Crust Pizza Co - Alden Bridge Village Center - The Woodlands, Texas

Well, I like to start this review off by wishing all the Dads out there a Happy Father's Day.

On this special day, I asked my kids where they would like to go have a lunch and they said the Crust Pizza Co.

So we decided to visit their location in the Alden Bridge Village Center. This one of three locations in The Woodlands, Texas. A couple months back through a recommendation from a friend we visited their Panther Creek location and we had an amazing experience on a very busy Friday night. We placed our order, got seated in minutes and shortly there after our food was delivered to us promptly. So we had high hopes for a repeat experience.

One thing I noticed about this location it is definitely more open and larger than their Panther Creek location. Which is a definite plus. You really don't want to be stepping or bumping into other guests while trying to navigate around the restaurant.

On this visit, my kids and I decided to get two extra large pizzas and take advantage of the "Owner's Special: First pizza is regular price and the second is $7.50 off the normal price. For a family of four, this definitely helps makes things very affordable and with three growing kids the family food budget is always being watched.

On this visit we decided to go with "The Big Cheesy", one of my personal favorites and "Stella's Buffalo Chicken" pizza which my kid's absolutely love because of the spicy buffalo sauce flavor.

I absolutely love the pizza dough here. It's light, airy and just the right thickness. The crust on the pizza is nice and perfect with a little crunch. The pizza truly lives up to the name. It is packed with six different kinds of cheeses (mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino romano, cheddar, gouda and smoked mozzarella). The combination brings a lot flavor to this pizza and gives it that melted cheesy gooey goodness. For folks who love a plain or extra cheese pizza, this is right up your alley. I highly recommend you try this.

The next pizza on the bill is the Stella's Buffalo Chicken. I mean it's two favorites in one. You get the buffalo chicken wing concept combined with your pizza. This pizza is topped with spicy buffalo hot sauce, roasted chicken, caramelized onions, crushed garlic, smoked mozzarella and cilantro with a drizzle of Ranch dressing. When we got this last time the pizza was a little dry so we had them double up on the sauce and the pizza come out simply awesome and spicy. For that pizza and wings fan in the house. This should hit the spot. The onions were cooked properly, the chicken was very moist and properly seasoned. The pizza flavors were overall well balanced. This should hit the spot for the pizza and wings fan in your house.

My family thoroughly enjoyed our visit here and this is now our family's local pizza spot. The prices, the food, the service and the atmosphere are all great.

They truly have people who put love and detail into what they make and do a fantastic job to taking care of their customers. Please pay this local pizza chain a visit when you get a chance.

Check out their website for menu and location information http://crustpizzaalden.com/index.cfm

Del Frisco's Grille - Hughes Landing - The Woodlands, Texas

So folks I had the opportunity this past weekend to pay a visit to the new Del Frisco's Grille, located in new restaurant and business development of Hughes Landing, located in The Woodlands, Texas.

This area has seen a lot of new and upcoming restaurants open these past few months but by far this restaurant has seemed to be the main staple that everyone is raving about no matter what time of the day and no matter what you order. So you know I had to check it out for myself.

So luckily I arrived with my friend at the right time for brunch this past Sunday just in time to beat the morning crowd. My friend who accompanied me decided to try the Banana's Foster French Toast which was just out of bounds. Total foodgasm. The banana rum sauce was just pure flavor overload. Plus topped with thick crispy bacon. I mean bacon just makes almost everything better. The french toast was nice and fluffy.

It seems like everyone is trying to take this classic breakfast item and trying kick it up a big notch. The only place to do a similar feat is Fielding's Wood Grill with their Creme Brulee French toast. Definitely a big hit at the table for this visit.

I decided to go with The Grille Benedict. Recently I have been on a little foodie adventure trying different twists on this breakfast classic as well. Plus I have had friends recommend it as a hot button item to try.

The eggs were poached perfectly, the shaved ham was nicely cooked and had a little salt flavor. The cheddar biscuits and cheese added some great flavors. The chipotle hollandaise sauce gave it some nice spicy notes. The only issue with the dish was the biscuits. They were a little dry for my taste. Maybe a little more sauce might have helped but overall it was a great dish.

I really can see what all the buzz is about. Del Frisco's Grille has everything working right. The service was excellent, the food was top notch and the environment of the restaurant flows well.
One thing I did notice on my visit was the party behind us,  order was not correct initially and the manager on duty took immediate action to get it corrected and followed up afterwards as well. This is a sign of business who cares about their quality of food and reputation. I see many more visits to Del Frisco's Grille in the future.

http://delfriscosgrille.com/woodlands

Cousin's Maine Lobster - Houston, Texas

So ladies and gentlemen this past Saturday after a long day of work I found out to my surprise via a Facebook post through the Woodlands Area Foodie group that Cousin's Maine Lobster food truck was in the nearby area of Tomball, Texas.

So I decided to rush on over there since I have had the pleasure of visiting them twice before and had two very good experiences but on a third attempt was put off by a long line and bad weather unfortunately.

