London Way Food Mart

I don't usually write reviews to warn people about a business but in this case I will. The convenience store at London Way and Kuykendahl recently changed hands and I stopped in to see if anything was different. Yes, not in a good way. The station is currently showing very low gas prices. But the pumps are not working. I went in the store to grab a bite. The pizza was old and dry. Fountain drinks were working OK. Store was reasonably clean but they have no public restroom. I won't be back.

My Yelp Review

Local Eats - Butler House Update

The Butler House has added a lunchtime service and changed general managers since I last reviewed it, so I went back to try a noon meal. I ended up getting a brunch item, the short rib hash, with a cup of coffee. The restaurant itself looks very similar to what it did when it opened. They have a lot of seating inside and out. It is upscale but not overly fancy, but fine dining is still their focus. The short rib hash is rib meat and rough cut potatoes in a wonderfully rich sauce--a very dark gravy with just a hint of Worcestershire sauce, perfect for a brunch. I ordered it with Texas toast and scrambled eggs. The eggs were fine, the toast was very representative. But the hash--oh, the hash. It looks more like a beef stew. Very tender with plenty of that sauce soaking the meat and potatoes. It's satisfying and unique, I've had nothing like it anywhere else, and it stands out to me as the most creative item on the brunch menu so I can highly recommend it. Service is appropriately upscale. I had a server but the manager did most of the service as the restaurant was very quiet when I was there. There was an issue with my table--it was rocking a bit--but they fixed that right up. I wouldn't change my original rating--4.5 and round it up.

My Yelp Review

Fuhgedaboudit Bagel Company

Stopped in to try this new location in our neighborhood. We picked up a Hell's Kitchen sandwich, an Everything bagel and a Wild Thyme bagel with honey walnut schmear. Accompanied them with some chips, and washed them down with a latte and an iced espresso.

A note here: We came at noon--they close at 1pm and it's definitely better to get your bagels early. They make a batch for the day and when it's gone they close, like BBQ. Fortunately they still had the bagels we wanted.

I got the Hell's Kitchen sandwich with American cheese and mayo on a salt bagel. It features all three of the breakfast meats--sausage, bacon, and sliced salt pork. It's an umami and salt bomb, in a very good way. The sandwich was quite thick but could be picked up and ate well, an achievement for a bagel sandwich. Most of the ones I've had slid apart due to the chewiness and density of bagels. Absolutely worth a try.

All the bagels looked to have plenty of seasoning. The Everything bagel was densely covered with Everything, the poppy seed bagels were black with poppy, etc. They absolutely taste authentic, with great chewiness and flavor. As others mention, they are very generous with their schmear. It can be worth getting it on the side if you want to control the amount. We did this with the honey walnut schmear, and had plenty left. It was delicious--the honey did not overwhelm the cream cheese. The spread was great on toast too.

They have a variety of coffees, so it's not necessary to go somewhere else for that. The coffees by themselves are fine, not worth picking over your favorite chain for a special trip but they get the job of accompanying bagels done.

The store is bare, no decoration of any kind. There are four tables if you want to eat there, but the focus is takeout. The single restroom was also bare, but clean and ready. Service was fine. The focus is the bagel. And theirs is an excellent, authentic example.

My Yelp Review

Belly of the Beast

We tried this restaurant for a family dinner of three recently in its new location. I can recommend it, but with some caveats that I hope will help others have a better experience than ours.

We made online reservations and were greeted politely. We started off with a pepperoni flatbread, a jicama agua fresca, and apple soda. The flatbread was quite delicious--pepperoni, garlic, and a rich tomato sauce. The bread was crispy and the sauce had incredible depth. It's a small portion but still worth getting. One minor quibble--the flatbread was cut in half, making it awkward to share with three people. The jicama is a fine example of that agua fresca, one of my favorites.

For mains we chose one item from the raw bar, a taco item, and an entree. The raw bar item was the Ceviche Negro. It was a mix of fish, avocado, jicama, and pineapple. The marinate was an "ocean emulsion". There's probably more going on, but the flavor that came through was pretty much balsamic vinegar. The homemade crackers served with it were tasty, and the pineapple provided relief from the marinate, but not enough. Didn't really work.

The taco item was the That's My Yam tacos. These have a yam puree, queso fresco, salsa and chicken cracklings. Except we couldn't find the chicken cracklings at all. The tacos had an interesting flavor but ate quite sweet and had a soft-on-soft texture. The filling squeezed out the sides of the homemade tortillas. Didn't work as a main but one would have been good.

On a higher note--The carne asada was the best I have ever had, hands down. Tender beef in a beautifully complex marinate with onions. The refried beans were a unique experience, very flavorful with a hint of smoke that made them unlike any I've had before. The 50/50 tortillas (corn and flour) were a delicious complement. It is absolutely worth a return visit to get this dish.

We also got a couple of sides, the crispy brussels sprouts and the roasted cauliflower. The crispy brussels sprouts were not crispy, but that's a description problem not a food problem. They were marvelous, nice and tender with great flavor from the caesar, bacon, and pickled onion. They are a must-have. The roasted cauliflower was a unique flavor experience. They were right in between savory and sweet, with all the elements (pickled sultanas, tahini, sumac onions, sunflower seed macha) contributing clear flavors that tickled the tongue. The cauliflower is served with a cream sauce and a brown sauce on each side of the bowl at the bottom, and it was fun to isolate and mix them. Another item absolutely worth trying. The sides are generous and easily shared.

We got the seasonal tart for dessert, a cheesecake-type pastry with white chocolate and grapes. I kind of wondered at the grapes, but the recipe is tuned for them and the tart was a great finish.

All the food was beautifully presented, you're definitely prepared to like what you're served. Service was what you would expect from a fine dining experience--polite, attentive and graceful. The owner checked on our table twice. A minor burr--the server didn't use trays, so brought out our mains in two trips, and there was a bit of a gap before the last item came out. Really did not detract.

The restaurant is tastefully decorated and the lighting is low, what you'd expect for the dinner service. They have a few painting with very subtle colors, you can't appreciate them in the low light. The single restroom was clean and ready, decorated but not particularly fancy. The only comparable places in this part of Spring would be the Butler House on Gosling and Craft Grill on Kuykendahl. The restaurant has great potential. Based on our visit I would get the carne asada or any of the other entrees and expect them to be a great experience.

A couple of takeaways from our visit: 1) The raw bar and taco items would be best enjoyed as shareables, like the appetizers. 2) The online menu does not match what's available on a particular evening, though it's close. Fine dining is a food adventure, and Belly of the Beast absolutely delivers.

My Yelp Review