Houston's: The Corporate Restaurant

I admit it, I have an innate hate for chain restaurants, mainly because they're usually tacky and uninspiring. A recent poll on Serious Eats asked readers what their favorite chain restaurant was and Houston's was one that was universally liked by foodies. I agree. While it isn't the most extraordinary food, and the sushi bar in this dark, moody, clubby restaurant is a bit odd, Houston's generally pushes out fine comfort food with professional service.

My friend called me the other day and said, "Hey Matt, I'm craving the ribs at Houston's, wanna go with me?" Mind you, this is a typical NY girl (educated there, raised here) who's down to eat. That's a good thing. We skirted off to Houston's in Pasadena, where I haven't been in a few years. I remember having the ribs in Phoenix about five years back and remembering it as one of the better set of baby-back ribs I've had in a "corporate" restaurant.

Inside, it's dark, really dark. Well-positioned lights illuminate tables (perfect for nice photos!) and keep the din quiet while diners ease into after-work mode. The white-collars from Pasadena's Lake Avenue are probably very comfortable here (I work in Downtown so it's a respite for me too).

Sadly, I didn't order ribs. In fact, I wasn't going to order anything since I was just about to go to a late dinner party for another friend who was departing for Korea. We were to eat a nice dinner at Saladong Song, which is about a mile away from Houston's. I was going to settle on a nice salad while my friend munched on her ribs (how romantic...btw, this girl is like a sister to me, no romance here).

I couldn't get myself to order a $12 caesar salad that the waitress said was, "smallish." Screw that, I'll just order the $15 California Burger, which Alan Richman hailed as one of America's best in a feature in GQ a few years ago. Poppycock, I said. Until I ordered it:




Perfectly melted gruyere cheese with arugula (a la Father's Office's burger), fanned out avocado (a minor annoyance), and soft french bun. Meat was a little more than the medium rare I ordered, but it's a corporate restaurant - they don't want me suing them for food poisoning.

Overall a solid burger, though not better than Father's Office. The bread was a little more stale/dry than I would have wanted but I could eat one of these a month just to get away from my double-double cravings.



My friend generously gave me a few of the ribs, which was good too, but also drier than I would have liked. I think Animal's ribs spoiled me here. Or any other real BBQ joint for that matter. But when corporate is all you have, you couldn't do much worse than Houston's.

On a service note, I think some small, indepedent restos need to take a page from Houston's - their service was impeccable. Accommodating without being annoying or interruptive. Water filled promptly (almost too promptly). Friendly greeting with arriving inside, friendly farewell when departing. That's always a nice touch.