#67 - Houston Texans Grill, Houston TX

Most of our Cowboy Caravans are in Oklahoma, but we also do Tyler, Houston, and Dallas TX.  We haven't done Dallas in a couple years, but Houston is an annual event.  Mary and I made the drive down last week.  We used to drive halfway, stay the night in Dallas, and then drive the rest on the day of the event.  But this year we decided to just drive all the way to Houston the day before.  In hindsight that was a really good idea, because had we encountered any issues we would have had another day to fix them.  And, we had all day Wednesday, which worked out to be a great thing this year because I was able to take care of a lot of things to get ready for the Kickoff Classic at the end of August.

Tuesday evening we did a walk-through of the venue for the caravan, which was at Houston Texans Grille.  It's located in CITYCENTRE, an upscale shopping and dining area in downtown Houston near the Galleria area.  One thing to keep in mind if you're going there...make sure you park in one of the garages or in a surface lot.  If you park illegally, they'll tow you in a heartbeat.  We found a garage right across the street from the restaurant, which was perfect. They do offer valet, but it takes quite a while to get your car back. 

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and there's an escalator right behind the valet stand.  The whole place is decorated, no surprise, in Houston Texans from head to toe.  It's not owned by the Texans, but they do have an interest in it.  Just past the hostess stand is a large bar area with some pub seating to the left and a few couches to the right.  The main dining room is behind the bar, and it's set up in several different sections with air walls in between.  At first I thought that was kind of weird, but they do a lot of events and the air walls allow them to accommodate different-sized events while still remaining open for the public if the whole place isn't reserved.  There's also a really cool covered patio with a mix of pub tables and lounge seating.  Our event took up about 85% of the main dining room, as well as the patio. 

Mary and I were absolutely starving by the time we were done with the meeting, and decided to eat there.  We sat in the bar area and checked out the menu.  Our server greeted us immediately, and we both decided to have a drink.  We tried out a couple of the "specialty" drinks.  There was no price listed on the menu, which should have been a sign that they were going to be expensive...yep, $10 each.  I think they should have to list the prices on the menu.  I guess we could have asked, but to me that's still not right.  And it's not just this restaurant.  Many other restaurants do the same thing.

As usual, I had a hard time deciding what to eat.  I finally went with the Bangkok burger

Ground pork, sweet and spicy Asian sauce, fried potato straws,

avocado, wasabi mayo

This burger was HUGE!  I had to smoosh the bread down to take a bite.  But it was fantastic.  The Asian sauce had wonderful sweet/spicy flavor, without being overpowering.  The pork was cooked perfectly and still moist.  The fries were good, just your basic restaurant fries.  The only down side is that the bottom patty got really soggy and was falling apart, which I guess is a good thing cause that's all flavor.  And the patty did fall apart a little, so I just ditched the top bun and ate it with my fork & knife.

We were very disappointed with the service though.  Our server started out well, taking our drink order quickly. He took a little longer to take our food order.  And we never saw him again.  We finally flagged down another server and asked for our check.  She said she would find our original guy.  A few minutes later a different guy brought out the check.  We liked the last guy the best, because he was very friendly, fast and efficient.  I realize it was late in the evening and there were only about 2 other tables in the bar area.  But that's no excuse for the lack of attention to service. 

At the caravan the next night we had sliders, wings, and quesadillas.  They were all good, but the wings were definitely my favorite.  The were really big and meaty.  The first couple batches were spicy, but towards the end the new batches of wings were just regular.  I'm guessing they probably ran out of the spicy.  The service at the caravan was really good.  We had tons of servers, they took and served drink orders quickly, and never let the buffet pans run out. 

Will I go back?  Definitely!  The food was good, it has a great atmosphere, and I really like their event manager Matt.  We got along really well and he did a great job of running the event.

We'll be back in Houston at the end of the month for the Kickoff Classic, and Houston Texans Grille will be one of our "official party headquarters".  So I'll definitely make sure to go there.



  

#66 - The Jerk Pit, College Park, MD

Whenever I go back to Maryland to visit family, I always go to lunch with my friend Heather at least once during the trip.  Early in the week we went to Marathon Deli, one of our favorite places right off campus.  Our friend Kevin often goes with us too, but he couldn't that week.  So I met him Friday for lunch.

Kevin played FB at Maryland, was one of Barry Sanders' linemen at the Lions, was a sports agent, got out of that dirty business, and came back to work at Maryland Football.  Before he came back to Maryland I knew him only as a letterman who came back and played in the annual golf outing.  But once we worked together, and spent almost every day together during football season, we became really close.  He listens, doesn't judge, gives good advice, and I know I can tell him anything in confidence.  That's the mark of a great guy. 

