emd

The restaurant I referred to is Nick's. It is in an old renovated house. Very good and reasonable.

US Air just started nonstops from DC to IAH so I am thinking of heading down for a Feb weekend for $198 RT to see family and I will ask my sister to take me back to Nick's.

emd

Btw- it is GREAT to see so many positive, helpful posts on Houston!! Those of you who have been around here know what I mean.

tlegray

Another vote for Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham.

My daughter loved Forbidden Gardens, but she's a history student.

Fairhope

Benj; My wife had only 20 minutes to visit the Smithsonian so she went to the gift shop and bought freeze dried ice cream for the kids. What a hit.

emd

now that's an interesting thought, the Smithsonian in Houston. The Bush family would like that.

sls15

Have to add my two cents--

A hearty second for the Kemah Boardwalk. Go around sunset and sit outside on the water. It's beautiful.

For the thank you dinner, you didn't mention price, but two suggestions for you are Ousie's near the Galleria, and Hugo's on Montrose. Both are further in toward Houston, but worth the trip from Katy.

One last comment--and I see I am in the minority here--but we heard all about Pappasitos before we moved here last summer, and it really didn't live up to the hype for us. Hopefully that will help lower your expectations a tad and you'll like it that much more when you try it.

Enjoy your trip!

jetset1

sls15~ what about Pappados? My sister is a food critic now, and has been raving about a variety of places.. oh yes, she knew all about the Blue Bell dairy- they had a tour. with my sweet tooth, I better double up on the workouts between now and March.
As to a dinner budget, really none. We'll probably go to a place she has critiqued and approved, lol.. but I'll pass on what my secret sources recommended. Thanks again for all the great ideas. I was putting this trip off for a very long time, if you have naturally curly hair, you'd understand, but I think March will be perfect. J.

spunki

Also good discount coupons to the Space Center at Randalls grocery stores!

rkkwan

Houston is home to two very large regional/national restaurant chains - Pappas and Landry's.

The Kemah Broadwalk is basically a Landry's creation. Landry's Seafood, Aquarium, Joe's Crabshack, Saltgrass, etc... Total of like 9 Landry's restaurants there.

Pappas' three main brands are the Pappas Seafood, Pappadeaux Cajun, and Pappasito's Mexican, but there are also steak houses and BBQ.

Chances are, if you go eat out in Houston, you'll be eating in either a Landry's or a Pappas restaurant.

LDLee

Please tell me the comment about your sister being a food critic is meant to be tongue in cheek. If not, I need to cancel my subscription to whichever publication(s) she writes for.

Pappasitos is good at what it does -- way too much reasonably prepared food at too high a price (although it seems like a bargain when you look at all the food) in a boisterous environment. Pappadeaux's same thing. There are so many unique restaurants in Houston, even out near the chain food purgatory of Katy, you should never have to eat at Pappasito's.

At least Pappas' family restuarants provide good food. Friends don't let friends eat at a a Landry's chain restaurant.

When most people think of dining in Houston, they think of mexican food, seafood and barbecue. What many don't realize is the large number of excellent Asian restaurants we have here. Everything from Vietnamese, Thai, Indian and Korean, you can find it, especially near Bellaire and the West Belt or near Downtown.

cb

There's a restaurant on Cimarron & Mason, in Katy, behind Ninfa's shopping center, Bistro 829, that is such a nice place & really has very good food. We've been a few times and have never been disappointed. Their blueberry salad is mighty fine! I've always found the Pappas restaurants to be just ok. If I had to choose though, I would go for Pappadeaux. Enjoy your stay!

jetset1

LDLee~ no, she has a sophisticated palate. Some of her raves were awhile back, before her current job began, and now, well, she knows all the places fairly well. I might add, to her credit, that she went to a cooking school, and can create fantastic meals as well, so I do enjoy her expertise.(80 people took the year long course, only 14 graduated).
cb and other posters, thank you. Very helpful and insightful, J.

travelingb

Houston has some fabulous restaurants. As evidenced by our waistlines. LOL. Hugo's, by the way, is on Westheimer in the Montrose area, not on Montrose. Another good choice near Hugo's (also on Westheimer) is Mark's. Excellent. Two less expensive but still solid dining choices are Tila's on Shepherd Drive just south of West Dallas and Backstreet Cafe which is just across the street. Tila's serves Mexican cuisine (not Tex-Mex) and very good margarita's.

travelingb

Also,if you do visit Galveston, take time to walk along the Strand and perhaps look into a tour of some of the older Victorian homes.

LDLee

J, I apologize. (I can't figure out which one is the embarrased smiley)

With her background, I know your sister has found, and will continue to find, all the great restaurants here.

Mainly, I was just trying to say Pappasitos, and the other Pappas restaurants, are good not great.

Again, please accept my apologies to you and your sister.

emmjay

I miss the restaurants in Houston! So many delicious options.

I like El Tiempo Cantina near Greenway Plaza for Mexican. Their tamales are fantastic. Other favorites are Ouisie's Table on San Felipe, tapas at Mi Luna in the Rice Village, Backstreet Cafe and Michelangelo's. And the most authentic Thai food I have found outside of NY - Thai Spice, also in the Rice Village. Yum!

emd

emmajay, Michaelangelo's on Montrose Blvd? It has been around so long! I can't beleive it is still there. I went there on my very first date and ate on the outside porch. That was back in the days of Zorba's, the wonderful crazy greek seafood place in north Montrose.

jetset1

LDLee.. well, let's not let my sister off the hook so fast. After all, I do recall that she prepared some horrid Hamburger Helper thing after she'd been to cooking school. My mom and I tried our best to choke it down, and later my mom confided "For that we sent her to that expensive school?".. and simnple things like green bean casserole, well, she forgets to put the onions on tip for the crunch, so there! Big sister still rules..

emmjay

emd - it is on Westheimer near Montrose, but maybe they have moved. The location on Westheimer has a gigantic tree growing in the middle of the restaurant - is that the same one you went to? If they did move, they do have the same owners. I only lived in Houston from 1999 - 2002, but I enjoyed a LOT of restaurants during that time.

Now I'm in Denver, which has a surprising lack of decent Mexican food considering the size of the Mexican population here. And forget about barbeque or Cajun. Good thing my in-laws are still in Houston so we have an excuse to go down there!

LDLee

J, fair enough. And how can you forget the onion crisps on green bean casserole. Alors.

I thought of one other adventure. If anyone in your group has an interest in Texas history, you could go out to the San Jacinto Monument (http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/) and Battleship Texas (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/battlesh/)

And yes, Michaelangelo's is still open.