The “BEST OF” our Gulf Coast and Clear Lake Area-Part Two-RESTAURANTS
I have returned with Part Two of my “Best Of” list, this time with the “Best” Restaurants that I really enjoy! There may be some places not included and maybe I’ve never heard of them or maybe I’ve never eaten there, but this list is compiled of the restaurants that I frequent and go back to time and time again. I hope some of you find this list enlightening and give these establishments a try.
In our area we have plenty of Chinese Buffets and I love to go in and eat quickly and get a large selection because I like variety, so my first pick is:
1. Best Chinese Buffet: The Oriental Gourmet, 16602 El Camino Real, Houston, Tx. 281-280-8662. This restaurant has plenty of space, great location, (it used to be a dance club and before that a cinema), fantastic selection, with the food always hot and fresh. The little pepper cracked crab claws are tasty, and they even have stir fry. Plenty to choose from and never boring.
The best little known place that is a local favorite and a real gem once you discover it is:
2. Best Cajun Restaurant: Abe’s Cajun Café, 1080 Clear Lake City Blvd, Houston Tx. 281-480-2237. http://www.abescajunmarket.com/ This place is designed to trransport you to a typical New Orleans courtyard and even has a huge tree growing in the center of the place. Abe’s also has unique gifts amd a full service meat market. Outdoor seating is also available. The 7 gumbo sampler platter is a favorite , fried sausage, crawfish, and fried catfish also stand out. Etouffee’ and red beans and rice, and all at reasonable prices!
Everybody likes pizza and there are so many different kinds of pizza places here but one is special to me:
3. Best Pizza: Boondoggles Pub, 4106 NASA Parkway, EL Lago, Tx. 77586. 281-326-2739. This place specializes in wood burning brick oven pizzas and the crust is awesome! Boondoggles also boasts a great variety of beers from all over the world and plenty of appetizers and sandwiches. They serve many unique pizzas from the Fajita pizza, the Hawaii-style with ham and pineapple to the Tejas with goat cheese and Chorizo, and the Jambalaya, with crawfish, shrimp, andouille sausage and creole sauce. Best Pizzas in the area.
I usually try to get to this place when I’m free for a great lunch:
4. Best Lunch Buffet and Best Atmosphere: Chabuca’s Steaks and Rotisserie, 316 West NASA Road One, Webster, Texas, 77598. 281-554-8000. The Ribs to Redfish Buffet is the most delicious and awesome selection of great foods for a massive lunch! Ribs, coconut Shrimp, Burgandy Beef tips, Crab balls, soups, Redfish, pastas, rice, steaks, and more. The atmosphere is great with wildlife and solid wood almost like a hunting lodge feel. 100 % satisfaction with pleasing wait staff too.
When you want scenery and laid back dining and tasty seafood dishes go to:
5. Best Seafood and Scenery: Outriggers, 101 Bath, Seabrook, Tx. 77586. 281-474-3474. Nestled quaintly underneath the Kemah Bridge and a great location to watch the boats go by and the variety of sea birds, Outriggers excels in good seafood at great prices. The blackened Shrimp Tacos are to die for!
Sometimes you might not be that hungry but you have a taste for those green icy drinks and so you head to:
6. Best Margaritas: Mamacita’s, 515 E. NASA Rd One, Webster, Tx. 77598, 281-332-5362. Great Mexican Food and Fajitas, but the Margaritas can’t be beat. Many types to choose from and you’ll find frozen or on the rocks equally taste exquisite.
Sometimes I crave those creamy zesty dishes that only come from Italy and I go to:
7. Best Italian Food: Marios Flying Pizza: 1304 Bayport and Hwy 146, Seasbrook, Tx. 77586. 281-474-5103. These guys toss the pizza dough in the air with the best of them and they offer a sweet selection of great Italian food, from pasta to fettucini, to salads, lasagna, and more.
When you’re on the go and you want to pick up something quick head on over to:
8. Best Drive-thru: Sonic Drive-In, 2400 Bayport Blvd, Seabrook, Tx. 77586, 281-474-4031. This place has the best selection of cooling-off drinks and it also the cleanest Sonic Drive-In I have ever encountered. Fast and courteous service, this place is where you go if you’re in a hurry for a cool drink or a quick bite to eat.
When I want yummy tasty south of the border stuff I go to:
9. Best Mexican Restaurant: Barcenas Mexican Restaurant, 2200 West Bay area Blvd, Friendswood, Tx. 281-648-6445. This Mexican food is not the usual stuff and they even have quail, and grilled shrimp. Their fajitas enchiladas are my favorite and the atmosphere is a cool mixture of old Mexico and eclectic. The location is a little hidden under large shade trees sitting past BayBrook Mall all by itself, and that also gives it a charm.
Then there are those evenings when my wife has a need for fired catfish and we head out to:
10. Best Fried Catfish Restaurant: Sudie’s Seafood House, 352 N. Gulf Freeway, League City. Tx. 281-338-5100. http://www.sudies.com/ They served Fried Crawfish and Shrimp but their specialty is the southern Fried Catfish. Big platters fill you up and give you your money’s worth!
When you want fresh cooked delightful exoctic tastes from the Far East drive to:
11. Best Asian Restaurant: Hot Wok, 20798 Gulf Freeway, Webster, Tx. 77598, 281-338-7910. This place is beautiful, pleasing atmosphere, and has the friendliest wait staff. Stir fry or create your own, awesome menu variety and the Seame Beef is the ultimate feast!
There is an established restaurant that serves the kids and the adults in a multi room layout and a good buffet:
12. Best Kids Restaurant: Mr. Gatti’s, 16607 El Camino Real, Houston, 281-480-4800. Gatti’s has a good selection of pizza and pasta and also has a large gameroom for the kids to have fun in when they get restless. They also have rooms for the kids to watch Tv and other rooms, such as a sports tv room for the adults. I have always been partial to Mr. Gatti’s Pizza crust.
In the morning if you’re needing that scrumtious big fill-me-quick breakfast go here:
13. Best Breakfast Stop: Bronco Breakfast Burrito, 176 gulf Freeway South, League City, Tx. 77573, 281-557-8466. Half the price of other “Burrito” restaurants and you can get any combination in a burrito thast you can conceive. This is the best breakfast stop in our area. Their burritos are awesome!
Its Friday night and you want some good eats and some good music at the same time:
14. Best B-B-Q Restaurant and Music: T-Bone Tom’s Steakhouse Restaurant, 707 Hwy 146 Kemah, Tx. 77565, 281-334-2133. http://www.tbonetoms.com/ This place has brisket, sausage, and ribs, and even steak and chicken finger baskets! The music is top notch, with great bands like Jerry Diaz and Hannah’s Reef, Pee Wee Bowen, and Ezra Charles. Best place to get full and chill, listening to music on a weekend night, right down the road from the Kemah Bridge.
A little out of the way but worth it:
15. Best All You Can Eat Seafood and VIEW: The Monument Inn Restaurant, 4406 Independence Parkway South, Houston, (formerly Battleground Rd) –(La Porte), 281-479-1521. http://www.monumentinn.com/index.html This place is beautiful, windows look out from the second story over the water where passing ships go by and many birds decorate the sky and the shoreline, pelicans, egrets, herons, gulls, and more. The “all you can eat” consists of boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, oysters on the half shell, fried catfish, oysters, stuffed crab, ferench fries, cinnamon rolls (and they are huge and delicious), and dinner rolls.
There is a restaurant I most dearly miss:
16. Most Missed Best Restaurant: What’s Cookin’: July 18th, 2005, a fire destroyed this famous popular restaurant that had served the area of West Kemah for over twenty years. What’s Cookin’ 930 Fm 518-off Melba Lane, Kemah, Tx. What’s cooking was the most eclectic and diverse restaurant around, with imported beers from all over the globe and a menu that ranged from Italian, to German, to American and beyond. I especially loved their chicken Cordon Bleau.
If you want to drive out to the edge of the area and pretend like you are off on an exotic getaway go to:
17. Best Themed Restaurant: The Aquarium Restaurant, 402 2nd street, Kemah, Tx. The Kemah Boardwalk. 281-334-9010. Seated around a 50,000 gallon fish tank filled with sharks, rays, and exotic colorful fish, this restaurant is enjoyable just because of the beautiful and cool surroundings. They also have a stingray touch pool, where rays swim up and people can feel their surface as they flap their fins to say hello.
If you crave Mexican food and you can’t figure out just what you want try:
18. Best Largest Menu Selection Mexican Restaurant:
Don Julio’s MexicanRestaurant,
http://www.donjulios.com/ 2900 East NASA Parkway, Seabrook, Tx. 281-326-2600. This menu is the largest selection of items and entrees that I have ever encountered in a restaurant. Everything is good. If it’s not on the menu, just ask and they’ll make it for you-but I challenge you to find something that isn’t on that giant menu somewhere. Great atmosphere too.
Craving great unique food and brewed beer check out:
19. Best Brewery and Pub: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse:
515 West Bay Area Blvd, 281-316-3037. http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/locationdetail.aspx?lcID=24 Large area and plenty of big screen televisions, great appetizers and uniquely brewed assortment of beers. A different place for the exploratory crowd, just meeting for lunch or a nice relaxing dinner.
AND Now for my favorite thing:
20. Best Biscuits: Red Lobster, 888 West Bay Area Blvd, Webster, Tx. 281-338-2518. Nobody can compete with Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I can’t describe them, if you’ve had them you know what I’m talking about if you haven’t go to Red Lobster and eat them. That’s it.
My “Best Of” list is complete and will come back only by popular demand because someday maybe I’ll tell the rest of the story of the many wonderful things in our area. Thank you so much for paying attention and reading our articles because reading makes you stronger and faster and smarter.