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Old 03-14-2012, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Montrose, Houston
55 posts, read 91,913 times
Reputation: 109

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You do know many if not most of the popular restaurants in the loop are owned not by a passionate person or family, but a big local or statewide investment company. Usually they own multiple restaurants in Houston or even all around Texas. Being somewhat behind the scenes for work, to me that just screams "chain." I LOL when I see people here bashing chains while they promote others that are essentially chains.
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Old 03-14-2012, 12:43 PM
 
2,945 posts, read 4,996,535 times
Reputation: 3390
People really need to stop with all this anti-chain stuff. FAST food chains are bad.

Taco Ball =
Pappasito's = pretty damn tasty.

You want authentic Mexican, you know where to go.

Chains aren't evil, bad or disgusting.

I love Italian food and have had authentic many times but I've found it to be kind of bland and simplistic up against Americanized. Maybe my taste buds are just accustomed to it but I can taste the difference.

My parents have some friends from Bologna, Italy immigrated in the late 70s-early 80s so we know authentic Italian and Bologna is known for its food. I'd never tell them because I love them like family but I prefer something like Olive Garden to dinner night at friends.

Last edited by DejaBlue; 03-14-2012 at 01:03 PM..
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Old 03-14-2012, 02:02 PM
 
1,743 posts, read 3,825,360 times
Reputation: 2430
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Old 03-14-2012, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Tomball
538 posts, read 1,363,207 times
Reputation: 325
Quote:
Originally Posted by DejaBlue View Post
People really need to stop with all this anti-chain stuff. FAST food chains are bad.

Taco Ball =
Pappasito's = pretty damn tasty.

Nooooo! Taco Bell is what late night, drunken dreams are made of.

Taco Bell = Pretty damn tasty and cheap!
Arby's = Disgusting.
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Old 03-14-2012, 04:21 PM
 
561 posts, read 973,223 times
Reputation: 472
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilliannie View Post
You do know many if not most of the popular restaurants in the loop are owned not by a passionate person or family, but a big local or statewide investment company. Usually they own multiple restaurants in Houston or even all around Texas. Being somewhat behind the scenes for work, to me that just screams "chain." I LOL when I see people here bashing chains while they promote others that are essentially chains.
All around Houston...

Houston is known for its food by people in Texas. I have noticed that not a whole lot of the national press gives Houston any love when it comes to top restaurants, or T.V. shows or any of that...

Can we go ahead and blame it on the Media Bias?
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Old 03-14-2012, 05:45 PM
 
Location: Houston - SoMoCo
187 posts, read 714,854 times
Reputation: 90
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoustonBornNRaised View Post
None.

For the life of me, I can't remember the name, but on the other side of I45 from the Woodlands, there is a pretty good Italian restaurant. It's in the same strip center as the Office Depot, I believe. If not right by that, then it's close.

I know that all sounds vague. If the name comes to me, I'll post it. I've eaten there a couple of times and it was pretty good.
Pallotta's?
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Old 03-14-2012, 06:02 PM
 
Location: Westbury
3,283 posts, read 6,057,119 times
Reputation: 2951
Quote:
Originally Posted by OducksFTW! View Post
All around Houston...

Houston is known for its food by people in Texas. I have noticed that not a whole lot of the national press gives Houston any love when it comes to top restaurants, or T.V. shows or any of that...

Can we go ahead and blame it on the Media Bias?
are you discounting the Food and Wine, NY Times, Travel and Leisure and Gourmet magazines articles about the Houston food scene? as well as the James Beard winners and nominees?
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Old 03-14-2012, 06:08 PM
 
39 posts, read 154,415 times
Reputation: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro Matt View Post
Haha

Are you kidding?

Taco stands in the suburbs?

Especially those as sterile as The Woodlands?
I agree with the sterile comment. I love the way the area looks, but it is pretty sterile. There is an "Irish" restaurant on the riverwalk that is a perfect example. Its like they painted a shamrock on the wall and all of the sudden it is Irish. Everything there definitely seems staged and fake. Maybe in a couple decades it will get more authentic feeling, but until then it all seems fake to me.
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Old 03-14-2012, 06:40 PM
 
Location: Houston - SoMoCo
187 posts, read 714,854 times
Reputation: 90
Oops, just saw someone else named Pallotta's already.

Not that I'm adding much to the conversation here, but it's frustrating how "chain-y" the options are in TW. I love city living and its diversity of culture. Suburban living is often sanitized, simplified if for no other reason than it doesn't always make sense for the exact same level mix of unique blends to exist in more far-flung areas be it for the demographics, logistics, available space/rent, etc. I guess that's what makes suburbans grow: access to those options in the area from which they have sprung. Anyhow, TW is not completely devoid of family-owned restaurants, but could certainly use many more! As a PP pointed out, the community doesn't just "offer" certain eateries....eateries set up and (hopefully) thrive based on patronage. In a relatively short time, we've seen a number of mom 'n' pop eateries come in, but then close their doors months later. Some may just not have had a good offering, but others likely suffered due to lack of patronage. It becomes a longer-term problem as it discourages other family businesses.

So if you'd like to see more non-chain options in TW, get out and support the ones already there.
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Old 03-14-2012, 06:46 PM
 
23,177 posts, read 12,248,025 times
Reputation: 29354
Quote:
Originally Posted by jilliannie View Post
You do know many if not most of the popular restaurants in the loop are owned not by a passionate person or family, but a big local or statewide investment company. Usually they own multiple restaurants in Houston or even all around Texas. Being somewhat behind the scenes for work, to me that just screams "chain." I LOL when I see people here bashing chains while they promote others that are essentially chains.
Maybe a lot are owned by investor groups but a lot are homegrown as well. You don't get that in the Woodlands because those types of enterpreneurs wouldn't want to live in a place like the Woodlands. My point stands.
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