QUICK REVIEW: The Bark BBQ: Halal Texas BBQ is Back!

Establishment Name: The Bark BBQ
Locations: Thursdays: Westchase Farmer's Market (10503 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas), and Saturdays at Farmer's Market in Sugar Land
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of Visit: 8/4/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my next quick review! Today I will be reviewing something that was desperately needed in Houston: Halal Texas BBQ! This place is called The Bark BBQ. This is actually the 4th BBQ place that I have tried. First one was Artis La Bonne BBQ back in 2014, second was Hungry Farmer also in 2014, and Chopped N Smoked BBQ last year. Although I never actually went to the Chopped N Smoked establishment, I tried them at the Halal Food Festival at Masjid Adel last year. Sadly, they closed down, and I had to wait until a new halal BBQ place came. Although this was open for a while, it was nearly impossible to try this place because it would always be far from where I lived. Thankfully, I got to try it because it was very near my work. After I got off, I went to try the place.



Let The Experience Begin!
The Westchase Farmer's Market is located in the parking lot of the church. You park the car, and then head to the stall where it is located. DIdn't wait for long, since I had already determined what I wanted to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered a 1/2 plate of brisket. I also got some pickles, onions, and bread. The price? $10 (no sales tax). Very similar to what you expect at Killen's in Pearland or Franklin's in Austin. To wait, I had a nice chat with the people selling. A huge plus is that when you get the food, you get to put as much BBQ sauce as you want. And they also let you take free samples (at least when I was there)



Menu: Very small. Based on their Facebook page, the menu is different on specific days. When I was there, they had brisket, chopped beef, and chicken. Later, they had smoked salmon, and earlier, they had beef sliders. I asked them about the ribs, they said that it is very expensive (which I agree with). They also cater, which is a major contribution to their revenue. The prices are similar to what you would expect at Killen's or Franklin's.

The 1/2 Brisket

The Verdict:

Fantastic. I really enjoyed the brisket and the BBQ sauce. Everything was fresh. Two thumbs up.

Conclusion:

No need to worry about Chopped N Smoked closing. Give this place a try! You'll definitely be able to enjoy some delicious halal BBQ once again!
There are a few things I will say. Do not complain about the prices being high, because BBQ is actually expensive. Don't be the sort of person that would complain about the prices here and then spend more money at a place like Olive Garden or Red Lobster. It's this thing that has caused Chopped N Smoked to go out of business. The owner himself said that he wish that it "had turned out better". Also, don't compare Texas BBQ with Indian/Pakistani BBQ, because each type of BBQ is unique and has different tastes. BBQ sauce doesn't go well with seekh kabab or chicken tikka. If these mentalities go away, then halal Texas BBQ can actually be successful and can last for long.

Grading:

Service: 10/10

Food: 10/10

Total: 20/20 = 100% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:
The Bark BBQ
Phone: (832) 282-4927
Website: none
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBarkHalalBBQ/ (They are the most active on here, so liking their page is recommended. I have a picture of their business card. If you want it, you can email me)
Timings: Thu: 3 PM - 7 PM; Sun: unknown. I will find out whether they no longer go to the Farmer's Market in Sugar Land
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

QUICK REVIEW- Shri Balaji Bhavan: Vegetarian again!

Restaurant: Shri Balaji Bhavan
Address: 5655 Hillcroft Street, Houston, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 8/4/16

Since school is starting to kick in really hard causing major delays in my reviews, I have decided that I will start this thing called Quick Reviews. This won't be as elaborate as my normal reviews, but it will highlight all the major aspects of a restaurant experience.

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my first restaurant experience for the month of August! Today I will be trying a vegetarian place called Shri Balaji Bhavan. This allows me to compare it to Saravanaa Bhavan which is a few miles away from Hillcroft on Westheimer. I went with my boss.



Let The Experience Begin!
It is located right opposite Busy Boy. The inside was ok. There was a TV playing an Indian Channel.



Let's Eat!
My boss ordered the Madras Thali and I ordered the vegetable biryani and got a Frooti to drink.



Menu: Based on the menu pics on Yelp, the entrees mainly focus on dosas and rice dishes. They do have thalis though.

