Houston View » Mike Riccetti

Antonio’s Flying Pizza

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:12:05 +0000

Antonio’s Flying Pizza has been tossing and serving some of the better pizza in the area for quite a while. The restaurant first opened in 1971, and it does not seem like much has changed there since then. Decor and menu are definitely retro. That’s not at all a bad thing for a place that is well known for delicious pizza, unpretentious, and familiar Southern Italian-American food. Tables are covered with vinyl red-and-white checkered tablecloths and there is a wood-paneled bar in the back. On the walls are attractive black-and-white photos of hardscrabble villages in Sicily or elsewhere in the mezzogiorno that are romantic places to be from, at least before immigrating to cook for Americans.

Fitting for a place with “pizza” in the name, the pizzas alone make a trip here worthwhile. Both the thin crust and the thicker crust, slightly doughy Sicilian-style pizzas, are worth ordering. It begins with the crusts, which for both are light and tasty, with a welcome hint of butter. Maybe the crusts are so good because these are hand-tossed. At the very least, it can make for a fun show, and the pizza-makers often entertain kids with their dough-tossing antics. Even during lunch, flying pizza dough is much in evidence.

Antonio’s offers all of the popular toppings, and they are used in a judicious fashion, as is the mozzarella and slightly sweet tomato sauce; no skimping, nor excess to unbalance. The result might be what is described as New York-style, but a little heftier.

The pizzas’ cugino, the calzone, is also served here. On the full dinner menu, there are also pastas, listed under the headings of “Pasta,” “Baked Dishes” and “Classics” that can be pretty appetizing. Price-wise, lunch is a good time to visit, in part because their well prepared thin crust individual-sized pizzas begin at around $6. With a topping, it is usually enough for most people at lunch. There are also other lunch specials under ten bucks, and even cheaper sandwiches.

The Italian-American hot sandwiches, with good bread, tomato sauce and gooey melted white cheese, are a very tasty and satisfying bargain. These are large-sized hoagie buns filled with Italian sausage, meatballs, or eggplant and topped with marinara sauce and melted provolone. The one with sausage is especially tasty. The service is usually attentive, if sometimes not overly friendly.

Antonio’s Flying Pizza
www.antonios.com
2920 Hilicroft (between Richmond and Westheimer)
Houston, Texas 77057
(713) 783-6080

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

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Cafe Pita+

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:02:06 +0000

The moniker for the small Westchase-area Cafe Pita+ is a tad misleading. It is a cafe in that the Italian-style coffees are lingered over here, and several of its dishes are commonly accompanied by pitas, but there are no pitas here. This is a Bosnian restaurant featuring hearty and flavorful cooking that is a great value.

This is tasty home cooking from the Balkans paired with presentation that is surprisingly quite nice. The small restaurant consists of an open kitchen and maybe a dozen small tables with a flat screen television in back. It is popular with local Bosnians most of the time, and nearby office workers during lunchtime. The restaurant itself might not be the most inviting around, but the affable, usually present owner makes a good effort to be accommodating and informative.

Though the entree portions are generous, the Middle Eastern dips are an excellent way to begin a meal. The hummus can be especially good. It is served with lepinja bread that is very aptly described as a cross between pita bread and ciabatta bread. It’s fluffy and airy and a good complement to the dips and the sandwiches.

The most popular item is cevap, which is seasoned ground beef rolls served with plenty of the fresti lepinja bread. It looks like a huge sandwich, but it’s expected that you tear off a piece of the bread and eat it with one of the sausage-like rolls and some of the accompanying butter. Burek is a lengthy coiled stretch of puff pas filled with ground beef or cheese; somewhat similar to a giant elongated spanikopita, and a lot of food for the price. The hand-crafted 10-inch individually sized thin-crust pizzas are quite tasty, and can be ordered with a few unique toppings.

For entrées there are shish kabobs with beef and chicken breast, stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage, both filled with ground beef, and from the deep blue sea (or out of the blue for some), grilled sardines. If you have room for a sweet finish, there is baklava, rice pudding, and crepes with a chocolate and hazelnut mix, topped with a berry sauce.

Cafe Pita+ was featured on the Food Network’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.

Café Pita+
http://cafepita.weebly.com/
10890 Westheimer (between the Beltway and Wilcrest)
Houston, Texas 77042
(713) 953-7237

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

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Breakfast Klub

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:30:11 +0000

On the weekends lines form well outside the entrance; some evidence that this has become a local fixture since its opening in 2001. The Breakfast Klub serves excellent and interesting, fun and unpretentious food in an informal setting with a certain amount of cool. Though stylish, the owners and staff are noticeably very friendly, and the restaurant always seems to have a warm vibe to it. Dark wood tables, chairs and some even more comfortable seats are set amidst the industrial chic type of decor, and African-inspired art adorns some of the walls, above the concrete floors.

Though not soul food in the traditional sense, the offerings have a noticeable African-American feel, and are divided neatly among breakfast plates, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, salads, and lunch sandwiches.

Only open until the early afternoon, breakfast is served all of the time and comprises most of the menu. Almost all of the breakfast choices are very good. Featuring noticeably freshly baked goods nicely complemented with tasty fat, the French toast and biscuits and gravy are among the best in town, as is the Breakfast Kroissant. This is a scrambled egg-filled sandwich featuring a buttery croissant and a choice of meats served with a properly ripe, juicy and flavorful roma tomato slice.

In fact, each of the ingredients is noticeably fresh and top-notch here. There are several other breakfast sandwiches, pancakes and waffles, omelets made with three eggs, and some other, more eclectic options. There is even Green Eggs & Ham. The eggs get their color from the hearty addition of chives, spinach and bell peppers, in case you are curious.

The Wings & Waffle is a take on the jazzy combination of fried chicken and waffles. More so the Belgian waffle, but the tasty fried chicken wings, too, benefit from a dash of maple syrup.

The breakfast sides are much more than an afterthought here. The cubed roasted potatoes are good, possibly the best breakfast potatoes outside of very good hash browns. And good for any place specializing in breakfast, the bacon is thick and crispy.

The lunch-style items are also worthy of a visit. There are a handful of artful sandwiches and salads from which to choose: a club, a chicken club, grilled chicken, tuna salad, chicken salad, and the increasingly familiar BLT with avocado. The salads are a Chef Salad, Caesar with grilled chicken and Grilled Chicken Salad with grilled chicken breast, bacon, chopped hard-boiled eggs, cheese and tomatoes among salad greens. The salads and sandwiches can also be fitted half-size with the soup of the day.

Whenever you come, the Breakfast Klub will offer likely offer a warm and enjoyable dining experience that should be worth the wait.

Breakfast Klub
www.thebreaktfastklub.com
3711 Travis (at Alabama)
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 528-8561

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/etee/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Baker’s Ribs

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:27:13 +0000

Baker’s Ribs, part of a small Dallas-based chain that re-opened locally after shuttering a few years ago, is not a barbecue temple, but a unique, generally proficient part of the local smoked meats landscape. There is hickory-smoked pork, beef, turkey, sausage, chicken and ribs here. Ribs are in the name for a reason, and these are suitably meaty, moist and flavorful.

Unusual for local barbecue restaurants, Baker’s also serves non-rib pork. This, and each of the meats, is pretty good, if not as succulent or as smoky as is found at the top places. The meats are almost necessarily complemented with a number of squirts from the plastic squeeze bottle containing their warmed vinegar-y barbecue sauce. That addition makes for a nearly always enjoyable combination.

The sandwiches, with the sauce, of course, might be a better way to enjoy the meats, as these nicely feature an airy, tasty, toasted bun. The sides set in the steam table as you order can include an interesting array, such as black beans, zesty stewed tomatoes, cole slaw, pasta salad, marinated cucumbers and a sugar-laden peach cobbler. The cool, juicy tomatoes can be especially tasty, and a nice contrast to the warm barbecue.

Though conveniently located near some nice neighborhoods, Baker’s is sufficiently scruffy: there is lots of rough-hewn woods, concrete floors, low lighting, lame decorations, televisions tuned to an uninteresting program, and tables are that are often un-bussed for a while, which is probably more easily overlooked at a barbecue joint. Conversely, Baker’s is convenient for take-away as it has easy-to-order family meals for various sized groups.

Baker’s Ribs
www.bakersribs.com
2223 S. Voss (between Westheimer and San Felipe)
Houston, Texas 77057
(713) 977-8725

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

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The Original Ninfa’s

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:50:49 +0000

Tasting the various dishes featuring the beef fajita in the warm, fun, and still often crowded setting on the east side of downtown, you can understand how this one, initially quite humble restaurant greatly helped to popularize Tex-Mex in the area, even nationally.

Original needs to be emphasized here, as everyone in town should know. The other restaurants in the Ninfa’s chain do not come close to measuring up to the original location. In local parlance, this restaurant is “Original Ninfa’s,” or “Ninfa’s on Navigation.” The old sign still hanging above this location features an image of a relatively youthful, though now deceased, matriarch, Mama Ninfa over the phrase, “Tacos a la Ninfa.” The restaurant is still fairly unreconstructed, and that is part of its charm. It shows signs of its former life as a small taco stand that grew into a restaurant, and then many restaurants. Also aiding in the appeal is the friendly and very solicitous service, fun atmosphere. And, not least, the excellent Tex-Mex, both food and drink.

From the 1970s Ninfa’s has helped to popularize the grilled skirt steak from its humble beginnings in the border areas into part of the national menu. “Fajitas” properly refer to the somewhat lowly skirt steak that has been grilled and cut in strips, and these do not come much tastier than at the Original Ninfa’s. Using marinated, high quality outside skirt steak, these are extremely flavorful and juicy, and are found in various guises here. The fajitas are the meat unadorned in sizes from a quarter-pound, half-pound and one pound accompanied with pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream on the side. For an additional charge, there is a choice of toppings, a la Mexicana (sautéed jalapetios, tomatoes and onions), Chihuahua (bacon, poblanos and Monterey Jack cheese), and Tratinada (sautéed mushrooms, onions and bell pepper). Then there are the Tacos a la Ninfa (called tacos al carbon elsewhere), where the meat is already placed inside a large flour tortilla. And, the Enchiladas al Carbon, stuffed with the tasty fajita, makes for very good enchiladas. Other enchilada dishes are good here, as are the pork ribs, which is something unusual for a Tex-Mex restaurant. Actually, most everything is very well prepared here on their fairly extensive menu, and the portions are the size of what most patrons in the area have come to expect.

It’s tough to go wrong at the Original Ninfa’s if you are in the mood for Tex- Mex, and it’s tough not to be in a good mood while you are here. Though it is easy to spend money here with the allure of chile con queso, a bountiful entree, and plenty of Ninfaritas (the margaritas), the prices here are really not much different than other popular Tex-Mex establishments. The food will generally be better, too, and you will have a very enjoyable and filling dining experience.

The Original Ninfa’s
www.mamaninfas.com
2704 Navigation (between Jensen and Sampson), Houston, Texas 77003, (713) 228-1178

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

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Kenny & Ziggy’s

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:55:40 +0000

Kenny & Ziggy’s is a spiffy restaurant just north of the Galleria that serves slick renditions of Jewish-American deli food and sports a multi- generational deli legacy. The restaurant seems to work hard: the corned beef is cured in-house; the pickles are flown in regularly from Manhattan; the smoked fish is sliced by hand at the restaurant; both Kenny’s and Ziggy’s business cards are proudly displayed at the counter for takeaway; and most notably service is usually very efficient. The cheeky menu is very lengthy, and there should be something for everyone, deli aficionados and otherwise.

There are many large-sized Jewish-American starters, soups, smoked fish, grilled chicken sandwiches, deli sandwiches, meat plates, dinners, salads, hamburgers, knishes, knockwurst and frankfurters, numerous sides, desserts. In true American style, abundance takes precedent over finesse here. The starters might not have a broad appeal with items like chopped liver, sweet and sour tongue, and pickled herring, but nearly all of entrees are fairly quite hefty.

The more familiar soups are served in pint and quart-size portions. There is chicken soup with matzoh ball, rice noodles, or kreplach (small stuffed dumplings); cold beet borscht; and a soup of the day.

Kenny & Ziggy’s probably has the biggest array of smoked fish in town: Nova Lox (brine-cured that’s less salty), sturgeon, sable, baked salmon and several more. There are nearly fifty types of sandwiches filled with the full range of deli meats and other American favorites. The sandwiches are served in several styles: hot and cold, open-faced and triple- decker. Though none of these is cheap for a sandwich, these are overly stuffed, and should satiate all but the most voracious appetites. Be forewarned that the triple decker sandwiches are nearly impossible to eat as a sandwich unless some deconstruction is undertaken. If none of the many sandwiches look appealing, you can always create your own. Each of these comes with a crisp cole slaw, and some also come with freshly made fries.

The two dozen hearty dinners include stuffed cabbage, Braised Short Ribs, grilled liver and onions, fish and chips, roast turkey, Chopped Steak, and a half of Roasted Spring Chicken. Either as dinners or starters there are also several eastern European dishes like potato-filled dough pockets, pierogies, goulash, potato pancakes and stuffed cabbage. The pierogies, a treat elsewhere, are nothing special here. Better are the grilled knockwurst served with sauerkraut and baked beans. These dinners are served with a small salad and a couple of side dishes. There’s even more: deli salad platters, knishes, hot dogs, about fifty sides, and ten or so more heart-healthy salads.

Most patrons seem to forget cholesterol concerns here, at least subconsciously, and desserts are a big draw. Their proper New York cheesecake is well done, and huge; it easily satisfies two. Other sweet finishes include a Chocolate 7 Layer Cake, Boston cream cake, apple pie, carrot cake and Ebinger’s Style Blackout Cake. Shakes, floats and egg creams are also popular.

This is a nice setting in which to enjoy overindulgence. The pleasing decor screams New York, New York, 42nd Street. The walls are covered with framed playbills of Broadway productions, posters of movies set in New York, and caricatures of New York area celebrities. Though maybe not the caliber of the celebrities whose images line walls, popular Houston Chronicle columnist and native New Yorker Ken Hoffman has proclaimed Kenny & Ziggy’s his favorite deli

Kenny & Ziggy’s
www.kennyandziggys.com
2327 Post Oak Blvd. (between Westheimer and San Felipe) 77056, (713) 871-8883

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cynthiamonster/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Cabo Restaurant

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:59:39 +0000

Though primarily a bar, the food at Cabo is worthy of a special trip. It’s especially well prepared and imaginative for a generally inexpensive, lively and stylishly decorated place that is as much a bar as a restaurant. It can get crowded, and can be fairly rowdy on weekend nights with a relatively younger crowd that has seemingly driven in from the suburbs. Though housed in a fairly large, two-story building, it’s best to get there early if you want to have space to enjoy the food. But, it’s not too raucous for lunch during the week, or often prior to a baseball game.

As the number of Cabo locations has contracted in recent years, the menu has greatly expanded. The offerings are primarily Mexican or Tex-Mex, but, showing the influence of former consultant Arturo Boada, more recently of Beso and Arturo’s, these are strongly influenced from the Caribbean South America. The menu has accurately proffered that the kitchen offers, “traditional Tex-Mex recipes, those found in the coastal fishing villages and selected favorites from Central and South America.”

The menu is divided among appetizers, soups, salads, grilled sandwiches, tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas and the larger plates. The appetizers provide things on which to munch while drinking, and some dishes that can make for a meal. The soups are the popular tortilla soup and the Roasted Corn and Hot Pepper Soup.

The artful fish tacos are especially good. These, and all of the seafood tacos, consist of shredded cabbage, mayonnaise, and the choice of fillings supported between two corn tortillas. Among the best of the tacos are the Habanero Shrimp Tacos. These can be quite spicy, as you should expect with anything prefaced with “habanero”. The quesadillas with shrimp are excellent. The regular shrimp tacos are very good, also. These tacos are somewhat expensive at around $4 and $5. A couple tacos are usually needed to satiate an average hunger. In contrast, one of the large burritos can satisfy most people.

The sandwiches, especially the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, are great. This is probably one of the best hot sandwiches in town. It features moist char-grilled strips of chicken with shreds of crisp lettuce and slices of tomato on toasted, fresh, distinctive Mexican bolillo-style bun. This uniquely flavored and tasty bread helps to makes these much better than the typical sandwich. The plates, or “Favorites,” are the most ambitious of offerings with grilled yellowfin tuna, plantain-crusted mahi mahi, a unique version of barbecue shrimp, and a coastal Mexican-inspired take on surf-and-turf among the choices. Each can be complemented in spicier fashion by toppings in the tradition of Floyd’s restaurants. Bottles of house-made habanero hot sauce line much of the dining area. This very spicy and flavorful sauce enhances just about everything on the menu. It is hot, though. Make that very hot.

Cabo has a full bar with an emphasis on margaritas, sangria, Cuba Libres, Screwdrivers and Salty Dogs. The margaritas are notoriously potent. There is a wide variety of bottled Mexican beers. For those not interested in imbibing, there are fresh fruit juices: freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices; limonade; and fruit smoothies.

Cabo
www.cabomixmex.com
419 Travis (at Texas) 77002, (713) 225-2060

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

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Kraftsmen Baking

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:18:55 +0000

Not only successful as an excellent bakery, Kraftsmen is also an adept and attractive cafe. Situated on lower Montrose in a very handsome, small red brick-laden center, Kraftsmen is adjacent to both a library and the Black Labrador pub. It’s a great place in which to relax with a coffee or tea and one of the delicious baked items. Its attractive, comfortable modernist interior and the handful of tables outside make it conducive for lingering.

The menu features breakfast items, pastries, salads and sandwiches atop their artisan breads. Its culinary attraction begins with the baked goods. Mostly because of these excellent breads, the sandwiches can be especially good. Each comes with numerous complementary high quality ingredients, including cheese with each meat sandwich, and plenty of greens. These sandwiches are not overly stuffed, but rather artfully constructed. One of the best of the ten or so creative sandwiches on the menu includes the turkey, brie, crisp bacon and slices of avocado and on a crusty small baguette that is buttered and toasted. Each sandwich has a recommended bread, but assuredly you can switch it to one of your choice among sourdough, whole wheat, baguette, an organic loaf, honey baguette and a brioche hoagie. Though very tasty, the sandwiches are somewhat slight.

In addition to the baked goods and sandwiches, the eclectic soups have drawn rave reviews. Some examples of the single soup of the day might be French onion, cream of cauliflower, a bisque with butternut squash, and one featuring cous cous. It helps that acclaimed chef-owner Scott Tycer of Aries and Gravitas fame is also an owner of Kraftsmen. To wash down, or rather accompany the food, Kraftsmen serves good quality espresso and other coffees, plus high quality bottled teas, juices and waters. Breakfast is served until 11AM each day, and all day Sunday. The small number of offerings includes hefty breakfast tacos, ham or bacon and eggs, omelets, and an excellent croissant sandwich with eggs, cheese and bacon, if you’d like. Kraftsmen is a great place to stop for a baguette or another bread for the meal at home.

Kraftsmen Baking
www.kraftsmenbaking.com
4100 Montrose (between Southwest Fwy. and Richmond) 77006, (713) 524-3737

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (photographer: Hugh Hargrave)

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Thelma’s Bar-B-Que

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:50:43 +0000

Business justifiably boomed since being featured in a nationally aired special on PBS several years ago that aimed to highlight the best regional sandwiches throughout the country. This being Texas, and Thelma’s being a barbecue joint, it was their tasty, very messy beef brisket sandwich that was so honored. Since then, Thelma has also been honored with a photo on the back cover of one of barbecue maven Steve Raichlen’s cookbooks.

Thelma’s uses both hickory and pecan to cook its meats. The pride of that fire and smoke is the brisket. The result is usually moist, tender and very flavorful. Thelma’s brisket has a flavor that is slightly different than that of the more frequently found mesquite-cooked barbecue.

Unfortunately, it’s not as consistent as it should be as the place might be operating just above ideal capacity at times. The brisket is usually very good, but sometimes within an order there is a piece that is hard, unlike it should be, possibly overcooked. The meaty ribs are moist and messy, as expected, and the kielbasa-like sausage (called links here) is also worth ordering. Thelma’s also serves ham and chicken, including an entire bird, for a couple additional meat choices. Each is served with a judicious amount of their distinctive sweet barbecue sauce that tastes of more than a hint of molasses. A dinner plate featuring one or two of the meats for less than eight and nine bucks, respectively, and a couple of plentiful side dishes and bread can be great values. The amount of food is amazingly large, even for super-size Houston. The choice of sides includes green beans, pinto beans, potato salad, cole slaw, dirty rice, okra, cabbage, yams and fries. With the exception of the sugary yams, most are just passable complements for the meats. The fries seem to have detoured in a freezer before reaching the deep-fryer, and are bland and can be avoided.

Be forewarned, with a couple of exceptions, the sandwiches are nearly impossible to eat since they are stuffed with so much meat, especially for the comparatively flimsy bread. These are tasty, but often require a knife and fork.

Thelma’s Fish Sandwich features fresh, moist, firm, and nearly perfectly fried catfish fillets. Like the other sandwiches, it is simple, with large unadorned hamburger buns enclosing the meat or fish. It is especially good when spread with hollandaise sauce. Though probably not after a full dinner plate, you might have room for one of their rich, sweet, homemade pies or cakes that are arrayed on the counter where you place your order. The pecan pie is very good, and the Lemon Cake is quite tasty, too.

Thelma’s can get packed quickly during the lunchtime hours. The scruffy, cramped dining room full of mismatched tables and chairs can only seat about forty-five patrons. Calling ahead and getting something to bring back to the desk is not usually a bad idea. You’ll still likely smell like barbecue for the rest of the day, though.

Thelma’s Bar-B-Que
3755 Southmore Blvd, Houston TX, 77004 (713) 228-2262

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image Credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (photographer: Michael Stencel)

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Cafe Express

Mike Riccetti — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:30:36 +0000

Cafe Express began what has become a welcome trend of high-end restaurateurs (Café Annie in this case) opening informal, inexpensive counter-service restaurants that serve high quality, interesting, and freshly prepared food. These still do it better than most. The concept is excellent and portable; there are currently a number of Cafe Expresses in Houston, plus a handful of locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The casual yet evidently substantial style of the ever-evolving offerings seems to aptly match the decor. There are plenty of salads, sandwiches, burgers, soups, healthy sides, pastas and chicken dishes to match most cravings. The food is artfully prepared to order with very good, and very fresh ingredients, a big part of Cafe Express’ long-standing popularity. There are about ten different, imaginative entree-size salads, each with a multitude of components.

Sandwiches are generally quite good. These are basic sandwiches tweaked to be more interesting. The Roast Beef sandwich with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and roasted tomato pesto on garlic bread, is one of their best. The Club Sandwich is a proper triple decker, made with roasted turkey, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, tomato and mayonnaise and a creamy Parmesan dressing. There are also Café Express’ versions of the BLT, grilled chicken sandwich, roasted turkey sandwich. The burgers are generally good, and can also be ordered with turkey or vegetable patties.

The soups can work as complements to a salad or sandwich. The sides are much more than chips and fries. The American-style pasta dishes featuring linguini or penne are decent, and seemingly popular. There should be one that satisfies your current taste.

The heartiest dishes feature grilled chicken made with a boneless chicken breast, and the roasted half of chicken. For around $10, these make hearty meals when combined with side salads, mashed potatoes, vegetables or pastas. To put the finishing touch on any order, Cafe Express thoughtfully provides a plentiful number of sauces, olive oil, mustards, vinegars, pickles, pepperoncini, capers, cornichons, sun-dried tomatoes and the like to help enliven any dish. This is far from the typical “fixin’s” station that you will find at many other counter-service establishments. Cafe Express aptly describes it as an “Oasis table.”Cafe Express has several beers and wine by the glass.

Cafe Express
www.cafe-express.com
Twelve Houston-area locations

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

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