Bubba's Texas Burger Shack

Dear Readers, This post is long overdue. Though summer may be technically over, early Fall vacations have caused this blog's summer hiatus to extend through September. But like the new season of Fall television programming, the new season of hamburger blogging is about to begin.

Located underneath the Westpark tollway, Bubba's Texas Burger Shack is aptly named a shack. Though it looks like a good gust of wind might knock it over, in its 22 years in existence it has moved only once, and wind had nothing to do with it--it moved three feet when I-59 was widened.

Richard Reed, the restaurant's owner, bought Bubba's seventeen years ago when he was forced to retire from his job as a geologist for Marathon Oil. Working in the restaurant bid'ness is harder than traveling the world working as a geologist, Reed told me. But the rewards are better too. The manager of Bubba's is one of Reed's daughters, and like most proud fathers, he spent at least as much time talking to me about his daughters as he did about his restaurant.

Bubba's barely survived the construction of the Westpark Tollway. Since the road's completion business has been booming. Reed, however, doesn't attribute its recent success to the heavier traffic flow brought by the Tollway. Reed thinks he's gotten a lot of good free advertising. Bubba's has been the subject of a segment on the Food Network, and every time the segment airs, business spikes. The burger joint also has been reviewed favorably in the Chronicle. Bubba's also has gotten some help from "Bubba Burger," a line of frozen foods advertised heavily at Minute Maid Park during Astros games. Many people have thought the "Bubba's" advertised at Astros games is a restaurant, and when looking it up online, they have run across "Bubba's Texas Burger Shack." Reed admits that more than a few customers have been confused, but he is quick to remind them that Bubba's Texas Burger Shack was here first.

I think business has been good at Bubba's Texas Burger Shack because once you've tasted their burgers, you will come back again. Bubba's buffalo burgers manage to be both lean and rich tasting at the same time. And they are perfectly seasoned. Reed confided in me that they buy their spice rub from a customer who grows spices in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. He even gave me some of the mixture, called "Es Bueno," to take home. It is smoky with just a touch of heat, and it results in the best seasoned burger I have ever tasted.

Sitting on the porch at Bubba's drinking a beer and eating a burger is a great way to soak up Houston's ambiance. You have traffic whizzing by you on multiple freeways, not more than a touch of anything green around, and not a pedestrian in sight. But somehow Bubba's manages to make its surroundings not merely endurable, but, believe it or not, likable. For this, Bubba's gets my highest rating.

(Pictures will be posted as soon as I find some misplaced and necessary camera equipment.)

Kelly B.'s Review:

If you didn't already know, I am a huge Astros fan; I'm a season ticket holder and if my work allowed, I would go to every home game. However, as it is, we attend approximately 24 games a season. Being the burger lover that I am, I've always seen these Bubba Burger ads on the backstop, so every time someone is up to bat, the Bubba Burger is in my subconcious. At the time, I had never noticed the "at your grocer's freezer" portion of the add, I just assumed it was a burger restaurant.

So, one day, while Sammy and I were trying to decide on a new burger place, I told her to google Bubba Burger and let's check it out. Well, when you google it, yes, the grocer's freezer part comes up, but the first restaurant after that is the Bubba's Texas Burger Shack. Meanwhile, I still don't get it that "Bubba Burger" at the ballpark is not a restaurant.

Sammy B. and I head on over to find it. From the street, it looks very sketchy. It's located underneath the Westpark Tollway overpass on the side of the road. It's a trailer. Seriously--with a built-around wooden decking and some high-seated picnic tables. The parking lot is unpaved, so you will kick up a little dust when you visit. You place your order through a window on the outside and they will bring it out to your table.

They are well known for their Buffalo Burger and their strong, spicy "rub" they use on all of the meat. The burgers are pretty large and very good. However, they only give you 1 tomato, but they do have a toasted bun that is excellent. They have a great chip selection, but they do not offer french fries or onion rings which really bothers me...I really like that they have recycle bins for the coke cans they serve. They also offer specialty bottle drinks such as Jones Soda & Stewarts.

There is very, very little indoor seating, but the outdoor seating should suffice (unless you visit on a Friday or Saturday night). I really do LOVE this burger joint, and it truly is a burger "joint." Sammy B., the hubby and I enjoyed it and look forward to going back very soon!

The Verdict on Bubba's Texas Burger Shack:

Price: Under $7 for a burger, chips, and soda
Location: Westpark and South Rice. Here's a map.
Atmosphere: It's a shack with a porch underneath an overpass. Need I say more?
Selection of burgers: Good. Buffalo and beef; no veggie burger option.
Side Items: only chips. No fries or onion rings.
Beverages: All manner of sodas and beer.