Le Menu. Photo Credit: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/shri-balaji-bhavan-houston?select=R8MeUPb1ZtgEGqcEB_XN1Q

Vegetable Biryani with Raita

The Verdict:
The food was pretty good. My boss loved his thali.



Conclusion:
A solid vegetarian place. I'd come for their biryani again. I wish they would put in some curries on their everyday menu.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 8.5/10
Total: 16.5/20 = 82.5% (B)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Shri Balaji Bhavan
5655 Hillcroft Street, Houston, Texas
Phone: (713) 783-1126
Website: none
Facebook: none
Timings: Mon & Wed-Sun: 11 AM - 9:30 PM; Tue: closed
Caters: Unknown

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Staccato's: Great, But Still Couldn't Topple the Best

Restaurant: Staccato's
Address: 11300 Beechnut Street, Houston, Texas 77072
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit:7/28/16

Photo Credit: their website

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review! Today I will be writing about my experience at another place where you can get halal burgers, Philly cheesesteak, and pizza. This place is called Stacatto's. I first heard about this place from someone who posted about the restaurant on Facebook. I saw the menu and I thought it would be worth trying out. A few months later, someone who knows me personally told me that the Philly cheesesteak he had was better than Busy Boy. That really got me interested in trying the place out. For many years, Busy Boy has been my personal favorite spot for Philly Cheesesteak in Houston. Last year, I said that Sayad took the spot for the best Mediterranean restaurant in Houston that I have had so far. Will the Philly cheesesteak at Stacatto's be good enough to topple Busy Boy? Let's get this going!
My chance to try it came when I finished work early. It was on the way home, and I had not eaten anything that day. So I decided to drop by and give it a try.



Let The Experience Begin!
Stacatto's is located where King's Chicken used to be for many years. I was one of only a few people inside the restaurant at that time. The restroom was out of order. The owner greeted me, and without any hesitation, gave my order.



Let's Eat!

I gave a huge hint on what I ordered in the "Background" section, but I'll say it here in case anyone doesn't understand what I said. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak. It came with fries. The owner asked me whether I wanted it spicy or regular. I went with regular, which is what I get 99.9% of the time when I go to Busy Boy and eat their cheesesteak. I paid $8.65 (tax included) for it. The waiting time was 14 minutes and 5 seconds. To wait, I browsed the internet on my phone.



Menu: http://www.beyondmenu.com/36606/houston/stacatto-s-houston-77072.aspx#group_1318660
Now what's weird is that on their actual website, the menu is on a Word document. It would be better if it was either on PDF or the website itself. Anyways, not only do they have subs, they also have burgers, Mediterranean food, pasta, pizza, and fried chicken. Nice diverse options in one roof.

The Philly Cheesesteak

The Verdict:

Overall, the food was great. The fries were perfectly crispy, and the cheesesteak was also good. However, the cheesesteak was not good enough to topple Busy Boy's for the title of best halal cheesesteak. I felt that there was something missing from this cheesesteak. I also didn't like how the beef was garnished with what I am assuming to be black peppers.

Conclusion:
Stacatto's may have fallen short of Busy Boy, but it was good enough for me to give this place another try. A lot of their food items look really delicious



Grading:
Service: 9/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 17/20 = 85% (B)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Staccato's
11300 Beechnut Street, Houston, Texas 77072
Phone: (281) 809-5837
Website: http://www.stacattos.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacattos/
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 10 AM - 9 PM; Fri-Sat: 10 AM - 10 PM
Caters: yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed 

