Hughes Catfish Inn (Goodrich, TX) - REVIEW

Hughes Catfish Inn

Hwy 59

Goodrich TX

I went on an enjoyable 3-day weekend to the lake with my sister & my nephew.First night there, we needed to go get some food to cook, so we decided to eat out. We studied the situation very carefully by looking at the parking lots of all the restaurants we passed. No cars = crappy food. Lot of cars = good food. Well, that logic works in THEORY only. We stopped at the restaurant that had the most cars of any along that section of 59. This place was buzzing. The name was Hughes Catfish Inn. Sounds promising. MY SISTER said "I'm in the mood for some good catfish".

When we walked in the door, this place was packed to capacity. There were people spilling out everywhere. Every table, every booth, every nook & cranny. The dining room looked like a fricking ant bed. Right off, THE NEPHEW & I went to wash our hands. I like to think that you can tell a lot about a restaurant from how clean they keep their bathrooms. Washing our hands, checking out the shitter...me and THE NEPHEW got some hinky vibes. The bathroom was crusty and musty. I felt like my hands had more bacteria on them AFTER I left this shithole than before I got there. I should have just broke & run for the hills. But I tried to cowboy up and make the best of the situation.

The dining room was huge. Kind of dark and scary. All over the walls were hanging stuffed animal heads. Deer, goats, hogs, gazelle, bison...you name it...they killed it. There was some much dead stuff hanging around, it looked like Jeffrey Dahmer was the interior decorator. There was even a MYSTERY ANIMAL that someone had invented that was part of a deer head and a deer ass sewn together to make an unidentifiable yet scary as hell THING. (Maybe when we saw the deer ass used as decoration, we should have known to get the hell out). "Dumb Ass DNA" must run in our family. THE NEPHEW got shrimp. They tasted exactly like those frozen kind from the grocery store. The ones that are all crust but not crunchy and the shrimp is mushy. My sister ordered the stuffed crab & stuffed shrimp. I ordered the catfish. (We decided to split our dinners so we would get more variety). The dinners came with a salad and baked potato. We were happy about the baked tater cuz they be so tasty. Well, the service sucked. Everybody in the place (even people arriving AFTER us) got waited on before we did. Guess TOURIST was written on our foreheads. (I think my sister had on a top that said "I went to Cut-N-Shoot & all I got was this darn t-shirt")

<----The catfish were about the size of GOLDFISH

<-----Notice the onion & pickles? Is this a fricking sad dinner?

They brought the food out. I don't know what the hell these people were thinking. Nestled up beside the seafood on the plates were a slice of onion and some pickles. I had to re-check the restaurant sign to make sure we weren't at a BBQ joint. I have eaten a whole lotta seafood in my time and NEVER...NEVER...EVER have I seen it garnished with onion & pickles. A sprig of parsley, maybe. Somebody needs to tell Red Lobster & Joes Crab Shack that they're doing it WRONG. And the slice of onion was so old & dried up that it had a chalky white film across it. That thing was older than my cooder...and it smelled ALMOST as bad.

When the waitress left the food, she said "Oh, you need a condiment tray" for our baked potatoes. This consisted of a set of 3 metal bowls on a hanger. The idea was kind of artsy fartsy. Having your own condiments at the table. BUT WAIT! She reached over to the adjoining table and took the USED condiments and gave them to us. The 3 bowls consisted of: cheese, green onions & bacon bits. These restaurant people must buy their onions from the YEAR-OLD SHOP. These green onions were so dried up that they looked dehydrated. They weren't even green anymore. It looked like something that MOSES threw outta his lunch over 2000 years ago. And the shredded cheese...wasn't even there. Obviously the people at the other table liked them some cheese. The whole concept of giving me someone else's food is just nasty. You have no way of knowing what kind of shenanigans went on with that food at that table. That is unsanitary. We ate the potatoes dry. It was the safer option.

<---Where the hell is the cheese?????

My catfish tasted OK. While eating it I tried not to look at the insides because every piece looked like it had grayish clotted vertebrae in the middle. It was boneless. What the hell was looking like a fricking bone? MY SISTER's stuffed shrimp was a joke. The stuffing on it & in the crab was Stove Top. Right outta the box. I peeled the stuffing off the shrimp and the shrimp itself was almost invisible. And flat. Flounder are flat, not shrimp. My sister placed it on a Sweet-N-Low packet to show the actual size.

<---Smaller & flatter than a SWEET-N-LOW

The stuffed crab did not have any crab in it. There were red bell peppers in there that "looked" like crab...but no crab MY SISTER didn't like the tea either. Actually, none of us liked anything about any of this. MY SISTER said that the portion size was so small that it "wouldn't even make a turd". That might be true, but it did give us some horrendous gas. I think we blew another hole in the ozone layer. So if you are ever in the Livingston area and want to be thoroughly disappointed, creeped out and disgusted all at the same time...stop by Hughes Catfish Inn. But when you go home crying because you're hungry and then fart like a mule for the rest of the night, don't blame me. I WARNED YOU!

Hughes Catfish Inn gets an EYEBALL DOWN from JudgedByJody!

GUEST REVIEW!!! Senor Stingy Reviews Burger in Shanghai, China!!!

GUEST REVIEW BY SENOR STINGY

(Our friend Doug travels constantly for his job. He decided to send me a review. We call him Senor Stingy because he knows the value of a dollar & doesn't want to spend it)

Jo,

I thought I would review the burger & fries I had while here at the Swissotel Grand (Hotel) Shanghai. I ordered this from room service. Please see attached for photographic reference. I did not attach the after photos.

After a day of walking around this foreign land called (Shanghai) China, I was gasping for clean air and too tired to go out to eat so I decided to order room service. After giving serious thought to the Dan Dan mien and Murgh makhini I decided to play it safe and order the Swiss Grand-burger from the "Crusts" section of the menu for only 90 Yuan ($13) plus 15% service charge (somebody has to carry this to my room after all). After only a 20 minuet wait my door bell (yes, my room has a door bell) rang and upon opening the door I discovered a small Chinaman holding my dinner plate.I gave the man a 10 Yuan tip (about $1.70) and sent him on his way. I then discovered that the Swiss part of the burger does not reference cheese, but a nearly raw egg. The egg was cooked only enough to form its shape so I decided to poured it off. The burger had Canadian style bacon on it along with lettuce and tomato. I had ordered it medium and it appeared to be cooked through. The burger tasted quite good and was seasoned just right. The fries were great. I like my fries crispy and the thinner, the better. About half way through eating the burger I began to feel distant thunder in my intestines and passed it off (and out) as a result of eating too fast. By the time I did finish, I realized that perhaps I should have eaten out after all. Three trips to the toilet within 15 minuets took care of any thoughts that I would gain weight from this rather unhealthy meal. I can only think that perhaps western food should be left to western societies. The fries tasted great as did the burger. Which one was the culprit is the mystery I do not plan to solve. I give this meal choice a big thumbs down...

Doug aka Senor Stingy

Swiss Burger in Shanghai, China gets and EYEBALL DOWN (by proxy) by JUDGEDBYJODY!

**Please note the word "CHINAMAN" is NOT sanctioned by this blogspot.

We prefer the term "ASIAN". We TRY to be politically correct (or not).

However this individual could have shown up at Doug's door in a rickshaw

wearing one of those coolie hats with a ponytail looking like Hop Sing from

BONANZA. We do not know the situation and do not judge his verbiage **

Charming Cafe / Sushi (Crosby) - 2nd REVIEW

Charming Cafe

Chinese & Japanese

Sushi Bar

14405 FM2100

Crosby, TX

March 10, 2009 6pm

This restaurant is really close to my house. So I am really glad that the food is so good. I had a really bad day at work, so THE OTHER surprised me by saying "Let's go out to eat". And you know me...I NEVER say NO to groceries! Once at the restaurant, THE OTHER sipped a Kiran beer & nibbled edamame. For those of you who aren't familiar, edamame is soy beans. It is served steamed and sprinkled with salt. They look like big green pea pods. You can use your fingers to crack them open or pop it in your mouth & scrap the beans out with your teeth. BUT DO NOT (even if your friend Sara says its OK) EAT THE HUSK. The beans are very tasty. They taste a bit nutty. The first one or two make you think...WTF?...but then you get into the groove and figure out you LOVE THEM. While THE OTHER was eating her vegetables, I ordered the Cajun Hand Roll. Its a deep fried oyster with avocado and spicy mayo. Pretty darn good. (Even though THE OTHER swears that this cooked oyster stinks worse than the raw fish). I ended up not eating it until LAST because I had to pace myself with THE OTHER & make sure I got my FAIR SHARE.

For an appetizer (please forget all that we've already eaten) we got the Charming Tar Tar. Its a giant fried won ton chip covered with raw tuna, raw salmon, raw tai (sea bream), raw white tuna, avocado & cucumber. This was the first time we had this...and we both gave it high marks. It was really, really...yes, I mean REALLY good.

