LOCAL Houston | The City Guide OCTOBER 2015 | Page 29

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE

HOGHENHEIFERZ BBQ
$$ Barbecue | 410 Flag Lake Dr. | 979.529.2193
www.hoghenheiferz.com
If you are lucky you will get to meet the owner David who is a handson owner that will be glad to tell you about their homemade signature
bbq sauce. I must warn you that they have a mild sauce that might
make you mistake the minced white chunks as seeds, but that is garlic,
as well as the “knock you off of your butt spicy” bbq sauce that will
have your palate begging for more. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, it’s
good, it’s addictive, but it might sneak up on you and kick the butt of
your tongue if you are not used to spicy notes and not expecting it.
–Eddie S., Yelp

HUYNH RESTAURANT
$$ Vietnamese | 912 St. Emanuel St. | 713.224.8964
www.huynhrestauranthouston.com
I highly recommend their duck salad and cold chilled or crispy warm
spring rolls for appetizers! I love their crispy Cornish hen (ask them to
cut into pieces, so it’s easier to eat); their house rice is really good
especially with a fried egg on top; their beef tenderloin cubes with the
lime pepper dipping sauce along with sautéed onions, peppers and
jalapeños; their short rib entrée; their #73 – #80 (special fried noodle
wedges topped with your choice of vegetables or assorted seafood in
the most flavorful light brown sauce); and end with their heavenly
caramel flan topped with coffee-flavored crushed ice!
–Sylvie F., Yelp

RITA’S OF HOUSTON HEIGHTS
$ Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt | 2802 White Oak Dr.
832.987.4827 | www.ritasofhoustonheights.com
The Heights location is finally open! I’m so happy that there’s now a
Rita’s inside the inner loop! Plus it’s a few blocks from Stude Park
where I like to go running, so I might have to treat myself here after a
workout. The ice is awesome! I got a sample of the Swedish Fish flavor, and it was great! It was sweet but not overly sweet. I ended up
getting a gelati with vanilla custard and cherry ice. The cherry ice is the
best! It’s so delicious! It’s sweet and perfect! The vanilla custard is
great, too, and complements the cherry ice well. It’s amazing!
–Barbie S., Yelp

SALTILLO MEXICAN KITCHEN
$$ Mexican | 5427 Bissonnet | 832.623.6467
www.saltillomexicankitchen.com
I was so excited to see a New Mexican restaurant open near my home
and business. Saltillo is a unique restaurant in that it offers authentic
Northern Mexican cuisine. This is not a quick order, eat and leave type
of restaurant! Plan to enjoy dining here as they prepare all the food
offerings made to order. You will not get the standard Tex-Mex tortilla
chips and salsa when you are seated. Instead our waiter brought us
small bowls of four different salsas – a creamy poblano, a red onion
habanero (which we loved and asked for more), a hotter habanero
salsa and a Serrano pepper salsa too… I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken enchiladas verdes (three nice-size, slightly crispy corn tortillas with
chicken filling with a delicious special green sauce topped with Mexican
cream and chihuahua cheese) and it came with Mexican rice that had
fresh corn in it and their charro beans… What is really nice here is you
have the opportunity to try unique appetizers, salads, soups, high-quality beef, lamb, fish and of course their own fabulous desserts! I highly
recommend your giving this new neighborhood restaurant a try. I can’t
wait to go back and try some of their other menu selections!
–Sylvie F., Yelp

THE AFGHAN VILLAGE
$$ Middle Eastern, Afghan, Halal | 6413 Hillcroft St.
713.808.9005 | www.theafghanvillage.com
Yelp brought me to Afghan Village on my mom’s birthday and I almost
regretted the decision when I pulled up and saw it was not very appealing from outside but I am glad I didn’t! This place took me by surprise.
The food was awesome and even my very picky sisters ate. We had
everything from the kabobs to the lamb karhai and it was all well-seasoned and cooked perfectly. I wanted to play it safe; it was my first
time having Afghani food but with the excellent service and the great
food, this was not my last time. Three appetizers, four dishes and two
drinks came to about $60 with tip. We walked out very satisfied, and
I highly recommend this place.
–Summer A., Yelp

THE HABANERO AND THE GRINGO
$$ Bars, Mexican | 9902 Gulf Fwy. | 832.547.1240
www.habagringo.com
My fellow Yelpers have come through again. I stumbled upon this place
awhile back when I was browsing Yelp. I’m so glad I did because it has
become my new favorite place for margaritas. The extensive selection
of margarita flavors is actually kind of overwhelming. If there is something that you want and it is not listed on the menu, just ask! The bartender/Mr. Gringo told us he made an Arnold Palmer margarita that
turned out really good. Fresh ingredients, different selection of salt rims
(rock salt, Tajin, jalapeno, etc.) – you just can’t go wrong. There are
two sizes to choose from and the drinks are half price for happy hour
(woohoo!).
–Tiffany J., Yelp

VIETNAM POBLANO
$ Vietnamese, Sandwiches, Vegetarian | 1411 Gessner Dr.
832.975.0808 | www.vietnampoblano.com
My favorite sandwiches to order are the bulgogi banh mi and the combination banh mi. What makes their banh mi so delicious is their homemade garlic French mayo. You can taste the fresh and fragrant garlic in
it and you can’t get French mayo this good anywhere else. I always
ask for extra because it makes my sandwiches taste even better! They
also offer to add an egg or avocado on top of your sandwich, which
most banh mi places do not offer. (And everyone knows that everything tastes better with a fried egg on top of it.) The customer service
here is outstanding! The owners definitely put forth a lot of effort to
make their customers feel welcome and have a wonderful experience
here.
–Jen N., Yelp

$ KEY
BASED ON
YELP

$ = Price Range Under $10
$$ = Price Range $11–30
$$$ = Price Range $31–60
$$$$ = Price Range Above $61

FOR OUR COMPLETE RESTAURANT LISTING, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

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