Now to give a little background about these folks. This is one of the first franchised food trucks to my knowledge. They were originally started by some folks who appeared for an initial investment on the Shark Tank TV show on ABC. So far they are setup in both Houston and Dallas.

The prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity of food they serve, but expect on average to spend maybe thirty to sixty dollars for a few items off their menu as listed below which maybe a little more than what some folks are accustom to when going to a food truck, but it's definitely well worth it. Below is their current menu selection.

For this visit, I got a couple different items they had recently added to their menu. I gave both the Shrimp and Lobster tacos a try plus my "go to" items like the Maine Lobster Roll and Cape Cod chips.

Both of versions of the tacos were awesome. The flavor was great and the serving sizes were very nice. It was a very nice melody of flavors going off in my mouth. I will say I did like the lobster tacos better, but the Shrimp tacos were on point too. They are a little messy but what taco isn't. Definitely a great new set of items to add to their menu. 

For folks who love seafood. The Maine Lobster is a great "go to" item. Awesome whole chunks of lobster with a light mayo dressing on a warm buttery grilled bun. It's just pure foodie heaven. If you have a good appetite I suggest you grab two for sure.

I will have to say this trip to Cousin's Maine Lobster was overall successful. They have worked on their service times. Mine for this trip was about twenty-five minutes from waiting, ordering, to receiving my food which is a significant improvement over their last trip to the area. My only gripe was the location they chose to set up in. It was not that convenient. The were located in an apartment complex. Parking was the key issue as you can see below. I think maybe a larger shopping center or neighborhood like before would be a better choice. Definitely worth the drive and the money.

Visit their website for their schedule and locations. http://www.cousinsmainelobster.com/houston/

Godfather BBQ - Spring, Texas

So on this very hot Texas Thursday I decided to take my kids to a popular local BBQ spot known as Godfather BBQ located right down Rayford Road.

Godfather BBQ is the quintessential Texas BBQ spot. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am until the sell out so please be sure to show up early when you can.

The owner, Tony Faour and his crew put out some amazing BBQ out on a consistent basis. The warm welcome to their location, when you get to the window, makes you feel right at home and ultimately that's a staple of a BBQ Food, good hospitality.

Today we decided to show up for "Pork Belly Thursday" as it known by the locals. The specialty you guessed it! PORK BELLY!  The spicy southern rub that Tony seasons his BBQ with has a very nice spicy kick to it that will definitely make you want to take some home for the road. Also another food special to go well is Real Cubed Bacon with some awesome creamy gooey mac and cheese.

All three of my kiddos decided to get two orders of the Pork BLTs and the bacon mac &cheese. As you can see the pork is perfectly seasoned and moist paired with some veggies to give it an overall balanced bite.

I went for my personal favorite the "Don Vito". You get two portions of meat, of your choices and two sides. I went for some awesome brisket with nice charred ends, some spicy pulled pork, creamy mac n cheese, and sweet potato casserole. This lunch entree is literally almost two meals in one. The portion sizes are awesome and worth every bit.

My family's visit ultimately was successful to Godfather BBQ. I polled everyone and the general census is they love Godfather BBQ and the Pork BLT was a hit. 

You can expect competition quality BBQ from here with friendly service. After you eat here your idea of true "Good BBQ" should definitely be changed.

Another Broken Egg - Shenandoah, TX

So a little while back a friend of mine and I decided to visit one of the local breakfast spot's known as Another Broken Egg located right off Interstate 45 heading north into the small town of Shenandoah, Texas.

The background for this restaurant is County Cafe meets southern inspiration and seasoning. This small mom and pop restaurant chain is known for putting out quality flavorful food at a reasonable price. Plus their bar area definitely puts out a nice spicy Bloody Mary too which, unfortunately, was not sampled on this trip.

I started my breakfast off with a nice hot cup coffee which the blend the use definitely helps start the morning off right.

For breakfast, I chose to go with a new item for a change and try the "Benedict Oscar". It was Grilled Flat Steak cooked to medium preparation, topped with two poached eggs which were very nicely cooked with garlic sauteed crab meat which just melts in your mouth and asparagus with a very yummy Bearnaise sauce.

The dish was simply delicious and perfect. Each bite literally kept getting better and better. Total foodgasm. So flavorful and rich, definitely a new favorite. The only downside to the dish was the very blah and dry potatoes on the side. They tasted good, but they could have used something to make them not so dry or just been left off the plate.

My friend who accompanied me our little foodie extravaganza also was feeling little spunky and decided to venture away from her tried and true favorites and tried a dish called the Lobster and Brie Omelette. This very colorful and flavorful dish consist of a cream cheese filled the omelette with Brie and sauteed lobster meat, topped with a nice very light champagne butter sauce, diced tomatoes, and green onions. Similar to my dish this was definitely a home run. Both dishes were infused with a lot of good flavors and nicely executed.

Overall Another Broken Egg is a nice quick go to Breakfast spot where you can expect quality food, and at an affordable price in The Woodlands and Shenandoah area. Plus it nice they do frequent menu updates to keep things fresh. A favorite in my book.