Kevin said he goes to The Jerk Pit with friends quite often on Fridays because they have a great buffet.  I don't remember if it was there when I worked on campus.  But I do remember seeing it a few times when I was back in town. 

It's located on Route 1, about a mile North of campus, just off Greenbelt Road.  It's in a house, and you park around in the back.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but I was confident Kevin wouldn't lead me astray.  And besides, if he eats there regularly, it's got to be good.

There's no question this is a Jamaican restaurant, besides the obvious name.  There's Reggae music playing in the background, all the staff has a very strong Jamaican accent, and the colors of the sign outside are of the Jamaican flag.  The restaurant is separated into several smaller dining rooms.   You walk through one room to get to the counter to order.  They have a few barstools there so you can eat right there too.  Across from the counter is where the buffet is set up.  It's 2 8' tables with footed chafing dishes on it.  They use disposable plates and utensils which is quite convenient.  They really need a larger trash can because I noticed the staff kept having to empty it because it wasn't very big. 

Kevin suggested that I check out the buffet and see if I would want that or something off the menu.  The second dish I uncovered was baked mac & cheese...that's all I needed to see.  Sold.  They have drinks in a stand-up cooler behind the counter, and those are your only choices, and the water bottles are small.  I wish they would invest in a fountain machine or at a minimum offer free water refills.

The AC wasn't working, which was a big negative considering Maryland was in the middle of a major heat wave.  I'm not sure if they even have AC or not.  They do have ceiling fans in each space so that helps a little bit.  With how hot it got in there I felt like I had to ration my water to make it last my whole meal. 

For my first plate I got rice with veggies, peas & rice, mac & cheese, and saltfish fritters.

I've had saltfish before, but never done as a fritter.  It's basically a fried salted cod cake, and I love cod.  It was really good.  Both rices were delicious, but the mac & cheese was definitely the star of that plate.  Growing up my mom always made baked mac & cheese.  Pretty sure I've only ever had the boxed kind once or twice in my whole life. My mom's theory was it takes the same time to cook the macaroni, so you might as well use real cheese.  The baked version does take more time so I don't make it a lot, but it's well worth the effort.

For my second plate I got more mac & cheese, fried chicken, jerk chicken, and escovitch fish and chicken. 

The fried chicken was outstanding.  The jerk chicken was very good, but my piece was a little dry, which is very odd considering it was a leg.  It had a little kick, but not too bad.  Kevin said his pieces had more spice, and his  mouth was burning.  I had never had escovitch anything, so I was fully unprepared for the super tartness.  Apparently the marinade is vinegar, allspice, onions & chile peppers.  You know when you bite into a sweet tart or a really sour candy and your mouth gets all puckered up?  That's what it was like after one bite.  The meat and/or fish that it's served with is fried.  So I'm wondering if it gets marinated first for a while and then fried.  Regardless, I liked them better than the veggies, because I think the frying toned down the tart slightly.  On the plus side for the veggies, they were tender crisp.

When we had arrived the place wasn't very crowded, with maybe about 10 people.  By the time we were leaving, the line was almost to the door.  So clearly we picked a good time to get there. 

Will I go back?  Of course!  It's definitely on my to-do list whenever I go back to Maryland.  The food was excellent, and the place has a great atmosphere...well, except for the lack of AC.

#65 - The Shark on the Harbor, Ocean City, MD

Denise is another one of my friends I've known absolutely forever.  We first met when she was a student of my mom's at community college.  We were more just acquaintances at that time, but once I was working at Maryland we became friends and over the years have become very close friends.  Her kids are like my own, and I've really watched her youngest son, Sam, grow up before my eyes. 

Denise has a beach house in Ocean City, MD.  I spent countless summer weekends there while I was working at Maryland.  I would leave work about noon on Friday to miss traffic, spend the weekend, and then head back to reality on Sunday evening.  I don't have enough time to tell you about all the stuff we did, and I probably shouldn't anyways...suffice it to say, we've had a blast.

Since I moved to Oklahoma I've only gotten to visit her at the beach a couple of times, and happily this trip was one of them.  Back in the day, the couch in the living room was my bed.  Not bad, considering I could wake up to a gorgeous view of the bay from the back patio sliding glass doors.  But now that they've renovated the house, I got my own awesome room.  Kinda makes me wish I was back in Maryland so I could go more often!

I had driven down Tuesday morning, and my only 2 requests for Denise were the thick cut fries, and crabs. We took care of the crabs Tuesday night with a crab feast on the back deck.  We tore through about a dozen each, and it was awesome.  Tuesday for lunch I got a burger and fries at Alaska Stand, which is right near where we always hang out on the beach.  Wednesday afternoon before I left we shared a tub of Thrasher's fries, the best on the beach.  Denise kind of went overboard with the vinegar, but they were still so delish.

But I digress...Wednesday morning, after a great run on the boardwalk, it was time for some lunch.  After some back and forth we decided to go The Shark on the Harbor.  We went with her dad Vinnie, her middle son Pat, and her nephew Sean. 

Located in West Ocean City, The Shark is a very cool restaurant right on the harbor.  Denise warned me that the wait can be long.  Sam didn't go with us for that very reason.  As we pulled up there was a large group that walked in right ahead of us.  That turned out to be a bad omen. 

It's not a very big restaurant, maybe 25 tables.  And there's a big bar in the middle and you can sit at the bar to eat/drink as well.  We were seated at a table in the corner.  Normally I wouldn't like that, but the restaurant has huge windows on all sides of the restaurant to take in the great view.

I really like that they offer $5.99 daily lunch specials, and they also have Sunday NFL specials during football season.  They have a variety of items on the lunch menu, and it all looked really  good.  After lots of thinking, I went with the fish tostadas with homecooked chips

Blackened mahi mahi/crunchy corn tortillas/shredded cabbage/cheese/

tomato salsa/salsa blanca

This was absolutely phenomenal!  The fish was so fresh...obviously, since they probably pulled it straight from the harbor!  The blackening was a little spicy but really not too bad.  Both salsas were excellent, and the salsa blanca added so much flavor and wasn't heavy at all.  The chips were really good as well.

Denise shared a grilled cheese and the fish tostadas with her son Pat.  The grilled cheese was disappointing because it was supposed to be a combination of cheeses, but there was more bacon and lettuce than anything, and hardly any gouda on it.  Pat also had a cheesesteak and I had a bite and it was delicious.  I can't remember what Vinnie and Sean had.

We did have to wait about 30 minutes for our meal.  Our waitress was very nice, but she seemed to get distracted pretty quickly.  We had planned to place our order when she brought back the drinks, but then Denise started talking to her, and another table needed something, and it was another 10 minutes before she came back.  I really don't get it.  I understand that they cook everything fresh and to order, and I know there was a group of 8 just ahead of us but that's no excuse for why it should take that long to be served.  But then another group of 4 came in about 30 minutes after we did, and were served their food within 10 minutes.  Very crazy.

It took me quite a while to track down the lunch menu, because The Shark changes its specials frequently.  So, note to self...take pictures of the menu items so I don't have to spend so much time trying to dig it up.

Will I go back?  Next summer it's definitely on the to-do list.

#64 - Black's Bar & Kitchen, Bethesda, MD

Emily and I have been friends for a long time.  We met when she was a student working at the football office at Maryland.  We became fast friends, and did all kinds of fun stuff together over the years.  She helps to run the NFL summer youth camps across the country, but it has always worked out that she's in town for at least a couple days of my trips to Maryland.  This trip was no different. 

We decided to do a Sunday Funday brunch in Bethesda.  Emily suggested Black's Bar and Kitchen and said the food is amazing and they have great mimosas.  It's pricey, but the mimosas are unlimited, they have a big raw bar, and it is Bethesda.  Nothing is cheap there. 

Black's is right in the heart of the Bethesda "social scene", with a good-sized patio out front, a bar and bar seating on the left and the main dining room on the right.  We first went to seat ourselves in the bar area, but I didn't like any of the open tables. So we were seated in the main dining room. 

They do offer a la carte brunch menu items, but why do that when you can gorge on the buffet?  The brunch buffet is huge and varied.  We started with the raw bar, filling up on oysters, shrimp cocktail, shrimp salad, smoked salmon, as well as cured meats, breads and cheeses.  I tried a piece of this thing that looked like a sardine that Emily said is really good for you.  One bite was more than enough for me to disagree. I cant' remember exactly what it's called, but that's okay because I'm never ordering it.

The good thing about the raw bar is that it's really hard to get full from it.  After a couple plates of the raw, we moved to the hot food, where we filled up with bacon, potato hash, prime rib, cheese grits, and salad.   And after we'd had our fill of the hot food, we got a couple of the desserts to try.

