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Troll Food & Spirits, Houston, TX (2026)

04/30/2024

We have been super busy with multiple house projects and work, so it’s been awhile since I’ve posted any food reviews. Well I have two good ones for you. First Christian’s Tailgate on Kirby:

This place is more of a sports bar than a restaurant, but that doesn’t mean the food is only bar food. They have been known for a long time to have great burgers.

I sat at the bar and ordered a Ghost in the Machine on tap. If you haven’t had this beer from the famed Parish Brewing Co then you are missing out. It’s rare you find it on tap, so this was a great way to start the meal.

I ordered the Classic Patty Melt (Texas Toast, Caramelized Onions, Thousand Island Dressing, Cheddar & American Cheese), Parmesan Truffle Fries and the Jalapeño Mac and Cheese.

The burger was excellent. Seasoned well, delicious toast, caramelized onions. I have to give this burger an 8.75 out of 10! I highly recommend trying their burgers if you are nearby. It’s even worth a decent drive.

The fries were really good as well. The only thing that wasn’t good was the Mac and Cheese. That was some of the worst Mac and Cheese I have ever had. Now I get why it was only $4. I could only stomach a few bites, and then just gave up on it entirely.

If you have never been to Christian’s Tailgate, I recommend checking them out! Have y’all been there before?

04/04/2024

🚨 NEW RESTAURANT COMING TO BELLAIRE THIS WEEKEND!!! 🚨

KP’s Kitchen

I had never been to KP’s Kitchen, but have heard many great things about the restaurant, and the owner Kerry Pauly. When they announced that their Bellaire location is opening this weekend, I had to go try the original location to see what they are all about. And what they are all about is great food, outstanding service and a relaxed but nice atmosphere. This restaurant will fit in very well in Bellaire. The location is on Bissonnet near Chimney Rock, across from the Bellaire Triangle.

The Service

I have not had service this great at even some of the nicest restaurants and steakhouses in the city. The whole staff worked as a team, and Kerry was right there with them making sure that every single guest was happy and comfortable. I was a little embarrassed because it looked so nice inside and I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Kerry said not to worry about it at all and that everyone is welcome. When I finished my meal they boxed up the leftovers for me and provided wet naps to clean my hands. Y’all the service here is 10 out of 10!

The Food

For my drink I ordered their house made Cherry Vanilla Lemonade. This was so good! They refilled it or topped it off for me multiple times without me having to ask. Some places that make their lemonade fresh like this would charge for each drink, but not here!

I had to try an appetizer, a main and a dessert. This was a lot of food so I definitely took some home. For the appetizer I ordered the Spinach Artichoke Dip. Many places don’t add much artichoke and are mostly cheese and spinach. This dip was packed with artichoke! The house made chips and the Panko Parmesan crust on top of the dip were delicious. We were off to a great start!

For the entree I was tempted to try the Not Your Daddy’s Country Club Sandwich, the Grilled Redfish or the Gulf Crab Cakes. They all sounded so good! But, I am still on a mission to try all of the burgers, and I have heard theirs is really good. It also happened that the burger was on special that day for $12 and comes with fries. I upgraded the fries to the Parmesan Truffle Fries, and I’m glad I did. This burger was so simple and yet so good in every detail. The thin burger patties were seasoned well and cooked to perfection. The American cheese was melty/creamy and blended so well with the dijonnaise that comes on the burger. The smoked bacon was perfect. The bun (I’m assuming brioche maybe?) was delicious and fresh. It was such a casually excellent burger that I have been craving another one since that day. 9 out of 10

I really shouldn’t have ordered dessert, but I had to try at least one to get the full picture of what this restaurant has to offer. I went with Nanny’s Crème Fraiche Cheesecake. It looked so good that I started devouring it before I realized I needed to take a picture for y’all. The cheesecake was fantastic! It comes with fresh fruit, including a strawberry that they made into a rose.

Summary

The attention to detail at this place is off the charts. I am so happy they are opening in Bellaire this weekend. I can’t wait to try everything else they have! Kerry told me that his restaurant is a part of the community and wants to be a great neighborhood spot for people to come to regularly. I know this, I will be a regular here! Please go check out and support KP’s Kitchen this weekend and show them that they are welcome and that we are happy to have them in Bellaire!

This area now has Blood Bros BBQ, Aya Sushi, KP’s Kitchen, The ‘401, Lemongrass, Costa Brava Bistro, Mandito’s, Lankford’s and several other great restaurants. Let’s keep supporting them so that Bellaire can continue to draw these talented restauranteurs!

04/02/2024

Hopdoddy Burger Bar - Rice Village

I will try burgers from hole in the wall restaurants or bars, fancy steakhouses, local favorites and even chain restaurants. As far as chain restaurants go for burgers, it’s tough to beat Hopdoddy. This location in the Rice Village has yet to fail me.

The Food

Maggie had the Farmhouse Deluxe (Beef patty, steakhouse bacon, cheddar cheese, Vital Farms egg, crispy onions, Doddy mayo, L, T & O) with Parmesan Truffle Fries (Hand-cut fries tossed with Truffle Oil, Parmesan & Chives. Served with Truffle Aioli). I had the Doddy Melt (two smashed patties, Swiss and American cheeses, caramelized onions, mayo & Comeback sauce on grilled rye bread) with Nacho Fries (Hand-cut fries loaded with queso, pico de gallo, avocado & sour cream).

Maggie loved her burger! The Doddy Melt I ordered was good, but it’s not my favorite burger at Hopdoddy. My favorites would either be the Goodnight/Good Cause (Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, jalapeños, caffeinated BBQ sauce, Doddy Mayo, lettuce & tomato) or the Double Bacon Jam (Two 1/4 lb beef patties topped with both white & yellow American cheeses, house-made tomato bacon jam, mustard grilled onions & pickled mayo). I’ll give the Doddy Melt a 7.75 out of 10. I have had much better melts, but it was still good. The other burgers I mentioned would likely be high 8s.

The fries were so good! Truffle fries 8.25. Nacho fries 9! The nacho fries were cheesy with the avacado and sour cream. Nailed it!

Lastly, the Oreo Cookies and Cream shake was really good. Not the best ever, but still very good. You can also make your shake a “boozy shake” and they will add liquor to it. I haven’t tried that yet, but I’m sure it’s good.

Go check out Hopdoddy if you have one near you! Anyone else really like Hopdoddy?

03/28/2024

Have you been to Luloo’s Day & Night at the Stomping Grounds in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area?

Luloo’s is a bakery forward restaurant, bar and bodega by the Blood Bros BBQ team. Y’all they do everything very well here!

The Bodega

They sell all kinds of packaged items to take home with you. Smoked sriracha salt, Blood Bros pickled red onions, house made pickles, trail mix, salsa, local honey, chips, candy and so much more!

I used the smoked sriracha salt on some burgers I made at home, and the flavor was incredible! Maggie said they were some of the best burgers I’ve ever made!

The Bakery

The bakery items here are so good that you will be craving them for weeks! A recent addition and favorite of mine is the Strawberry Rhubarb Kolache. Their cinnamon rolls will not disappoint. The savory kolaches filled with Blood Bros BBQ brisket are addictive. They have different kinds of cookies including the classic chocolate chip and their new Tahini + Nutella cookie. I could go on for days about their baked goods: eclairs, chocolate cream pies, crème brûlée, rice crispy treats and so much more. All made fresh by their baker!

The Restaurant and Bar

One of the things I love about this place is the amount of options you have. There is something for everyone. With appetizers like Panko Crusted Halloumi Cheese Sticks, Blood Bros BBQ Brisket Nachos, Saag Paneer Artichoke Dip and even Fried Head Cheese Wontons, it’s a miracle if you are able to only choose one to save room for the entree! Also I want to mention that you can get Blood Bros Spam Musubi to go anytime!

For entrees they have delicious salads, wraps and sandwiches for all kinds of cravings. Examples include a Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken Salad, Chopped Cheese Shawarma, Buffalo Chicken Wrap, Cheesesteak Sub, Chicken Parm Sub (pictured with fried okra), Rodeo Burger, Cracklin Sandwich, a Pastrami Melt and many more excellent options. Everything here is fresh and delicious! They also have a great kids menu!

Other great features of Luloo’s includes a full bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and an outdoor play area for kids. The location is easy to get to with plenty of parking. I really hope y’all go and give them a try! You will not be disappointed!

03/27/2024

Miller’s Cafe - A guide to attempting to replicate my favorite burger of all time…

Since the closure of Bellaire Broiler Burger I have been searching high and low for something similar. Miller’s Cafe is probably the closest thing to Broiler Burger there is in Houston. Is it the same? No. However, I was able to get a burger that was similar to my all time favorite, the Bellaire Special.

The Restaurant

This location has old school burger restaurant/bar vibes. The staff are friendly and the place was clean. I showed up after the lunch rush, so it wasn’t crowded and I was able to order quickly.

Their description from their website:

“Miller's Cafe is your go-to spot for a laid-back meal with a touch of Texas flair. Our casual style has been felt for decades, with Classic Rock on the speakers and classic shows on the TV.”

The Meal

I ordered a burger and onion rings. They realized they were out of onion rings, so I switched to sweet potato fries. The fries were solid. Were they the best fries I’ve ever had? No, but they were very good!

I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger with grilled onions. Next time I’m going to ask for a double meat bacon cheeseburger with extra cheese to get as close to a Bellaire Special as possible. The burger comes with a poopyseed bun that was very good. The bacon was perfect for a burger like this. The burger needs more cheese to try to replicate the super cheesy Bellaire Special. The burger patty was cooked on a flat top grill (not an open flame like Broiler Burger), but it was seasoned well and delicious. Overall it’s a great burger in a relaxed atmosphere. 8 out of 10

Summary

I hope the Miller’s Cafe owners and staff don’t hate me for comparing them to my all time favorite burger restaurant, but they are as close as I’m going to get to a Bellaire Special again. And that’s huge praise! If you want a casual classic burger near 610 and Shepherd this is where you need to go.

Has anyone been to Miller’s Cafe that also used to go to Bellaire Broiler Burger?

03/20/2024

Any Scotch fans here?

This GlenAllachie 15 is fantastic! The flavor at this low of a proof (92 Proof) is remarkable. I could drink this neat any day with just about any food. I will revisit this again soon, but the flavor I’m getting is a velvety rich chocolate with very light hints of fruitiness.

What’s your favorite Scotch?

03/19/2024

Super Fast Coconut Shrimp Tacos!

HEB has a small section of their store devoted to meals that just need to be heated. I found a container of Coconut Shrimp that just needed to be heated. The day after picking these up I needed a quick meal and decided to heat up the shrimp. I didn’t want to eat them by themself, so I thought some quick tacos might be good. Boy was I right!

I simply warmed the shrimp per the instructions, then took them out, cut off the tails and cut the cooked shrimp in half. I made 3 tacos with mozzarella cheese, sour cream and cotija cheese. One taco I used no sauce. One taco I used Truff Original Hot Sauce. One taco I used a really good green taco sauce. I’ll post the sauces in the comments. All of them were very good, but the Truff sauce stood out as the clear winner here. If you haven’t had the Truff sauce, it’s worth a try. It’s surprisingly creamy, with both hot sauce and truffle flavor. I use it on all kinds of food.

These tacos were great!

03/18/2024

Lemongrass Cafe in Bellaire

I wasn’t able to post anything last week, so this week I will make up for it and post all of the food reviews I have been wanting to share with y’all.

First up is Lemongrass Cafe in the strip center at S Rice and Bellaire Blvd. From their website site: “Discover an Asian restaurant that strikes the perfect balance between sophistication and a relaxed atmosphere.” Agreed! It’s nice inside, but doesn’t feel overly posh or overly expensive for no reason. Prices are fair and the food is very good. I would usually go there for their Pad Thai or Sesame Chicken Milanaise that are both so good. This time I went for, you guessed it, the Kobe Beef Burger (Half pound of Kobe beef cooked well done with melted gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, lettuce and tomato in a butter bun. Served with a side of grilled pesto vegetables). I also ordered the Sweet Potato Fries appetizer to go with the burger and grilled vegetables.

The Burger and Fries

The Sweet Potato Fries are served with house made Cilantro-Jalapeño Sauce. The fries were cooked perfectly with a slightly crunchy outside and soft inside. They were seasoned well too. The sauce paired excellently with these fries. I highly recommend ordering them with any meal, you won’t be disappointed.

The burger was not cooked well done as the description suggested, and I am thankful for that. Nobody wants an overcooked burger! This burger was delicious and can be addictive due to one ingredient, Gorgonzola cheese. You won’t find many burgers around Houston with Gorgonzola cheese, but it is distinctive and goes very well with not only the burger but the general flavor profiles of the restaurant. This burger is not your typical fatty greasy burger. It feels like a healthier burger. Is that possible? I mean it does come with grilled veggies, which are delicious by the way. The bacon and caramelized onions with the Gorgonzola cheese create an incredible flavor. I also used some of the Cilantro-Jalapeño sauce on some random bites here and there. It didn’t need it, but it was good! Overall I’ll give this burger an 8 out of 10. It would probably be a little lower due to lack of seasoning on the burger patty, but the cheese and caramelized onions really push the flavor profile up a notch. Is this my favorite burger in Houston? No. But if I’m in the mood for a less greasy/fatty burger and that notable Gorgonzola cheese flavor, I’ll head this way without hesitation.