Fly By: A Tradition Broken

Restaurant: Fly By
Address: 3103 Wilson Road, Humble, Texas 77396
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 7/2/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review. Today, I will be reviewing of a place that offers something that was desperately needed in the Northeast side of town: The place is called Fly By. What is this place offering that was desperately needed? American and Tex-Mex. I know that there are many halal American and Tex-Mex places all over the metro area, but there was only one north of I-10 at the time of the visit. After Burger Gyros Wings on West Little York closed down, there was just a halal burger place north of I-10, a place called Philly Cheese Steaks and Burgers on Rayford Rd east of I-45 in Spring. The area from 249 to I-69 near Bush airport has diversity, but only has just that American place. Mind you, it was only until the opening of the burger place last year that the area between I-45 and I-69 had zero halal American places. I remember my friends who lived in that area always wishing that there would be a halal place where they wouldn't have to either pass downtown to go to Hillcroft or Sugar Land, or have to drive to Spring. A few days before the visit, I got a notification that the place was opened and that it was all the way in Humble. I haven't reviewed a place east of I-45 in a really long time. The only places that I reviewed east of I-45 were Iqra Grill (now closed), and Indian Grill. But this was different. This was east of I-69 at the intersection of Wilson and Atascosita Road. I honestly wondered whether it would be worth driving all the way there for some halal American and Tex-Mex food either from Fred Haas after getting my car serviced, or even from my house. I looked at the menu and was very impressed with the options available (explained in detail below). I actually got the chance to try it when I had to go to a site near the beltway and Highway 90 in the East End. I left early, and headed to the restaurant. With that, it is now official that this is the first ever review to be done for something I had eaten for breakfast.
Now, halal breakfast has popped up over the past few years, but it's been really sporadic. For most of the 10 years I've been living in the US, the only halal breakfasts available in town were halwa puri in some of the Indian/Pakistani places.For breakfast, I would normally go and grab one or two donuts from Shipley's, grab pastries from Panera, or eat an omelette from either La Madeline or IHOP. The first halal non Indian/Pakistani place to have breakfast or even brunch was Nazif's on Fondren with their Sunday traditional Turkish brunch if I can recall correctly. After that, M&M Grill had a breakfast menu for a period of time. They had huevos rancheros and even halal beef chorizo (the only place to have ever featured that). They stopped only a few months later. Then came TG's Cravings (Sugar Land location closed for repair and Cypress location opening soon) being the first place to offer halal American breakfast items. Finally, there is Alcaliente which has some halal Mexican breakfast options. I am really thankful that more halal non Indian/Pakistani places are offering breakfast, since I myself really don't like halwa puri.



Let The Experience Begin!
Fly By is located at the intersection of Wilson Rd and Atascosita Rd. It was really early in the morning, so it was no surprise that I was the only customer. I actually had my mind set at what I wanted to order. I had to decide the night before because I couldn't stay for long and had to be on time for the site visit.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the Super Burrito. The Super Burrito is a breakfast burrito consisting of sausage, turkey bacon, ground beef, chicken, hash brown, eggs, and cheddar cheese on a flour tortilla. Mind you, this place serves no pork and is 100% zabihah halal. I paid $6.48 for it. The waiting time was roughly 7 minutes. They give you a sauce to go with the breakfast burrito.



Menu: http://flybyburgers.com/our-menu/
Wow. Just wow. It's like a little bit of IHOP with the omelettes and pancakes (original only available), a little bit of a Mexican place with the breakfast burritos and the Tex-Mex burritos, and like a typical burger place with burgers. They even have breakfast plates and breakfast sandwiches! It was a very wonderful sight to see. Their wings options were good with many flavors to choose from (not on the menu but it's still available). Now despite all these options available, it all comes down to the taste.

Breakfast Burrito

The Verdict:

To keep it short, put the sauce on top. It made a huge difference. Without the sauce, the burrito wasn't good. The sauce fitted in with the other items, and the burrito was completely different. 

Conclusion:
Fly By definitely has potential to be a great restaurant and to be the main stop for halal American and Tex-Mex food in the northern part of Houston. I will definitely make another trip here and try their burger. But for the breakfast burrito, one major thing have to happen. You have to make your own salsa and then ask when someone is ordering whether they want salsa or not. This is because many people either enjoy with salsa or without salsa.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 7/10 (without the salsa, it would've been a 3/10)
Total: 15/20 = 75% (C)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Fly By
3103 Wilson Road, Humble, Texas 77396
Phone: (832) 644-5007
Website: http://flybyburgers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLY-BY-258298214531860/?surface=rese
Timings: Mon-Fri: 5:30 AM - 8 PM; Sat: 9:00 AM - 5 PM; Sun: Closed
Caters: Unknown

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

CLOSED: AlCaliente: Solid Mexican Food in Katy

Restaurant: AlCaliente
Address: 20210 Katy Freeway, Katy, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 7/24/16

Update 1/17/17: This place has closed down, thus ending the brief availability of halal Mexican food in Cypress/Katy

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my experience in another restaurant that has started serving halal meat. This place is called Alcaliente. And it serves something that I've been waiting for in Houston for just over two years: Mexican food that is not inside 610 and is in Harris County (Family Kitchen is in Fort Bend county). Finally, I can no longer worry about either waiting to go to Dallas to get my Mexican food cravings satisfied (though I love the place in Dallas a lot), or have to wait to go to the Bullritos or Coreanos at UH to get my halal Mexican/Tex-Mex food cravings if I were to crave it here in Houston. I can finally get to try some Mexican food that's not far from my house. I first heard about the restaurant serving halal food on Facebook, when somebody posted on one of my Facebook friend's wall about the place serving halal chicken and beef. To clarify, I messaged them on Facebook, and they said the same thing. I also asked about the pork, and they said it was cooked separately. It was a while before I got to try it, mainly because of the fact that it was nearly impossible to try it during Ramadan since they close a little bit after sunset, and class that ended between 9 - 10 PM. I got to try it when I organized a goodbye party for my friend that was going to Philadelphia for medical school. Before the other people came, my friend and I arrived at the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
Alcaliente is located off I-10 near Fry Rd. and can be accessed from the feeder. It's in the same are as the Home Depot. Inside, there is a bar, and a whole bunch of tables and booths. We were helped to a table, given menus, and then ordered.



Let's Eat!
We ordered the Alcaliente platter, an appetizer consisting of beef nachos, chili con queso, chicken flautas, and chicken quesadillas with guacamole, salad, and sour cream. We ordered that so that all of us could share. We were given free chips and salsa as well. For entrees, I ordered the combo chicken and beef fajita that came with refried beans (vegetarian), rice, salad, and sour cream. My friend ordered the beef enchiladas, and my other friend ordered the beef chimichanga. All of this costed $47, but with a Yelp deal, we got it down to $20. The waiting time was about 33 minutes in total, good enough for 5 people. After eating here, we went to BJs and devoured a party platter pizookie.



Menu: the options here are wonderful. So many things to choose from! This place has a lot more halal Mexican options than M&M Grill. Along with the fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, and chimichangas, they have 5 different enchilada options, tostadas, and Mexican plates like carne guisada and a chicken dish with poblano peppers. They also have a breakfast menu, but lesser halal options.
I took pictures of the menu because the website didn't even mention the menu prices and the menu on their Facebook page had not been updated.

Breakfasts

Omelettes

Breakfast plates

Hot of The Griddle

Appetizers

Soups and salads. Note the discount

Enchiladas

Tacos

The fajitas

Breakfast and sides. Refried beans are vegetarian

Alcaliente Specialties

Specialties continued

Kids Menu

Desserts and Beverages

 

The Alcaliente Platter

Combo beef and chicken fajita

Spanish Rice and Refried Beans. Cilantro Rice also available

Enchiladas with rice

Chimichanga, refried beans, and Spanish Rice

The Verdict:

Everyone said that the food was actually good, and I agreed with them. The food was not at the same level as M&M's Mexican food, but the taste was still really good. Like M&M, the fajita meat comes in a sizzler. They give a few extra tortillas in a nice dish. It was worth the long wait for a halal Mexican place to open up that was actually a decent distance from my house.

No complaints about the service. The people were really nice.

Conclusion:

Alcaliente is a place that you should consider trying if you either want to not make the drive to M&M, if you want to eat Mexican food on a Sunday since M&M is closed on Sundays, or if you want to eat at an actual Mexican restaurant. I do wish that there were items like barbacoa, halal tamales (yes it is possible), beef chorizo, and empanadas. Nevertheless, the food here is good enough for me to say that I can come here and eat Mexican food without having to drive really far.

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Total: 16/20 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Alcaliente

20210 Katy Freeway, Katy, Texas

Phone: (832) 321-5232

Website: http://alcalientetexmex.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katylocation/

Timings: Mon-Sun: 7 AM - 9 PM

Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed