NOT HALAL: Hungry Farmer BBQ- Taste of Texas Halal Style

Restaurant: Hungry Farmer BBQ
Address: 8222 Airline Drive, Houston, Texas 77037
Buffet or a-la-carte: Neither
Date of visit: 11/14/14

Photo Credit: https://plus.google.com/109918338473848315402/about

UPDATE 1/3/2015: Got a message from them on Facebook saying that they are no longer serving halal meat due to "unforeseen circumstances"

ORIGINAL POST:

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Today I will be reviewing something that I wanted to occur ever since I started this blog: HALAL BBQ! Not just any BBQ, legit Texas BBQ. Yes, the one like they do at world-renowned Franklin's BBQ in Austin, with the ribs and brisket drenched in tangy BBQ sauce and also potato salad and coleslaw. Their brisket is actually zabiha halal, but you have to wait in a long line in order to get the food. Plus I myself am 160 miles away from it. When I found out that this place serves halal meat, I immediately made it a point to try this place out. It was difficult to get money for this, because I no longer have a credit card. The time came to try when I had a few hours to kill before I had my class right after Jummah prayer. Ever since I got the all clear from my sister (we share the car). I set off for the restaurant. 

Let The Experience Begin!

Now let me warn you, this place in not in a good area of town, so I strongly advise you to go before sunset. By not good area, I mean near Acres' Homes. The drive there is also really bad. The reason? 45. No introduction needed to how horrible driving on that highway is, from construction to accidents to rush hour traffic. Anything related to 45 between the Tollway and 610 is horrible. I took 45 from 610 after passing downtown on 59. Then you exit Airline Drive and drive for 3 miles until you reach the restaurant. The restaurant is very similar to the ones that you see while driving from Houston to either Dallas or San Antonio. I was expecting that you order and they would cook it for you. WRONG! It is cafeteria style like Fadi's. When I asked the people about halal, they had no idea what it was. I was shocked. After being excited and anticipating finally trying the food that is very popular in Texas, they had no idea what I was talking about. I tried calling them, they were really rude. But then I messaged them on Facebook. They said that I should see Mike. I went back inside and asked for him. He turned out to be the most pleasant person inside the whole restaurant. He told me that the beef ribs, the brisket, the chicken, and the beef sausage were halal.

Let's Eat!

I ended up getting the ribs plate. I already had brisket at Artis La Bonne (which sadly closed down) so I decided to get another another cut of meat a try. I took the ribs,since I had brisket before at Artis La Bonne (which closed down sadly). For the sides, I got potato salad, coleslaw, and beans that were offered by Mike. To drink, I just got water. The ribs cost $9.95 + tax. Since this is a cafeteria style place, the food is served instantly to you.



Menu: http://imgur.com/a/CngX3
This place also serves pork and alcohol, but they are cooked separately. The spoons in the serving area are used separate. For cafeteria style food, the halal meat looked appealing, but some of the sides didn't. The prices are really good. You get a lot of food for the buck.

The Ribs with BBQ sauce, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw

The Verdict:

The long wait was totally worth it. Despite the mess up earlier, the food was really delicious. The BBQ sauce had a lot of flavor. The ribs were very tender, and it had a really good taste. The potato salad was very delicious and well-balanced. The coleslaw could be less watery. I had honestly never seen ribs this big (I've eaten ribs only once) before. In fact, it was really filling, and at the end, I was completely stuffed. The food was washed down with water. Overall, two thumbs up.

Conclusion:

One major thing that should happen is that Mike should tell the other employees about the select meats being halal. I will definitely be back to try the other meats. 