This is such a great restaurant! I highly recommend going to check them out!

03/06/2024

🚨 This one of my last burger posts for awhile. I can’t be eating burgers all the time y’all! I am planning to do three more burger posts before I take a break from burgers for a little bit. I am going to go to KP’s Kitchen and Miller’s Cafe. For the third one, what do you suggest? Do you have a favorite burger I should review? 🚨

Now back to the food. Pappas Burger, located near the Galleria on Westheimer, does a great job of making fresh and delicious burgers every day. Consistency and quality are hallmarks of this Pappas restaurant. This is some info about their quality from their own website:

“Our bread is baked fresh every single morning specifically for our world-class burgers. Nothing but the best for our burgers.”

“Our unrivaled 10 oz. burger patty is made fresh from a special blend of top-quality ground Prime beef.” (Using trimmings from Pappas Bros Steakhouse next door)

“We take our french fries seriously. Every single morning we fresh cut our fries from specially curated potatoes for the best flavor around.”

“All of our toppings and ingredients come from the freshest of produce to really make each burger shine with its own unique flavor.”

The Burger, Fries and Onion Rings

I usually get the Hickory Cheddar burger, but this time I went with the Peppercorn Ranch burger (Fresh ground prime beef, peppercorn ranch dressing, tangy steak sauce, lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese & spicy onion rings). These burgers use some of the highest quality meat you will find in any restaurant. They season it well and cook it to perfection. This particular burger was really good, but I would probably order a different burger next time. The ranch was minimal, but I had extra with the onion rings to help out the burger. Not sure what I was hoping for, but the mix of ranch and steak sauce did not do much for me. The texture of the burger was all over the place with the soggy onion rings, soft bread and beef patty. Other than that it was still a really great burger! The quality throughout is evident. The fries and onion rings on the side were excellent. This burger gets an 8.25 out of 10 from me just because of the style I chose. Any other burger from here will probably be over 9.

The Milkshake

This place does some really good milkshakes, so I had to order an Oreo shake. It was great!

Summary

If you haven’t been, you have to try them at least once. This is a solid, consistent and quality burger place for anyone. There are TVs everywhere and it’s common for people to come here during a live sports event on TV.

* Side note, Pappas BBQ has an incredible burger that is not on their menu. Even if you don’t like Pappas BBQ, their burger is really great!

03/04/2024

I took a break from burgers to bring you this good Chinese restaurant. Qin Dynasty near Buffalo Speedway @ Bissonnet behind the HEB has been making high quality Chinese food for over 20 years. They have sushi, but I’m a bit of a sushi snob and never tried theirs. I usually get their Sweet and Sour Chicken, Mongolian Beef or General Tso’s.

For this meal I was there around lunch time, which means my Sweet and Sour Chicken comes with a soup and a spring roll. I got the wonton soup and an extra spring roll. I also ordered the Crab Puff appetizer.

The Appetizer

The Crab Puff appetizer is filled with cream cheese and what I assume is fake crab. I don’t usually go for that kind of stuff, but this was really good. It could have been just cream cheese and I probably would have been happier not eating the fake crab, but it is what it is, and it was still good.

The Entree

The Wonton soup came out first, and it was okay. I do like the plate full of fried wonton strips to go with the soup. The Spring Rolls were really good. They serve them with a Chinese mustard and duck sauce.

The Sweet and Sour Chicken was served with the rice of my choice, fried rice. The chicken was fried well and was delicious. The quality isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still better than most Chinese food places around Houston that are not in Chinatown. 6.75 out of 10.

Summary

This was a lot of fried food! I definitely won’t eat like this all the time. If you are in the area or are close enough to have it delivered, this is a great daily Chinese restaurant. This is not a date night spot or a place for special occasions, but worth a quick meal on the go. I used to love this place a lot, but I had not been in a long time. Either the quality has gone down some or my standards have gotten higher, but it’s still a decent restaurant.

Have y’all been to Qin Dynasty?

02/23/2024

The Flying Cow

We are very excited to tell y’all about our experience at this amazing restaurant! Yes, this place is in Richmond, but it is absolutely worth the drive! This was our experience from beginning to end:

The Location

We made it out to Richmond pretty quickly on a Friday around 2pm. There will be a point during the drive to the restaurant that you start to think your GPS is wrong or that there is no way it can be out in the middle nowhere like this. Then you see a sign saying The Flying Cow is this way. So you keep going, and the further you get to the middle of nowhere farm land you start to think there is no way there can be anything amazing out here. Then you see another sign saying “BEST BURGERS IN THE GALAXY” and you see the parking lot is right up the road. When you pull in there is an RV Park on the left and a giant building on the right. You are surrounded by farms. There is a small sign on the door and an open sign.

Then, you walk inside to an incredibly well decorated burger and sandwich restaurant. This place was cool! We immediately liked the vibe and some of the decorations were so funny and on brand. They had a beer stand where you could pour your own beers. They had a freezer with all kinds of meat and other items you can take home with you. We were having fun and we had not even ordered yet!

The Meal

We ordered the Mozzarella Sticks appetizer. Maggie ordered The Shroom burger (Wagyu Patty, Swiss Cheese, Sautéed Mushrooms, Sautéed Onions, Spinach) with truffle fries. I ordered The BBQ burger (Wagyu Patty, Cheddar Cheese, Fried Onion, Grilled Jalapeños, Bacon Mayo, BBQ Sauce) with onion rings.

We were just sitting there hanging out and waiting for our food when all of a sudden a robot appears out of the kitchen and comes straight up to our table with our appetizer! See comments for video of the robot. That was unexpected, but really cool!

The mozzarella sticks with some sort of green sauce were perfect. These are some of the better mozzarella sticks I’ve had anywhere. Second to only Figo Sugo off the top of my head. As we were finishing our appetizer, here comes the robot again with our burgers and sides!

Maggie did not love her burger. She said it was dry and needed some sort of sauce. To clarify the burger patty was cooked correctly and was juicy, but there was no sauce of any type on the burger. She added mayo that was at the table, but the burger was just okay for her. The truffle fries were good, but nothing close to the level of other truffle fries we have had around Houston. Her meal wasn’t bad, she just didn’t love it and would go back to try something else.

On the other hand, I absolutely loved my burger! The meat was cooked perfectly and was seasoned well. The grilled jalapeños mixed with the crunch of the fried onion strings gave the burger a fantastic texture. The best part was the mixture of the bacon mayo and the bbq sauce. It was out of this world! I have been dreaming of going back to get this burger again soon. 9.5 out of 10 for this burger!

The Merch and Summary

I had such a great experience that I had to buy a hilarious t-shirt and some Wagyu Tallow for cooking at home! I can’t recommend this place enough. Kids will love it and so will adults. It’s not as far as it seems and it’s 100% worth the drive. What a great experience and delicious food! Go try it out!

02/21/2024

The Burger Mission Continues…

Hobbit Cafe has been a Houston institution for over 50 years! My mom used to go to Hobbit Hole before I was even born. I believe she said it was located near W Alabama and Dunlavy at that time. Around the year 2000 or so, they moved locations to where they are now (Richmond between Kirby and Shepherd) and renamed it Hobbit Cafe. It is still the same owners as the original Hobbit Hole.

The Meal

There are so many great sandwiches, salads and all kind of other items here. You know what I’m here for though, burgers.

I was in the mood for something sweet and spicy, so I ordered Éowyn’s Elk Burger (Colorado Elk, ghost pepper cheddar, fig jam, caramelized onions and arugula). It is easy to overcook elk until dry, but the elk burger patty was juicy and cooked perfectly to medium temperature. The ghost pepper cheese definitely had a spicy kick that I was looking for. The fig jam was sweet and delicious. It’s not my favorite burger in H-town, but it satisfied my sweet and spicy craving that day. (8.25 out of 10)

My mom loves a good avocado burger so she went for Aragorn’s Avocado Burger (Avocado, spring mix, tomato, onion, pickle and mayo). Her burger was stacked so tall that even after mashing it down she had trouble biting into the giant burger at first. She ended up crushing almost the entire thing. Props mama! 👏

Anytime I’m there I almost always get their amazing sandwiches, but I want to go back and try a couple of their burgers. The Balrog Burger and several others look amazing. However, there is one mountain to climb that one day I am going to attempt. They have a challenge called the Morgoth Burger. It is $40 and this is the challenge:

“Quad patty, smoked boudin link, bacon x4, cheddar cheese x2, jack cheese x2, fried egg, avocado, sautéed jalapeño, spring mix, tomato, onion and pickle with house-made Chipotle Caesar dressing, skewered with an Orc Popper, Goblin Pickles and a Lake-lown Shrimp Roll! Free Hobbit Cafe t-shirt upon completion!
LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!”

Wish me luck!!!

Troll Food & Spirits

04/30/2024

04/04/2024

04/02/2024

03/28/2024

03/27/2024

03/20/2024

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