For entrees we got a Crosby Roll: Kani (crab), cucumber & avocado topped with spicy baked crawfish. This was plenty spicy and extremely tasty.

And also we got the Spicy Tuna Crunchy Maki: Spicy tuna with crunchy flakes. We agreed that the crunchy maki wasn't as crunchy as it could have been...but was very good nonetheless.

***We also go an entree TO GO for our lunch the next day. We split the HAPPY FAMILY:

shrimp, scallops, beef, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and carrots with steamed rice.

It sat in the fridge overnight marinating in its goodness. I ate every bit of my lunch. Yum.***

The only minus to our trip was the waitress. Ordinarily the service here is top notch. But this girl was new and didn't seem very friendly. I wasn't even through eating my damn hand roll & she was shoving the bill up on the table. Hey bitch, since I'm paying $55 for some raw fish, why don't you wait until I'm done to push me outta here. Its not like you needed the table. Don't rush me or I'll pop a cap in yer ass. OK...I really couldn't shoot her so I guess that's why I only left a 10% tip. She's lucky she got that. After all, it is called a GRATUITY. I wasn't grateful for her shitty attitude.

<-----PLEASE NOTE: Bill is shoved up on corner of table,

when I haven't even started to even EAT my damn

Cajun Roll. It's obvious the meal isn't DONE.

That's just RUDE!

<-----Here's the $55 check, bitch. Don't spend that $5 all in one place.

(P.S. I ALWAYS tip at least 20%, usually more...but you gotta

EARN IT)

Charming Cafe gets an EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!

Big Bowl Pan Asian Cuisine - Kemah - REVIEW

Big Bowl Pan Asian Cuisine
1415 Hwy 146

Kemah Tx

We spent the day in Galveston and drove through Kemah on the way home. We wanted to get something "different" to eat before we ended up back in Crosby with the "same old, same old".

Big Bowl is a Chinese buffet with a sign so big that you can see it from outer space. They offer all the basics plus a wide variety of sushi, including specialty rolls. I usually don't enjoy sushi on buffets because the rice sits around and dries out, but the rolls with sauce here were pretty good. Also, I was immensely surprised when I saw that among the seafood offerings was my favorite...snow crab. One might be hesitant to eat it off a buffet, expecting second class fare, but this was not the case. The crab was exceptional.

The service was good. The dining room very clean. The buffet held a vast variety of items you don't normally find in the neighborhood Chinese place. If you are in the neighborhood & want a good Asian buffet...you can't go wrong by stopping here. That crab was damn good.

BIG BOWL gets an EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!

Hasta La Pasta - Humble - REVIEW

Hasta La Pasta

7681 FM 1960 E

Humble TX

OK...the name: Hasta La Pasta

Is it Mexican...or Italian?

We weren't sure...so we decided to stop in & give it a try.
The answer...its definitely ITALIAN.

We came by during dinner time on a weekday. The place was about1/2 filled. There seemed to be plenty of staff available, but for some reason they were very disorganized and inefficient.

The dining room decor was rustic & subdued. The atmosphere was very inviting.
We were seated at the table and given menus. The menu is pretty basic. Pasta. Tomato sauce. Alfredo sauce. Meatballs or meat sauce.

The basic spaghetti with tomato sauce was $9 then add $2 more for meat sauce.OK...lets try it. Well, thats where the problem occurred. No one ever came to the table to wait on us. So we

enjoyed 15-20 minutes of just sitting there looking stupid. No drink order. No nothing. We waited. And waited some more.And then waited again.

After it was obvious no one in the place would EVER wait on us, we got up and walked out.
Surprise! Even then, nobody noticed.

JUDGEDBYJODY has this advice for Hasta La Pasta: If you are going to charge $10+ for some noodles & tomato sauce, then your SERVICE needs to be kick ass. Unfortunately, yours isn't.

My visit did nothing but PISS ME OFF! To anyone out there thinking they might need to give Hasta La Pasta a try...Instead of wasting your time & money here, stay at home & eat Chef Boyardee...your pocketbook and your blood pressure will THANK YOU.

Say "Hasta La Vista" to Hasta La Pasta!

......

Hasta La Pasta gets and EYEBALL DOWN from JUDGEDBYJODY!

Mission Burrito - Humble - REVIEW

Mission Burrito

7025 FM 1960 #2000

Humble Tx

We've actually visited this place 2 times lately, but I've been negligent in my REVIEW WRITING.

Our 1st visit was here was quite by accident. We planned on going to Panera Bread (which is in the same parking lot). However, at the last minute, on a whim, we decided to try Mission Burrito. Boy are we glad we did.

The set-up at Mission Burrito is pretty straight-forward. Walk up to the counter, tell them what kind of tortilla (flour, corn, tomato, crunchy) then choose your meat (THATS WHAT SHE SAID) (beef, pork,chicken, shrimp) and then tell them which extras you would like (lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, jalapeno, salsa). At this point you can also get some chips and salsa or guac.

I am addicted to the shrimp tacos. The Other has tried the beef (its fajita-style, not ground beef) and the pork. Everything here is extremely fresh. Mission Burrito is a breath of fresh air in a world of stale "fast-food".

<----------BEFORE

....

<----------AFTER

.

....

Mission Burrito gets and EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!

Hoang Son Sandwich Shop (Downtown) - REVIEW

Hoang Son Sandwich Shop
1005 St Emmanuel
Houston
(in the Kim Hung Shopping Center)

Wikipedia states:
Bánh mì is a Vietnamese baguette made with wheat and rice flour, as well as a type
of sandwich traditionally made with this type of baguette. The sandwich is made up
of thinly sliced pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and
meat. Popular bánh mì fillings include roasted or grilled pork, Vietnamese ham and pate.

Most Banh Mi sandwiches contain a Vietnamese mayonnaise-like spread that is a
mixture of egg yolk, cooking oil/butter, and sometimes spices.
Bánh mì is generally served in small shops and at some pho(soup) noodle eateries.
Bánh mì shops can be found in many countries, especially in areas with a Vietnamese
immigrant community. The contrasting flavors and textures of the sandwich — as well
as its relatively low cost — make it a popular dish.

Bahn Mi = Vietnamese PoBoy

Now that you know about banh mi...let me advise of the best in the Houston area. Hoang's is a very small sandwich & pho shop in the atrium of the Asian supermarket. They serve exceptional sandwiches. I think I have tried them all. My favorite is the pate. All the ingredients are fresh and the baguette itself is crispy on the outside & soft on the inside (kinda like me). If you are new to Vietnamese sandwiches, then you can play it safe & get the charcoaled pork. I sometimes get mine TO-GO and Anglo it up by adding mayonaise when I get home (boo-hiss).

The average price per Bahn mi is approximately $2.

Theres no way to go wrong here.

Be advised that you won't be getting chips and/or fries like at the fast-food. That in itself is worth a visit because its guaranteed to shave 600+ calories off your lunch menu.

Hoang's gets an EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!

Comala Mexican Cafe (Breakfast) - REVIEW

Comala Mexican Cafe

5310 E Sam Hou Pkwy

Houston TX

***3RD REVIEW***

We hadn't been back to Comala since Valentine's Day when I ate that giant fish...eyeballs & all. This is usually our GO TO place for Mexican breakfast, so we scurried down the beltway to get some grub.(We were driving from Crosby to Channelview for my nephew's birthday party...so it was on the way)

The service here on this day was exceptional. Our waiter was very young. I usually bash the teenagers for their lackluster service, but this guy was really on his toes. The service here is always good, but this was a step above the usual which was absolutely fantastic.

I had the huevos rancheros. I was being difficult so I ordered the "over easy"eggs as "over hard". (I like to sling a curveball to the chef on occasion...it keeps things sparky). The eggs were cooked perfectly. As stated previously,the refried beans here are quite tasty. The potatoes served come out looking peppery and delicious, but the actual taste of the spuds don't equal the presentation. Even THE OTHER said "The taters ain't as good as they be lookin'". Guess that says it all.

THE OTHER ordered Huevos Con Chorizo. She announced the chorizo to be superb. She gobbled them up PDQ, so I guess she wasn't lying.

The chips were good. The tortillas fresh. All in all, a good Mexican breakfast experience.

There were no eyeballs looking back at me this time....so...

COMALA MEXICAN CAFE gets and EYEBALL UP from JudgedBYJody!

Charming Cafe - Sushi (Crosby) - REVIEW

Charming Cafe

14405 FM 2100

Crosby TX

It's taken quite some time, but Charming Cafe has lived up to its name...this is quite a charming dining experience.

Previously, in this location was Ginger Cafe. This place served great sushi. For whatever reason, they closed down after about a year. (They still have their original location at 7548 FM1960 in Humble...give them a visit). Charming Cafe took over and from the looks of things, nothing much changed. Same decor. Same menu. Same sushi. But looks can be deceiving. Boy, oh boy had things changed.

