www.fredeatshouston.com

Time Will Tell

Candelari’s Pizzeria is moving into the old Paulie's location on Holcombe at Kirby.  You might be saying to yourself, "Where?"   But, take a moment.  I promise, you know the place.  This is the southern edge of Rice Village, just west of the Medical Center and east of West University Place.  The building is in the Rice Epicurean parking lot, next to Kelsey Seybold.   Here

Now, it is not my intention to attempt to cover or follow every restaurant opening and closing in town, but this one interests me because it is a test of my instincts.

You see, I believe this a great location and argued exactly that in the past when my former company was considering expansion.

When I was with my most recent employer he had an opportunity to have this location.  About a year ago.  He passed.  My employer also passed on the old Honey Baked Ham location about a half mile west on Bellaire at Buffalo Speedway.  It is in the Randall's parking lot.  Vincent Mandola's Pronto Cucinino sits there now.  

My wife and I lived in Woodside off Braeswood at the time and I lobbied hard for expansion there. I felt so strongly that had I the means at the time to open my own place, I would have left the company and done so.  

There simply aren't enough restaurants in the area.  Especially good ones.  West U, Bellaire, Rice Village, The Medical Center.  They are all right there.  Literally.  Right there.  Homes, hospitals, shopping all potentially feeding the restaurant.  The business and residential demographics are amazing.  Rice Village is two lights up on Kirby and the restaurant scene there is alive and well. 

I do not know what my employer saw at the time that made him hesitate when considering the location or the area.  I don’t know what he saw or didn’t see.  I do not know the details of the deal that Candelari’s owners Michael May and Greg Wheeler eventually struck to get the property.  I do know what was on the table before, but that was then.  Most importantly, though, I know what I would have done.  And now, Candelari's is doing it. 

Today I still see huge upside with this location.  More than that, I see a potential gold mine.  I believe that Candelari’s owners May and Wheeler see the same thing - and must be bursting with anticipation. 

Honestly, so am I.

Shade

Shade is certainly not a new restaurant to the Heights.  In fact, it is not new to my wife and I.  We had been to Shade once before moving into the neighborhood.  I couldn't say when, but it had been a while. We had gone on the recommendation of a client of mine who had gushed about the burger.  When we got there, we were told the burger was a lunch only item. We were disappointed.  The food we had was very good, but since we lived in the medical center, we never made it back.

But, after starting this blog, I was really itching to try it again.  We did the other night.  We were not disappointed.  The food was very tasty and the wine list also showed depth.  Our server was informed, attentive and accommodating.  The atmosphere was simple and comfortable.  A great place to dine.

My wife and I were seated at a nice table despite not having  a reservation.  We were greeted promptly.

The beer list was small but varied.  Belhaven was my pre-dinner selection.  A Scottish half liter served with a pub glass.  Nice.

The wine list also showed variety and intuition.  We found St. Supery Virtu for $48.  Delighted, we shared a bottle with dinner.  It is fantastic and very well priced.  We also observed the wine buyer, or we assumed so from his comments, serving a tasting of Coturri to the table next to ours.  Unfortunately, we were not offered a sample, but I have worked with the Coturri family's products before and they are excellent and frankly, rarely seen here in town.  A lure, quite surely.

We started by sharing the Campechana.  The lump crab meat was huge and fresh.  The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the plantain chips, sliced lengthwise, were much lighter than many places.  Well done!

The soups we sampled were a simple chicken soup full of chicken and vegetables and a tomato soup, roasted, with a pepper oil, I believe, as garnish.  Both were delicious.

The entrees were very nice, as well.  I had the Pork Chop which was juicy and cooked just past medium.  Excellent.  My wife had the vegetable plate.  Although she enjoyed the selections, especially the heirloom tomatoes, the plate was, in some strange way, too large and heavy for a vegetable plate.  The portions were copious and the inclusion of fried vegetables seemed too weighty for this application.  In my vision, a vegetable plate should be light and modestly portioned, a reflection of the philosophy of the dish.  You may disagree.

No dessert was ordered as we had an evening engagement.

The server was skilled at her profession.  She was a bit stretched.  There were two servers covering the dining room which consists of close to 25 tables.  But she was not flustered and we never felt lost.  She was informative and let us dictate our own pace.  She was friendly without being intrusive.  Her uniform was not crisp.  The blue jeans as a uniform choice do not bother me, but a crisp shirt is a must.  She never told us her name.

The restaurant was clean and comfortable.  The bar is dimly lit with a view of sublimely quiet 19th street, while the dining room is open and lit for comfortable dining.  The restrooms were clean and attractive.

There is no music.  I am not sure about that idea.  When a restaurant is busy, the noises themselves create an exciting ambient energy, but with reduced overall traffic and less ambient noise, a silent dining room can seem austere or stand-offish to some diners.

Overall, we really enjoyed the visit and will return soon.  The food and service are very good and the location, for us, cannot be beat.

Missed Opporunities

What is fredeatshouston?

What?

The second of journalism's five aforementioned "W"'s.  What.  The simplest  answer is the right one, as the rule goes.  That answer is, well, a website.  A blog, perhaps, is even more simple.

You could call it a guide, I guess. Or a consumer tool, a review site.  You can call it an advice column or even a restaurant refugee's journal.  A Houston foodie resource sounds good, too.  Of course, I hope for all of those things on the most practical and tangible levels.  But, truly, I have higher hopes than that. 

In truth, I hope to start a dialog.  Yes, a dialog.  A conversation about food and service and Houston and the things in between.  A back and forth between reader and writer.  Not a one-sided continuum of Fred-Speak, but a true give and take, an ebb and flow of restaurant and food and service discussion.  Not only what makes me tick, but what makes you tick.  You ask, I tell.  I ask, you tell. 

I want this place to crackle, to breathe, to live.  Like a restaurant.

A great restaurant is alive.  She breathes.  She hums.  You feel it.  As a guest, as an employee, as an owner.  A great restaurant has energy and life.  She has attitude.  She has personality and charisma.  That's why we fall in love.

A great restaurant is not only about eating, the practical, but also about food.  Food as expression and joy.  Truly.  Places for meeting and sharing and company.  They are about the people you see and know and meet.  Restaurants are about service.  About feeling special and being remembered. Restaurants are about relationships. 

A great restaurant isn't a place where customers come to eat, it is a place where friends come to dine.

That is my goal.  To share.  To share about service and dining and food and Houston and to create better diners and better dining along the way.

Is that too lofty for a simple restaurant website?  No.  It isn't. 

See, I believe that we love our restaurants.  We live in them.  We have breakfast.  We have lunch.  We have dinner.  We do business. We do pleasure.  We celebrate.  Graduations and weddings and birthdays.  We get engaged and say goodbyes.  We laugh and cry.  We live our very lives in these places. 

In fact, we call them home.

Raia's Italian Market

We dropped in on the spur of the moment.  We had been watching the place, Raia's Italian Market, come along and our interest was piqued, besides, I had heard different things about the place while working. 

It was Friday and we did not have a reservation and the place was on a short wait.  I am assuming it was the owners who were on premise and participating in the evening, which was nice to see.  We were offered drinks while we waited and were seated before finishing them.  

It's a quaint little place with a marketplace atmosphere. You can buy Italian meats and cheeses and anti pasti at the counter for take home or you can enjoy a meal at the store.  Shelves for browsing and shopping are set amidst the sufficiently sized dining room.  The patio was unused due to weather.

The wine list was small but well conceived, offering a nice variety of Mediterranean wines at good prices.

The food was quite nice and seem to be house prepared, for the most part.  The calamari was quite good.  The Rotunno pizza was not so great. 

Once seated our service was slow and well, not smooth.  The server was new to the store and new to service, I assume.  His uniform was not crisp, but it fit in with his colleagues.  He was friendly, but lost in what he was doing.  And we were in a corner, just out of view of anyone who could help.

We ordered a round of drinks, of which, only one came.  When I asked if we could get a half order of Calamari, something every other family owned Italian restaurant in this city would do, we were told unceremoniously "No."  Our server never offered to check with the kitchen.  At least lie to me and tell me my request is special enough for managerial consideration.  Instead, simply "No." 

The restroom was clean, but the hall leading to it was teeming with dry goods.  Not in an organized, intentional fashion, but more in a "put it anywhere" type of style.

Lastly, we observed a manager or shift leader smoking in the parking lot while on duty.  Not good.  we almost didn't go in.

The owners were there, the people were friendly and the food was pretty good.  All positive in concept.  But the details missed amount to an opportunity lost on us.

Some of the issues, I am sure, stem from the place's rapid growth and management's struggle to keep up, but there were many, many details being missed.  Meanwhile, there are more choices coming to Washington Ave.

After a few months, I imagine many of the kinks will be worked out and the service will be much smoother.  The place is worth a try, but go on a slow night or try takeout, because the food was worth the visit.

Otilia's Mexican Restaurant

I was looking for a casual Mexican place the other day.  My wife had been craving Mexican since she had been out of town and so we were trying to find someplace new.  She had heard of this place on Long Point behind Ikea.  Yes, behind Ikea. 

First, looking for Mexican food for me is a little challenging.  Only authentic Mexican will do.  I have worked in Houston kitchens all my life so I have grown up on real Mexican and Latin food.  Eating what the cooks are eating.  So, all the chains and Tex-Mex places are out. 

Second, I am a service nut.  I like to go places where the servers care about your experience and take pride in their job.  I want to dine.  I want to feel welcome.  Unfortunately, many of the small places in town, Mexican or otherwise, miss that part altogether.

I googled a bit and found Otilia's on Long Point.  This must be the place, I thought.

It was.

We have been twice.  Once on Friday as a couple and once on a Saturday with the kids and a friend of theirs.  Both times the staff were very friendly and quick with a greeting.  The restaurant is clean with a nice large patio for sitting and sipping.  The place is busy and well trafficked without being bustling or crowded.  The restrooms were clean on both visits.  We were thanked by busboys and other servers as we left.

The food was very tasty from the salsa to the Huevos ala Mexicana to Chile Rellano.  The shrimp in the cocktail (weekends only) were slightly overcooked, but the sauce was good.  The poblano soup is better than the tortilla.  House Maragarita's were light and would be great in summer.

The service runs slow (both floor and kitchen) when the place gets busy. They seem a bit understaffed, but you will not feel forgotten or marooned.  Once they get you first drinks out, they find a rhythm and the flow is nice.

The patio is quite comfortable.  If you sit inside, I suggest sitting in the front dining room along the left wall, if you can, as the back seems a bit sterile.

Overall, I like this place.  Good, authentic Mexican food with friendly, attentive people.  That is win-win.

Houston, We Have A Problem...

I know this subject is about as far from the dinner table as one can get, but I can't resist speaking out about it.  This is close to home.  In fact, it is our very neighborhood that is at stake.

As stated many times I live in the Heights and today as I was heading south on Durham towards I-10, just as I came over the overpass I saw this billboard.

I was, well, shocked.  I guess that is the point.

This thing doesn't look like professional work.  Or is that the idea?  I want to give Clear Channel Outdoor the benefit of the doubt here.  Certainly.  They are most likely as much victims as the rest of this community.  But someone took some time to manufacture and considerable risk to pull this off.  This took more than the 4 or 5 minutes that the typical "tagging" type graffiti would take.  How long did this stunt take and how did those responsible go unnoticed?

More than the destruction of property or violation of social code, and more than the fact that those responsible weren't caught in the act, I am outraged by the message.  This is almost worse than the so-called "suicide" websites that have plagued the web for the last few years because viewing this is not voluntary.  It is certainly more dangerous than your typical graffiti which is usually "gang" language that is illegible or meaningless to the average person.

"Give up" is not ambiguous or harmless, in this man's opinion.  It needs to be removed. 

Free speech is not lost on me.  If this was a paid advertisement then I will certainly revise my position, but, if this was a paid use of Clear Channel ad space, then one certainly has to question why Clear Channel would accept this type of client.  Why would Clear Channel risk facing the public outrage at  publicizing such a useless social expression as the promotion and endorsement of suicide?  Even further, who would pay for it?  I have sent an email to Clear Channel asking for an explanation, but have not yet received a response.

No.  I suspect that this is the work of vandals.  Real vandals.  Not teenagers with too much time and too little direction.  This is an intentionally hurtful expression made by people with real intentions. 

I say the sign needs to be removed.  I suspect it will be and our local officials will hopefully catch and punish those responsible.

What do you think?

Searching

After moving to the Heights 18 months ago, my wife and I found ourselves searching again.  Yes, searching.  We were searching for new places.  We needed new people.  New restaurants, new dry cleaners, new barbershop, new wine shop, new everything.

We were lost.  But how does one find these people?  Naturally, I looked to the web. 

There are plenty of review sites on the internet, from Zagats to Citysearch to B4-U-EAT.  They definitely have lists available, but its hard to get a feel for a place by reading an online review.  You read something good in one post and something bad in the next.  After all, most of the reviews that you find on these user-driven sites are written by folks who have either just had a bad experience and want to vent about it or by people who have some reason to prop up the restaurant.  While at Piatto, I remember reading a couple of negative reviews on one of these websites and I could recall each experience being described and, of course, my recollections were far different from what was being recounted in the post online.  On the flip side, several positive posts were made by folks who were very friendly to the restaurant, propaganda, more or less.  My point is that these sites are unreliable because you really don’t know who is writing and from what perspective.

That is where the idea to start blogging had it’s seeds. 

By turning to me you are turning to someone you know.  I’ve been taking care of you for years.  Literally.  Since 1988 I have been in the Houston restaurant scene and worked with some of the best.  You know you can trust my judgment.  Its my goal to develop a site where anyone can come and find a reliable opinion about food and Houston.   

More than just opinion, I hope to develop a relationship.  Service really is all about relationships.  Whether in a restaurant or at the grocery, developing a relationship improves service.  I want to start that dialog.  I hope to open the lines of communication where service is concerned.  Making people better diners and restaurants better places to dine. 

We Houstonians love to dine out, we should love the places where we dine.

ASK ME

Obviously, being a new site, the content here is limited, so if you don’t find what you are looking for by snooping around a bit, please drop me an email and I will get you an answer.

Here you'll find reliable people, restaurants and other services I've found here in the Heights and around town.  Not all of these places are new, but they were all new to me and I sure was happy when I found them.

Who Am I?

Who is this Fred guy, anyway?

This is a difficult question to answer.  Because, it is hard to know what the question is asking.  Is it asking who I am or, more practically, who is the blogger "Fred"?  Or maybe the question isn't who I am, but why am I doing this?  And why should anyone listen?  There are multiple queries at play here.

So, I think the tried and true journalistic formula will work best.

Today we will start with the first "W": Who.  A pragmatic answer is indeed appropriate here.  We will let the other four "W"'s be their own separate posts.  Along with the one "H" of course.

Trying to keep this concise could be a bit challenging, considering the source.  But, I want to take the time to introduce myself to you  A little background about myself might go a long way towards establishing my credibility with you all which, I feel is important.

***

I am Fred.

I really grew up with the restaurant business all around me, although, I didn't spend much time in restaurants until I got older. 

My grandfather owned a restaurant and grocery in rural Ohio.  Buddee's.  Mom spent a good bit of her youth working there.  Not really the Norman Rockwell scene of the soda fountains and happy teenagers.  It was more the standing on a wooden crate so you can reach the sink to peel potatoes at age four type thing.  Not so romantic.

So, Mom did what she could to avoid the restaurant business.  Although she loved to cook and loved to cook for people.  The more the merrier.  The holidays were always a big deal with Mom inviting  everyone that she could convince to come.  It was a warm childhood.  And it was my first taste of hospitality and I saw what it brings to the host and guest who share in its communion.

Mom finally opened her catering company in '83.  She had a little business in Sugar Land called the Calico Kitchen.  She cooked for everyone in Sugar Land it seemed, from Mayor Duggan to Margaret Thatcher.  (Yes, that Margaret Thatcher.  It even made the papers.)  Everyone in the family pitched in.  My older sister decorated cakes, my cousins and sisters helped prep, I helped serve and pull plates.  It was a true family business. 

In '88, when Dad died, Mom threw herself into her work.

***

Meanwhile, I had begun working other restaurants.  I did some prep work here and there - The Jersey 'Lil Cafe in the old Lone Star Market and Classix Diner in Sugar Land.  But, I really latched on to the front of the house. 

In November '90, I got a job at Tillman's Landry's in Sugar Land.  It is long since gone.  (I believe it is a Berryhill, now)  A friend of mine called and said he was making great cash and I should come check it out.  The interview consisted of two questions:  1) Can you remove your earring? and 2) Do you have a tuxedo shirt?  I said "yes" to both and the manager, Gil, said, "Come back tonight." And like that I was on the floor.  I don't know who had it worse, me or the tables I waited on?  I was terrified, but looking back, I was only scared because I cared about what I was doing.

From Landry's I went on to Pappas.  "Pap One", for those familiar.  This was early 1992.  Greg Pappas was still alive and would visit the store sometimes with his brothers.  Harris was the one I remember most, though.  They ran a tight ship.  And I loved it.  I used to tell people the kitchen was so clean at a Pappas restaurant that I would eat off the floor.  Not really, of course, because eating in the kitchen was grounds for immediate termination.  And they meant it.  I really learned a lot from my time at Pappas.  I learned the technical basics of service.  The foundation was laid.  At Pappas, I learned about consistency and perception.  And that people didn't just go to restaurants, they had relationships with them.

From Pappas I went to Carrabba's.  It was '93 and things were going well.  Getting a job waiting tables at Carrabba's was a step up from the frenetic Pappas environment where $1000 in sales might net you $80 in a night.  Carrabba's was more in tune to what dining is all about.  And so was the clientele.  I went to dinner there before applying for a job and I remember it just felt different.  Energetic.  Alive.  Lucrative.  At first Johnny and Damian would visit the store.  Hearing them talk about restaurants was mesmerizing.  Here I was just a kid and I had had the opportunity to learn from some of Houston's best talent.  I developed my craft.  I established a human connection with the folks there.  Carrabba's was my first understanding that there is a difference between people who simply eat and people who, instead, dine.  And there is a difference in the people who serve them.

It was, unfortunately, soon after that we, as a staff, realized that Johnny and Damian had let Carrabba's go and we were working for Outback.  The restaurant would slowly go back to the eaters.

It was 1995.

***

I went back to work for Mom full time.  The catering company had grown into a restaurant and ice house.  I had been managing and closing the bar at night since it opened in '94.  Now, I assumed those duties full time.

Things went very well for a couple of years. The bar grew and so did the other businesses.  That was a good time.

***

Then, in '97 I started a family.  It was time to get out of the bar business.  Mom sold her businesses and retired.  I went back to restaurants.

-

In '99 I took a position as a manager at Houston's.  It was a great decision.  I learned so much about restaurants there.  From psychology to philosophy.  Houston's has a reason for everything they do.  Everything is measured.  Everything is calculated.  They have dissected the entire dining experience and reconstructed it as a universally applicable science.  And it is amazing when it all works together.  It is a difficult restaurant to try to explain, but the philosophies and principles that define the integrity of the restaurant are beyond reproach and the commitment to guest and quality are without question the strongest that I know.  It's a love it or hate it place, and the argument can definitely be made that it is a place to eat and not dine, but I love it.  And I have all the respect in the world for George Biel and what he has built. 

I left Houston's in April of '03. 

***

John Marion Carrabba was a regular at Houston's on Saturday nights after he closed down his place, Piatto Ristorante.  I had worked for him at Carrabba's from '93-'95 at the I-10 store.  When a position came available to be a GM for him at Piatto, I couldn't refuse.  It was a dream come true.  Finally an opportunity to help run and build a restaurant.  To help create a place where people could dine!  I was thrilled.

And, so, from April of '03 until January of this year, that is what I did.  I helped Johnny and Mary Ann (and Victor and all the guys) build one of the best restaurants in town.  We built Piatto into a place that is known around Houston and beyond.  It is known as a place to go and feel at home.  A place to celebrate and reunite.  A place to share and live.  A perfect place to DINE.  And for that I am very proud.

***

And here we are.  That is who I am.  I am a lifelong restaurant man.  I grew up in the kitchens and dining rooms of some of Houston's best restaurants with some of the city's best restaurant people.  If you've lived and dined in Houston long enough, chances are we've crossed paths somewhere.  Chances are we might again.

 
If you have any questions or comments about this blog or anything Houston related please fell free to DROP ME A LINE.  Or, just leave me your email address.  I'd love to hear from you.

Keeping In Touch

Yesterday I broke the ice, shall we say, with just a quick post to get my feet wet.  And finding the water just a tad bit icy still, I think I'll stick with that strategy for a few posts, anyway.

You can look forward to some much longer-winded entries as my pomposity takes root.  Er, let's hope not.

Seriously, it is not my desire to wax philosophical about the ins and outs of the restaurant business.  People have their own ideas where that's concerned, anyhow.  Instead, it is to offer a place for one to come and quickly get answers to their food and foodie questions.  Tips, reviews, news, etc.

Today, for example, I am looking for a great Mexican place that is North of the Border, the border in this case being Interstate 10.  If this site was a little older, I might just find what I am looking for here.  But, not yet.  Not, yet.  Instead, I'll go out and find it and report back to you.

In the meantime, I know that I have lost touch with some of you and I am hoping to get back to where we were before. (wait, there is a song there...but, we digress)

I am not sure how everything works around here, so forgive me if the links don't go where they're supposed to or if it seems like I keep moving things around.  We'll get this thing figured out soon enough.

For now, leave me your email address, if you like.  There is an email button below, drop me a line and let me know how you've been.  If you want, I can add you to the email list or you can use the subscribe key at the top of the page.

It's been a while since I have been walking the floor at the restaurant, so you know I look forward to hearing from you!

                                    Mail Me Here!!

Getting Started

Hello, again. 

It seems like a long time since we last...spoke.  Hmm.  Forgive me if I seem a bit, shall we say, unpolished, as I launch this ship. I realize you are used to seeing me in a much more controlled composure.  But, on a fresh adventure I embark.  I will hopefully learn some sense of what I am doing quickly, but please bear with me along the way.  Should you see rocks on the horizon, please call out!!

After 20 years in the restaurant business in Houston and a lifetime in my family, I've decided to try my hand at telling my tales from the sidelines instead of from the battleground.  As deliciously fun as it is to throw yourself into the never ending energy of working the floor, it might be time for me to "coach" as opposed to playing the game.  That is not to say that I have lost a step.  But, rather to imply that my philosophy and guidance are perhaps my greatest assets, at this point.

As I get the hang of things I hope to create a place for reviews of restaurants and markets and local foodie news.  I hope to have a bit of wine and food and shopping.  Advice on tools and gadgets and tips from my time in the trade.  (I'll not bore you with a bio now, but that, will be available,too)

Please, check back soon.  And join in as the dialog grows.

Thanks,
Fred