I didn't take a picture of the other plates, but all of the food was excellent.  With the first plate of each the cold and hot food I took a little of everything, and went back for more of what I really liked. I had one piece of bread and a little cheese. I was tempted to get more, but didn't want to get filled up on that. Of course I only eat oysters on the East Coast.  I kind of went overboard on them, but I had no idea when I would get them again so I wasn't ashamed. The shrimp salad was delicious and had lots of flavor, and the shrimp cocktail were huge.  I'm not normally a fan of smoked salmon, but it was really good.  The cheese grits were fantastic, and I went back and got another helping. The prime rib was cooked perfectly.  By the time we were at dessert we were pretty full so we just tried a couple of items. I really like that all the desserts are bite sized, so you can try different things and just get a taste of each. 

In between all the plates of food we of course had mimosas.  Since they were included, why not take advantage?  The Champagne Sangria (peach schnapps, simple syrup, OJ, fresh fruit) was okay, but didn't really have much of a kick.  The Bellini (white peach nectar & champagne) was pretty good.  The Pointsettia (cranberry juice & champagne) was okay.  The Kir Royale (Crème De Casis & champagne) was my absolute favorite.  I don't know what Crème de Casis is, but I like it. 

After lots of food and mimosas, we were stuffed.  And very happy. 

Will I go back?  I think that's a yes!  I could definitely do another brunch there, and I'm sure it's a good place for happy hour too.
 

Repeats with a Twist - Ledo's, College Park, MD

Ledo's is one of those places that's been around forever.  The original location was about a 5-minute drive from the Maryland campus.  I lost count about 10 years ago of how many times I've eaten there, mainly carryout but also a few times in the main dining room.  The biggest problem about Ledo's was the cigarette smoke in the bar area.  The carryout waiting area separated the bar from the main dining room, and thankfully the smoke didn't leak into that waiting area.  You could literally see the smoke hanging in the air inside the bar, and within 2 minutes you would stink for the rest of the day.  A couple years ago Ledo's moved to the other side of campus, just off Route 1.  Definitely a good thing I wasn't still living in CP, or that could have been dangerous.  It's about 3 times the size of the original, with a large airy bar area and a good-sized main dining room.  The whole place is bright, there's TVs all throughout the restaurant, and they've got floor-to-ceiling glass on the street side.  Over the years a few other locations have opened throughout the state. I've never been anywhere but the original location, but friends have told me its the best one.

Ledo's is most known for pizza.  For a long time I didn't even know they had other kind of food.  I tried a couple other menu items over the years, but the pizza is hands down the best thing there. The crust is thin, and the slices are square.  It can sometimes be greasy, but it's still always really good.  One of my favorite toppings is the thick-cut pepperoni.  My other favorite is the pre-cooked bacon.  The mini pizza is round, but all the other sizes are square.  My parents often get Ledo's to go on their way home from Maryland basketball games.  For about 4 years while I worked at Maryland, one of our donors brought a dozen pizzas with all different kinds of toppings to the office every week during football season.  He did it for one game, and when we won he decided it was fate so it was a weekly treat.  I can promise you nobody in the office complained. And as time went on the coaches would ask weekly which day Joe was coming with the pizza.

I always have to go to Ledo's once whenever I go back to Maryland.  On this trip, it was the first night that I arrived.  My mom wasn't hungry that night, so it was just me and my dad.  We were seated in the bar area which I wasn't too fired up about because it's tables & chairs rather than a comfy booth, but the main dining room was very crowded. 

We started with calamari

It came with peppers and capers, which kind of reminded me of the appetizer at Perry's Steakhouse.  The calamari was perfectly cooked and super hot.   Have to admit it wasn't quite as good as Perry's, but not much calamari is.  I don't like capers, but the peppers were tender crisp and delicious.  My dad tasted the capers and wasn't really a fan either.

My dad got the veggie lovers pizza, and I got the mini spinach, green pepper, onion, and pre-cooked bacon. Its what I have ordered for years, so why mess with what works. I did notice that they have a butter garlic sauce as an option, and decided to try that instead of the red sauce.  

You can see my dad's pizza in the top left hand corner of the picture. He got the medium so he and my mom could have leftovers for a couple of days, which is what they usually do when they go. I never thought I would ever say this, but there was too much bacon for the little pizza.  I guess I shouldn't complain, because it could have been the other way around.  I ended up taking some off and having it the next morning for breakfast with my eggs.  The pizza was awesome though!  The server told me they just started offering the garlic butter sauce recently when they created the Pizza Bianco.  The sauce was absolutely delicious, and added a whole different flavor to the pizza. 

I can't wait to go back to Maryland to get my Ledo's fix!