Rating:

Sammy B.
Kelly B.

Lucky Burger

Kelly B.'s Review:

WOW--how time flies! Working in the field of education, the past six weeks have been very grueling as we prepare for a new school year, so I appreciate your patience!

Since our last post, we have reviewed two different burger places. Today, we'll discuss the first one, Lucky Burger. The funny thing about Lucky Burger is that my husband and I have passed it regularly for several years now and we always viewed it with amusement for its silly and run-down appearance. We were snobs and were often bemused that anyone would actually want to eat there--YUCK, right? Well, fast forward to a few weeks ago when Sammy B. and I were deciding where our next burger fix would come from and she suggested LUCKY BURGER!!! (mind you, I had never mentioned my Lucky Burger thoughts with her, so I cracked up laughing). Anyways, on to the burger review.

Lucky Burger has a fairly simple menu, although they do offer some very interesting burger alternatives. The Burgers are divided between "Delicious Burgers" and "Unique Lucky's Burgers."

Delicious Burgers include: Lucky Burger (mayo, mustard, lettuce, pickles, onions and tomatoes), Lucky Cheeseburger (CB), Jalapeno CB, BBQ CB, Bacon CB, Mushroom CB, Double CB, Triple Meat CB and Harold's Bleu CB.

Unique Burgers include: Fish Burger, Teriyaki Chicken Burger, Veggie Burger (melange of grilled zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes & onions), Chicken Fried Steak Burger and the Chili Burger.

So, while the Chicken Fried Steak Burger called my name, I couldn't stray from my signature cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and mayo only. I chose the french fries, which reminded me of cafeteria style fries, but in a good way. Sammy B. chose the onion rings and, while I'm sure she will talk about them, I have to mention that they were some of the BEST onion rings I've had in a while--the batter was so thin and light--YUMMY!!!

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my burger which brings me to my next dilemma. As our readers, do you think it's terrible that I can't seem to find a burger I don't like? OR Are you just happy to read about new places to visit? I'm a little concerned our readership might have dwindled due to our long absence, but I would be remiss if I didn't also assume it might come from our similar posts. Anyway, I digress.....Lucky Burger was a wonderful find and I'm so glad I branched out because I can't wait to visit again and try that Chicken Fried Steak Burger!!!

Sammy B.'s Review:

As Kelly B. mentioned, Lucky Burger's facade does not exactly inspire confidence in the food prepared within. But having begun a journey through Houston's burger joints, we could not very well ignore a place called Lucky Burger.

Lucky Burger offers a wide selection of burgers, and, surprisingly, Chinese food. Even more surprisingly, this is not the first burger/Chinese food combination we've stumbled across in the short life of this blog.

I ordered the Lucky burger with cheese. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I suppose one of the benefits of owning a dumpy-looking restaurant is that your patrons' expectations are low. The burger was juicy; the toppings were fresh, and the prices were modest. The onion rings were the best part of the meal. They were so crisp and fresh tasting that I would be very surprised if they weren't prepared completely on the premises.

I heartily recommend Lucky Burger, but unlike Kelly B., I can't give Lucky Burger an entirely unblemished review. There wasn't anything truly memorable about the flavor of the burger. It had all the ingredients of a great burger, but the meat was a little on the flavorless side. If we were rating side items, I would give Lucky Burger our highest marks for their onion rings, but the burger alone was not a stand out.

Like Kelly B., I also have a concern. In order to get more information to our readers than they can find on citysearch or any other restaurant website, we need to start asking questions to the proprietors of the restaurants we visit. We need to find out things like what kind of oil they use for their fries and onion rings; what kind of beef they use for their burgers, etc. I also would love to start including more historical information about the restaurants we visit. I am a little reluctant to ask these kinds of questions, for fear of appearing rude. I know this doesn't make sense; restaurants need to be prepared to answer questions about the food they offer, and I should not be embarrassed to ask questions of those whose products I am ingesting. In another life I was a lawyer for goodness' sake; why is it now hard for me to conduct a little light-hearted discovery? So, readers, what do you think: should we start asking questions, what should we ask, and how do we overcome our reluctance to more aggressively seek information?

In the meantime, rest assured our summer hiatus is over, and our posts will now start rolling out on a more consistent basis. Please stay with us.