Grading:

Service: 7/10

Food: 9/10

Waiting Time: N/A

Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Hungry Farmer BBQ
8222 Airline Drive, Houston, Texas 77037
Phone: (281) 931-0220
Website: none
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hungryfarmerbbq
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 10:30 AM - 8:30 PM; Fri-Sat: 10:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Bismillah Cafe: Your typical Desi-American restaurant

Restaurant: Bismillah Cafe
5696 Hillcroft Avenue, Houston, Texas 77036
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 11/1/14

Photo Credit: http://www.localsugar.com/limage/556DSCN1562.JPG

Background:

Salam/hey guys! After a long time of studying and stressing out, I am back for now! Today I will be reviewing Bismillah Cafe. This was on my bucket list since the start of 2014. Delays have included me going there too early and my friend cancelling a trip at the very last minute (which really upset me). I first heard of this place on Instagram when someone took a picture of their ten chicken wings. At long last, I got the chance to drive there before my Saturday class. I went in once with my cousin, but I didn't eat because I was saving my stomach for M&M Grill (when I used to eat there). After going through traffic, I arrived at the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
Bismillah is located in the same strip mall as Busy Boy and Darband Shish Kabob. Now here is a catch. There are two Bismillahs in the same strip mall separated by Hot Breads. One is Bismillah Restaurant, which has traditional Pakistani food, and the other is Bismillah Cafe, which is a cafe serving American and Indian Snacks. I went to the cafe. Inside was a typical cafe, with tables and chairs. There was the cashier just sitting down. While skimming through the menu, he goes in a very grumpy attitude saying "Is there anything in particular that you want?" This is not good. In every other restaurant I have been to, the waiter/waitresses allowed me to take my own time in deciding in what I wanted. It seemed like he was a really pushy person. He wanted me to hurry up so that he could go back to his phone. This showed that he wasn't interested in doing his job. It really doesn't hurt to be professional and polite to your customers. Eventually after taking some more time, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I eventually decided to order the Ten Chicken Wings, and the animal style fries. Yup, ANIMAL STYLE FRIES. It seemed like I was getting a taste of In-N-Out (They don't have any stores in Houston, which is a good thing because we are a proud burger city). For those who don't know, animal fries are basically fries topped with thousand islands sauce, grilled onions, and cheese. The Ten Chicken Wings are a specialty of this restaurant. It is basically chicken marinated and grilled in a special ten spices sauce. To drink, I got a bottle of water. Another thing that struck me was the price. The price of the animal fries is $4.99 without tax. According to the menu, the price of the ten chicken wings was $6.99. When I read the receipt, they had charged $7.99 for the chicken wings. Can they not update it on the menu?? I don't wanna get ripped off you know (Yes I will call out any restaurant that rips me off by lying about the costs of the menu items). If a customer is on a budget and only has about $8 to spend, and he/she finds the ten chicken wings interesting and wants to order it, how would that person feel if it is $7.99 instead? The waiting time was a good 9 minutes and 6 seconds.



Menu: http://www.bismillahrestaurant.com/menu

I honestly like the fact that there are many options, but I don't like the fact that the prices on here. It seems like you walking blind when going to the restaurant and then hitting a concrete wall hard when seeing the prices listed on the menu.

Animal Fries

 

Ten Chicken Wings

The Verdict:

Well, despite the lapse in the service, the food was absolutely wonderful! And let me warn you that the Ten Chicken Wings is very spicy for those not familiar with spicy food. The animal fries were out of this world and extremely filling! It was so filling that I wasn't even able to finish it all even though I finished the Ten Chicken Wings. The food was washed down with a bottle of water. Overall, two thumbs up.

Conclusion: 

It's a shame that this restaurant has excellent food yet can't have good customer service. At least he didn't make me upset so much that I won't be returning to the restaurant. I will make more trips, but I just hope that the cashier fixes his attitude.

Grading:

Service: 6/10

Food: 9/10

Waiting Time: 10/10

Overall: 25/30 = 83.3% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Bismillah Cafe
5696 Hillcroft Avenue, Houston, Texas 77036
Phone: (713) 587-9300
Website: http://www.bismillahrestaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bismillahcafe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bismillahcafe
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11:30 AM - 8:30 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed