The offerings at Pappas are typical of most barbecue restaurants in the area, though maybe a little more extensive. The standard barbecue plates, called Specials here, feature slowly cooked and mesquite-smoked meats and two sides. The meats served at Pappas are: beef brisket, pork, ham, sausage, beef ribs, pork ribs, turkey and chicken. The sides are fairly numerous and generally well prepared: spicy rice, ranch beans, lima beans, cole slaw, yams, macaroni salad and cucumber salad. In place of the standard sides, for slightly more, the meats are available with a baked potato or salad.

All of the meats are also served in sandwiches, and some as the slightly larger po boys. As it is Texas, the beef brisket is probably the choice of meat to order. It hits the proper notes, and is tender and usually quite flavorful, like it must be for all worthwhile local barbecue restaurants. In a chopped beef sandwich, the brisket is almost minced and served with a lot of sauce so the sandwich is similar to a sloppy Joe. The sliced version is noticeably lean yet tender and tasty. In addition to the brisket sandwiches and plates, hamburgers, chicken burgers and stuffed baked potatoes with plenty of tangy barbecue sauce and shredded cheese are also popular. A few salads and a couple baked desserts are available for those who are watching their caloric intake and those who are not, respectively.

Pappas strives to be convenient for families. The restaurants are fairly spacious for barbecue joints, and certainly nicer. There are plenty of tables and several televisions scattered about to help occupy the kids, or dad, as these are usually tuned to a sporting event. For takeout, Pappas offers a half-dozen Value Packs that can serve from six to twenty-five that can help make for an economical meal for a group. During the weekday mornings, some locations serve the convenient-for-takeout local favorite, breakfast tacos.

Pappas Bar-B-Q
www.pappasbbq.com
17 Houston-area locations

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With the exception of the complimentary and necessary chips and salsa and the fajitas, Maria Selma’s tries to avoid Tex-Mex and sticks to Mexico City-style cooking, even as the menu has evolved to align more closely with local tastes. It’s divided among appetizers, soups, salads, quesos, seafood, meat and poultry, tacos, tortas, enchiladas, and several house specials. Though many items might be unfamiliar to many whom usually frequent the large suburban Mexican restaurants, there should be enough familiar and certainly appealing dishes from which to choose.

The appetizers include flautas filled with shredded duck, empanadas, and an avocado stuffed with crab meat in addition to artful nachos and chile con queso. There are several soups including a tortilla soup, a hearty chicken soup and an enticing Cream of Poblano Pepper.

Melted cheese dishes listed under “Quesos” get more attention at Maria Selma than most other local Mexican restaurants. There is the popular dish of cheese melted with chorizo, Queso a la Plancha, which here is a thin layer of crispy panela cheese with jalapetios cheese that has been cooked on the grill.

The meat dishes listed under the headers Meat and Poultry and Specialties seem to include most of the best of the entrées. There milanesas with beef and chicken, pork loin served in either a rich adobo or an earthy green mole sauce, pork chops, Papas con Rajas (potatoes with strips of poblano pepper), a potato cake, and a marinated, grilled steak with nopalito cactus. Their specialty dishes are platters of meat such as carne asada, puerco al pastor, chorizo, and pork loin sometimes mixed with chopped onions and pepper, and topped with melted cheese. Served with fresh tortillas, each of these five choices is usually quite satisfying: cillalitY meat prepared in zesty and interesting combinations. Similar mixed gilts (el comal) can be cooked for two or four.

Maria Selma’s does a very good job with the variety of enchiladas, which the menu states are made as in Mexico City. These will be quite recognizable, in addition to being quite enjoyable. The seafood dishes are both familiar and unique. There is poblano pepper stuffed with seafood, fried shrimp served with a chipotle-studded mayonnaise plus snapper a la Verucruzana and snapper ceviche. Unfortunately, the quality of the seafood, especially the fish fillets dishes, is variable. The aforementioned meat items are much more reliable.

Though most of the dinner plates are not pricey, the casual finger foods are even a better value. The tortas, the Mexican versions of the sandwiches, are an especially good deal. These are served on telera bread, which is slightly different, maybe more dense here, than the bolillo bread that most local places employ for their tortas. The taco choices are the pork al pastor, served with a pineapple topping, came asada with grilled onions and cactus, chicken in a tomato sauce, marinated shrimp, and breaded and fried fish with the chipotle mayonnaise. Among the nice touches is that unlike most Mexican restaurants in town, the corn tortillas in addition to the flour tortillas are made on site. These are delivered to the table in a small cloth pouch to keep them warm. To help wash down the food are the aguas frescas in a half-dozen different flavors that are made in-house, Mexican sodas, and the other usual suspects. The margaritas could be better, but can get expensive near the higher end, which are pushed, of course. Maria Selma carries a huge range of tequilas. It might be a better idea to drink one of these top quality tequilas neat, rather than in a margarita.

The weekend breakfasts are worthy of a visit; some of the prettiest Mexican morning fare in town. There are even a couple dishes that would be difficult to find at most taquerias.

The setting is pleasant and comfortable, and there is a good-sized patio in front that is usually crowded on weather-amendable evenings. The pressed tin ceiling inside is a nice try, though the final result is a bit clumsy. But, this is another indication that the restaurant seems very keen in providing a better-than-usual dining experience, as is the often attentive and always friendly service.

Maria Selma’s
www.mariaselma.com
1617 Richmond (between Mandell and Dunlavy)
Houston, Texas 77006
(713) 528-4920

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

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Though the food is entirely vegetarian, it’s hearty, filling and can be very flavorful. Many of the dishes are cooked with ghee (clarified butter) and contain cheese. It’s vegetarian, but not vegan.

The easiest introduction for many will probably be the popular lunch buffet. But, the best way to enjoy the interesting flavors at Madras Pavilion is to come with a group and order several dishes from the full dinner menu. It’s well laid-out, and most items are coupled with an explanatory description. If you are not familiar with southern Indian cooking, for two people, you might want to try a crispy samosa (a turnover filled with potato, onions and peas), a dose (a large thinly sheathed crepe) an order of rice, a bread, and a couple curry dishes. Pieces of the dosa are to be broken off and used to scoop up the curry sauce or dipped in a chutney. The dosas taste great alone, too.

The menu is filled with explanatory descriptions and is divided among a dozen appetizers, a handful of soups, a dozen types of those doses, several uthappams (described as an Indian pizza), a number of curries, several rice dishes, a half-dozen freshly baked breads, plus sides, fruit juices, beverages, and desserts. The term “curry” in this sense refers to the style of cooking.

For appetizers, in addition to the samosa, there are several vat (lentil doughnuts) and a few deep-fried items. Most of the dosas are made with rice and lentils. These come plain or filled with a variety of items such as the Butter Masala Dosa that is filled with potatoes and onions and cooked in butter. The uthappam is made with the same dough as used for the dosas and topped with various combinations of onions, chiles, tomatoes and peas. The curries can be excellent, especially with bread like the batura (large and puffy), to scoop up the sauce. Several are fairly creamy. The tasty Channa Masala Curry features chickpeas. The Paneer Butter Masala is cheese in a creamy, flavorful sauce. There are other curries with lentils, okra, bell peppers and other vegetables.

Of the nearly ten rice dishes, there are no biriyanis, but there are ones like the descriptively named Coconut Rice and Tamarind Rice. Naan, requisite in most local Indian restaurants, is not one of the breads on the menu, but there are several parathas, a thick multi-layered wheat bread. The desserts include the familiar gulab jaman (very sweet deep-fried balls of cheese) and pistachio ice cream, and also a scrumptious Carrot Halwa and Badam Halwa (shredded carrots and ground almonds, respectively, that are cooked in honey and butter). For a fitting complement, there are a number squeezed fresh fruit juices and excellent mango drinks.

Madras Pavilion
http://www.madraspavilion.us/

3910 Kirby (between Richmond and Southwest Freeway)
Houston, Texas 77098
(713) 521-2617

16260 Kensington (west of 6, north of Southwest Freeway)
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
(281) 491-3672

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

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It’s tough to think of a nicer and more distinctive place in which to eat a sandwich in town. The interior of Carter & Cooley is a testament to the history of the Heights neighborhood in its early development. Numerous, interesting photographs of the early days of the Heights from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when it was a separate municipality apart from Houston are shown on the walls. But, this relative charm would be for naught if the food was not worth a visit. It is.

Carter & Cooley can be described as an American deli, rather than a Jewish or Italian one. There are several well crafted Jewish-American sandwiches, and the New Orleans-Italian muffaletta, but the emphasis is on the middle American favorites. There are over twenty-five sandwiches on the menu that includes hot pastrami, Reuben, egg salad, tuna salad, BLT, liverwurst, smoked turkey breast, and a couple vegetarian sandwiches.

The sandwiches are good because Carter & Cooley uses quality ingredients. The foundation, the breads are baked daily. The lunch meats are top-notch. The accompanying lettuce and tomato slices always seem suitably fresh and green and red, respectively. The bacon that is used for the BLT is not the thin, crumbly bacon hidden among the lettuce and toast, but rather thick hickory-smoked bacon. Unlike many other so-called BLT sandwiches at lesser places, the bacon is prominent. A generous number of slices find their way onto each of these. All of the sandwiches come with a decent potato salad, and a pickle slice.

Carter & Cooley also has house-made chili and a daily soup. There are also several sides and salads such as macaroni, fruit salad, pasta salad and an artichoke and pasta salad. If you need a sweet finish, there are individual pies baked in-house and several cakes and brownies.

Carter & Cooley Co.
http://www.carterandcooley.com/
375 W. 19th (west of Heights)
Houston, Texas77008
(713) 864-3354

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

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The restaurant itself is comfortable, consisting of one quaint dining room that is made somewhat more intimate by its relatively low ceiling. The menu is divided among appetizers, soups, salads, fried rice, curries, seafood, noodles, vegetarian dishes, and ten or so “Chef Recommendations”, which, surprisingly, are not the most expensive items on the menu.

There are seven curries, including the ones you’ll find on most local menus: red, yellow, green, massaman (brown) and panang (and deep orange-ish, to continue the color scheme). The peanut-laden massaman is also served with pieces of sweet potatoes. Vegetables are well treated here. Even as supporting parts of a dish, the thick green beans, and red and green peppers will be properly very fresh and crisp, and plentiful. Sliced white Chicken and beef provide most of the meat choices, but pork is available in about a dozen of the dishes. Shrimp is, by far, the most common of the seafood choices, and there are a couple of squid dishes, and several with the clean-tasting, and price-friendly tilapia.

There are nearly a dozen good-sized lunch specials that are served with soft rolls and either a soup or salad, depending on the day of the week.

Nidda
http://niddathai.com/
1226 Westheimer (west of Montrose) 77006
(713) 522-8895

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

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Although some people may be squeamish about eating food from a truck, be assured that food trucks are strictly regulated. You can feel as safe eating from a licensed food truck as you do when eating at your favorite wheel-less restaurant (and it is probably at least as safe as eating in your own kitchen, and without the cooking and cleaning up).

Some trucks stay in one place most of the time, while others are on the move nearly every day. Many Houston food trucks have Twitter accounts where they announce where they will be, their hours and daily specials. Many of these trucks can be found in central Houston, but they may be seen anywhere in town and even in the suburbs. This is a tough business and food trucks come and go quite often. Although some favorites have disappeared, new trucks have come along to feed hungry Houston diners. Before making a special trip to visit a food truck, verify that it is still in business and where they are located.

The best way to keep up with your favorite mobile food vendors is to follow them on Twitter. You can click through the following links to learn more and follow these Houston food trucks, or follow the entire list of Houston food trucks here.

Following the Twitter list below you will see links to a few Houston food trucks we couldn’t find on Twitter.

Have a link or update to this list? Leave it in the comments. Thanks!

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	3cajunpigs 3 Cajun Pigs | Houston, Texas
	angiescake angie jackson | League City, TX
	berniesburgers Bernie’s Burger Bus | Houston,TX
	banhmieria BanhMieria | Houston, TX
	bullbutterbros Bullbutter Bros., George L Shea | Houston Texas
	cajunwaycuisine Cajun Way Crawfish | Houston, TX
	chipsdipsnsips Chips Dips n Sips | Houston, TX
	cupcakecoach Cupcake Coach | Houston Texas
	cupcakesagogotx Cupcakes a GoGo | Houston TX
	dshotdog Doggy Style Hot Dogs | Houston, Texas
	eatsieboys eatsie boys | Houston, TX
	fezexpress Fez Express |
	flamingpatties Flaming Patties | Houston, TX
	luvfrostedbetty Frosted Betty | 833 Studewood Houston 77007
	fusiontaco Fusion Taco | Houston, TX
	gooddoghotdogs Good Dog Hot Dogs | Heights, Houston, TX
	greenseedvegan green seed vegan | houston, tx
	grillmarkshou grill marks houston | Street Corner Near You
	gcbus Grilled Cheese Bus, Scott Smith | Houston, TX
	htownstreats H-town strEATs | Houston, heights, Montrose
	headsuptacos HeadsUp Tacos | corner of 1st and Live Oak
	hitnrunfoods Hit n’ Run | N 29°50′ 0” / W 95°23′ 0”
	hubcap_grill Hubcap Grill, Ricky Craig | Houston, Texas
	itsawraptruck It’s A Wrap! | Houston, TX
	katfishkitchen Katfish Kitchen |
	mamshouseofice MAM’S House of Ice | Heights @ 20th and Rutland
	melangecreperie Melange Creperie | Houston, Texas
	mmmcupcaketruck MMM Cupcake | Houston, Tx
	noborderstruck No Borders Truck |
	offthehookfish Off the Hook Catfish | Houston, Texas
	ohmypocketpies Oh my! Pocket Pies | Houston, Texas
	ohmygogi Oh My Gogi! BBQ | Houston, Tx
	partyfowltruck partyfowltruck |
	phamilybites Phamily Bites | N 29? 44′ 0” / W 95? 25′ 0”
	pipizzatruck PiPizzaTruck | Houston, TX
	potluckkitchen Pot Luck Kitchen, Mobile Kitchen | Houston, Texas
	slydertruck slyder truck | Houston
	sweetridehoustn SweetRide! Houston | Houston, TX
	htownsweetstop Sweet Stop | Houston, TX
	themodular the modular trailer | parking lots all over Houston
	poboy_express The Po-Boy Express | Houston,TX.
	thecookiebus The Cookie Bus, Alex & Scott | Houston, TX
	rolling_hunger The Rolling Hunger | Houston
	treatsexpress Treats Express | The Woodlands, TX
	wallywallyfood WALLY WALLY | Houston, TX
	whatupcupcake Whats up cupcake | Houston, TX
	wicked_food Wicked Whisk | The Woodlands, Texas
	wingfiregrill Wing Fire Grill | Houston, Texas
	zillastreeteats Zilla Street Eats | tba

These Houston food trucks are not on Twitter, but you can learn more at these links:

Bansuri Indian Food Truck Houston | Indian

Juice Girl

The Lunch Bag

Snowdog Ice-Cream

Tacos Tierra Caliente

Tandoori Nite

Taqueria Maya Quiché

Rice and string beans (called habichuelas) come with some of the plates. Red beans are served in place of the string beans for some dishes. Each of the entrees is also served with tostones y mofongo, twice-fried mashed plantains and a small lettuce and tomato salad. The plantains are a bit bland themselves, and are much better with the accompanying spicy green salsa. The tiny lettuce and tomato salad is just a diversion. A handful of non-Puerto Rican items are listed on the back wall, tacos and hamburgers. The tacos can be overlooked, but Tex Chick does serve a well crafted hamburger. The properly sized patty and buns is assembled in front of your eyes with fresh ingredients that can include cheese and bacon. The crisp, thin fries and onion rings are nice accompaniments to the hamburgers.

The small restaurant is often crowded, as four tables are easy to fill, with Spanish-speaking patrons, mostly from the Caribbean. To assuage the apprehensive, numerous awards from Marvin Zindler for a clean kitchen are displayed on the wall. Tex Chick is an interesting place to try.

Tex Chick
www.puertorricanrestaurant.com
7121/2 Fairview (between Taft and Montrose)
Houston, Texas 77006
(713) 528-4708

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

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The menu is divided among Appetizers, Soups, entree-sized Salads, Fish and Seafood, Curry with Coconut Milk, Rice and Noodle Specialties, and Entrees or house specials. Each of the dishes is coupled with a description and peppers to indicate the relative level of spiciness. One is spicy. Two is hot. Three is “Madly Hot”, which can be suitably spicy.

The appetizers include a variety of rolls, soft and deep-fried and filled with crab meat, shrimp, vegetables or chicken. There is also chicken satay, fried calamari, crab cakes, rice dumplings and Mee Krob featuring crispy rice noodles. The curry dishes, all made with coconut milk, are very good. The flavorful curry sauces are populated with reliably fresh, crisp vegetables and quality, tender pieces of meat. There are yellow, green and red curries, with one to three chilis, respectively, plus Panaeng curry sauce and Massamun with peanuts. These are presented in a metal bowl accompanied by steamed rice. With the exception of the Yellow Curry, each of the curries is available with either chicken or beef. With these, and with most of the entrees at Thai Spice, the chicken version is better than the beef version.

Unlike some other Thai restaurants, the seafood dishes feature only fillets, in typical customer-friendly fashion, not whole fish. Among these is Crispy Snapper (a red snapper fillet with herbs and a chili sauce) and the Sauteed Spicy Seafood (shrimp, squid and scallops that are stir-fried with onions, chiles, green beans and basil). The Pineapple Fried Rice is made with shrimp and shredded pork with pineapple, onions and raisins in the fried rice. Among the house special entrées are the Bangkok Treat (sweet and sour chicken or pork with pineapple, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers), Drunken Chicken (with onion, bell pepper, chili sauce and wine), and Crusted Ginger Sesame Beef Tenderloin with grilled onions and Mushrooms. There is not much in the way of vegetarian dishes on this Texas carnivore-friendly menu.

For beverages, they serve the popular non-alcoholic Thai fruit drinks and iced coffee plus beers and wine. Unfortunately, too many of the wines offered are oakey chardonnays or tannic reds that do not complement the spicy food.

Thai Spice
www.thaispice.com

Thai Spice Clear Lake
300 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 900
Webster, Texas
281.554.6800

Thai Spice Pearland
9811 Broadway Blvd., Ste. 101
Pearland, Texas
713.436.1777

Thai Spice Cafe
777 Walker St. at Two Shell Plaza Downtown
Houston, Texas
713.222.8883

Thai Spice Asian Gourmet
1420 S. Mason Rd. #170
Katy, TX 77450
281.574.1500

Thai Spice Asian Cuisine in the Heights
460 W. 19th St.
Houston, Texas
713.880.9992

Thai Spice Restaurant in the Rice Village
5117 Kelvin
Houston, Texas
713.522.5100

Thai Spice Express @ Mary Bates
8282 Bellaire Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77036
713.777.4888

Thai Spice Buffet II
2520 South Voss @ Westheimer
Houston, Texas
713.782.1100

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

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As with other local Middle Eastern restaurants, it’s easy to eat healthy here. It’s actually easier than most, as Aladdin sports a beautiful and bountiful spread of vegetables, salads and dips, typically fifteen to twenty items each day, which is not unlike those offered at the long-standing Fadi’s restaurants. This is no coincidence, as the owners are related. Nicely, you can peruse the buffet offerings before you select. Aladdin is also user-friendly with its ability to create meals in a variety of different combinations with items from the vegetable-laden buffet and the grill, which includes the meats, plus the seafood of the day. There are kabobs, shawarmas and falafels, each available as pita-wrapped sandwiches. These are noticeably quite popular, and are served with a generous amount of pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and tahini.

Aladdin has a gas-fired brick oven in a corner of the restaurant that is put to good use. In addition to the basic pita bread, they offer ones studded with oregano, feta cheese, ground meat, and spinach and feta. The oven helps to provide finger-friendly starters such as empanada-like baked pies, kibbe balls, falafel and stuffed grape leaves. Aladdin is not as proficient as its progenitors. For example, the lamb kabobs might have a piece of gristle or two; though just out of the oven, the pita bread has not been as flavorful as at other places; and some of the items on the buffet might dry out before the end of the lunch hours. But, given the pedigree of the owners and the evident graciousness and hard work of the managers, there is plenty reason to believe that this restaurant will continue to improve.

Aladdin
www.aladdinhouston.com
912 Westheimer (at Montrose) 77006
(713) 942-2321

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

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The daytime menu is divided among appetizers, salads, soups, more than a dozen pastas, sandwiches on spongy focaccia bread, frittatas (Italian-style egg dishes), omelets, pizzas, and heartier entrees. Appetizers include caponata (a spread featuring eggplants and squash) with focaccia bread, stuffed mushrooms, phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach, cheese and onions, z medley of dips served with pita chips, and grilled chicken strips. With the exception of the largest pizzas, most of the dishes are around eight bucks Pizzas with thick, doughy crusts are available with either the standard white flour or the whole-wheat crust in the individually sized 8″ and 12″ sizes. Called panini, the sandwiches are served on somewhat-fragrant focacc ie bread. There are ones featuring roasted eggplant, chicken, turkey breast and Portobello mushrooms.

Entrees include Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Florentine (chicken breast with spinach), a roasted half chicken, Chicken Parmesan, a braised pork chop, and grilled vegetables. Not really representative of these places, the pastas are mostly named after towns arid cities in Italy plus the island of Corsica that was once part of greater Italy. But nicely, these are served with a small green salad or a cup of soup.

If you need a cholesterol fix, both types of the egg-based dishes, the frittatas and omelets, are made with four eggs. Both are served throughout the day with herb-roasted potatoes plus another side dish which changes daily. All of the Italian espresso-based coffee drinks are offered plus a few drip coffees. Suitably, and conducive to continued lingering after the breakfast is finished, the house blend drip coffee is robust and very flavorful. In the morning, in addition to the omelets and frittatas, Inspire Cafe serves most the breakfast staples, tempered with some flair. These pack the place on weekend mornings. Their homemade desserts are also very popular, and some customers seem to visit just for these. The assorted and mostly tempting cakes and pies are usually served as a generous slice. If anything else, Empire Cafe is a great choice for dessert and a coffee at night.

Empire Café
www.empirecafe.net
1732 Westheimer (west of Dunlavy)
Houston, Texas 77098
(713) 528-5282

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

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