Posted on 08/12/2005 9:05:15 PM PDT by weegee
weegee note: Despite all claims to the contrary by the author, this is a hit piece on restauranteur/talk show host Edd Hendee. If the steak house is so old and unremarkable, why even cover it? If his politics are irrelevant (which they are) and not a factor in his critique, why get so venemous? What a *********.
Note there was a considerable wait to get in. To quote Yogi Berra, "That place is so crowded that nobody goes there anymore."
on with the article...
Past Its Prime - Taste of Texas Steakhouse takes you on a nostalgia trip to the salad bar.
The cramped salad bar at Taste of Texas featured a bin of chopped iceberg lettuce accented with colorful streaks of sliced red cabbage. Among the toppings were broccoli and cauliflower florets, along with black olives from a can, chopped eggs, pickled beets and a shredded-carrot-and-raisin salad. When we returned to our table with our salad plates, our server brought us our complimentary appetizer, a bowl of cream cheese with jalapeño jelly poured over the top. There was a 40-minute wait for seating on Tuesday night at eight, and we were quite hungry. But as we sat there looking at our food, our appetites waned. I tried to sell my companion on the salad bar as a '70s nostalgia trip. You don't see salad bars in expensive steak houses in Houston anymore. "Yeah, but they've got better stuff on the salad bar at Souper Salad," he complained. He was utterly stupefied by the cream cheese and jelly, another '70s throwback. "Suburban housewives don't even make this stuff anymore," he said, stirring it with a grimace.
We'd selected our steaks from the butcher's station. I got a custom-cut, two-inch-thick rib eye, and my friend ordered a small filet mignon. All of the steaks at Taste of Texas are Certified Black Angus beef, which the restaurant's Web site calls "simply the finest beef you can serve."
It isn't.
The Certified Black Angus-brand beef advertised by Taste of Texas is cherry-picked from the top end of the USDA Choice grade, according to beef industry experts. But USDA Prime is a higher grade, with more marbling. And the so-called American Kobe beef that comes from the nation's growing Wagyu cattle herds grades even higher than USDA Prime.
Lots of Houston steak houses are serving USDA Prime these days. Some even carry the super-premium dry-aged variety. And American Kobe steaks are starting to turn up as specials at restaurants like Cafe Annie. Meanwhile, Burger King has started serving Angus beef. Which is to say that in the great steak race, Taste of Texas has fallen way behind.
The waitress asked if we wanted to look at the wine list. While we were waiting for a table, I watched a young bartender pull a requested bottle of Stags' Leap 2001 off a shelf and flip it end over end in the air, practicing his bottle-twirling for the next bartender's contest. Here's a wine-buying tip: When you see the wine guy shake up the sediment in an $80 bottle just before sending it out to a table, order a beer.
The first time I visited Taste of Texas, a friend and I split the 32-ounce porterhouse. We asked for medium rare. The steak that came to the table was barely pink at all, even close to the bone. The meat had a full flavor but wasn't particularly juicy. We also ordered the sautéed spinach and a baked potato, with sour cream, bacon bits and so forth on the side. The spinach, lightly cooked in butter, and the plain potato were delivered along with the steak. But despite our desperate arm-waving, the potato condiments didn't arrive until we were halfway through the steak.
I learned my lesson, which is why this time I ordered the rib eye rare and skipped the baked potato. The steak came to the table very rare indeed. So rare, I had to send it back. When it came to the table the second time, it was perfectly cooked, but unfortunately it didn't taste like much. Have you ever eaten one of those huge slices of prime rib that tastes oddly loose and spongy? This rib eye had the same sort of texture. The menu doesn't say how long the Angus beef at Taste of Texas is aged. And I suspect the rib eye isn't aged at all.
My friend's filet mignon, served with béarnaise sauce on the side, was excellent. I was jealous. Filet mignon is usually too mushy for my tastes, but this one was quite firm. Maybe it was wet-aged in a Cryovac package. For our sides, we tried the sautéed mushrooms and au gratin potatoes. The mushrooms were a nice complement to the steaks. But we were so full, we barely touched the cheesy potatoes.
While most steak houses go for a plush men's-club atmosphere, Taste of Texas, with its high ceilings and wood paneling, looks like a refurbished barn. The walls are decked out with a collection of Texana. The large hall doesn't feel cavernous, because the space is divided up into smaller dining rooms and niches. But the ambience is pedestrian compared to the luxurious environs of Vic & Anthony's, Pappas Bros., Brenner's, Palm and the Strip House.
All of those steak houses also serve USDA Prime beef, which is juicier and more flavorful than Certified Black Angus. Instead of Taste of Texas's salad bar, modern steak houses serve iceberg wedges, crab salads and other items of current interest. And as for the sides, suffice it to say that at the Strip House, you can choose from potatoes cooked in duck fat or a baked potato slathered with caviar.
Taste of Texas Restaurant has been showered with awards since it opened in 1977. It has been called one of the top ten steak houses in America and has received Wine Spectator awards for its offerings.
For a while, it was considered the best steak house in Houston.
But that was then, and this is later on.
Taste of Texas long ago slipped into the second tier. And I say this regardless of my political opinions. Edd Hendee, the restaurant's owner, vents his hatred for Muslims, liberals and immigrants five days a week on his talk-radio show. "They must have failed Bomb Making 101 down at the mosque," he recently quipped about the London terrorists whose bomb didn't go off.
Hendee took over the show when the previous self-righteous far-rightist, Jon Matthews, was arrested for exposing his genitals to an 11-year-old child. Hendee reportedly encouraged listeners to bring letters of sympathy to Taste of Texas so he could deliver them to his fellow conservative. Houston Press columnist Richard Connelly called the restaurant "Dittohead Central, the gathering place for Rush Limbaugh fans and light rail foes" (Hair Balls, May 13, 2004). Hendee is a close friend of Tom DeLay, who is also a student in Hendee's Bible study class at Second Baptist.
Hey, I'm not a big fan of Tilman Fertitta's worldview either. But I give him credit for running some great steak houses. Regardless of his politics, Fertitta is keeping an eye on national restaurant trends and knows what's selling at the butcher shop. Hendee, on the other hand, is running a restaurant that's ludicrously out of date.
I'm often chided by readers to leave the politics out of my reviews. But I don't see how you can leave politics out of a discussion of Taste of Texas -- it's become the restaurant's main attraction. Showing support for Tom DeLay, Edd Hendee and the conservative agenda seems to be the real reason that so many people stand in line to get into this mediocre steak house.
It's surely not the salad bar.
Note too that Tilman Fertitta is a billionaire Democrat.
Another Houston PING please...
Media Bias PING...
Have to wonder if a politico in Texas government called for this smear/boycott since they are having a hard time explaining why they won't grant homeowners some tax relief?
I happen to love the "Taste of Texas". I remember when they used to have Rush's radio show on during the lunch hour. It was great!
The salad bar is actually the best I've been to. But this really isn't a big deal. I don't know any one who reads the Houston Press, and like the author said, they still have hour long waits.
Talk about "venting hatred".
But then this author is a member of the "enlightened class", which means that his hatred is righteous because it is so...enlightened. As an expert on all things trendy, he knows that the updated definition of "tolerance" is that he only needs to tolerate those who have the correct fixin's on the salad bar of personal values.
Who would want this dreg in their restaurant.
PING
PING
This Guy? is a food critic?...from where?...Austin, Texas or San Francisco, Kal. ...and I bet, he (Edd Hendee) serves Pork BBQ, too. (if he, sells it @ all)...the shame. ...the Inhumanity, of it all...his Kotex was tried in a knot.
btw, (s)He mentions Burger King, What about the Texas What-a-Burger Restaurant/Fast-Food chain...
A food article in in the Houston Press? I guess they ventured out of the local Montrose hangouts to the burbs. Ignore the rag - most straight Houstonians do.
Yeah, this guy definitely comes off as very politically biased. You know, I may not agree with someone's politics, but if they make a great steak, I am more than happy to say so. One of my dear friends is a staunch Conservative, and I don't agree with quite a bit of what he says, but, he can make a mean lasagna. Seriously. It will make your mouth water for weeks afterward just thinking about it.
