So Wife and I are new to the area, not just Houston but Texas. This city is massive, especially considering our medium-sized hometown in Michigan. Wife is a big fan of the skyline. Meh… It’s nice. At heart, I’m just a small town boy BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTH DETROOOOIT!! (even though there’s no such thing…) Anyhow! A couple dear friends of ours also love to eat and keyed us into a place near our hotel. Travis (a bald, native Houstonian dude with a huge red beard), and his fiancé (who is stunning and brilliant and whose name I can never remember for the life of me) said Hughie’s was fantastic and we needed to give it a try. Apparently, that’s where they take all their visiting friends. Far be it from us to not jump on a highly recommended place. We hit the gym, hit the showers then hit the road.

We’re Headed to Hughie’s!

We pulled up to the corner suite of a strip mall storefront at the intersection of two busy roads. The place looks classy from the outside. As we walk up to the front door we notice one of the chefs outside finishing up a cigarette. I know! “Smoking?!” Don’t worry. It’s a good thing. Seriously!

I’ve long believed the quality of your food at a local Waffle House can be directly correlated to the proximity from the cook, who’s sitting outside smoking, before he stands up and walks in to cook your meal. If you’re looking for a more granular measurement, you can factor in the height of the neck tattoos. We call that the “continental measurement”. This is a good sign.

I Could Use a Drink…

The chef extinguishes and heads inside through the side door as we walk into a mostly empty dining area through the front. We’re met at the door by a pleasant hostess who seats us quickly, offers us menus and takes our drink order. While wife fawns over the beer selection, which was also conveniently displayed on large TV screens all around the perimeter of the dining area, I ask for a margarita. She lands on a sour. She likes those. We also order a pair of appetizers, the Fried Dumplings and the Salt and Pepper Short Ribs.

Let’s Get Started!

We weren’t too far into our conversation of our individual takes on the city when our drinks arrive and we were able to place our entrée order. I’ll be damned if the margarita wasn’t just like I make at home! It was well balanced, made with freshly squeezed lime juice, and shaken frothy.

Though I prefer mine just a little sweeter and with a salted rim, I have to give credit where it’s due. The starters, which followed our drinks closely, were also impressive. The Dumplings were fresh and hot, nice and crispy, and accompanied by a disposable ramekin of sweet and tangy dipping sauce. The same sauce paired with the Short Ribs, which were fantastic: crisp on the outside and juicy, tender and fatty on the inside. Though they were both clumsily tossed on their own flat, stainless steel serving tray, they were easily navigated with a pair of chopsticks.

The Foooooood!

We had the chance chat a bit more before our entrees showed up. I had the Shaking Beef, cubed beef tenderloin tossed in a thick, sweet, flavorful brown sauce served with white rice and a brightly dressed Vietnamese Kale Salad.

The rich sauce was cut nicely by the sharp salad and fresh, garlicky, peppery citrus sauce, which sat alongside in our old friend the disposable ramekin. Wife had the Filet Mignon Steak, more accurately described as a chicken fried steak– butterflied, breaded and deep-fried, served with Buttered Mashed Potatoes and the same Kale Salad.

Both the potatoes and steak were smothered in a rich, white sauce similar to an Alfredo. Everything paired beautifully, even though that damn stainless steel tray was back! It made my meal, particularly the rice, difficult to tame

The Verdict…

SO! On to the important part! I honestly enjoyed my experience and, on a scale from Tip-My-Hat (low) to Shank-the-Chef (high), I’d give the chef at Hughie’s a square punch in the face! The food was just about good enough to get me upset, but navigating the platters tempered the rage. Maybe next time skip the smoke to work up the passion.

Chef Shanker

Keeping the world in balance.
Have you ever eaten something so delicious it made you angry?