read between the runs

on a run the other day, i was considering how i really don’t like eating at new restaurants; i’m much more a creature of habit and prefer to continue eating at the same spots over and over and over. i’m not sure what it is, but i guess i just like what i like. and so, if it came down to only eating at the same few restaurants for the rest of my days in houston, these are where they would be. i’ve really tried to whittle the list down to my primary real-life favorites and not just list all restaurants that i like.

one side note about the restaurants on this list is that from my current address, i have walked or biked or ran past almost each of these spots. perhaps that is part of what makes each a favorite, but i deeply appreciate the fact that i have the ability to eat at favorite restaurants of mine without driving more than 10 minutes, excepting happy lamb. (which honestly, it’s probably a good thing they aren’t closer since it’s the only “buffet” on the list, though i do treat others as if they were buffets at times.) however, it does raise interesting questions about how we develop affinities for places that are near to us. i suppose that if we lived closer to memorial city, places like red robin or cascabel would be gracing this list instead of montrose pickings. maybe i only love these places BECAUSE they are near, and if i were to move, i would look back at the food at these restaurants with less fondness.

another side note: i’m electing to omit chipotle from this list just because it isn’t houston-specific. all other chains i don’t eat at or don’t consider elite enough to even be worth consideration here.

this list will not be ordered in any way other than alphabetical in order to reduce favoritism. a ranking would require much more thought than i’m presently ready to commit to.

barnaby’s

a lot of places on this list have a very “homey” feeling, but that is especially true about barnaby’s. you walk in and immediately are greeted with the ability to seat yourself and a menu already at the table. the servers are all nice and actually seem genuine about it. each time we’ve gone we had a different server, but it always feels the same. the service is about as quick as you can get from a sit down spot, and the portions are quite generous for only about $15 for a plate. and when i say generous, i really mean it. i haven’t recently been a big fan of shoestring fries, but they never miss here. apparently they have the best lemonade in houston, and though i can’t say definitively, it’s gonna be a top contender. last, they don’t just have a single veggie burger, but four different options, so i know even if i’m not in the mood for one option, another will definitely sound good.

city orchard

this was the option that i most debated about placing on this list. not because of its quality, but instead due to it really not being a restaurant. it’s definitely more of a cidery that happens to serve food, and not much of it. but the food they do have is definitely worth going for. whether it was the fries and brussels they used to have, or their actual giant pretzels now, they don’t really miss. however, the highlight has to be the cider. all of their options are so tart and refreshing. i don’t really imbibe often, but i would if everything was as good as their cider. and it isn’t just one flavor, but just about every plain drink hits, along with their slushes. literally just so good, and i feel incredibly fortunate to live so close and be able to pick it up at the store if need-be. they also have trivia, art nights, and board games to check out. this is a place that autumn and i will always always always recommend people go with us for the laid back atmosphere and actual good ciders.

happy lamb

autumn had been talking for a while that we needed to go have hotpot, and i had no idea what it was so i was reluctant to go out and eat a soup buffet. but when i found out, boy did i find out! it quickly became an obsession and we were going back every month, something autumn is very reticent to doing. the splitting of the broth is huge, and all of the different options for soup cooking goes crazy. i didn’t realize just how much i liked different species of mushrooms before we went there, and add in the special sauce mixture, you have an amazing meal on your hands. it really doesn’t seem like it’s something that would be mindbending, but i guess that’s just how they get ya.

khun kay

khun kay is special to me because it’s the one that is closest to our apartment, literally two blocks away. before i moved from eau claire, i had developed a special love for thai food, though i suppose that evolved from a particular trip to thailand now that i think about it. i had, at one time, thought that the eau claire offerings were quality and i now see how stupid i’ve been. once in houston, we surveyed innumerable thai spots, and all of them were good. they still are! but khun kay is standing on the shoulders giants to take the claim of best thai in houston. sure, i haven’t given the other places a fair shake following our uncovering of khun kay, but they just do what they do so well i’m often unwilling to go elsewhere. i’m a big drunken noodles guy, and their version with the mock duck is so flavor packed. my only knock against them is that their spice is incredibly weak. even with a level five, i’m adding extra and wishing i could get that pain. but if my primary complaint is that the food is so flavorful that i can taste it without scorching my mouth, i’m in a pretty good spot. lastly, i feel good about supporting khun kay because it’s another small restaurant, one that makes me feel like they could close their doors for good without any warning, so every trip there keeps a good business open.

korny vibes

thinking back in my mind, this was one of the first all-vegan restaurants i had ever been to, back when the idea that a profitable restaurant was able to be ran serving solely plant-based cuisine was outrageous to me. when i first heard of korny, i lived all the way out in spring, so the trip down was a big treat. i also distinctly remember my initiation from ms. phillips, a teacher at grantham, who put me on and my first trip on april 10, 2020 during the pandemic. it was eye-opening and i haven’t looked back. now that autumn and i live so close, it lost a bit of its luster and i wasn’t eating there often. but then i was thinking about how a lot of vegan places are going under and eventually we’ll move to a more sensible area, so i’ll be back in my preliminary predicament of living far from something quite delicious, so this year i’ve really leaned into my love for them. the only few things i had that weren’t agreeable to me they’ve updated the recipes for, so i have no complaints. their menu is vast and they have genuinely so many amazing options that i find myself scrolling through the menu for 15 minutes not knowing what to order, which i literally never do anywhere else. what i do know, though, is that whenever i have my final meal there it will be an incredibly sad day.

mia bella

easily the only “fancy” restaurant on the list, mia bella is such a treat. sure, we’ve had the genuine absolute pleasure of being served by emilio there, but i’ll do my best to avoid discussing him too much. though a relatively unassuming joint, the food there is genuinely delectable. everything that i’ve had there has been phenomenal. i never thought i would eat ratatouille, but it’s a must have there. even just the appetizer bread and oil is worth the trip itself. but of course, the pasta shines through. the wild mushroom whatever they’ve got going on there is just about as good as pasta can get i think. if anyone ever needs a more upscale recommendation, mia bella is about the only place i would consider bringing up.

mo’ brunch and brews

of everywhere on this list, this is probably the one i’ve eaten at the least. i used to love their previous iteration as a foodtruck, houston sauce co., but that’s defunct and this is the spiritual successor to that. a fully vegan option, they don’t hold back when it comes to flavor. you may not think that shrooms and grits can really be that flavorful, but i promise it can be. in my life i have truly had few mouthgasms, but when i had their dilla donut burger, i genuinely felt like i was experiencing an out of body moment. perhaps it was the strong carafe(s) of charcoal lemonade hitting, or maybe it truly was that good. who knows? what i DO know is that a non-vegan will not leave here disappointed. all the options are “regular” enough to not scare anyone away, but the flavor will certainly make everyone a fan.

tacodeli

when i started eating at tacodeli, i had no idea it was a chain or that they had such a clutch on the breakfast taco market in southwest texas. however, since i have only ever indulged at the same tacodeli, i am not considering them a chain for the purposes of this list. i haven’t had a variety of tacos there, but i love the ingenuity and wide variety. the build your owns are just as good as their house favorites. i genuinely love the tacos, but i think the major reason i have such an infatuation with tacodeli is their doña sauce. it’s incomparable to any other sauce that has ever graced my tastebuds. it’s so rich and spicy and everything that you would ever want to put on a taco. it’s so good you could eat it by itself, which i do often. they’ve even started selling their wares in different grocery stores, and i have to limit my purchases of it because i could eat a whole container in two days if i let myself free. houston has no shortage of breakfast tacos, or just tacos in general, and i have no reservations about sending every taco lover i know straight there if they’re in need.

well, that’s the list! i can’t imagine anyone going to any of these places and having a bad experience, but if you do, don’t tell me about it! i want to live thinking they are incritiqueable…

do great; be happy