This guy is just petty and whiny. Taste of Texas sounds like a great place to eat, but I don't live in Texas. But now I have a place to go to if I visit. :D
-J.
Getting personal: I am truly sorry that your experience at the Taste of Texas was so disappointing. I have always enjoyed your writing, and often give your wonderful books as gifts. I also respect your opinion, as you usually do a marvelous job in your reviews. I was surprised at the personal nature of the article, so allow me to fill in some more personal details:We opened our restaurant in 1977 with just a handful of employees and even fewer customers, and we work very hard to serve our community and to provide a positive, encouraging workplace for the almost 10,000 young people that have worked with us in the past 28 years.
I am disappointed you missed the wonderful historical documents, including the signatures of Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Davy Crockett. We have dozens of museum-quality artifacts in our restaurant. I love Texas history, and each year for the past 20 years or so, I have hosted almost 10,000 fourth-graders for a field trip.
Our focus has always been on excellence, and we constantly work on updating the restaurant. We have been honored to receive many Readers Choice awards. We were nominated for the prestigious Ivy Award last year, and have just been awarded our eleventh consecutive Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for our remarkable wine list. While we do our best to serve the finest quality, we are not trying to be a white-tablecloth restaurant, and we certainly are not in the same price range. The 300,000 customers who dine with us each year seem to appreciate our exceptional quality at an affordable price.
As for the very personal comments, I am truly surprised. You usually seem to be professional and fair, but the depth of dislike for Edd was striking. Some of his most ardent supporters are very liberal, because he respects both sides of issues, and is not afraid to discuss both sides. I bet if you sat down for a cup of coffee with Edd you would find you have a lot in common. He is a wonderful, loving man, and I bet you are too.
Again, I am sorry about your experience at the Taste. We will take your comments to heart, and are always open to suggestions.
Nina Hendee
Houston
There was also this other perplexed reader:
Tasteless: Robb Walsh's restaurant review of the Taste of Texas steak house was so tasteless and outrageous, I felt compelled to write to you today.I do not recall ever reading a restaurant review that delves so blatantly into politics and ideology. Your piece even includes an aside about a talk-show host "exposing his genitals to an-11-year old child" (as if there is such a thing as an 11-year-old adult).
Yes, there is mention of how the salad bar isn't up to snuff, and how the grade of beef is inferior to that served at Pappas Bros. and elsewhere. Any of those points may very well be valid. I have never eaten at Taste of Texas, so I wouldn't know.
But clearly this piece turned into a diatribe. What the worldview of Tilman Fertitta has to do with a steak joint is beyond me. What a man showing his genitals to an 11-year-old has to do with a steak house review is also beyond me.
What I firmly grasp is this reviewer's intent, which is to besmirch the character of the owner and operator, Edd Hendee, thereby making his restaurant less appetizing to the public. Tying him to Tom Delay was a master-stroke. What's next -- attacking him for attending bible study classes at Second Baptist?
If the man decides to run for public office, then you can have at him all you want regarding his political stances. But when I click a link to read a restaurant review, I expect to learn about what's going on in the dining room and the kitchen, not what political party the owner contributes to.
Walsh has shown himself, in this reader's opinion, to be highly biased in his analysis and inappropriate in his comments.
With the public opinion of media outlets at an all-time low, you would think the Houston Press would try harder to present a fair and factual account for the readers to enjoy. One might wonder why anyone would want to subscribe to your service with such shoddy reporting standards. One might answer in a tone Robb Walsh might appreciate, "It's surely not the restaurant reviews."
Sigmund Kramer
No fan of Robb Walsh
Houston
Mrs. Hendee was unbelievably gracious to one so unworthty of such kindness as Walsh.
The other letter points out with the observation "What I firmly grasp is this reviewer's intent, which is to besmirch the character of the owner and operator, Edd Hendee, thereby making his restaurant less appetizing to the public", is that Walsh, sadly, is a typical liberal today...his negativity permeates every part of his being and spews over like a backed up septic tank...even when discussion food.
I still have to wonder if the article was prompted by some state representative upset over the property tax issue.
It wouldn't be a first for such political manuvering.
thanks, for the 'report'.
I think the best response I've seen appeared here -- http://www.bloghouston.net/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6135#p6135
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