Everybody Loves Houston’s

Happy Friday folks!
Last night I had the pleasure of enjoying an incredible dinner with my mother at Houston’s.  If you have never been to Houston’s, it is on the ‘steakhouse’ side of categories.  Their menu has a few select sides and appetizers to choose from, as well as a nice variety of entrée dishes but everything that you order is on point.  They are known for their barbecue ribs and New York strip steak, as well as their burger and pickled cabbage and beets.  Price range per person is about $20-$75, depending on drinks and entrée.
The interior of the restaurant is cozy and dark, with wood accents everywhere, which I personally love.  I would have to say it is one of my favorite places to go eat, actually.  Whether you’re sitting at the bar or sitting at a table, you will most likely enjoy the dining experience here.  I mean, delicious meat, fresh salads AND a full bar (great wine too!), PLUS a nice interior?  Definitely an Emily favorite.  It also doesn’t hurt that the staff is nice and always willing to help with what they can.
One downfall for the occasional tourist wanting to enjoy a meal here, however, would be that around 6pm local time until about 8pm or 9pm there is usually a long wait (20-45 minutes, sometimes more) and the bar fills up quick!  Timing is crucial when coming here I’d say.  Just a heads up!

So what did I eat?!  It began with a margarita on the rocks with salt and some freshly baked thyme and oregano focaccia.  Then came a full rack of ribs with kale salad as my side (no lobster or crab this time ladies and gents) followed by a piece of key lime pie for dessert.  I know I know, those of you who go to Houston’s are thinking “no spinach dip, the horror!”  This time around the appeteaser wasn’t necessary, but the dip is certainly a top 3 choice at this restaurant.

Margaritas are my thing.  I love them.  This one I can say was prepared well.  They use an in-house mix that has just the right amount of sour to go with the tequila, and my glass rim was perfectly salted.  Good drink for a long day.

            Always have to soak some of that liquor up with something!  For that, there was the focaccia.  The focaccia brought to the table was MM! Deliciosio!  Warm, herby, fluffy.. GREAT focaccia (I’m a big bread fan).  We asked for a second order due to our hunger and its greatness.
            Moving on to the rib dinner.  All I can say is, AMAZING.  The pork ribs here are thrown on the grill with their barbecue sauce and slowly cooked for divine off-the-bone ease and deliciousness.  The flavor of the barbecue is a bit smokey, while there is a hint of hickory… Sweet barbecue goodness!  With every bite of those ribs you just want more and more.  Hence, me eating a full rack almost every time I visit!  The kale salad accompanying the ribs was also delightful.

It was my first time trying their kale salad, and usually it is pretty tough to get the right flavor combination in a kale salad; this one was great!  Topped with a citrus vinaigrette (had to ask for a bit extra as it was a tad too dry for me) and crumbled peanuts it paired with the ribs nicely.  
           Finally came the dessert: a piece of key lime pie with whipped cream.  Mmmmmm, dessert.  My family and I have been big key lime pie fans for a long time, and a few years back my grandmother would order nothing else for dessert.  So to put it plain and simply, we know what we like in a key lime pie.  Houston’s is one of the better key lime pies around the area, comparing to Max’s Grille’s key lime pie.  Both places make it in-house, and both come out tart yet sweet and rich, and with a delicious graham cracker crust.  This was perfect to end the meal with, but a smaller piece would have sufficed.
Overall Houston’s is 100% somewhere I would suggest to every single one of my readers!  If you’re looking for a comfortable place where you can potentially hide out (I told you it’s a bit dark in there!) and have a great quality meal, head to Houston’s.