The sushi while under Ginger Cafe was always fresh and invigorating. After the transition to Charming Cafe, the sushi was not even close to being satisfactory. And the other Chinese dishes on the menu, including the tempura took a hit also. And the restaurant had a funky stank to it. Not fish. Something more akin to sewage or backwash. Not very appealing in an eating establishment.

However, it is with great delight that I announce that Charming Cafe has finally gotten their act together. The specialty sushi rolls we sampled were perfect.We also tried the hand rolls & tamago. Everything was great.

I am so extremely happy that there is a GOOD sushi restaurant in Crosby again. Charming Cafe is not just Crosby good...their sushi is delicious enough to stand up against any other restaurant in the area. See for yourself...

Charming Cafe gets an EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!

One Among The Sleepless - Podcast Novel - Mike Bennett - REVIEW

"ONE AMONG THE SLEEPLESS"
A PODCAST NOVEL by MIKE BENNETT

If you are a fan of podcasts and especially podcast fiction, I'm sure that you are already familiar with Mike Bennett. If you haven't yet experienced this delight, then you must sync him to your next upload. He has several outlets for different podcasts, so there's sure to be something for everyone. My review is of his podcast novel,"One Among The Sleepless"

Mike Bennett's story of "insomnia in the city" is quite entertaining. I found myself tied to my earphones. He writes the story and also narrates. He does all the characters. He can do different accents and for the most part they all sound like different people. He's quite good at his vocalizations. In fact his female voices are so sultry that I find myself fascinated by the bitches who are in reality a bald English guy. (He must be good).
This podcast gets my enthusiastic applause. I liked it a lot. It was never slow or stale or stagnant. It held my interest and amused me greatly.

SPOILER ALERT: Although I outwardly hoped that Mr. Bennett would kick me in the bread basket by giving me an exquisitely gruesome & bloody ending to all the characters I loved (or at least one or two), I secretly rejoiced when everyone lived happily ever after.

www.mikebennett.com

ONE AMONG THE SLEEPLESS - A Podcast by Mike Bennett gets an EYEBALL UP from JUDGEDBYJODY!

Valentine's Day Extravaganza @ Whispers Bar - REVIEW

Valentine Extravaganza

"Red E For Love"

(with Shae Champagne)

226 First St East
Humble TX

Whispers Bar

Valentine's Day

Sat Feb 14, 2009 @ 10pm

Whispers presented fun-filled night of live entertainment and fashion.The show celebrated the 2010 Sk'n Underwear Collection by designer Earnest Diaz. There were also lounge wear and pajamas featured. All the designs were sexy and sensual.

This was a night of unadulterated female impersonation. Each of the fabulous Queens brought her own flavor to the celebration.

The event was hosted by Shae Champagne & Kennidi Monroe. We were lucky to enjoy a surprise appearance by White Rose.

Kennidi Monroe, as you probably know is quite YouTube famous (or should I say INFAMOUS). She performed two of her numbers, including her dance hit which is currently on the charts. Kennidi provided the bawdy accent to the evening. She's outrageous and mouthy. She is also quite the exhibitionist. I haven't seen so much boobs since my last family reunion.

<-----Kennidi Monroe





Shae Champagne is classy and elegant. No matter what the situation, she is always the lady. Her performances were exceptional. She had a level of energy and enthusiasm that was absolutely contagious. Shae sang & danced and delighted everyone in the room. The very best numbers in her routine are the ones that channel the southern spiritual. Watching Shae, you transcend time & place & are carried with her to an elevation of celebration.

<------The Lady Shae...letting her spirit SHINE!

Rounding out the evening was the absolutely majestic White Rose. She attacked the crowd with her animal magnetism. She seemed aloof & a little bitchy. Just perfect. She made you want her, but let you know that you didn't have a chance in hell of actually HAVING her.She was provocative and enticing. With her classic black/white dress and sunglasses, she projected the persona of a 50's sex siren.She could have been Elizabeth Taylor on the set of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof". (Sorry for the totally shitty White Rose pic...I have placed my photographer on PROBATION)


<---Legendary White Rose

<----------Legendary Liz

The entire evening was crammed with fun and laughter. There was quite a crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy the festivities. I know that I had a damn good time and can't wait to hook up with my girls, Shae & White Rose (and KIM) at the next event.

Valentine's Day at Whispers gets an EYEBALL UP from JudgedByJody!