Olivit: A full Service Arab Restaurant in the heart of Klein

Restaurant: Olivit
Address: 7316 Louetta Road, Spring, Texas (Opposite Klein High School)
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 3/24/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be writing my review about a place that I had wanted to go to for a while. The place is called Olivit. I first heard about this place from my friend who attends the same masjid as me, all the way back in the summer of last year. I was actually surprised that there was another Arab place in the northside because there was already Zamani and Kababi Zaytoon, two already known Arab places in the northside. I had been wanting to go since the end of last Ramadan, but I had to push back the trip because something or the other would come up, thus forcing me to either go somewhere else or don't go and review a place at all. The time came for me to try came that Thursday. I had no class until 3:30 PM that day. So I decided to go there from Cypress to finally try it out.
Based on the other reviews that I had read, Olivit seemed to be a really good place that had some good Arab food. I heard nothing but praise for that place. I didn't even know that it had existed until my friend had told me about it.



Let The Experience Begin!
Olivit is located directly across Klein High School, next to the Jimmy John's. I think I was the first customer there that day (I went at 11 AM). The inside was very nice. It was very nicely decorated. There was a TV on one side of the restaurant, and there was Arab music playing throughout the restaurant. A guy came and helped me and gave the menu. After reading it a bit, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the mix grill lunch special. I got the zenga soup, which was recommended by my friend as the other item. I'm just really thankful that like other Arab places, Olivit gives free bread (Indian/Pakistani places need to do this). I paid a total of $11.90 (tax included). The waiting time was 12 minutes and 34 seconds.



Menu: http://www.olivitgrill.com/
The reason I posted the website is because if you click on it, you have to click on either "LUNCH MENU" or "DINNER MENU". The menus have the usual kebabs, sandwiches, shawarmas, and combos, alongside some items like Dawood Basha (Syrian meatballs), and Quallaya (sauteed dish) that you rarely see at an Arab restaurant. You even have pastas and salads. Now regarding the dinner items, the entrees are more pricey than Sayad! That's because they give more than one skewer. But in their platters, it's one skewer of either a combo of two kababs or one whole skewer of a specific kabab, and it's slightly less pricier than Sayad. Finally like Sayad, they have a chicken tikka kabab, which I wonder why. Based on the menu description, my guess would be that it's like an Arab version of chicken tikka masala (someone who is familiar with it please help me out in the comments :) )

The bread

The Mix Grill

Zenga Soup

The Verdict:

I got the zenga first, and boy it was wonderful! This is now one of my favorite soups to have, alongside the Turkish lentil soup. The soup came very fresh and was packed with a lot of flavor. Everything was cooked perfectly. The mix grill had some hits and misses however. When I got it, I noticed how stingy they were when it came when it came to the meat. Other places would give an individual skewer of each kabab. I was really disappointed in the presentation of the plate. The mix grill came with grilled vegetables, tahini sauce and garlic sauce. The chicken could have been better to be honest. It wasn't really that tasty. The kafta kabab was absolutely delicious. It had a huge amount of flavors. The food was washed down with a glass of water.

Service was OK. The waiter was moody however, but not to the point of being downright condescending or rude for me to take a lot of points off (he didn't shout, make snide remarks, or take away my food).

Conclusion:

Overall, Olivit is a decent find in the northside area. I'll definitely be getting the zenga soup and the kafta kabab. I'll also won't mind trying the chicken tikka and seeing how it's different than the Indian chicken tikka masala. A couple of suggestions that I would have for the restaurant would be to 

put some more meat in the mix grill, and to cheer up when serving customers.

Grading: 

Service: 7/10

Food: 7.5/10

Total: 14.5/20 = 72.5% (C)

Pricing: $$$ out of $$$$ 

Restaurant Information:

Olivit
7316 Louetta Road, Spring, Texas
Phone: (281) 257-4445
Website: http://www.olivitgrill.com/
Timings: Mon-Sun 11 AM - 10 PM; Lunch Mon-Fri: 11 AM - 3 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Napoli Express Pizza - A pizza place with some halal Italian dishes

Restaurant: Napoli Express Pizza
Address: 10145 South Highway 6, Sugar Land, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 3/17/16

Photo Credit: http://media.merchantcircle.com/36630663/9b372ffc-fda5-42c6-ac7d-76cf8d5b3f9b_medium.jpeg

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review. Today I will be reviewing yet another Italian restaurant: Napoli Express Pizza. Napoli Express Pizza is located in the parking lot of a Chevron Gas Station at the intersection of Highway 6 and Old Richmond Road. I was in Sugar Land as I was participating in making the short film with my friends for the MSA Showdown competition that is taking place in Arlington this coming weekend (not going sadly). We had taken a little break after we had spent the day filming and acting. So we decided to come here at the recommendation of our friend. It was also convenient because it was only 10 minutes from his house. So after we edited the scene, we went to the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin
There were plenty of tables to eat inside. We got a table next to the door. The ambiance was nice and bright. The menu was there for us to see. After reading the menu, we were ready to order.