The Verdict on Lucky Burger:

Price: under $7.00 for a cheeseburger & onion rings
Location: Located on Richmond and Mandell . Here's a map.
Atmosphere: Lovably dumpy.
Selection of burgers: Not huge, but includes all the reliable selections as well as veggie and other alternative options
Side items: Fries, onion rings, and, believe it or not, egg rolls
Beverages: Coke and many others


Rating:

Sammy B. Kelly B.

The Ultimate Hamburger Crime

Dear Tyler Florence: I am an avid Food Network viewer. I have watched several of your shows, including, most recently, Tyler's Ultimate. And I've also seen you in quite a few Applebee's commercials. I was so excited when I saw that you were going to devote a Tyler's Ultimate episode to hamburgers. Being a burger enthusiast, I could not wait to view the creation of the Ultimate Hamburger. I knew I was going to pick up many new ideas and techniques by watching an expert create a masterpiece of a hamburger.
Things started well enough. You chose a quality meat that I had never used in a burger before - ground brisket. My curiosity piqued, you went on to cook the burgers in a cast iron skillet, a nice touch. To top the burgers, you used melted swiss cheese, then added sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, tomatoes with chives and sea salt, and bacon with rosemary. While certainly not all burger lovers would choose any or all of these toppings for their ultimate hamburger, I thought you made a persuasive case for all of these delectable selections. By this point your thirty minute show was winding down, so I was anxiously awaiting one of the most crucial aspects of the creation of any hamburger, much less the Ultimate Hamburger: the unveiling of your bun of choice and its preparation.
That's when your cooking show turned into a horror movie. You ripped open a package of sesame seed buns and threw one of them on a plate. I said to myself, he couldn't possibly be doing what I think he's doing. I screamed at the television, "NO, Tyler, NO! Don't do it!" all to no avail. I averted Spud's eyes from the screen. You then split open the two halves of the bun and immediately started piling all of your delicious burger ingredients between them two bun halves.
You lovingly prepared your meat, cheese, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and bacon. But the way you treated your sesame seed bun was unforgivable. You picked it out, opened it up, and laid it down on a plate bare and cold. Why didn't you get your bun nice and toasty in the warm cast iron skillet that just cooked your ground meat? Why didn't you at least pop it in the toaster for a minute? Why didn't you even have the courtesy to wrap it in some tin foil and put it in the oven? Forget "Ultimate" hamburger - I wouldn't treat any hamburger bun in such a horrific manner. Not even my burger buns that some have called "non burger buns" get treated so poorly. Thus, your "Ultimate" Burger is now, and forever will be, a Paris Hilton.
I noticed that in the online version of your "ultimate" burger recipe, you do suggest toasting the bun. But to not do as much on your television show that purports to create "ultimate" dishes is nothing less than an unforgivable burger sin. Please do yourself a favor and begin monitoring this blog, so you can learn how to treat buns with respect.

Sincerely,

Sammy B.

The Humble Inn

Sammy B: The Humble Inn reminds me of this t-shirt I've had since junior high. Its color is faded; you can't even read what it says anymore, but I love it because it still fits me perfectly and makes me feel like I belong in it despite how much I've changed since I got it. The Humble Inn fits its hometown as perfectly as my old t-shirt fits me. Humble (pronounced with a silent "H") was a boom town in the early part of the twentieth century after oil was discovered there, and the Humble Oil & Refining Company was born. Today, Exxon owns Humble Oil, and the town is perhaps better known for its high school sports teams than for its oil fields. Through Humble's transition from thriving boomtown to Houston suburb, the Humble Inn has been there, as welcoming to the town as my comfortable, worn-in t-shirt.

Situated only ten minutes from Bush Intercontinental Airport, all Houstonians should stop by The Humble Inn at least once, unless you are lucky enough to live close by, in which case you should go a lot more often than that.

The Humble Inn has not a trace of trendiness or pretense. Its patrons wouldn't stand for it. This is the kind of place to go when you want a delicious, home style meal from friendly, unhurried staff members who will treat you like you're in their own kitchen. Though this place certainly has regulars, when we showed up they treated us like they had known us for years. My eight month old daughter, Spud, was warmly welcomed.

The Humble Inn offers great burgers at great prices. As you might guess, there is no veggie burger, turkey burger, or chicken burger on the menu. I'd have been disappointed otherwise. Other notable offerings include deep fried pork chops, sliced beef brisket, and several rib-sticking breakfast selections, like a one pound ham steak & three eggs. The menu also pays homage to the town's boomtown heritage with its Oilfield Combo (three large eggs, bacon, grits, and buttermilk biscuits & gravy) and Righand's Dream (hand-battered chicken fried steak covered with chili and cheese).

I ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and both were fantastic. Kelly B. will give us the detailed burger review.

Kelly B:

Trigg's Humble Inn is a haven of comfort food. I was very tempted to order many of the entrees, but we were there for burgers, so burgers it was.



We both ordered cheeseburgers--mine had the signature mayo, lettuce and tomato only. The bun was a nice quality. It should be noted that it was not sesame seed, but it was buttered and toasted. I also really liked the fact that they placed mayo on both buns!! I love when burgers are given ample condiments, so that is definitely a plus in my book.



The tomatoes were thick and juicy, more so than most. There was plenty of lettuce, not too little and not too much. The meat was similar to C.H. Burger in thickness and taste--delicious!



We shared the fries and onion rings. The fries are the wider, flat fry--not potato cut and not thin like fast food--I refer to them as "restaurant" fries. Onion rings are a precarious side dish. The batter can make or break a good onion ring. It's worth mentioning that the onion rings were prepared my favorite way. The batter was this and light and did not overpower the sweet onion taste. Often times, onion rings get 'over battered' and leaves a burnt taste in my mouth. However, Trigg's Humble Inn had very tasty onion rings.



If you decide to visit Trigg's Humble Inn, be prepared to struggle with your order. The burgers are a necessary choice; however, the entire menu begs to be tried.

The Verdict:

Price: under $7.00 for a cheeseburger & fries
Location: About a half mile east of I-59 just south of FM 1960. Here's a map.
Atmosphere: Warm and friendly, great for kids
Selection of burgers: Not extensive, but the burgers on the menu are worth the drive.
Side items: french fries & onion rings. Also on the menu are fried zucchini, fried okra, fried mushrooms, and fried green tomatoes.
Beverages: Coke. No Pepsi. Also on the menu are root beer floats, old fashioned malts, Mr. Pibb, and beer and wine.

Rating:

Sammy B. Kelly B.

The Potlikker Film Festival

This morning's Chronicle reports that the Potlikker Film Festival is coming to Houston this weekend. While this news isn't strictly burger related, I think our readers might be interested in it. The Potlikker Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating Southern food and culture. One of the short films in this year's festival features something most Southerners love at least as much as burgers—fried chicken. Another tells the story of a long-time New Orleans bartender, and a third sheds some light on the close connection between religion and food in the South. The Festival is at St. Arnold's Brewing Company, 2522 Fairway Park, from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday. It costs $40, and registration is required. For more information and to register, click here.

Burger Rating System

It occurred to Kelly B and me that we needed to organize our rating system a bit to make it more useful to our readers. For future burger joint reviews (one is coming soon...) we will include a simple rating and/or pertinent information on each of the following: pricing, location, atmosphere, taste of burger, selection of burger, taste of side items, selection of side items, and, of course, coke or pepsi. If any of you readers out there can think of other features that are important to you, please comment and let us know. For example, my dear husband, Fletch, recently pointed out that we neglected to include specific price information on the CH Burger review. We will seek to correct that glaring oversight in the future.

Finally, we will both separately assign an overall rating to each restaurant we review. The lowest rating we give will be the Paris Hilton. The ratings then improve in the following order: Jessica Simpson, Loni Anderson, and Goldie Hawn. The best rated burgers will receive a Dolly Parton.

Tune in soon to see our rating system in action (assuming we can figure out html well enough to make it work. If any of you are html pro's, please feel free to send us a comment and help!)

Coke vs. Pepsi

I've wanted to have this debate for quite sometime. Actually, it's not a debate, it's my egocentric expectation that ALL restaurants or fast food places should serve Coke products. I don't care if they also serve Pepsi products, but to exclude Coke products from the menu is a travesty!!!

I understand that different people have different tastes; however, there is nothing that makes me more upset than to sit down to eat a good burger and the place serves Pepsi products and not Coke. UGH--burgers taste SO much better with a Coke.

I know that it's all about the contract that companies sign--but can businesses really be making more from their Pepsi contracts than if they chose to do business with Coke? I doubt this considering the vast majority actually do serve Coke products.

So, I say sell Pepsi in the grocery store; let people have choices, but please...if I order a Coke and you bring me a Pepsi....do not expect a happy or returning customer.

So, how many Coke drinkers are out there??? How many of you would choose the inferior Pepsi? (just kidding....sort of) FLAME AWAY FRIENDS!

The irony is that I need to always drink water to 1) save money for my precious debt snowball rather than spending the unnecessary $1.50 for a beloved Coke 2) so I won't stay up all night and drive my DH crazy and 3) to maintain a healthy weight (while eating burgers)--so go figure?!?