Bijan Persian Grill- Houston's Best Persian restaurant?

Restaurant- Bijan Persian Grill
5922 Hillcroft Avenue Houston, Texas 77036
Buffer or a-la-carte? a-la-carte
Date of visit: 9/21/13

Photo Credit: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/34/2f/6a/bijan-s-persian-grill.jpg

UPDATE 8/13/16:

I've been back here on several occasions and the food has never disappointed. They now have a patio where people can smoke hookah. Thankfully, the smoking is not in the restaurant part. I've primarily ordered the mix koobideh combo and the Bijan special. They're both delicious and filling.

Background:

Salam/hello guys! Today I will be reviewing Bijan Persian Grill, which is located in the strip mall at the intersection of US 59 and Hillcroft avenue. It even has a second location in Sugar Land, which opened up a few months ago. It is actually popular among Houstonians. Every time I would drive on Hillcroft, I would see this place packed day and night I've even seen really rich people with their Lamborghinis and Bentleys come and eat at the restaurant. I always thought about trying it, but the parking lot was so full that it was impossible for me to eat. Also, the turning into the restaurant from Hillcroft was so bad that I thought of not going. There were no turning lanes and there was a really high risk of getting hit by an oncoming car. Nevertheless, I actually decided to try this place out. Like almost every week so far in September, I went from UH after finishing my chemistry lab.

Let the Experience Begin!

I arrived at the restaurant a few seconds after I was stuck for 5 minutes on the turning on a jam-packed Hillcroft Avenue. Stepping into Bijan, the first thing that happened was the waitress noticing me and escorting me to a table. She then handed the menu and went off to serve another table. She was however very nice! She smiled, and she let me take my time to decide what to order. She was very attentive and she made sure that I was happy. There was patio seating available, but it was covered because of the torrential rain that has been around Houston for the past 48 hours. There were at least 3 TVs in the restaurant, and they were all showing football (soccer) games. The ambiance was very nice. There were people talking and a Farsi radio station playing in the restaurant. After around 3 minutes, I was ready to order.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the shishleik, which is chunks of filet mignon served with traditional Persian rice, onions, fried tomatoes and onions, onion salad, and , interestingly, butter. Yes, filet mignon. Yes, it is one of the most expensive cuts of beef. Yes it is normally found at high end restaurants. However, the price was amazing: $17.32 (tax included). In normal restaurants, filet mignon ranges from $20 to as much as $100!! To drink, I got a glass of water. Also, while waiting for the food, the waitress gave me traditional Persian bread and feta cheese salad to eat! Definitely rare in other restaurants today! The waiting time was great: 9 minutes and 47 seconds.

Menu: The menu can be found here --> http://restaurantbijan.com/HTML/menue.html

Persian bread with feta cheese and mint leaves

Shishleik with rice, vegetables, butter with water

The Verdict:
The wait for trying filet mignon was finally over, and after taking the first bite of the filet mignon, the waiting was absolutely worth it. No wonder everyone says that filet mignon is the most tender part of beef. I have tried nearly every cut of beef, from sirloin to shank to ribs to brisket, but filet mignon is now my favorite cut of beef. Halal filet mignon is really rare around Houston, but I will definitely cherish it whenever I find out of other places with it. The rice was great, and so were the vegetables. The bread and feta cheese were an amazing combination. In fact, it was so good that I asked for seconds on the same thing. I did not eat the mint leaves as I am not a fan of mint leaves. Overall, two thumbs up for this amazing meal!


Conclusion:
If you want to try out some authentic Persian food, then Bijan Persian Grill is a great place for you to come, especially if you want to try out something you rarely find like filet mignon. There are also other rare items such as quail (baby birds) and shank. Some people say that Persian food is similar to Middle Eastern food because of the presence of kababs, rice, and bread, but that is not the case. Persian food has been around for a really long time as well, and their cooking styles and tastes are distinct from their Middle Eastern counterparts. It is definitely worth trying out and you will definitely enjoy your experience there.



Grading:
Service: 10/10 (Friendly, attentive)
Food: 10/10 (Absolutely delicious)
Waiting time: (9 minutes and 47 seconds)
Total: 30/30 = 100% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$


Restaurant Information:
Bijan Persian Grill
5922 Hillcroft Avenue Houston, Texas 77036
Phone: (832) 242-1500
Website: http://restaurantbijan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bijan-Persian-Grill/486856207991211?rf=111558832216290
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM
Caters: Yes
Party Hall and Delivery Available.


Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Ranosh Cafe- Houston's best beef kabobs?

Restaurant- Ranosh Cafe
3402 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77064
Buffet or a-la-carte? a-la-carte
Date of visit: 9/19/13

Photo Credit (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AiBkQ-Tpt8k/UXAs3YXWhjI/AAAAAAAABdM/Pqz8B-142hk/s0/4-18-2013%2B12-26-24%2BPM.jpg)

UPDATE 8/13/16: I made two trips this year to Ranosh with my family. Though we do not smoke, we enjoyed the food. I ordered the mix grill on the first trip and the beef shish kabab on the second trip. Both tasted great! I would definitely make more trips here by myself if there were to be an area that would be just for those who do not smoke, since neither every person is a smoker nor does everyone like the smell of hookah. Same score, same reason for the point deduction.


============================ORIGINAL POST===============================

Background:
Salam/Hello everyone and welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing Ranosh Cafe, a popular hangout spot for people near the Galleria. It was around 9 pm last night and I was waiting for my carpool crew to finish their ISM meeting. All of a sudden, they decided to go here. One of them is a regular there, and that he knows what is best to eat there. At first, I was actually not willing to go because of one thing: hookah. Hookah is an alternative way of smoking that has taken the US by storm. A lot of the people that I know have fallen victim to this. I would always see pictures of them smoking it on Facebook. But what they don't realize is that it is 10 times worse than smoking cigarettes and has a higher risk of lung cancer and a shorter life. I have noticed that people have started judging Mediterranean restaurants based on hookah. As a big Mediterranean food fan from my days in Saudi Arabia, it really saddens me. Even the hookah affects the smell and taste of the food. So from juicy, it tastes like nicotine and tar. Heck, I know non-smokers who have complained about the food tasting like hookah when they were at another Mediterranean restaurant. Only on the condition that the hookah would be nowhere near me, I went with them.

Let The Experience Begin:

The parking lot was FULL. In fact, it was so full that we had to park a few blocks from the actual establishment. There were people actually working at the parking lots and telling people that it was full. Whenever there was room, they would come out and escort the car into a parking spot. There is indoor and patio seating available. The patio was mainly used for people who were smoking hookah. Fortunately, enormous fans were there to make sure that the hookah smoke doesn't affect the customers' food. I am glad that the management knows that there are people who do not do hookah and go just to eat. There were two giant TVs at opposite ends showing the Chiefs vs. Eagles game. The waiters were very friendly! They knew one member of my carpool crew. They were smiling and were willing to let us take our time and pictures. They would always go around the whole patio area AND the inside to make sure that the customers were happy. After around 5 minutes of waiting, we decided to order.

Let's Eat!

Out of the 4 people there, three (including me) ordered the beef shish kabab. The other two got rice as their side, while I got rice and fries. The 4th person ordered a chicken shawarma. We all got water, and two of them got hookah to wait for the food. All of them came with bread, white sauce, chili sauce, fried onions and bell peppers, and ketchup. They had made sure that the smoke would not come near me while I was watching the game and eating the food. Roughly 90% of the people were smoking hookah, but the place did not smell like it thankfully. The pricing was decent. we paid around $45 total, thus making it around $11.25 per person (both tax included). The waiting time was also good at around 19 minutes, considering that there were 4 people at the table.

Let's Eat: The menu is pretty basic, but I am not concerned about that (Photo Credits: my friend's Galaxy SIII)

Plates

Platters

Sandwiches, Appetizers, Beverages, and Their Special

Shawarma, my plate, and a plate of bread

Beef Shish Kabob

The Verdict:

No wonder one of my carpool crew members is a regular here. The food was great! It definitely did not taste like cigarettes and tar! The beef was cooked perfectly! It was pleasant seeing a Mediterranean restaurant managing to cook their beef perfectly. The rice was also delicious, and so were the fries. The fries were eaten with the white sauce, because eating them with ketchup is too mainstream. This has evolved into one of my favorite combinations of all time. The other guys really liked their food too, and said they would come again if we decide on another trip like this late at night. The only fault was the bread, which was burnt at the bottom. I took a bite and I could only taste charcoal. The food was washed down with water.

Conclusion:

Ranosh Cafe is a great place to eat even though there is hookah. The smoke is whisked away by the enormous fans, thus the taste was not obliterated. The portions were perfect for the price of the platter. Just don't burn the bread. Other than that, I will highly recommend this place if you are looking for a place to eat some good food and (for some) hookah.

Grading

Service: 10/10 (Friendly, no problems here!)

Food: 9/10 (Point deducted for burnt bread)

Waiting time: 10/10 (19 minutes for 4 people = good)

Total: 29/30 = 96.6% (A) (Highest grade for Mediterranean restaurant yet)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information
Ranosh Cafe

3402 Fondren Road, Houston, Texas 77064

Phone: (832) 242-5200

Website: None

Facebook: None

Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 12:30 AM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 1 AM

Caters: Yes

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers! 

Zain Mohammed

House of Kabob- Cheap, convenient, and interesting

Restaurant- House of Kabob

6433 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057

Buffet or A-La-Carte? A-La-Carte

Date of Visit: 9/14/13

(All photo credits: My HTC One Phone)

Entrance

UPDATE 12/29/15:
I came to this place and tried the shawarma a few weeks ago. It was better than Shawarma King, but not as good as either Adam's or Zamani. I would still recommend every kabab except the beef one if you were to eat here.

Background:

Salam/Hello guys and welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing House of Kabob, near the intersection of Westheimer and Hillcroft. I had a busy day at UH today as I was meeting up with friends to finish up my homework for my engineering class after my chemistry lab.  I, however, had time to kill before I met them. So I decided to go here to House of Kabob. It has been nearly 4 years since I last went here, which was during a family outing. Nothing really much has changed. I do not remember how the food tasted back then, and this blog didn't even exist. All I know is that it is a popular place for singles to hang out during the day, but it is populated with families during the night time. So after battling traffic on US 59 and Hillcroft Avenue, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

The restaurant was busy with customers and there was only one man behind the counter. He was the one taking the orders and then cooking the food. There were condiments lined up, so you could have a peek of how your food is prepared. There are fresh chicken and beef shawarmas waiting to be cut off from the revolving open cooker. And there are bags of khubs (Arab bread) waiting to be heated up and eaten by the customers. There was college football playing on the big TV and there were people having a nice chat while eating their food. One thing I will caution you about: The parking. The parking lot is very narrow, so I would advise you to be careful while parking in front of the restaurant. As I was coming in, the lot was literally blocked by people that were trying to get out. Interestingly the menu was on the wall. So I studied the menu and decided what to order.

Let's Eat!

I ordered the combination kabab, which was chicken, beef, and kafta kabab in one dish. It came with rice and a choice of sides. I only took the yogurt sauce as my side. They gave a plate of garlic sauce and chili and some khubs. To drink I took a bottle of Pepsi. I also took an extra khubs and garlic sauce after finishing the meal. The waiting time was very brief: 12 minutes and 2 seconds and I ended up paying around $12.32 (tax included). For a mixed/combo grill, that is a very good price. The way you get your food is different. First you order, eat and then pay. Then when getting the food, you are called up from your table to get the food that is waiting. Couldn't they have a number system like M&M Grill does??? Or couldn't the cashier come out of the kitchen and serve the food? It would be more organized and people would be alert on when their food is ready. For me, it took a couple of calls from the cashier to realize that the food was waiting for me. Definitely not good.

Menu: 

The Menu

The meal spread

The Combination kabob

The garlic sauce and chili sauce

The Khubs

The Verdict:

The food was really tasty! The chicken and kafta were excellent. They had a lot of flavor and were marinated perfectly. Not too much, nor too little spices. The beef, however, was dry. Parts of the bottom were overcooked and there was no taste in it. The rice was decent, but the yogurrt sauce and garlic sauce were really tasty. The khubs was very fresh. One thing that I didn't like was that when I went to get the extra khubs and garlic sauce, the person doing it literally threw everything on the plate. He did it with force. He then gave me a grin for some reason...... What did I do wrong??? All I did was come in and eat :P What's the big deal if I want something more? Never in my life have I seen someone throw food in that rude manner. All was washed down with a Pepsi.

Conclusion:

If you live around the Galleria/Westheimer area, House of Kabob would be your best bet. Get anything but the beef, and you will be fine. And watch out for the rude guy behind the counter. You don't wanna mess with him. I hope that next time I visit, the people behind the counter would be nicer and not grin if I want anything extra.

Grading:

Service: 6/10 (rude when I asked for more)

Food: 8/10 (liked everything but the beef)

Waiting Time: 10/10 (12 minutes and 2 seconds)

Overall: 24/30 = 80% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

House of Kabob

6433 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: (713) 781-5226
Website: None
Facebook: None
Timings--> Mon-Thu & Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM; Fri: 2:30 PM - 11 PM; Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM
Caters: No

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

La Fendee Mediterranean Grill - The Halal Version of the Typical Montrose/Neartown Restaurant

Restaurant: La Fendee Mediterranean Grill
1402 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006
Buffet or a-la-carte? A-la-carte
Date of Visit: 9/7/2013

Photo Credit: (http://www.bigkidsmallcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SignScale.jpg)

Background:

Salam/Hello guys! Today I will be reviewing La Fendee Mediterranean Grill, a restaurant that is located in the Montrose/Neartown area of Houston. After my Chemistry Lab finished, I had time to spare until I had to attend a seminar about how to be financially well after college. The problem was that I only had an hour to drive to the restaurant, get the food, and come back in time for the seminar. Originally I was planning on going to Turquoise Grill, but I had to pay for parking. Driving on Westheimer in the Montrose area, I immediately saw the restaurant and immediately Googled it on my phone to see if it was halal, and it was! So I pulled up to the parking spot.

Let The Experience Begin!

After going through roads that had construction going, and driving on single lane roads that were so dangerous that one twitch would have caused an accident, I arrived at the restaurant. La Fendee restaurant is like any other restaurant in the Neartown/Montrose area. It has a very nice and bright interior, and it has a nice patio outside, which was covered because it was raining for nearly the whole day. Parking was very welcoming, as the space was much bigger than most of the restaurants on Westheimer Road. While coming, I had seen many cars parallel parked, a rare sight here in Texas. Inside the restaurant, you could see the assembling of the food, and you could see the food get ready while you wait. They also have an option of either a fountain drink or a regular bottle drink. Nice variety. The owner was a very friendly lady. She went around all the tables, asking them if they were satisfied with the food. She always smiled and greeted the customers whenever they entered the restaurant. When a customer leaves, she says "Thanks for coming and have a nice day!". Great service there! It made sure that the customers were happy and felt welcome in this restaurant. There was a TV playing while the customers were waiting for the food. I then proceeded to see the menu.

Let's Eat!

Considering the short amount of time I had before the seminar, I decided to have takeout instead of dining in. So I decided to have a simple dish of a beef shawarma sandwich with a Pepsi. The price was reasonable at around $8.10 (tax included). The wait was a short one thankfully, at around 6 minutes and 10 seconds. One thing that I noticed was the large availability of hookah in the restaurant, so for all the hookah lovers out there, this could be a good spot for you guys to hang out and smoke.



Menu: The menu can be found here --> http://www.lafendeegrill.com/menu/

Beef Shawarma and Pepsi (Better quality because I got a new phone!)

The Verdict:

The shawarma was fresh, and tasted well. The garlic sauce and beef complimented each other. One thing I did not like however was that the vegetables were at the bottom of the shawarma. Shouldn't they spread out all over the roll like the beef and garlic sauce are? I mean, the vegetables can fit perfectly with the sauce and the beef. I first could taste the vegetables after eating half the shawarma. Despite this, the vegetables were delicious and were fresh. Another thing I found interesting was the presence of grape leaves. Out of all the years that I have had shawarma since my days in Saudi Arabia, I had never seen the presence of grape leaves. Interesting to be honest. Maybe it was there to give the whole roll some taste and make it spicy (Mediterranean food experts, please help!). I accidentally bit into two of them and spat them out. I honestly didn't know whether they were for eating or not, as in the Indian cuisine that I am used to, we do not eat the curry leaves in the lentils curry (daal). Anyways, the shawarma was washed down with a nice Pepsi fountain drink.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, if you want to eat here, come for lunch. I would suggest that you avoid coming for dinner as it will be full of people smoking hookah. The odor of hookah can affect the smell and taste of the food. In fact, the smell of hookah is A LOT worse than the smell of cigarettes. So the food might smell and taste like hookah itself. But if you have to come for dinner, either take out, or eat at a place in the restaurant where there is no hookah. 

Now the food: Eat here. It's good and you will enjoy. If you order shawarma (or any sandwich), be careful of the grape leaves. The other food items seemed appetizing, and I think you guys will enjoy it.

Grading:

Service: 10/10 (very friendly, made me feel welcome)

Food: 8/10 (Decent. Just put more vegetables next time)

Waiting Time: 10/10 (6 minutes and 10 seconds)

Overall: 28/30 = 93.3% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information

Le Fendee Mediterranean Grill

1402 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006

Phone: (713) 522-1505

Website: http://www.lafendeegrill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Fendee/119876414736899

Timings --> Mon-Thu: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM; Sun: 12 PM- 10 PM

Caters: Yes

Feel Free To Comment Below!

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge- A Unique Experience

Restaurant: Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge
6800 SW Freeway Houston, Texas 77074
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 8/31/2013

Photo Credit (http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/Lucy%20022.jpg)

Background: 

Salam/Hello everyone. Welcome to another unique review! Today I will be reviewing Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge. This is, in fact, the first time I am trying any sort of African food. Classes at the University of Houston began last Monday and I was at my Chemistry Lab class. With no food with me from home, I immediately thought about going to here, since I couldn't the last time I was at UH for some work earlier this month. Ethiopian cuisine is very similar to Indian cuisine, except that their spice level was completely different. They have a similar type of curry called "Wat", except that it is cooked completely differently than the normal curry. First, chopped onions are slowly cooked until its moisture goes away. Then the fat, the herbs and spices, and finally the meat are added and slowly cooked in a pot. Another similarity is the bread they eat. Indians mainly eat naan bread, and its Ethiopian counterpart is called "injera". Injera is like a flatbread but made from a Ethiopian millet or teff. It is very spongy compared to naan because it is yeast-risen. Very interesting to be honest. So finally after waiting for a while, I finally head off to the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!
Lucy is located right after the intersection of US 59 and Hillcroft Ave. It has a very dark setting. Outside, it is all black windows, but inside, there are tables, a bar, 3 TVs, and a traditional sitting area. Most of the light inside the restaurant came from the Sun. I also noticed a disco bar on the roof, so I am guessing that at night there are parties. Not the best place to go for Muslims for dinner because there would be a lot of drunk people there. There is also Ethiopian music playing in the background, and some of the songs were catchy. The waitress noticed me, and politely greeted me. She then directed me to the table, and gave me the menu with free water. I told her that this was my first time eating Ethiopian food, so she was happy and had told me to take my time ordering.



Let's Eat!

I ordered the Alitcha Wat, which is, according to the menu is "Chopped beef and ribs, simmered in a mild and flavorful onion, garlic, ginger and herb sauce." It comes with enjera and salad. Quite interesting to be honest. I did not order soda, as I did not feel like it. So I stuck to the water. While waiting for the food, I was watching the A&M-Rice Game. I noticed that the waitress was the only one that was waiting the tables, and there were people sitting at other tables. Despite that, she did a very good job making sure that the customers get their food and are satisfied. It isn't easy to have one waiter/waitress working with more than one table occupied. For example, at the table opposite me, one of the customers had requested something on her meal. With a smile, she said yes and did the work, and that made the customer really happy. She even helped one of the customers stand up and give her the crutches because the customer had a broken leg. The wait for the food was the longest out of all the restaurants I have reviews on this the blog: 19 minutes and 30 seconds! I ended up paying around $16.18 (tax included) and tipped. Anyways, the food came and I began to dig in. 

Menu: Quite interesting to be honest. There is a lot of really interesting things to try. One thing that I do not like is that the qintot (combo) plates are $26.95 each! Why so expensive???? (Ethiopian cuisine experts- please help me out!) This restaurant is also vegetarian and vegan friendly. Alcohol is served, but not used in cooking. Link: http://www.lucyhouston.com/ordereze/Menu/0/Menus.aspx

Alitcha Watt with Enjera, Salad, and Water

The Verdict:

While the service was really good, the food had its ups and downs. I took a bite of the injera and it felt sour. I didn't know bread could be sour. I always thought that bread, regardless of type, would be in between sweet and sour. But then again, I am new to this cuisine. The Alitcha wat, however, was delicious! The beef was very tender and had flavor. The accompanying sauce was flavorful and fitted perfectly with the beef. When I took the wat with the injera, the taste was completely different. The sauce had made the injera turn from sour to delicious! I soon learned that the injera is supposed to be eaten with the wat, NOT by itself. The salad, however, was very disappointing. There was too much dressing on the salad. I couldn't taste the lettuce and tomato. at all. All was washed down with a glass of water.

Conclusion:

Lucy is a decent place to eat. Their injera might be sour, but it is meant to be eaten with the wat. Their wat is simply amazing, with the right spice level and quality. I will only advice you to avoid the salad and get just the injera. A word of caution. This place is best during lunch on all days and dinner on weeknights. This is because during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, it turns into a party place. It mostly resembles a club. Do not stay away from this restaurant however. Lunchtime is functions as a proper restaurant, and you can also reserve the restaurant for a special occasion where there would be no alcohol or clubbing, like a graduation party or a wedding reception. Now I know there would be some religious person out that will bash me about how I am "doing haram by eating at a restaurant that serves alcohol". The truth is that the quote that I just typed is completely false. In Islam, if you are at a table with halal stuff being served, and another table with people that you do not know has alcohol on it, then you are not sinning. Plus, the owners are non-Muslim, so they have no restrictions on serving alcohol. Also, it is absolutely OK for non-Muslims to serve halal meat. Regardless of the presence of alcohol, I will come back and try new things. If you want to try something that is unique and not normal like the food you get at home, then this place should be considered.

Grading:

Service: 10/10 (Hardworking, friendly waitress = impressive) 

Food: 8.5/10 (Everything was good except the salad. I will not deduct points for the injera)

Waiting Time: 10/10 (19 minutes 30 seconds. Longest so far, but still within the time limit)

Total: 28.5/30 = 95% (A)

Pricing: $$$ out of $$$$ (The extra $ is for the $26.95 qintots)

Restaurant Information:

Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge
6800 SW Freeway Houston, Texas 77074
Phone: (713) 334-0000
Website: http://www.lucyhouston.com/ordereze/default.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ILoveLucys123
Timings --> Mon: Closed; Tue-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 11 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 2 AM
Caters: Yes

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Elevation Burger- A Halal, Healthier Version of In-N-Out Burger

Restaurant- Elevation Burger
3819 Kirby Dr, Houston, Texas 77098
Buffet or a-la-carte? A-la-carte
Date of visit: 8/12/13

Background:

Salam/ hey everyone! Today I will be reviewing Elevation Burger. Elevation Burger is a burger chain, with locations in Florida, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. There are restaurants outside the United States too, with locations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai, and Qatar. This will review the Houston location. The main goal of Elevation Burger is to provide a healthier alternative to popular burger chains like McDonalds, Burger King, and In-N-Out Burger. They use 100% halal organic meat, and are also vegan friendly.
Literally the only reason I got to review this restaurant was because I at the University of Houston for some work regarding my next semester's classes. As everything in UH was closed due to the summer intersession break, I could not eat on campus. I also had a tight budget, so M&M Grill was unfortunately ruled out. I had originally thought of trying Stanton City Bites near downtown, but it was closed on Mondays. So Elevation Burger it was! After finishing the work, I left for the restaurant.


Let The Experience Begin:
The restaurant is located at a congested area of town: Upper Kirby. Parking my car was extremely difficult with many people cutting through the restaurant to avoid being stuck in traffic. There were instances where cars were honking at me because I was backing out to straighten my car to avoid the possibility of a parking ticket, and nearly hit them :O Can they not wait for two extra minutes for the light to turn green??? After five minutes being stuck, I finally went into the restaurant.
The restaurant has a very casual ambiance. There are window-side booths that viewed the Galleria and surrounding strip malls. There were also normal tables and an outdoor patio. Diners were casually talking and everyone seemed so relaxed. I went up to the cashier and decided to order from the menu board.


Let's Eat!
Well this is how the ordering works. First you decide which burger you want. Second, you decide whether you want a normal bun, lettuce wrapped, or no bun. Finally, you have the liberty of choosing whatever toppings you want on your burger. I ordered the Elevation Burger with Mayo, lettuce, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. I also got fries and water. All at a price of $9.94 (tax included). The waiting time was good: only 10 minutes and 3 seconds. One thing I liked was that there were bottles of ketchup on the table for the fries. There was no TV inside the restaurant, so I looked outside and hoped to see a Ferrari or Lamborghini

Menu: Below is the normal menu. But there is also an online ordering menu. Note that bacon is haram, but cooked separately from halal meat

Normal Menu (Photo Credit: http://hungrypilgrims.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/img_2228.jpg)

Online ordering menu (varies by location)- http://houston.elevationburger.com/

Elevation Burger and Fries

The Verdict:

When I saw the burger and fries, my first thought was "OK this is DEFINITELY like In-N-Out" The portions were definitely the same. Well the food was above average; however, there were some problems. First the good stuff. The meat and cheese were absolutely mouthwatering. The melted cheese reminded me of the delicious grilled cheese that is present whenever I eat a philly cheesesteak. the meat was fresh and organic, as the restaurant claimed to be. The meat was cooked medium well to perfection. The tomatoes were fresh and delicious. Now the bad. There was barely any mayo or caramelized onions. Although it was delicious, I counted only four pieces of caramelized onions, and this was after eating 75% of the burger! I could taste the mayo after eating more than half the burger! I've never had that little mayo before. Secondly, the lettuce wasn't fresh. I am assuming that the lettuce used was iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is not always fresh, so I would recommend them to start using romaine lettuce as it gives more taste and is, in fact, healthier. Lastly, the fries were slightly undercooked. They were half soggy and half crispy and had barely any seasoning on them. Maybe they can come up with their own unique seasoning for their fries to improve their taste, and also put the fries in the fryer for some more time. Overall, one thumb up for the meat and cheese, and one thumb down for the fries and the lettuce.

How did I judge the burger? Well one half of the burger had the meat, onions and cheese, and the other half had the vegetables and sauces. So I took bites off each half and determined how they tasted.

Conclusion:

Elevation Burger is definitely a place for health nuts who are looking for healthy alternatives to McDonalds or Burger King. It is also perfect for vegetarians and vegans. So if any of those apply to you, then the vegetarian and/or vegan burgers are perfect for you. But if you are a normal burger person, where you like meat and toppings together, then avoid the lettuce and order other vegetables or just get the meat and cheese. With regards to the other burgers that I have tasted and posted on this blog, this ranks below Famous Hamburger and M&M Grill. Regarding the fries, give them a pass. There are other places in town where you can get fresh, crispy fries. I will only recommend this because you would have the liberty to choose whatever toppings I want. Had this not been the case, I would have not recommended this place. I will be back and try different toppings with my burger.

Grading:

Service: 9/10 (no problems)

Food: 6/10 (Good: Meat, mayo, onions, tomatoes and Cheese. Bad: lettuce and fries + lack of mayo and onions)

Waiting time: 10/10 (10 minutes 3 seconds)

Total: 25/30 = 83.3% (B)

Pricing: $ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Elevation Burger
3819 Kirby Dr, Houston, Texas 77098
Phone: (713) 524-2909
Website: http://www.elevationburger.com/EB.php
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevationBurger (National); https://www.facebook.com/ElevationBurgerKirby (Houston)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elevationburger (National);  https://twitter.com/ElevationKirby (Houston)
Timings --> Mon-Thu & Sun: 10:30 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 10:30 AM - 12 AM
Caters: Yes

Feel Free to Comment Below

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

M&M Grill- A Gem near the Medical Center and Universities

Restaurant- M&M Grill

6921 Almeda Rd Houston, Texas 77021
Buffet or a-la-carte? A-la-carte
Date of visit: 8/10/13

UPDATE #2: They use Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon as of 11/25/14. They don't even cook separately, despite me trying to talk to them and convince them to either get either a halal turkey bacon or even a cheap grill to cook it separately. The owner was like "It's not like it's pork". Sorry I didn't announce earlier as I had mistakenly thought I had written this down. I won't be coming back unless they email me saying that they have started cooking separately or they announce it on their Facebook.


UPDATE: This restaurant no longer serves breakfast as of 9/6/13. Timings have changed to Mon-Sat: 11 AM-11 PM

"ORIGINAL POST"

Background:

Salam/Hello guys! After celebrating Eid and indulging on food at the local mosque during the night, I AM BACK! Today I will be reviewing M&M Grill. M&M Grill is a very unique restaurant. It has a fusion of Mexican, Mediterranean, AND American cuisine. In fact, this is the first halal restaurant to have halal burritos, enchiladas, and fajitas. This is a popular hangout for University of Houston and Rice University students and people who work at the Texas Medical center. I have heard from a lot of people at the University of Houston that this was their favorite restaurant, better than ALL the restaurants that are on campus.
The best time to try came when my cousin from Dallas came over. I was over at another cousins house in Katy to spend the day with them because it had been a while since we last met them. The other cousin had just moved from Colorado, so he was wondering what good restaurant Houston has. I had suggested to them to try this restaurant, although it was a LONG drive from their house. Thankfully, my awesome cousins said yes. So we went off on a lengthy drive, hoping that it would be worth it.

Let The Experience Begin!

M&M Grill is located next to a mosque near the intersection of Almeda Road and Old Spanish Trail. According to the GPS, it was 15 minutes from the University of Houston and 10 minutes from Rice University. Very convenient for me as I hardly eat from the restaurants on campus. One problem I noticed was that the parking space was limited. The parking lot was full, so we had to park in the median. The reason? When we went inside, it was PACKED. By packed, I mean all but one table was taken. Most of the people there were college aged kids. My impression was "Boy I am gonna have such a good time". We had to wait around five minutes for a table to be free. There was a TV showing the Texans-Vikings preseason game. And the line got bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Despite this, the cashiers were very friendly and helpful. I got the menu out and thought about what to order.

Let's Eat!

I opted for M&M's famous creation, the Loaded Double Cheeseburger, as suggested by my friends. Along with that, I took Chili Cheese Fries, and Water. My cousin ordered the same as me, but with regular fries. His wife ordered crispy tacos, and my visiting cousin ordered a regular cheeseburger. My sister ordered the buffalo chicken burger. The pricing was reasonable. The average price per person was around $9. We finally got a table and we sat down and talked. The waiting time was very good: 19 minutes and 14 seconds. This is considering the fact that there were 5 diners on the table. The kitchen was really busy and the cashiers were busy taking orders. Now the way the food is bought is different than most restaurants. On the receipt, there is a number. That number is the order number. When the cashier calls out the number, that means the food is ready. The only exception is if you order a fajita plate. If you order the fajita plate, then someone from the kitchen will come and personally deliver it to you. The reason for this is because the meat is simmering in a plate when it is delivered to you, and MAN IT SMELLS GOOD! The table next to me ordered it, and I could smell the meat for about 5 minutes. The cashiers were professional and friendly. They did the service with a smile on their face and politely addressed every customer that was ordering. They even let you take as much time as you need to decide what you want to eat. 

Menu: Note, Bacon is made with turkey. Also, some secret dishes include Saudi Quarter/Half Chicken Kabsa and Mixed Grill. Regarding the pics of the food, I couldn't get everything as my phone had died during the process :(
The menu can be found on these links below. Note that the Breakfast ends at 10:30 AM

Appetizers and Drinks (note the timings have changed)
Sandwiches, Burgers, and Plates
Breakfast Menu

Loaded Double Cheeseburger with Chili Cheese Fries

Taco

The Verdict:
All I can say about the food is WOW. JUST WOW. The food was nothing that I had ever tried before. This was one of my best meals of all time. The humongous burger was very juicy and FRESH. Every ingredient was fresh and made the taste very rich. The chili cheese fries were also amazing. The balance between the fries, cheese, and chili were perfect. The cheese was very flavorful and the chili was cooked perfectly. Everyone on the table enjoyed their food too. Everyone said that they would come back even though the drive is very long. This would be perfect for me whenever I feel hungry and at the University of Houston whenever I do not have food from home. Overall, two thumbs up.


Conclusion:
Well, all I can say is that M&M Grill has been added to the list of my favorite restaurants in all of Houston. I will definitely come back here as many times as I possibly can to eat here. Awesome food, awesome service, nuff said. Oh, and also a very interesting menu. I can't wait to try their Mexican food, which would be a great thing because most Mexican restaurants are haram (forbidden) due to the use of pork meat and pork products such as pinto beans and lard. If you ever visit Houston, I strongly urge you to take some time off your normal routine, and visit this place. Trust me, you will leave the restaurant a happy customer.


Grading:
Service: 10/10 (Very professional and friendly)
Food: 10/10 (Absolutely mouthwatering)
Waiting time: 10/10 (19 minutes 14 seconds)
Total: 30/30 = 100% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$


Restaurant Information:

M&M Grill

6921 Almeda Rd, Houston, Texas 77021
Phone: (713) 747-8226
Website: none
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMGrill
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mm_grill
Instagram: Yes
Foursquare: Yes
Timings --> Mon-Thu: 6 AM - 10 PM; Fri: 6 AM - 11 PM; Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM; Sun: Closed
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!
Cheers!

Zain Mohammed