Let's Eat!
My friend ordered the beef lasagna, and I ordered the cheese ravioli with the halal meat sauce. Both came with free salad and garlic breadTo drink, my friend has a Sprite and I had a Pepsi. I paid between $11 and $12 (tax included). The waiting time for the lasagna was at 13 minutes, while my ravioli took more than double the time. The official time was 27 minutes and 3 seconds. This beats Darband as the place that I have endured the longest wait for my food. The funny thing is that it's even longer than the time it takes for Saravanaa Bhavan to give my food after the rest of my family gets it. I talked to my friend at the table and tried contacting my other friend to meet us at the restaurant so that we could go and finish the final scene.



Menu: http://www.napoliexpresspizza.com/menu.html
They have a separate halal menu. The great part is that the halal menu availability is very similar to the availability at Russo's on Kirby. You must mention halal at the counter. And when ordering pasta, make sure you tell them to not put alcohol in the pasta just to be safe. If you want, you can ask them to put marinara sauce or the meat sauce. They don't, however, have pizza by the slice.

Clockwise from top right: Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce, Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and House Salad

The Verdict:

The ravioli was tasty, and so was the sample of the lasagna that I had. Both my friend and I really liked the food that we had ordered. The meat sauce had a lot of flavor and the texture was perfect. The ravioli was fresh and the cheese inside it was so good. The only blemish was the salad, which was just ok. Overall, two thumbs up for the main courses and one side thumb for the salad.

The service was good. The lady at the counter was really nice. She had apologized for the delay in my food coming out.

Conclusion:

Want a place that has a variety of halal pastas? Then this is your best bet if you live in Sugar Land or anywhere west of the Tollway. This is big as most of the halal Italian places have a limited number of halal pastas available. And most importantly, the food tastes good. In my next trip, I will try the pizza that they have to offer. 

Grading:

Service: 7.3/10 (.7 points off because time exceeded 20 minute limit. Extra minute late = .1 points off)

Food: 8.5/10

Total: 15.8/20 = 79% (C)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information: 

Napoli Express Pizza
10145 South Highway 6, Sugar Land, Texas
Phone: (281) 240-0722
Website: http://www.napoliexpresspizza.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Napoli-Express-Pizza-529878047057398/
Timings:

Monday: 10:30 AM - 9 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday & Thursday: 10:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Friday & Saturday: 10:30 AM - 10:30 PM
Sunday: 11 AM - 9 PM

Caters: Yes
Delivery available in certain areas

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Tony's New York Pizzeria: A Halal Pizza Place in the North Side

Restaurant: Tony's New York Pizzeria
Address: 9203 Louetta Road, Spring, Texas 77379
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 3/9/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys, and welcome to my latest review! I had been busy earlier because I had my midterm exams. So the review is of a pizzeria that sells NY Style called Tony's. I've actually heard a lot of good things about that place from my friends and other foodies. I also wanted to go here because it's one of the few pizza places that serve by the slice. My chance to go here came when I had to go to Spring for some work. I had enough time until I had to be there, so I decided to come here for lunch and see whether the food lives up to what the people have said. After the really long drive from Prairie View on FM 2920 as well as Louetta, I arrived at the place.



Let the Experience Begin!
Tony's is located at the Valero gas station at the intersection of Louetta and Colony Creek Drive. Inside, the tables had checker boards, so if you want, you could play checkers. There was also an air hockey table. There were people in front of me when I arrived at the place. After waiting, it was my turn to order.



Let's Eat!
My first inclination was to get the buffet, but the pizza there wasn't halal. So I asked which ones were halal and he had explained it to me. So I ended up getting the lunch special consisting of a Philly Cheesesteak pizza with Caesar salad. I paid over $6 (tax included). The waiting time was 5 minutes and 37 seconds.



Menu: http://www.tonysnypizzahouston.com/#!menu/cwld
The menu here is pretty extensive. They have Sicilian style pizza and even pizza by the slice. They also have a couple of pastas and baked items as well. Remember, when ordering halal, you must request them when ordering. The items are priced at decent amounts. The halal options are: wings, chicken, meatballs, and their Philly Cheesesteak pizza.

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza and Caesar Salad

The Verdict:

The salad was very fresh. It went well with the ranch that came with it. The pizza, however, was average. The entire slice, from the cheese to the meats to the vegetables, tasted ok, nowhere near it's competitors. It was also very oily, one of the most oiliest pizzas that I have eaten. The food was washed down with water. Overall, one thumb up for the salad, and one side thumb for the pizza.

The service was good. The person was nice and told me the halal items that were available.

Conclusion:
Tony's is probably the only halal pizza place between 249 and I-45. It's just average to be honest. I'll probably only eat it if it's catered. If you want the best halal pizza in Houston, then I suggest you go somewhere else.

Grading: 

Service: 8/10

Food: 6/10

Total: 14/20 = 70% (C)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Tony's New York Pizza
9203 Louetta Road, Spring, Texas 77379
Phone: (281) 251-4500
Website: http://www.tonysnypizzahouston.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonysnewyorkpizzahouston
Timings:

Mondays-Thursdays: 11 AM - 9:30 PM
Fridays-Saturdays: 11 AM - 10 PM
Sundays: closed

Caters: Yes
Delivery available

Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or message me on Facebook

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed