Nice little spot near NRG. Very clean with some seating…read more The prices are very reasonable and fair. The workers are kind and happy to help. The po-boys were Huge. I got a size Large. I love a good oyster po-boy, but it is hard finding one that is reasonably prices. And with ACTUAL po-boy bread rather than sandwich bread. A place like this is hard to come-by with a true New Orleans touch and even name (Calliope). This is officially my go-to spot for oyster po-boy. I do like my po-boys drenched so I will have to ask for extra sauce next time. I am excited to try their other cajun options on the menu next time :) I saw others inside eating their seafood boils.

Stopped by Calliope's on Main again for dinner tonight, and they never disappoint! The food is…read morealways hot, fresh, well seasoned, delicious, and reasonably priced. They have a large menu with items from fried rice, seafood, chicken, pork chops, beignet, and daiquiris. They have a drive-thru and a small but spacious, clean dine-in area with plenty of TVs chairs, tables. And there's a lot of close parking spaces to the restaurant. The customer service is consistently excellent you're always greeted with a big, bright smiles, and the service is fast and friendly. If you haven't tried Calliope's yet, you're definitely missing out. If you're in the neighborhood I highly recommend giving them a try!!!!

One thing that stands out about Pappadeaux, regardless of location, is the service - excellent…read morewaitstaff that is attentive, efficient, and friendly. Next thing that comes to mind is delicious food - consistent quality, well executed, and mouthwatering. You can't go wrong with anything on this menu! The restaurant is large and you'll see many large group gatherings and families - the vibes here are welcoming; the kind of place you want to catch up over a delectable meal. Parking - private lot

We have been loyal Pappadeaux customers for more than 20 years, visiting this establishment and…read moreother locations over the years. It has always been a place our family could count on for a good meal and a great experience. We came in with a party of seven to celebrate my father-in-law's 85th birthday. Two elderly family members were in our party, and almost immediately, it became apparent that they were being treated differently. Our waiter would not speak directly to my mother- or father-in-law when taking their orders or addressing them. Instead, he spoke around them and treated them as though they were children. They are perfectly capable of communicating, and watching someone treat them like children was both humiliating for them and extremely frustrating for the rest of us. Everyone ordered their favorites, and most of the meals came out in an orderly and timely manner. I ordered my usual Redfish Pontchartrain, which I have had many times. What was placed in front of me looked nothing like the dish I know. The fish portion was unusually small, there was no sauce whatsoever, and the rice looked as though it had simply been thrown onto the plate. More importantly, the fish tasted like cardboard and olive oil. This is normally a beautifully presented dish with rich, buttery garlic flavor and plenty of sauce. This was not remotely the same dish. I also ordered a cup of gumbo. Instead of the rich, flavorful gumbo we know and love from them, particularly at the I-10 location, it was essentially watery soup with a faint gumbo flavor. When I politely told our waiter that the gumbo was unacceptable and that the fish was essentially flavorless, his response was to walk away, muttering that he would get the manager, whose response was even more disappointing. When I explained that the gumbo was watery and did not taste like the gumbo I have been served at Pappadeaux for years, she told me that the gumbo is always watery and is supposed to taste that way. I explained that I have been a customer for more than two decades and that this has never been my experience. Rather than listening to a longtime customer, she essentially told me that I must be mistaken because it is the company standard. Then I explained the problem with the Redfish Pontchartrain. Her response was essentially, "That's what it always looks like." I explained again that there was virtually no sauce, the presentation was terrible, and the fish tasted like cardboard and olive oil. At that point, everyone else in our party had finished eating. I said that if she wanted to replace my meal, it would obviously need to be taken home. She told me she could not put it in a to-go container, but she could bring me a box and I could package it myself. Disgusting. To make it worse, our waiter apparently forgot that our Houston Restaurant Week meals included dessert. When he eventually came back and realized it, he said he would simply pack the desserts to go. At that point, it honestly felt like we were being encouraged to just leave. What makes this experience particularly upsetting is that our entire party was friendly, patient, and respectful. We weren't demanding special treatment. We weren't looking for a free meal. We simply expected the food and service that we have experienced from Pappadeaux for more than two decades. Instead, my elderly in-laws were spoken down to, my concerns about the food were dismissed, the manager essentially told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and a dish I've enjoyed for years was served poorly and without the sauce that makes it what it is. This wasn't just a bad meal. It was a bad experience from beginning to end. Pappadeaux has spent more than 20 years earning our family's loyalty. The 610 location managed to make me question whether that loyalty means anything. I sincerely hope someone in corporate management reads this and understands that treating longtime customers, and especially elderly members of their family. After more than 20 years, the 610 NRG location makes me never want to return to any location.

5 Stars - Authentic Szechuan that absolutely nails the classics…read more During our short trip to Houston, as a custom, we were determined to find real Szechuan food, and luckily we found Hu's Kitchen. The location is a bit unassuming, and parking is definitely tough (the spaces are very shallow), but the second we walked through the doors and smelled the Szechuan peppercorns, I knew we were in exactly the right place. I generally judge a Szechuan restaurant by their 夫妻肺片 (Fuqi Feipian)--which they cleverly name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on the menu. They completely nailed it. The beef, tripe, and tendon were incredibly cohesive together, yet you could tell each component was prepared and marinated in a slightly different way to perfectly highlight its specific texture. The chili oil was right on the spot. We went through a massive bowl of rice just eating this dish alone. Honestly, if I weren't feeding a family of four, I could have just ordered that and been perfectly happy. While the Fuqi Feipian proves their skill with dry dishes, the 水煮魚片 (Fish in Szechuan Hot Chili Oil) proves their skill with wet ones. It's another must-order. The execution was flawless--we didn't just finish the tender fish chunks, we ate every last piece of cabbage soaked in that incredible chili broth. For my two daughters who can't handle the heat, we ordered the fried rice, garlic pork ribs with onion, and the 紅燒獅子頭 (Giant Meatball with Cabbage). The giant meatball was spectacular. The kids completely devoured it on their own, but I managed to steal a bite, and it instantly brought back childhood memories of exactly how this dish is supposed to taste. We also had the Dan Dan Noodles, which were great and rounded out the meal perfectly. I loved all of the dishes we tried. Should we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we will absolutely be revisiting this hidden gem.

My mom wanted steamed fish with ginger, scallions, and that light sweet soy sauce. Hu's Cooking…read moredelivered! When we ordered, they mentioned it'll take about 20 mins but it came out in 10. No complaints here since we were starving from an 8 hour road trip. The Dan Dan Noodles...I had high expectations but sadly this dish fell short. I recommend Hu's Cooking to use a bigger bowl and more sauce because it was difficult to mix the noodles and the sauce wasn't...saucing, unfortunately. I wish there was more flavor in this dish. The Scallion Pancake was super over-fried and oily. See image in my review. The outer parts of the pancake were fried to a crisp and only a small circumference in the center stayed chewy. I know Chinese tends to be oily but this pancake soaked up way too much oil. Half a Peking duck: super great price for so much meat. The difficulty when eating this dish is gnawing the meat off the sharp bones of the duck. Mapo Tofu with white rice: pretty easy staple, no complaints here. Dinner on a Saturday was packed but we got seated quickly and food arrived fast.

I came here for the first time on a Saturday afternoon…read more The owner Ericka explained it was there soft opening. As they had just moved from Bourban Sizzler @ 2114 Holly Hall to two doors down to Irie Sizzler @ 2122 Holly Hall. But it's the same owners. Designed with fun Jamaican decor. Service - Ericka the owner/server was great. She chatted with us, was friendly. Provided good service. There was a DJ spinning some great tunes, for there soft opening. Food - I ordered the oxtail combo $29.49, which comes with rice/peas and cabbage and 2 plantains. With the combo you are allowed one additional meat of jerk chicken or stewed chicken, or curry goat (I think). The food was tasty. Plan to visit again. She also offered chicken soup, which was yum, great on the cool day. Drinks - I asked Ericka if they sold adult bevy's, as I had seen on the Bourban Sizzler Yelp page. She said no, but they had some carribean soft drinks and juices. I got the pineapple & Guava, expectedly sweet, but not overbearing. Wishing this black owned business much succes.

Couldn't think of a better place to celebrate National Margarita Day! The staff is exceptional they…read moreare so welcoming and attentive. This place has great food, good drinks and plenty of seating. Asia made me some great margaritas! Can't wait to go back for a meal, a drink, and of course a vibe!

Heading down S. Main to pick up something at Nellis, I spied Sleepy's and made a note to check it…read moreout on my way home. The $10 shrimp po-boy is good. Fully dressed. Hot sauce on the side. Mayonnaise slather. Warm, toasted bread. I'd order it again. Note: I could tell they're having to use Asian import shrimp, necessary to stay competitive. Good batter. Nice crunch.

Good food. Fast service. Thia is my first time here. The sandwich is great! I am very satisfied by…read morethis place. I'll come back again.

This is an old staple. I never went to this location but was in the area and decided to stop in…read more Ordering was fast but no drive thru, you must go in to order and wait. I understand because everything is made to order. I ordered two fried chicken wing dinners, orange chicken and an order of shrimp fried rice. The food was hot and fresh, you must hold on to your paid ticket to get your food, there are signs posted everywhere. Everything was good and we had 4.5 meals out of the two fried dinners and fried rice, which is an amazing value.

Good hood food! Chicken and rice was good but the koolaid took the show! Will return but the drive…read morethru is very suspect lol!

While there's nothing extraordinary about the kind of business Taro specializes in (#1), the…read morelocation alone is worth noting. Situated directly across the street from NRG Stadium along Kirby, it's ideally placed to capture the slice of tourists and locals. Considering the wide selection of Japanese-inspired fare, the potential is there -- but unfortunately, the food is both overpriced and mediocre, much like their predecessor (#2). Things I appreciated: * Interior: I am fairly confident that one could show up with 20 people from a football game across the street and find a seat. There's enough seating in here to house an army and they've done a good job with the ambiance to keep the appearance of a faux-premium vibe. * Service: While they were generally slow on a few things, most of the staff members I've encountered were super pleasant and very transparent about what / what not to order. I appreciated this immensely. * Yakitori: No exaggeration, this is one of the better AYCE yakitori experiences I've had. The chicken and beef yakitori combos (#3) had great presentation, were juicy, and full of flavor. This was the only item where I wanted multiple orders. Things that are not great: * The price: This. My first time coming here it was $31 (Or ... $30.99), but the last time was $50. With that kind of a steep hike, you'd think they'd offer uni, toro, and some kind of premium yakitori, but too hard to justify considering their lineup of food and drink. * The name: Previously, it was simply "Taro Japanese Restaurant." As of earlier this year, it has become "Taro VIP BBQ SEAFOOD HOTPOT & BAR." * The drinks: I'm stoked they have an alcohol license and can serve wine, beer, and cocktails. But the cocktails are on another level bad. The Mexican Mule ($14.50) was too tinge too sour, the Taro Red ($14.50), Blue Hawaii ($13.50) and Tokyo Rose ($13.50) are way too sweet. Even the powdered milk teas and fruit teas felt very generic. * The sushi: I can handle low quality sushi, but there was some level of funk for almost all the salmon, tuna, and yellowtail that I ordered. It was masked a bit better in the rolls, but at some point, I couldn't order anymore. * The ramen: While I think offering any kind of ramen is a plus in the AYCE scenario, the ramen here is understandably mid. All of the tonkotsu choices are the best bet, but this is a hard pass for even folks that love noodle soup. * The spelling: While I'm typically forgiving of most menu mishaps, the fact one is being charged $50 and they can't seem to spell shoyu, fried, tartare, etc. correctly is kind of mind blowing. * Most of their baked sushi items: This includes their tataki, baby octopus, mussels, ankimo, and tartare. This is likely due to the seafood quality issue that I had alluded to earlier. * The crawfish: Skip. Don't bother ordering, even if it's peak crawifsh season since it tastes like something more from a Chinese buffet than anything resembling the kinds of crawdads from Louisiana. For a place that boasts being run by culinary graduates trained under a famous Japanese chef (#5), it's incredibly disappointing to such such variety paired with such flawed execution. One could argue Taro is more style than substance, but I hope they find a way to correct their course. ____________ (#1) All you can eat Japanese restaurant where everyone speaks Mandarin. (#2) Akashi: https://www.yelp.com/biz/akashi-houston-7 (#3) Calling all carnivores: This is your moment. (#4) "Shyoyu" "Fired" "Tartar" (#5) Takeshi Kaneko? Okay then.

This was my first time in. The staff was super nice and friendly. I'm new to the sushi game so I…read morehad a lot of questions. And they had no problem answering any of them. It was pretty slow so the staff were very attentive!