Steakhouses and BBQ

Hey there! Any of you good folks have recommendations for a steakhouse, and for a good BBQ place? I%26#39;ll be in Houston visiting friends for a long weekend, and definitely want to do both! Problem with Steakhouses is I%26#39;m having a hard time finding any that aren%26#39;t, well... chains, basically. High-end chains, but still... I can do Smith %26amp; Wollensky or Del Friscos here in NYC... I want something unique. Any advice is appreciated!

And as for BBQ... Pulled pork. Chicken. Cole Slaw. These are the musts.

Steakhouses and BBQ

Pulled pork? I believe you are thinking of deep south BBQ. In Texas, you can get generic pork ribs, but the real thing is the brisket. A proper BBQ joint is as likely to serve beef ribs as pork ones. The sauce will also be a bit different from Georgia%26#39;s near-ketchup, and more full %26amp; tangy (since we are liable to use things such as chili powder, molasses, garlic, and beer as ingredients in a good sauce). Trust any Texan to tell you a good spot for brisket, and be sure to get it. You won%26#39;t find a good brisket in the deep south (they trim the fat, for goodness sakes!).

Good pit BBQ is not all that tough to find in Houston. If you can let us know where you will be spending your time, we can point you to a nice hole-in-the-wall nearby.

Good steaks are also not hard to find, but there are more chains than those that aren%26#39;t. Try Texas Land %26amp; Cattle or Saltgrass for something more local, if you have to do a chain.

Steakhouses and BBQ

I%26#39;ll be staying around... Montrose, I believe it%26#39;s called?

Pit Cue is good to me... and if beef ribs or brisket is the local speciality, let me at it! :-)

For a good steak - Pappas Bros Steak house or Brenners Steak house (not Brenan%26#39;s). Pappa%26#39;s is a family owned (but like a chain) with the seafood, mexican, BBQ, and cajun restaurants. With Pappas Bros - as fas as I know just one in Houston and one in Dallas. There are several %26#39;high end%26#39; chains too, but......

Another place where they have a great filet is at Remington (Hotel St. Regis restaurant).

As far as BBQ - Goode Co, Luling and one that is in a rail carriage in the NW part of town. All the others are %26#39;galleria area%26#39;. Some one will give the name for the BBQ place in the rail carriage.

Goode Co. will be right around the corner from you, and has decent barbecue. Luling City barbecue is just a bit down Richmond from you, and is also not bad... (I%26#39;m partial to the Rudy%26#39;s chain around San Antonio -- ';the worst BBQ in Texas,'; and the small pit locations on the back roads -- those are the real deal).

For steaks, the Taste of Texas is fairly popular as non-chains go. I%26#39;ve only been a couple of times, myself, to be honest, but I wasn%26#39;t disappointed. Texas Land %26amp; Cattle is always a safe fall-back.

S %26amp; BBQ are so yesterday. Nearly all are chains or the eqv. Best S for you is Mo%26#39;s at 1801 Post Oak Blvd, Galleria Area, if you%26#39;re on expense acct. and looking for the latest (replaced Bob%26#39;s from Dallas, who closed after 18 months). Goode%26#39;s BBQ or Burger Palace (next door to each other) are best and closest BBQ.

If you%26#39;re staying in the Montrose %26amp; have cardio credits to use, check out some NOLA places, BB%26#39;s (vic Montrose %26amp; Westheimer), grillades %26amp; grits from NOLA, plus fries with gravy, open until 3 am.

Another NOLA entry in Houston%26#39;s old Chinatown, now mostly empty, is Calliope%26#39;s Po-Boy, 2130 Jefferson, Oyster Po Boys and French Fries with Cheese %26amp; Gravy, close early in evening but great for a Saturday PM.

Also Niko Niko%26#39;s, the Great Dane and Spec%26#39;s Warehouse are local Montrose stops if you staying with locals, or have local contacts.

If you%26#39;re staying around Montrose, you could try Vic %26amp; Anthony%26#39;s in Downtown by Minute Maid Park. There%26#39;s a Brazilian Churascurria called Nelore%26#39;s just after the corner of Montrose and Richmond Avenue behind the CVS. For the experience, you could try Taste of Texas that%26#39;s on I-10 on the West side of the city. In terms of high end chains, we do have a S%26amp;W in Highland Village and DelFriscos is located inside the Galleria. We also have 2 Morton%26#39;s Steakhouse, one by the Galleria and the other in Downtown.

Actually if you%26#39;re staying in Montrose, are you staying at a friend%26#39;s place? I only ask because there are not too many hotels in the area. If you are, the best place to get a great steak is to buy some big juicy steaks at Central Market or Whole Foods and if they have a grill, just grill them!

Goode Company BBQ is ok, not a big fan of their sauce, but they do have good ribs. My faves for brisket are Demaris or Otto%26#39;s. Demaris BBQ is not too far from Montrose by the corner of Shephard and West Alabama. Otto%26#39;s is a bit hard to find but it%26#39;s along Memorial Drive. Luling%26#39;s on Richmond Avenue is pretty good too.

If you%26#39;re craving burgers, I can recommend Lil Big%26#39;s near the corner of Westheimer and Montrose. Very tasty and juicy slider-sized burgers.

If you find yourself north of Houston, visit Neal%26#39;s Resturant in Spring. It is an owner run and owner served local institution with a menu full of things he grows and finds himself. That is if you want some REAL local food. :)

Have fun!

Just this past weekend I went to Perry%26#39;s (in Sugarland, but they apparently have other locations in Houston).

AWESOME pork chop. Just AWESOME.

I was expecting some good steaks and other good sides (having read reviews on other web sites), but was simply blown away with the size, quality, and presentation of the pork chop.

I will have to agree with BigBadFisher - Perry%26#39;s pork chop is incredible %26amp; you will probably won%26#39;t find anything like it. They have locations all over Houston, however you will have a drive (about 20-30 minutes) to the closest one.

www.perryssteakhouse.com/locations-menus

As far as BBQ, I don%26#39;t recommend Goode Co. I was disappointed with it after hearing rave reviews. If you really want Texas BBQ you need to try smoked beef brisket. Most - if not all - BBQ places in Houston offer it.

I too thought Goode Co. was overrated.

How about Rudy%26#39;s? I heard they opened a location in Spring.

blemishes