurants.  A well-made version of this, featuring distinctively large rectangle of pasta, is what I had at Carrabba’s.
 
And there were other disconcerting signs at B.B. Italia, in addition to the not-so-great food.  Service, though friendly, was not terribly professional.  The service specifically at the bar, we had wine sold to us as 9-ounces that looked and drank very suspiciously like 6-ounce pours in every other establishment in the city – I usually order a few glasses of wine out each week.  Thinking wine, the restaurant sports a very limited and largely uninteresting wine list for wine list, but which of the three of the wines we ordered were out that night.  I can’t recall that I’ve ever been to a restaurant where a trio of the wines were not available; a very high percentage for B.B. Italia.
 
As disappointing as the visit to B.B. Italia was, I feel the need to give it at least another try.  It had only been open for a month or so, and drawing a final judgement so quickly is not fair and possibly not accurate.  And, with as the owners also have a steakhouse, I have hope that the meat preparations are much better than the couple of dishes that I had.
 
Carrabba’s, The Original
3115 Kirby (between W. Alabama and Richmond), 77098, (713) 522-3131
1399 S. Voss (at Woodway), 77057, (713) 468-0868
carrabbasoriginal.com
 
Nundini Chef’s Table
500 N. Shepherd (north of I-10), 77007, (713) 861-6331
chefstable.nundini.com

A tasty version of ravioli, at Carrabba's on Kirby, showered with plentiful Parmigiano.

I was reminded to revisit this after having a desultory version of the margherita pizza the other day at Laurenzo’s, a place I generally like.  It just confirmed that the most important thing that I learned after eating close to one hundred margherita pizzas mostly in Houston for my more fatuous than fun Margherita Pizza Project over the past three years is that if you see “margherita pizza” on a menu, don’t order it.  The Project was illuminating, if ultimately quite disappointing. 
 
Most margherita pizzas to found in the Houston area, the vast majority in fact, are lousy: tasteless at best, and exposing cardboard-tasting crusts and cheap, worthless slices of tomatoes at worst, with far too many featuring cheap, industrial-quality mozzarella that adds very little to the enjoyment of the pizza.
 
The margherita pizza is very simple – it’s just tomato sauce that’s usually uncooked, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves atop a pizza crust that has been quickly baked – but that simplicity is a big obstacle for most restaurants to overcome in making a good margherita pizza.  A margherita puts a premium on the quality of the few ingredients, which have no place to hide, and the crust, which should be fairly soft and tasty, playing a bigger role than in most pizzas as there are fewer components.  And most local versions are lacking a taste of freshness, a vibrancy, that a good margherita pizza should have.
 
Some other things I’ve learned:

• Definitely do not order one if it is spelled “margarita” on the menu, a sure sign that the restaurant does not know what it is doing with this pizza.  You'd be surprised how often margarita finds its way from the drinks section.
• Be very way if you see tomatoes as one of the ingredients.  A proper margherita uses tomato sauce, which will seep into the crust and complement the cheese.  Tomato slices don’t have enough moisture to do that, and most tomatoes used in inexpensive and moderately priced Houston restaurants are terrible.  There are exceptions like the ones at Amalfi, which leads to another important takeaway:
• Restaurants serving Italian-themed food, especially those with roots in or inclinations to the Naples area, the birthplace of pizza and the margherita, are about the only places you should order a margherita pizza.

 
If you are thinking about ordering a margherita pizza in the future, you’ve now been warned.

Dolce Vita actually has a margherita pizza that you should order.

​Fried chicken and champagne make for a wonderful combination, especially when the “champagne” is actually champagne.  I recently had Camille Saves Carte Blanche with a few pieces of Original Recipe picked up from the Colonel that helped make for an enjoyable meal.  Beginning this Sunday, June 23, for just $50 Punk’s Simple Southern Food in the Rice Village will be serving all-you-can-eat fried chicken and all-you-can-drink – within reason, I imagine – Veuve Cliquot Brut.  That’s the famous yellow labeled champagne that is medium-bodied with a welcome fresh taste featuring brioche and fruit notes, and which is always crowd-pleaser. 
 
For me, Punk’s serves the most satisfying food of the several Clark Cooper Concepts restaurants.  Their fried chicken is well-regarded, even if it might not be the best fried chicken in America or the best fried chicken in the world that I heard an overly aggressive (and intrusive) waiter exclaim in quick succession there the other day.  It’s quite good, though.  And will likely be even better with a glass or several more of a fine champagne.  Along with the fried chicken and bubbles, these meals include mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and banana pudding to finish.
 
Reservations are required for these dinners, which will be every Sunday from 4:00 to 9:00.  Also, it will end up being more than $50 before tax and gratuity as the champagne refills will be charged a cent per refill, likely due to one of the strange TABC rules.  It’s still quite a deal as Veuve Clicquot is not only a very good champagne but typically retails between $45 and $55 per bottle.  The only real downside to this meal is that your champagne glass will necessarily a bit sticky when accompanying fried chicken.  A minor drawback, I believe.
 
Punk’s Simple Southern Food
5212 Morningside (between Dunstan and Rice), 77005, (713) 524-7865
punkssimplesouthernfood.com

​Though dining in Houston is more expensive than ever, especially inside the Loop where rents and property taxes have increased along with the increased population and business density in recent years, there are still some very good dining values to be found.  The best values don’t mean the cheapest joints, but are those that provide the best food for a fair price, while often times cheap is just cheap. 
 
Aladdin – Picking up a tray and gazing across the partition into an expanse of enticing, mostly vegetarian preparations – roughly 30 items most lunchtimes well beyond the two types of creamy and delectable hummus and baba ganoush – is just a preface to an enjoyable and very affordable meal, as the dishes often taste even better than they look.  A well-cooked meat like chicken shawarma, lamb gyro or one of the day’s stews, comes with three sides on filling platter for just $12.99 and usually a dollar cheaper during lunch.  Not only the best value Middle Eastern restaurant, Aladdin is also one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Houston (at least those without One Fifth in the name).  912 Westheimer (at Montrose), 77006, (713) 942-2321
 
Café TH – Set in a humble, tiny strip center in EaDo, the neighborhood has changed into a destination in the dozen years since Café TH has been around.  The restaurant has grown, too, but continues to serve well-made and flavorful, familiar Vietnamese fare and a little more with some personality and noticeable friendliness.  And along with prices that are more than reasonable for the quality of the fare.  The inexpensive banh mi – a large is $4 for lunch and $5 at dinnertime – can be considered among the best in town.  There is no alcohol served, but BYOB is welcome and the corkage fee is just $5, helping make for an even more enjoyable dinner, or even lunch.  2108 Pease (between St. Emmanuel and Hutchins) 77003, (713) 225-4766

Giacomo’s – This comfortable and eminently enjoyable River Oaks spot is a casual Italian restaurant done right, or an appealing neighborhood restaurant of any stripe done right.  The well-executed fare is vibrant, light on its feet, and properly evoking Italy, often with dishes inspired from proprietor Lynette Hawkins’s days growing up in Rome and Tuscany.  There are not too many items over $20 and there are plenty of preparations that are meant to share.  And, its list of nearly all-Italian wines – interesting, well-selected and very affordable – is the best value wine list in the city, and one of the best places in which to indulge.  It’s tough to leave here without a smile on your face.  3215 Westheimer (at Bammel Lane), 77098, (713) 522-1934

Istanbul Grill – Essentially next door to The Ginger Man, this is yet another reason to brave the traffic and parking travails in the Village with its interesting, well-prepared Turkish food in a pleasant, informal setting, often lively atmosphere, and noticeably friendly and eager service.  Many of their traditional Turkish items are baked in a traditional brick oven that is evident in the somewhat open kitchen, including the distinctive Turkish pizzas that can provide a filling meal for $10-$13.  The kabob platters are a great value here, easily worth the $12.90 tariff for the beef and lamb doner kabob and $14.90 for the lash shish kabob.  The portions are generous and served with a large amount of moist rice and grilled tomatoes and bell peppers.  Warm, house-made pide bread nicely complements every table that didn’t order a sandwich.  And these sandwiches are fine values, running from $7.50 to $8.50 in eight different decent-sized versions, with meat or falafel between two pieces of the pide.  5613 Morningside (just north of University), 77005, (713) 526-2800

La Guadalupana – Though not much to look at, and really not much at all in terms of size, La Guadalupana Bakery & Café on Dunlavy is nonetheless an excellent neighborhood place for a pleasing Mexican meal, or to grab some attractive and scrumptious pastries that are well beyond the typical local panaderia and some coffee to go with them. The dumpy and nearly always messy little dining room has become more crowded in the past few years as the the increasing number of nearby residents have discovered the considerable charms of the inexpensive breakfast and lunch spot.  These include lighter-than-typical enchiladas verdes or poblano enchiladas – with a proprietor from Puebla, the mole poblano are worth ordering – or the terrific stewed pork slathered in a verdant spicy salsa, asado de puerco.  For the mornings or weekends, their breakfast tacos are among the best in the area.  2100 Dunlavy (between Fairview and West Gray) 77019, (713) 522-2301

Laredo Taqueria – The lines running out the door of this air conditioned taco stand on Washington Avenue from about 11AM to 1PM and often beyond, are a testament to its popularity which derives in large part because of healthy-sized tacos on fresh flour tortillas that are just $2.50 after another price increase.  Three is enough for most, and four for a gluttonous meal.  Never mind the occasional piece of cartilage or gristle, as these are never enough to ruin a taco.  The locations on the near north side are more consistent, especially the one on Patton, but this location is far more convenient for most.  915 Snover (on Washington east of Shepherd), 77007, (713) 861-7279; 311 Patton (at Fulton), 77009, (713) 695-0504; 115 Cavalcade (just east of I-45), 77009, (713) 213-9087
 
Pappa Geno’s – Easily the best of the local cheesesteak options, including an outpost of Tony Luke’s, regarded by some as the best purveyor in the City of Brotherly Love.  The sandwiches at Pappa Geno’s, a small local chain, are large and feature fresh, soft rolls; good bread a necessity for a good sandwich, after all.  The thinly sliced seasoned beef is tender and flavorful and well complemented by the plentiful melted provolone and nearly caramelized onions that come with it in their basic Pappa Geno’s Steak & Cheese sandwich.  The ingredients might not have the provenance of those on many upscale restaurants here, but they are more than good enough and work wonderfully together.  A cheesesteak sandwich here is a nearly glorious, very messy and caloric indulgence that is far from artful in appearance or construction but tastes better than most of the much fancier sandwiches around, not just its cheesesteak competitors.  In all, Pappa Geno’s has seven versions of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich plus five others with the less flavorful chicken. 515 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (281) 501-3664; 1801 Ella (at TC Jester), 77008, (713) 863-1222
 
Pepper Twins – Now a mini-chain with a half-dozen locations serving authentic Sichuan cooking, which is seemingly China’s favorite regional cuisine, and a favorite of Houston diners in recent years.  The W. Gray and Kirby spots are the best locations and feature better ingredients than the typical local Chinese eatery, including many organic; the chicken is antibiotic-free and humanely raised from Springer Mountain Farms, the pork is from heritage Berkshire stock.  This makes a discernible difference in the dishes.  There are even lamb preparations among the nearly fifty items, many feature chiles or Sichuan peppercorns, the latter of which are used judiciously.  Service here is Chinese style: the dishes come to the table with no fuss and nearly everything is meant to be shared.  Popular since its opening, the dining rooms are often filled with Chinese nationals and those who just enjoy top-notch Sichuan fare for reasonable prices. 1915 W Gray (just west of Dunlavy), 77019, (346) 204-5644; 3915 Kirby (just off the Southwest Freeway feeder), 77098, (346) 444-6493; 315 Fairview (just west of Taft), 77006, (832) 649-7175

Thien An – The familiar local Vietnamese menu including spring and fried egg rolls, banh mi, rice plates, vermicelli bowls, and pho is provided here.  It’s just done noticeably better than most other places, and not just budget options.  The banh mi are one highlight, especially for the local favorite, the char-grilled pork (all the way to $3.75 now), since the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful, nestled along with the expected fresh, texture-providing accompaniments in a local-standard short Vietnamese baguette that is properly crusty and airy.  The no-nonsense setting is usually deservedly packed during the lunchtime hours and provides an appropriate place for a tasty and cheap meal.  2611 San Jacinto (just south of McGowen), 77004, (713) 522-7007

Uberrito – The former Mission Burritos is down to just one location inside the loop, but their build-it-yourself burritos on giant 13” tortillas featuring a choice among now eight proteins or vegetables as a centerpiece are also much tastier than the similar competitors as are the “Ten Tasty Tacos,” which really are quite tasty, too.  A bit of the creamy Serrano Ranch salsa seems to help with most burritos and tacos.  The burritos are still large here, though maybe not as protein-packed as the in past, which is probably a good thing for most.  These are still cheap, too, starting at under $8, and even cheaper on Mondays when the chicken burritos are just $5.  They also serve burrito bowls and salads, too, so your more calorically conscious co-workers can also dine here without too much fret.  1609 Durham (just south of I-10), 77007, (713) 426-6634 
​
The Döner or Gyro Sandwich at Istanbul Grill today

​Reef has just reopened after the damage it suffered from Hurricane Harvey, if not quite completely.  There is service in the bar area for dinner and, beginning today, lunch.  The main dining room still needs to be furnished and I was told that that should be ready in a couple of weeks for patrons.  I’m very happy that the Gulf seafood-centric Reef is finally open again, as it had been one of my favorite local restaurants.  Given the recent and sudden closings of Pass & Provisions and Canopy and the announcement that Indika will be shuttering at the end of June, it’s nice to have former top eatery – with one of the city’s top chefs working in the kitchen, Bryan Caswell – getting back into the game.
 
I visited the other night and necessarily having to sit in the bar on a Friday night, it seemed appropriate to have a Martini to start.  Among the several cocktails on the relatively short beverage list, each for the short price of just $8, was the Gin Martini, which I ordered.  No questions were asked about type of gin or garnish and a few minutes later a familiar, long-stemmed Martini glass was placed in front of me, dripping with condensation that was filled just with a clear liquid punctuated by some small pieces of ice floating top but unmarred by any garnish.
 
Though missing a cocktail olive or two (or three) skewered by a toothpick, this was the Martini you would have received at any decent establishment in Houston over the years until the advent of the craft cocktail movement and discovery of the qualities of quality and unspoiled vermouth in less than the past decade.  This was gin, pure and simple, served straight-up in a Martini glass.  At Reef it was very readily consumable Bombay Sapphire Gin that was shaken until very cold and poured alone into a frozen Martini glass.  No vermouth.  Certainly not a single dash of bitters.  I like vermouth to be a part of my Martinis, but this drink was very enjoyable, and refreshing coming in on a warm and muggy evening.  It was tough not to consume it too quickly, and I still had to look at the food menu.  The palatability of the Bombay Sapphire was the biggest reason why this Martini went down so easily, but being served into a glass pulled from a freezer was another significant reason.  Very cold gin tastes better than just cold gin, after all.
 
Reef
2600 Travis (at McGowen), 77006, (713) 526-8282
reefhouston.com

​American in this case means North American, and the beer is La Fin du Monde from Quebec’s Unibroue brewery.  I was reminded about the beer last night as it caught my eye on the list of bottled beers.  After pouring most of the contents of into the tulip-shaped glass, its wonderful aroma, redolent of hops with pleasant citrus notes, was hard to miss.  Though the beer had obviously been sitting around for a while and its flavors were quite dulled, the reminder of what it had been was quite strong.
 
La Fin du Monde is a Belgian-style tripel ale that I believe is one of the top beers brewed either here and by our neighbors to the north, and in the same league as the very best beers of this type from Belgium.  The tripel refers to a strong, pale yellow-colored beer that’s generally dry-tasting brewed in the style of the Tripel of the famed Westmalle Trappist brewery in Flemish Belgium, which originated the style in the early 1930s.
 
Described by the brewer, fairly accurately – though necessarily corrected to the more proper U.S. American grammar:
 
“La Fin du Monde is…a deluxe beer made by triple fermentation and a unique way of straining the yeast. This method produces an unexpectedly subtle flavor. With its champagne-like effervescence, it has a vigorous presence in the mouth, which accentuates its strong personality. Slightly tart, with the balanced flavors of wild spices, malt and hops….”
 
My former next-door neighbor, a well-traveled Belgian beer aficionado, certified beer judge, and unrepentant hop-head, introduced this brewery and this beer to me years ago, claiming it as one of the highest quality versions of this style made in the world.  He was absolutely right, as he usually is about Belgian-style beers, and La Fin du Monde has stood up very well in at least a couple of tastings with numerous Belgian and Belgian-style beers that I’ve helped to coordinate. 
 
Though complex and a very serious beer, it is probably more approachable than many other high alcohol beers.  La Fin du Monde is 9% alcohol by volume.  This is due to its subtle hop characteristics and slight sweetness.  Medium-bodied, it is a nicely well-balanced and flavorful beer that is obviously extremely well-made.  And, with its refinement, it can be a gateway beer for those uninitiated to the wonders of strong Belgian-style beers.  
 
As for the name, which means “the end of the world” in French; “This beer is brewed to honor of the great explorers, who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America.”  For what that’s worth.  More so, “La Fin du Monde” sounds cool to pronounce, especially after a beer or two, even in terrible French like mine.

At a tasting the other week, I was surprised to learn that Moscato d’Asti, the naturally sparkling, agreeably sweet white wine from northwestern Italy, is actually a fairly versatile beverage.  I thought that I had known a fair amount about the wine, as my understanding and appreciation of it had grown with a trip the Asti area late last year as a guest, in part, of the Moscato d’Asti consortium.  The wine’s sweetness, up to around 130 grams of residual sugar -- which is quite a lot – makes it a natural choice in its home area to pair with desserts, fruit at the end of the meal, or just as dessert itself.  And, it can make for a very pleasant coda to an evening meal, with or without accompaniment. 
 
It was posited early in the recent tasting that Moscato d’Asti can work well as an aperitif, too.  I initially thought that it was an odd sentiment given the comparative sweetness of the wine.  Like a lot of people, I often enjoy a bit of bitterness in libations before dinner to help further whet the appetite (not that I usually need much help).  But, at the tasting the evident sugar in Moscato d’Asti helped it pair very well with the excellent salumi that had been plated for us; and prosciutto and salame that are popular picks for pre-dinner snacks, both in Italy and when I entertain.  That the Moscato d’Asti worked with the salty or piquant slices was just like the off-dry amabile version of Lambrusco is the preferred wine of the locals to drink with the cured meats in Parma and environs.  I had confirmed that this past summer while there; it seemed rude not to consume at least a half-kilo of prosciutto di Parma and culatello while in Parma.
 
The make-up of Moscato d’Asti, not only its relative sweetness but also its low amount of alcohol, just around 5%, also helps make it an appropriate starter here with our heat and humidity.  Moscato d’Asti can be light and fairly refreshing on our many, many warm days   A touch of sweetness goes well with warmth.  Though carrying a lot of sugar, Moscato d’Asti is also quite acidic. This acidity dampens the impact of that sugar while making the wines seem fresher and also work better with a big range of foods, including the prosciutto.  There is sweetness but it’s in balance with other aspects of the wine, making it more useful and enjoyable.
 
So, Moscato d’Asti really is something to consider before dinner here.  And, after dinner, too, of course.  It also has the added benefit of being quite affordable: a good bottle can easily be found for $15 to $20.
 

​The Moscato d'Asti went well with this cake, but it can work well before the cake, too.

Sandwiches, often with chips, are frequently the default lunchtime food.  They’re quick, cheap, easily portable and usually satisfying.  Not to mention, sandwich chains are a popular franchise opportunity, as you can tell from looking at nearly every busy street corner; new ones are popping up all the time.  With usually less-than-robust sizes for both the sandwiches and the accompanying chips, there is noticeable profit here.  Though the best sandwiches are from local places, and often those that are far removed from the simple sandwich shop, when in a pinch for something quick, easy and inexpensive, below are the favorites among the chains, even if I think none of the national efforts are really that great, or worse, including the one I had for lunch today (that didn't make this list).
 
Antone's Famous Po’ Boys – 3 area locations – You are better served going to the two shops sharing the Antone’s legacy, Angelo’z or Paulie’s Poboys, but these can be fine for a decent, quick lunch.  Their fresh buns – when ordered from one of the shops not picked up in a grocery store refrigerator – are distinctively a tad dry and slightly crunchy, and the pre-prepared versions are available in a handful of variations including the classic Italian-oriented Original, roast beef, tuna salad, and the unique Piggy.  Each is served, in minimalist fashion, only with thin pickle slices, and hot chow chow, a piquant mixture of pickled cabbage, onions, sweet peppers and paprika.  In addition to these legacy Houston favorites, there are also other options including hot sandwiches.
 
Brown Bag Deli – 4 area locations – This suitably casual, but bright and efficient concept for well prepared cold sandwiches is another winner from the folks who own Barnaby’s and Luna Pizzeria.  Featuring entirely a design-it-yourself concept with choices for bread, meats, cheeses, and condiments shown on brown bags cutely affixed to clipboards.  The breads are slightly sweet and always fresh, and a good starting point.  The “meats”, or rather sandwich fillings, are slightly eclectic, and top-notch, and there should be one for nearly every local palate.
 
Jason’s Deli – 7 area locations – Soups, salads, pastas and even gluten-free and vegan options these days, but the heart of the menu are the several types of warmed sandwiches including their take on the muffaletta, that New Orleans classic that pairs well with the Sicilian heritage of the founder and the tastes of many of us in southeast Texas, and the reason for a trip here.
 
Jersey Mike's – 18 area locations – Laudably using New Jersey Italian-American sub shops as their model, their classic, tidy cold sandwiches feature rolls that are advertised as being baked in house, quality cold cuts and cheeses finished with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, vinegar and olive oil.  There are also hot subs, wraps, salads, and giant-sized sandwiches available at this basic sandwich stops.
 
Lee's Sandwiches – 1 area location – This Vietnamese sandwich chain from California might not craft banh mi as tasty as the homegrown options, but this slick operation have their charms, especially the airy 10,000 square foot space in the heart of Chinatown.  Their Vietnamese sandwiches are certainly recognizable to locals, slightly different, but still enjoyable and cheap.  In addition to these, there are also sandwiches made with freshly baked, large, light and buttery croissants with a wide-array of fillings.
 
Lenny's Sub Shop – 9 area locations – Using a fairly familiar, if slightly more limited menu (just two dozen items) rooted in the East Coast sub shop model serving cold and hot sandwiches and salads.  With thick, quality rolls, an excellent hot relish, and a more generous amount of meat, these are some of the very best sandwiches of the national chains.  The roast beef is especially enjoyable.
 
Murphy’s Deli – 32 area locations – It’s not Irish heritage, but the first location on Murphy Road that lends its name to this chain best known for ubiquity and convenience.  The tastiest thing here is their signature Houston-style muffaletta.  A much softer ready-to-eat loaf, a bit of mayo, and smoked ham makes these different than those created at New Orleans’s Central Grocery.  There is also a turkey version and a large menu with gyros, wraps, hot and cold subs, and a number of salads that might have a regional or Mediterranean bent.
 
Panera Bread – 28 area locations – Baking over a dozen types of breads in-house helps to ensure some sandwich options are far from run-of-the-mill.  Served both hot and cold, most feature turkey or chicken, but there should be something for everyone.  With breakfast served early, soups and a half-dozen salads, individually sized pizzas available later in the day, plus a more welcoming environ than the typical sandwich shop helps make these appealing for more than just short lunchtime visit.
 
Potbelly Sandwich Shop – 24 area locations – One of the most appealing of the national chains, these assembly line operations with spacious interiors are set up for the lunchtime rush when a savory, modestly sized hot sandwich will hit the spot without providing much of a dent in the wallet, or in the waistline.  Made and customized to order from a dozen basic choices on top of quality, crusty bread, there are also some dessert items and shakes, malts and smoothies if more is desired.
 
Quiznos – 9 area locations – With locations in seemingly every strip center, Quizno’s subs on toasted bread have numerous fans, and were the second stage in the evolution of the sandwich chain.  Featuring several choices featuring beef, chicken, turkey and on flatbreads, there are also classic sandwiches such as the basic Italian sub, club, tuna melt and a French dip.  Settings are functional, and meant for scarfing rather than lingering.
 
Schlotzsky's – 45 area locations – This funny-named Austin ex-pat was the first hot sandwich chain that many Texans experienced.  Featuring distinctive spongy bread that grew from a limited number of Italian-oriented fillings to a wide range of combinations, small pizzas, wraps, salads and baked potatoes.  These functional stops are fine for quick lunch, but don’t satisfy as fully as in the early days, both in terms of quality and quantity.
 
Which Wich – 14 area locations – Featuring a neat mix-and-match concept with ten different meats or combinations that yield over fifty choices, these vibrant and slick, if no-frills operations are adept at turning out a tasty, small sandwich that should satisfy most tastes.  The fresh and sturdy 6” roll in white or wheat provides a proper platform that the well-trained staff can assemble nearly whatever you desire.  
 
Zoe’s Kitchen – 10 area location – Unique among sandwich chains for its Greek and Southern orientation, this Birmingham, Alabama-based fast-casual concept has the most pleasant atmosphere of any of the sandwich chains, and the food seems fresher and healthier.  Pimento cheese, egg salad, grilled chicken breast with caramelized onions, and grilled feta are among the fifteen options.  It also serves hot plates and several meals and sides to be taken home after work.
 
This is an update of something I did for My Table over a decade ago, though I thought that the Philly cheesesteak spots were something different: those sandwiches don’t travel too well back to the office. 

The Original Italian cold sub from Jersey Mike's