Raja's Curry Kitchen and Grill - Off to Louisiana We Geaux

Restaurant: Raja's Curry Kitchen and Grill
Address: 3821 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Buffet or a-la-carte: Buffet
Date of latest visit: 2/19/19



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today, it's time to mark a new state that would indicate where I've done a review from! It's the first one that is new since 2016, when Illinois and Georgia were added. While I am based in Houston, I still do review halal spots in other parts of the country (international soon to come). The state in question is none other than out neighbor to the East: Louisiana. And where in Louisiana? New Orleans? Too far (5.5 hours drive from Houston). Then? Lake Charles. A small city that is 25 miles from the border.
So how did I end up reviewing a place in Lake Charles? Well, I had to go to a site that is about an hour south of Lake Charles. So on the way there, I decided to stop for lunch. When I looked up where to eat, there were only two halal options: Raja's, and Royal Tandoor. I chose Raja's because they had a better rating on Google Reviews. After enduring the drive from Houston, I decided to stop before heading to the site.

Let The Experience Begin!
The restaurant is located about 5 minutes from McNeese State University. The inside was a bit dark, and they were playing the Willow Cricket channel as well as the local TV channels. Without hesitation, I went for the buffet.



Let's Eat!
Interestingly, all the meat items at the buffet were all chicken, and not a single goat dish. From the buffet, I got chicken biryani, green chicken (murgh hara masala), chicken korma, butter chicken, and tandoori chicken. They give you a free basket of naan to go with the buffet. To drink, I just got water. I paid a total of $13.57 (tax included). Is it me? Or is it that Indian/Pakistani buffets have become increasingly expensive?


Menu: https://www.facebook.com/pg/therajasgrill/menu/?ref=page_internal
This spot has the usual Indian affair such as curries, grilled meats, rice dishes, and vegetarian dishes. They also have some Mediterranean items such as hummus, tabbouli, and baba ghanoush, NY style platters, and fusion burgers. An interesting menu for an Indian place. The buffet is only for lunch every day it is open.

The meat items from the buffet

The Verdict:

While it wasn't the best buffet overall, it was a solid spot and it certainly beats out some of the buffets I've had in Houston. The main miss was the biryani. It was really mild for my liking. I couldn't taste the true flavor of it. I really liked the green chicken, tikka, naan (which I didn't picture) and korma. The butter chicken could use some improvement though.
The service was normal. No problems there.

Conclusion:

Raja's is a solid spot to check out some halal Indian food in town. If I come back to Lake Charles, I'll try the other place and them compare them. But for now, do check this place out if you're in Lake Charles. I hope that the biryani would improve and there would be more halal options in Lake Charles soon.

Grading:

Food: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10
Total: 15.5/20 = 77.5% (C)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Raja's Curry Kitchen and Grill
Address: 3821 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Phone: (337) 476-2777
Website: none
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/therajasgrill/
Timings: Mon-Sat: 11 AM - 9 PM; Sun: 12 PM - 9 PM;
Caters: Yes

Delivery also available

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

DaddyO's Pizza: When an Appetizer is Filling and Legit

Restaurant: DaddyO's Pizza
Address: 2645 N Gessner Road, Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of latest visit: 2/16/19



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about a spot that has been around for nearly 25 years, and just started offering a halal option. The place in question is called DaddyO's Pizza. I actually heard about this place after seeing pictures on social media about the food they have. It looks appetizing, but as I have learned, it's best to see how the food is really presented, looks, and tastes. There have been some instances where the food comes in a reasonably sized bowl, but in reality it would come in something very small. One thing that caught my eye was the garlic cheese rolls that were shown. I wanted to try it, but I wasn't going to post about it initially since they didn't have halal options. But, I got a DM from them, and they said that they plan on offering a halal gyro topping for their pizzas, salad, wraps. Since I saw pictures of the rolls with pepperoni, I thought that it would be ok to have the gyro meat in them. I got to go while I was on a break from my PE (Principles of Engineering) exam prep class at their Spring Branch location (They also have a location on Dairy Ashford).

Let The Experience Begin!
The Spring Branch location of DaddyO's is located on N Gessner between Kempwood and Westray. The inside is small, similar to Crespo's. They also have seating outside.



Let's Eat!
I got the garlic cheese rolls with the gyro meat. For that, request the build your own and then add the gyro meat. The price is $11.90 (tax included). The wait time wasn't bad at approximately 8 minutes.


Menu: https://slicelife.com/restaurants/tx/houston/77080/daddyo-s-pizza/menu?clientId=272335213.1550966280&segment_id=ab402ce2-80ca-412e-ac5b-6140ad256aba
This spot has pizzas, calzones, pastas, and subs, which are typical for most pizza places in town. They also have baklava as a dessert option.

What the rolls look like

My attempt at a cheese pull

The Verdict:

My goodness. The rolls were PHENOMENAL. It was incredibly flavorful, and the gyro meat was cooked perfectly. I also liked the bread. Easily one of the best appetizers I've had at a restaurant. The portions are big, so I would recommend you getting this with someone (I didn't eat the whole thing myself). No complaints about the service. 

Conclusion:

DaddyO's is a place that's worth checking out. The garlic cheese rolls are something that is unique for a pizza place here in Houston. I will come back and try the pizzas, and I'd recommend you guys to check the place out if you're in the Energy Corridor or Spring Branch.

Grading:

Food: 9/10

Service: 8/10
Total: 17/20 = 85% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
DaddyO's Pizza
Address: 2645 N Gessner Road, Houston, TX
Phone: (713) 939-8000
Website: https://www.orderdaddyospizza.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daddyospizzahouston/?ref=br_rs
Timings: Sun-Thu: 11 AM - 9 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 10 PM;
Caters: Yes

Delivery also available

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Poblano's Mexican Grill: Halal Mexican Food makes a return

Restaurant: Poblano's Mexican Grill
Address: 1250 Eldridge Parkway, Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of latest visit: 2/11/19



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about a new halal restaurant that offers Mexican food. It has been a while since there was a full fledged halal Mexican spot that offered more than the basics (tacos, quesadillas, etc).For the most part, halal full fledged brick-and-mortar Mexican food hasn't fared well in Houston. The last one to have a large variety of halal Mexican options, El Beso Cantina, closed down in 2017 only a few months after being open. The same deal was with El Plato Caliente back in 2017, and AlCaliente back in 2016. Often, halal Mexican items such as tacos and quesadillas are either fused with other cuisines (examples include Twisted Turban, and Crispy or Grilled), or are served with other cuisines (examples include Family Kitchen in Sugar Land, Halal Taqueria near Bush airport, and The Chew Shack). So a place that could be the halal version of Pappasito's or Ninfa's was needed. A place that would be like Dona Mary in Dallas and offer a wide variety of halal Mexican food.

This started when I got a message from the owner that also owns Fogao (Brazilian Steakhouse that has halal options available). He told me about his Mexican place that he owns, and how he plans to add halal options to it. That place turned out to be Poblano's. I looked at the menu, and I saw that it was a full fledged one (menu described more in detail below)! Finally, a spot that has that potential of being like the popular Mexican places but with halal meat. He also told me about how he is planning on introducing halal tamales (the first halal Mexican spot in Texas to offer halal tamales) and to also have halal options at his location in downtown. So I made two trips there before writing this review, since the difference in time between the first and second visit would allow me to try out a variety of things before writing up. Also, the idea of halal tamales would excite many people who eat halal. I once posted on social media about someone having a catering business that has halal tamales as the main seller. And many people were interested in it. On both trips, I went after work.


Let The Experience Begin!
Poblano's is located just after the intersection of Eldridge and Memorial. It's located just south of where Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen is. The inside was dark and cozy. I met Rafiq (who also owns Fogao) and his partner on the first trip, and just the partner for the second trip. Since I met with the owners, I will not grade service. We got a table, and then went over what was going to be eaten that night.



Let's Eat!
The halal options available are: chicken fajita style (aka sliced), shredded chicken, beef fajita style, and ground beef. On the first day, we got an assortment of tacos, chile relleno (poblano pepper stuffed with choice of meat, which was ground beef, spinach and mushroom enchilada with their poblano sauce, an assortment consisting of sope, gordita, and tostada, beef torta, carne guisada - a beef stew, caldo de res, which is beef soup with vegetables, and a basic serving of chips and salsa). On the second trip, I got tamales, and chicken and beef fajita platter with salad, guacamole, grilled veggies, and pico de gallo. While waiting for the food to come, the owner talked about how successful Fogao is in terms of the amount of customers requesting the halal meats, as well as hoping that the same would be repeated at Poblano's. On the second trip, the partner was talking about how it became popular as soon as news broke out about the place having halal meat, which is a good sign that this may be the one place that can deliver.


Menu: https://poblanosmexicangrill.net/menu
Once you click on the link, you have to click on the options on the page. Then, it will drop down and you can see scanned pictures of the menu items.
The menu reminds me a lot of El Beso. It has a huge variety of Mexican options. They have a large selection of enchilada options, a whole lot more of the popular Mexican options including gorditas and sopes, and tamales. They are even open for breakfast, and the breakfast items are served all day. They have breakfast tacos and breakfast burritos as well!
While this place has pork items and items such as barbacoa that are not halal (for now), they are cooked separately from the halal meats. All the tortillas and beans are vegetarian as well. There are two other things to avoid. One is their queso flameado. It's melted cheese and ground beef that is flambeed (alcohol is added to the dish and then lit up with a match. The other is the enchilada sauce that has white wine. I am assuming that you can get the shrimp one with a different sauce.

Chips and Salsa

Assortment of tacos with their habanero salsa ($1 extra)

Carne Guisada

Vegetarian Enchilada

Assortment of gordita, tostada, and sope

Beef torta

Caldo de Res

Chile Relleno

Tamales

Chicken and Beef Fajita with grilled vegetables, guacamole, salad, and pico de gallo

The Verdict:
The place was awesome. My favorite items from the first trip were the soup, the chile relleno, and the enchilada. The food from the second day (tamales and the fajita platter), was great as well. I, however, will ask them to make the beef fajita medium rare. The chicken one was excellent though. Two thumbs up.

Conclusion:

I have high hopes that Poblano's would become Houston's most successful halal Mexican restaurant, and the first to successfully survive for over a year. The food is something that I believe should be tried if you are in the Energy Corridor. On the 19th, they will start having halal options (tamales there aren't halal) in their downtown location. I can't wait to go back on my next trip

Grading:

Food: 8/10

Total: 8/10 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Poblano's Mexican Grill
Address: 1250 Eldridge Parkway, Houston, TX
Phone: (281) 531-6637
Website: https://poblanosmexicangrill.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoblanosMexGrill/
Timings: Mon-Thu: 7 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 7 AM - 12 AM; Sun: 7 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Sam's Southern Eatery: A Spot with Halal Options in the Golden Triangle

Restaurant: Sam's Southern Eatery
Address: 2949 College Street #115, Beaumont, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 2/6/19



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my experience at a spot in Beaumont called Sam's Southern Eatery. Now what got me to go all the way to Beaumont to review a restaurant? Well, I was on a road trip to a site in my job in Louisiana. So the night before, I messaged one of my long time followers about any halal spots in Beaumont, since he was from there. It was then that I was told about the place. After calling them up to confirm, I headed to the restaurant.


Let The Experience Begin!
The store is located on College Street just a mile from I-10. The interior was dark, and it was packed.



Let's Eat!
I ordered chicken strips. It came with two sides. I tried to be healthier, so I got green beans and coleslaw. Everything costed $6.46 (tax included). It was one heck of a deal. The waiting time was about 8 minutes.



Menu: https://www.zmenu.com/sams-southern-eatery-beaumont-online-menu/
The halal options here are the strips and the philly chicken. They have seafood options as well.

Chicken Strips

Green Beans and Coleslaw

The Verdict:
For the amount you pay, you get a lot of food. But, in an effort to lose some weight, I had only one chicken strip. The rest I had shared with the guys at work. I also had a bit of the sides, and they weren't bad as well.

Conclusion:

If you're looking for a spot with halal options in a small town like Beaumont, then consider Sam's Southern Eatery. I wouldn't mind going there again in the future if I were to stop in Beaumont again. I wonder if there's anything else to try (in case I come again).

Grading:

Service: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Total: 15/20 = 75% (C)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Sam's Southern Eatery
Address: 2949 College Street #115, Beaumont, TX
Phone: (409) 832-5050
Timings: Mon-Fri: 10 AM - 9 PM; Sat-Sun: 11 AM - 8 PM
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed