Al's Delicious Popcorn

Al's Delicious popcorn is a popcorn manufacturer based in Cincinnati, OH.  I haven't ever been to Cincinnati, but I think it is pretty well known there.  They've been in business since 1985, and still make everything in small batches.

"Our philosophy is simple:  Gourmet, Handcrafted and Exceptional."

There was one thing that immediately stood out to me when I learned about Al's.  The vast number of flavors of popcorn they make.  65 flavors of popcorn.  ZOMG.  Really, there is something for, uh, absolutely everyone here (and yes, some flavors are totally whacky).

Special Delivery!

A friend who knows how obsessed (yes, this is the correct word choice) I am with snacks, and in particular, popcorn, and lives in Cincinnati sent me a gift pack of 4 flavors: 2 sweet, 1 savory, 1 salty-sweet.  I was glad to try the brand, as the popcorn was good, and I'd love to try more flavors, particularly some of the more ridiculous sounding ones!

Savory

Al's breaks the savory popcorn down in to a few categories.  "Original" I think is their first flavors, just, classic unsalted, plain popcorn, buttered & salted, or a hybrid butter and salt one that uses a different style of kernel.  I didn't try any of these basic flavors.

No popcorn range is complete without cheesy flavors, and here you can find classic cheddar cheese, white cheddar, or parmesan garlic, but also more exciting ones like cheddar pretzel ale, cheeseburger, bacon & cheese, grilled cheese & tomato soup.  A slew of spicy cheesy options abound as well.

Beyond those, the main savory range is 11 flavors strong, ranging from Cincinnati Style chili to dill pickle, to everything in-between (including, everything bagel flavored).  Some potato chip classics like salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion, salt & pepper, and ranch join the ranks here too, along with a few spicy options.

The "Signature" range also includes some savory choices like black truffle, brie & jam, pretzel & mustard, pumpkin soup (!), ramen (!!), and more.

I tried only one savory option, and it wasn't a success, so I'd like to try others, as I think this was just a bad match for me.

Jalapeño.

"For those that ‘like it hot”!  It’s pure jalapeno, so get that water ready!"

The jalapeño uses their "savory popcorn base", with corn kernels as the dominant ingredient, plus a lot of coconut oil and artificial flavor.  In addition, it manages to be 13.7% seasoning - a blend of salt, onion, garlic, cilantro, tomato, and of course, jalapeño.  Bring it on!

I expected to really like this one, as I like spicy things, and I certainly like all the spices involved, but, I think the abundance of spices just rubbed me the wrong way (see what I did there?  Spice rub? Tee hee).  There was just something off tasting about this blend, and it almost seemed cheesy (which, isn't bad, but it was like a stale cheese flavor).

The kernels were huge, fluffy, and well popped, and the pieces were very well coated in the seasoning, but, the seasoning blend just wasn't one I cared for.  I did like the hints of heat when I got them, but the jalapeño was masked by the other spices.  And nobody should put jalapeño in a corner.

*+.

Sweet

Al's has even my insatiable sweet tooth covered.  And then some.  Basic sweet options span from every fruity flavor you can think of (blueberry, blackberry, cherry, green apple, apple pie, caramel apple, grape, lemon, lime, orange, orange creamsicle, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, even banana and pomegranate).  Other sweet options include child favorites like bubble gum, jelly bean, and cotton candy, adult indulgences like butter rum, and basics like caramel, butter pecan, cinnamon, english toffee, and kettle corn.  Their #1 flavor is vanilla butternut, a sweet and creamy option, available in special colors for holidays.

I tried two from this category, and would happily try any others (besides the deathmelon of course!). 

Kettle Corn.

Hmm.

I'll admit that I thought my bag was mislabelled when I had this popcorn.  To me, kettle corn is a fabulous blend of sweet and salty.  It is not supposed to be candied (not like caramel corn), but rather, a lighter style, definitely with sweet element, but, in a more subtle way than a complete candy glaze.  And this?  Sugar heavy.  Every single kernel was entirely coated in sugar.  It made it very crispy (yay!) but, besides not having an actual buttery caramel taste, it sure seemed like caramel corn.  Or ok, candy corn.  Which isn't a bad thing, just, not what I think of as kettle corn. 

It turns out, the kettle corn uses their "sweet popcorn base"which is made up of more sugar than popcorn kernals.  Seriously.  45.1% sugar, 16.7% corn syrup, and only 18.5% corn kernels.  The rest is water (12.4%?) and oils and a touch of salt.  Besides the water that I don't quite understand, this at least explains what I experienced taste-wise.  Yes, this was sugary candy coated popcorn.  Salt (or, sodium bicarbonate) is the last ingredient, but honestly, I didn't taste it.

So, as a kettle corn, this was not a success.  When I reach for kettle corn, I want something not as decadent as caramel corn, I want something that keeps me oscillating between sweet and salty and unable to stop.  But this was just sweet.  Sugary, sugar sweet.  A small handful and it made my teeth ache.  That said, when I wanted something sweet, I quite liked it.  I finished the whole bag, easily - as evidenced by the tiny bit left when I remembered to take a photo!  But I certainly wouldn't consider it kettle corn.  If I wanted kettle corn, I think this would be more enjoyable if I mixed it 25% this flavor and 75% simple salty popcorn to balance it out a bit.

* as kettle corn, *** as candy corn.

Blackberry.

"Do you know how it is when you eat a batch of blackberries?  Such sweet, delicious flavor!  Every once in a while, though, you bite into that sour one…yuck!  At Al’s Delicious Popcorn, we have that pure Blackberry flavor in every…single…bite!"

Next, the brilliant purple colored blackberry.

The blackberry, just like the kettle corn, uses the sweet popcorn base that is basically sugar/corn syrup coated popcorn.  I think it might have had butter as well?  No salt component.  This one has added Blue #1 and "natural flavors".  It appears no blackberries were harmed in the making of this popcorn.

In this case, I did expect it to basically be candy corn, just, purple-ish, and likely with some slight berry flavor, so the fact that it was 60+% sugar didn't bother me.  I was pleased to find that while it was definitely candied, it somehow wasn't cloying sweet.  It wasn't nearly as sweet or candied as most caramel corn.  Which also meant, it was way way too easy to eat far too much of this in one sitting.

Which I did.  Because I loved this one.  It was a fascinating experience to eat, because my brain screamed, "grape!" with every piece I picked up, clearly having strong associations with purple candy meaning it was grape flavored.  Then the piece would hit my tongue, and my brain would backpedal, screaming, "No! Wait, blueberry!", clearly jumping to the next best guess.  I never got a strong blackberry taste to it, but, it was berry flavored for sure, and, like I said, candied sweet, but, a very very enjoyable sweet.

This one also did seem to have a bit of a buttery base to it, although the ingredients didn't imply there was butter, so it must have just been the oils.  It made it eat rather decadent-like, but not in a gross way.  I really really enjoyed this, finished the bag in no time flat, and can't wait to try their other fruity options.

I'd get this again, although really would probably mix it up and try another fruity flavor.  ****.  I think this was my favorite of the flavors I tried, but, really, it was a close tie with the next one.

Specialty

In addition to the regular sweet and savory lineups, Al's has two additional categories: "Speciality" and "Signature".  These seem to be even more decadent, or unique, flavors?

The Specialty group includes many with nuts (so, more premium I think?), like almond coconut bliss, cinnamon roll with nuts, and peanut butter extreme.    It also has the ones with more drizzles (like birthday cake), mix-ins (cookies & creme or marshmallow charms), or just, uh, crazy (like "breakfast" with bacon, cheese, and french toast flavors all mixed together).  Chocolate lovers will find many options here too, like sinfully chocolate, s'mores, mint chocolate chip, heavenly chocolate, chocolate covered churro, chocolate gold, and more.

There is another category for seasonal offerings as well, which includes all your holidays classics like candy cane, apple pie, eggnog, pumpkin spice, etc, along with fun summer options like pina colada. This category also includes specially colored versions of their number one flavor, vanilla butternut, e.g. a red white and blue version for 4th of July, a red and pink valentine's version, etc.

I tried one from this category and would certainly pick others as they sound so fascinating!

[ No Photo ] 

Buckeye

"OK…we are going to be frank with you!  Buckeye is our most time-consuming popcorn to make!  However, it is worth every single bite!  We start with a delicious gourmet popcorn base, then we melt chocolate and peanut butter over the top while it’s still hot!  The result is that perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter!  Gourmet?  Yes!  Delicious?  Oh yes!"

I somehow didn't get a photo of this one, because I was busy devouring it.  I meant to go back and take a photo once I opened the bag, but, uh, the next thing I knew, it was gone.  Ooops.

This was a dangerous flavor.  I mean, chocolate and peanut butter is a great combo in general, and this was completely decadent, completely sweet and lightly savory and salty at the same time.  The pieces were very heavily coated in chocolate and peanut butter, much like the best versions of muddy buddies (or puppy chow, if you know it by that name), but, as popcorn instead of Chex mix, and without the powdered sugar - which wasn't needed as it used the sweet popcorn base.  It was the kind of snack that most certainly should be treated as a full on dessert, not just a casual little snack, and yet ... I somehow devoured it even after eating a regular dessert prior.  It was just too good.  This was considerably better than the puppy chow popcorn I recently had from POParazzi in Houston.

****, and I was definitely glad to have this one in my mix.  Near tie for first place.

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Common Bond's Brasserie & Bakery, Houston

I discovered Common Bond in Houston on my very last full day in town.  I wish I had discovered it sooner, as it was super close to my hotel, had a fantastic menu, and what I had was quite good. 

"Common Bond's Brasserie & Bakery is located in the Bank of America Tower (800 Capitol St.) in Downtown Houston, Texas. The highly anticipated Brasserie is the company's first full-service dining establishment and shares the space with its popular Bakery. The new location is nearly 5,000 square feet and offers a spacious outdoor patio. The bright and colorful Brasserie is a full-service restaurant adjacent to Common Bond's signature Bakery counter and coffee bar.  "

I visited only in the morning for coffee and a pastry, totally on impulse, drawn in by the fantastic looking baked goods as I walked by.  I was in town any longer, I certainly would have returned to try more pastries, but also, the brunch lineup had some fascinating items like a sweet potato grits dish, or classic shrimp and grits, or biscuits and gravy, none of which I actually had very good versions of while in the south (the biscuits and gravy from my hotel restaurant, Zutro, were, um, among the worst I've ever had anywhere!).

I visited the bakery counter, in The Understory, an open air communal area at the base of a large office tower.  It is light filled, full of social spaces, and has several other businesses including another coffee shop, poke place, and more.

Service was good, the food and coffee great, and I'd definitely return if I was nearby again.

Decor.

Although the shop is in an open area without distinct walls, they do a nice job of decorating around to make it feel like you are in a relaxing coffee shop, even though it is just a place to line up and order at a counter. 

Large Americano. Half-caff. $4.03.

To go with my baked good, I also got coffee, and although it was still early, 8:30am, I'd already had half a mediocre regular coffee in my hotel room, and so I opted for half-caff.  I was standing nearby waiting for my order, and I heard the barista proclaim, "Oh, fuck, it is half-caff?  Damn".  I looked up and apologized, and she looked a little embarrassed that I had heard it, but mumbled that it was fine, she had just already started pulling a regular shot.  It took quite a while after that for my Americano to be ready, many more regular caffeine elaborate drinks that were ordered after me came out while I was still waiting.  I sorta felt like she was punishing me, but, maybe it just really interrupted her flow to do a decaf?

Anyway, it was a fine coffee. No odd funk, not too much acid, pretty drinkable, albeit a bit watery.  Served at the proper temp, nice and hot, not scalding. ***+.

Incredible Pastries.

The pastries literally all looked amazing.  I wanted them all.  I learned later that they are well known for their croissants, all of which were massive.  The pistachio croissant in particular has many fans, and is filled with a pistachio cream.  I was about to order it, literally, it was on the tip of my tongue, but I changed my mind at last minute.  I still sorta wish I had, and nearly tried to go back the next day to get it, but ran out of time.

The scones looked good as well, even the "Health Nut" one.  Lurking behind was a kouign amann and cookies.  I was so tempted by the kouign amann, always an epic pastry, but I moved on to the next section instead.

More Pastries.

The selection continued with muffins, and the more decadent items ... morning buns, sticky buns, kugelhoff (one version stuffed with Boston cream), and a very, very messy, and awesome, looking Nutella croissant thing that was covered in sticky ness and crispy chocolate balls.

I normally would be all for the decadent dessert items, but I had a hotel room still filled with desserts to finish up, including excellent pecan pie and chocolate cream pie from Goode Seafood Company, great Italian Cream cake and red velvet cake from Truth Barbecue, and fabulous creme brulee from Brasserie du Parc (review coming soon!), so I went with something more morning appropriate instead: a muffin.  Not normally what you'd expect from me, but, I think I was craving a good muffin after the lackluster ones earlier in the week from my hotel restaurant, Zutro.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Muffin.  $4.25.

I opted for the most decadent of the muffins though, the hazelnut chocolate chip.

This was a very good muffin, exactly the style I like with a crispy top but very soft and moist inside.  It was far more hazelnut forward than chocolate, so it didn't really scream out "Nutella!", as I thought it might.  If you are looking for that, the Nutella croissant craziness most likely delivers in that department.

The crumble on top was quite flavorful from all the hazelnuts, and there was bits of hazelnut throughout, giving it a great texture.  Strong hazelnut flavor.  The chocolate aspect was less dominant, just small sized chips, and not tons of them, but the muffin was still lightly warm (it was that fresh from the oven!), and the chips were a bit melty, which was glorious.

Definitely a great muffin, perfect with my coffee, and I suspect great turned into dessert with some whipped cream too ... but mine didn't last past mid-morning.

****.

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Truth BBQ, Houston

When you visit Texas, inevitably, assuming you eat food while there, you will likely eat some barbecue.  And also inevitably, if you start discussing food of any kind with a local, they will pretty passionately tell you their top barbecue recommendation.  At least, that was my experience when I was recently in Houston.

The first few days I was there, I took advantage of other unique culinary wonders, like some really delicious creole seafood and classic pies at Goode Company Seafood.  But after a few days, I was ready to embrace the Texas barbecue scene, and set out to find "the best" in town.

"The best" is obviously subjective, and every Uber driver, local resident, hotel staff member, etc I talked to gave me their top picks.  For the most part, uh, none agreed.  That is, except all my co-workers.  The folks local to our Houston office were in close agreement.  The best, no question, was Truth BBQ.  It also happened to be, literally, across the street from our office.  This later fact caused me some doubt, as I assumed it was a factor in being "the best" - convenience and ease of access certainly plays some role, right?  Here's the thing though - there are some fairly well regarded lists of the best barbecue in all of Texas, and Truth routinely finds a place in the top five of those lists.  This past year, it ranked #3 on the 2021 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ List.  It is always the highest rated place in Houston in statewide lists. 

It also turns out, that even if it was located right next to the office, "ease" is not quite the word that comes to mind for a visit there (more on that soon).  And yet, I completely endorse it, and would gladly return.

Epic Feast #1.

My first visit, I knew I was ordering far too much, but I thought it would be my only visit, and I basically wanted to try the entire menu, so narrowing it down to just two meats, two hot sides, two cold sides, and two desserts was hard enough.  I couldn't prune my selections from there.  I had a plan though: I visited at lunch, and planned to try everything then, but focus primarily on one of the meats and a sampling of all the sides. And one of the desserts.  For dinner that night, I'd heat up the other of the meat and more hot sides, and try the other dessert.  Lunch the next day would be the cold sides, with my own salad, and some meat.  And whatever dessert I had left.  So, I had a plan, and expected I'd eat this feast for at least my next three meals.

Feast #2.

Let's just say, I was so blown away that I may have extended my trip to Houston an extra day, in large part so I could go back to Truth.  I wish I could say I am joking, but, uh, #priorities.  I really wanted to try more of the menu!  So my new last day in town, I returned.  This time my order was much more reasonable, just one meat, two sides, and one dessert.

Setting

Feast BBQ is located across the street from a pizza joint and a grocery store, not in a particularly interesting part of town.  That said, Truth brings people there, no question.

Curb Appeal. 

The space is fairly rustic, and quite large.  

They have ample parking, as it isn't in a very walkable area (unless, like me, you were just crossing the street from your office!).  A portion of the parking is dedicated to curbside pickup, which was always busy (for good reason, more on that soon).  This is true curbside pickup, where they actually bring it out to your car, you park in a specific numbered spot at your pick up time.  This concept is totally wild to me.

Outdoor Seating.

The outdoor area along the backside has high tables and stools for dining.  Doors open directly into the dining room to make it easy to access.  The tables were set with condiment buckets and supplies every time I visited, but I never saw anyone eating outside, even though it was a fairly reasonable temperature out (about 58*, not too hot to be outside, and downright balmy compared to San Francisco ...).

The other outside area, also under cover, is the outside portion of the line.  Yes, the outside portion of the line.  The line continues inside.  And a line there will be.  They open at 11am, and my understanding is people get in line before then.  My visits were at 12 and 12:30pm, and, wowzer, the line.  That said, I knew to expect this, and just pre-ordered online instead.  No line for me.  Unless you want the experience and excitement building of waiting in a 45+ min line, I highly recommend the pre-order route.  My impression is that line continues until they close, which happens when they run out of stuff, sometime mid-afternoon.

Indoor Dining.

Inside the seating area is bustling.  While many people did get their food to go, inside was always full and busy, with tables turning constantly.  Seating is available whether you wait in line and order or order in advance (although it will be packaged for takeout then).  Most people seemed to visit in fairly large groups.   The setup is self-seating, but staff do come by to wipe down tables between guests the best they can.  Not pictured here, but there is a bar along one wall too.

Retail Store.

Near the registers, there are several opportunities to take a bit of Truth home with you, in the form of branded t-shirts or caps, or, perhaps more practically, you can purchase jars of their house made pickles and sauces.

Meats

Obviously, the main attraction here is the meat, sold most commonly by weight - 1/4lb, 1/2lb, 3/4lb, 1lb (or in some cases, by the pint, like the pulled pork or chopped brisket, or by the link as the sausage).  The most well known is their brisket, which many consider to be the best in Houston, and top 3 in Texas.  The rest of the lineup includes smoked pork ribs (and beef ribs on Saturdays only), pulled pork, and turkey, plus an assortment of house made sausages (spicy pepper jack, brisket boudin, jalapeno cheddar, garlic).

During the week (Tuesday - Friday, as they are closed on Monday), you can also opt for a plate, with 1, 2, or 3 meats, and 2 sides, for $23, $27, or $31.  The two sides alone are $10 of that base price.

1 Meat Plate (Ribs), Corn Pudding, Tater Tot Casserole. $23.
Included sides: potato bread, housemade pickles, pickled pink, OG bbq sauce.

My first visit, I opted for a 1 meat plate, with the ribs.  Even though people rave about the brisket, I knew I was more likely to like the ribs, and people certainly love those too.

Since I ordered ahead for takeout, it came nicely packaged up, with the ribs in one big compartment, and the two sides in their own.  I also opted for all the optional complimentary add-ons: potato bread, pickles, pickled onion, and bbq sauce.  I wanted to try everything!

Pickled Pink:
"House made pickled onions, just like we serve in the restaurant. The perfect companion to your smoked meats, salads and charcuterie boards."

The pickled red onions they dub "pickled pink".   My order came with two small condiment containers with them.  They were perfect with the bbq, the acid level strong, and they helped to cut the fat in the meat.  Definitely recommend getting these with your order.  ****.

Housemade Pickles:

"House made pickles just the way you like them. Full of dill and the perfect amount of vinegar, made in small batches weekly. Perfect with your briskets, even better as a snack out of the fridge!"

The dill pickles also came as two small containers, each with two slices in it.  The pickles were good, again nice acid level, a bit of tang, and went well with all the food.  I wanted more than the 4 slices I had. ****.

You can also purchase jars of either of the pickles for $12.

Smoked Pork Ribs + Brisket Sample.

My first visit, I was tempted by the brisket, as it is routinely sited as top 3 in the state (and best in Houston), but, I knew that ribs really were more my thing.  I put in my online order notes an ask to try a sample of the brisket, which I know they do in person, but I had no real expectation that they'd add some.  My mom's common saying, "You'll never know if you don't ask!", kept coming to mind, so, I asked.  I was pleased when I opened up the paper to reveal two large pork ribs, and two decent sized slices of brisket.  I really thought they'd just give me a tiny taste, if anything.

I started with the brisket, and, well, I can see why people rave about this.  I can safely say that I'd never had brisket that good before.  I didn't know brisket *could* be that good.  Wowzer.  It had a flavorful bark (is that the right word? Crust?), was insanely tender, and just melted apart in your mouth.  It was brilliantly fatty, with the fat rendered expertly.  It was so flavorful from the rub that it didn't need, or really want, any sauces.  I think it would fantastic in a chopped brisket sandwich (which they make) or with mashed potatoes (which strangely they do not serve).  Hands down, best brisket I've ever had, and better than I imagined it could be.  ****+.

After that star, the ribs had a lot to live up to.  The crust/rub on the ribs was even more incredible than the brisket.  Both sides were deeply coated, so loaded with flavor.  So *this* is what a quality dry rub is all about?!  The smoky nature of the ribs was also unlike anything I've had before.  I've had smoked bbq before, but, they really truly captured all the smoke in these.   Again, I felt no bbq sauce was necessary.  I didn't want any.  There was just such incredible flavor in that rub and smoke.  The meat itself was good, fatty, juicy, fairly tender, but it wasn't as phenomenal as the brisket.  The ribs were both loaded with meat.  The rub and smoke blew me away, but the actual meat was just slightly above average.  Still, probably in the top 3 ribs of my life, and definitely the most flavorful.  ****.

Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage. $9.

Truth makes 4 kinds of sausage: 3 different smoked pork sausages (jalapeno cheddar, spicy pepper jack, or garlic), and a brisket boudin, all available by the single link for $9, or on plates like the other meats.

Little known fact about me is that I do actually quite like sausage.  Well, some sausage.  I love breakfast sausage patties, but not links.  I adore hot dogs.  I like sausage in my gravy with biscuits.  I was eager to try one of Truth's sausages, even though I don't normally eat just sausages like that.  People most rave about the brisket, but, sausages are well regarded too.

As to which sausage, I debated between the house sausage (garlic) and the jalapeno cheddar (I ruled out the boudin as it isn't my style, and the spicy pepper jack as I don't care for jack).  I almost went for the most simple, to really taste the sausage, but at last minute, I went cheesy, thinking back to those cheese filled hot dogs I had as a child.

The sausage was a mixed success for me.  On the plus side, the casing was quite snappy, and it was very juicy, well cooked.  It was flavorful and well seasoned.  The casing was more dominant and substantial than I like though ... I didn't like a mouth full of chewy casing.  It was also very, very cheesy.  Not 50% cheese, but, nearly.  The cheese was gooey and delicious, don't get me wrong, but it took over.  If you want a cheesy sausage, go for this.  It had a nice kick from the jalapeno too.

So I had mixed feelings on this.  I think the insides were tasty, and would be great with some mashed potatoes ... which is definitely my childhood speaking here, but I went through a phase of being able to cook my own lunch, and my creation was nearly always Potato Buds (e.g. instant mashed potatoes) with hot dog slices and cheese mixed in.  Or cheese infused hotdogs, if we had them.  10 year old me really wanted this sausage filling with some mash.  But I did feel like I made the wrong choice, and wished I'd ordered the simple garlic one instead.  Still, a flavorful and well seasoned sausage, just not the right pick for me.  ***.

Sides

Every platter comes with a choice of two sides, but sides are available a la carte as well in 3 sizes: "single" for $5, pint for $10, or quart for $15.  The lineup is pretty heavy stuff: their signature tater tot casserole and corn pudding, mayo style coleslaw and potato salad, mac and cheese, and then slightly healthier options like brussels sprouts (but they are fried), green beans (they do have bacon), and beans.  Most of these aren't vegetarian, e.g. the brussels, green beans, tater tot casserole, and beans all contain pork or beef.  Besides the baked beans, I honestly wanted them all, but narrowed it down to just 4 on my first visit - two with my platter, and two additional a la carte.  When I returned two days later, I tried two more.  The only ones I didn't try were the beans and mac and cheese, the later of which I still have FOMO over.

Tater Tot Casserole (included in platter).

Ok, I don't really like tater tots all that much.  Nor do I care all that much for Tex-Mex.  But the tater tot casserole is a signature dish at Truth, and I wanted to give it a try.  So, to be clear, this is NOT a high brow dish.  This is, literally, frozen tater tots, mashed up and cooked down casserole style, with cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, onions, cajun seasoning, and a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies.  Yup, its like a loaded baked potato, Tex-Mex style, but made into hashbrowns ... but with tots instead.  This side is served warm.

The soft mushy tater tots really seemed more like hashbrowns than tots, no distinct tots remained.  There was tons of flavor from the chiles and cajun seasoning, creaminess and richness from sour cream, and lots of gooey cheddar cheese.  It was very satisfying, and totally unhealthy, in a somewhat glorious way.

There is no denying that this dish screams comfort food, and, I think is the thing hangover dreams are made of.  I think it would be great for brunch, maybe with a fried egg or extra strips of bacon on top, and a drizzle of maple syrup?  As a side with my BBQ, it actually felt just a bit much ... I already had so much fat and decadence, and amazing flavor from the rubs, I didn't want the overload here.  I think it could be great alongside a burger or something like that as well.  With my barbecue, I wanted something more like mashed potatoes, but they actually do not have mashed potatoes (only potato salad, potato bread, and this, for potato sides).

I'm glad I tried this dish, and I think my family would love it (they are definitely a casserole family, and definitely into Tex-Mex).  I very much appreciated my leftovers the next morning, warmed up and drizzled with maple syrup, in my hotel room.  If nothing else, I recommend ordering a side so you can enjoy it the next morning!

***+.

Corn Pudding (included in platter).

The side I was most excited for was the corn pudding, even though I've never had any corn pudding before (seriously, why is this not found outside the South?).  As a lover of stuffing, particularly cornbread stuffing, and creamed corn, it sounded entirely up my alley.  This dish was also served warm.  I had to laugh at the obvious ice cream scoop shaped ball in my container.  Truth serves up the sides "cafeteria style", and you could see it clearly here.

This was everything I was hoping for.  It was like ... really corn-y cornbread, made into a really moist stuffing.  Not creamy and pudding-like a creamed corn, definitely more solid, and full of whole kernels of corn.  The corn flavor was really remarkably strong.   This deserves a place on every Thanksgiving or holiday table, and it is really a shame it hasn't caught on in other parts of the US.  And it did go great with the ribs.

My favorite of the sides, and I hope to have it again sometime.  ****.

Potato Salad. $5.

I moved on to the cold sides, mostly intending to bring these home for lunch the next day.

The potato salad was a fairly unique style.  The potatoes, and eggs, were all small cubes.  There was a considerable amount of egg.  Also in the mix was chunks of peppers, and red skin from the potatoes.  It was a creamy style, obviously from mayo, but I think they also mash some of the potato and egg to make it creamy?  The lack of larger hunks of potato was definitely new to me.  

I probably wouldn't have ordered this if I knew it used red skinned potatoes, as I just don't really care for them.  Or if I realized it had the roasted peppers in it.  Just not things I go for.  It wasn't really my style of potato salad, sadly.  Nothing wrong it with, and freshly made, but, I like bigger, al dente hunks of potato, less egg, and other mix-ins.  ** for me, probably *** for others.

Cole Slaw. $5.

The slaw however was perfect.  I love a good coleslaw, and this was exactly that.  The cabbage was still crisp, clearly it had been made fresh that morning.  It was shredded, a mix of red and purple cabbage, with some nice chunks for a bit of bite.  Colorful shredded carrots made it quite vibrant.  It was mayo based, and nicely dressed, well coated, but not too heavy.

This was exactly the style of coleslaw I like, and it went great with the ribs and brisket.  I savored it.  Only slight nit is that it could use some pepper (which I easily added).  A little of the house bbq sauce also went well with it, but wasn't necessary.

I'd definitely get this again, my second favorite side. ****.

Brussels Sprouts. $5.

The brussels sprouts were not what I expected at all.  I wasn't expecting simple healthy steamed brussels or anything like that, but I thought they'd be roasted, crispy, likely with bacon, as you get many places.  These were not that at all.

The brussels were fairly soft, bordering on mushy.   When you think of reasons why people dislike brussels sprouts, and they mention mushy boiled brussels sprouts, these did trend in that direction texture-wise.  But they were also incredibly flavorful, and contain beef, so I think likely cooked in the drippings from the brisket?  There wasn't noticeable bits of meat in here, but the flavor was just incredible.  They were also very, very indulgent, very wet, moist, and with lots of oil (and brisket droppings?).  They were far too heavy to eat with the fatty meat, and far too heavy to eat many of at a time, but the flavor really was extraordinary, and I ended up throwing them on top of a salad, and the flavor they added throughout was fantastic.  

I wouldn't get these to pair with barbecue meats, as they were just too heavy for that, and I really would prefer them more crisp, but the flavor was unbeatable.  ***+. 

Green Beans. $5.

The green beans went much the same way as the brussels sprouts.  Again, I wasn't expecting fresh steamed snappy green beans, but these were fairly soft, bordering on mushy, bordering on what you expect from a cafeteria ...

They were flavorful, with bits of onion and a few cherry tomatoes cooked down with them, and well seasoned, and do contain pork somehow (no visible bits of bacon nor ribs, but, likely cooked with drippings?), but weren't the flavor powerhouses the brussels were.  They were less heavy as well, and paired better with my food.

I probably wouldn't get these again just due to the soft nature, but they were nicely seasoned, and if you like soft green beans (like come in cans, etc), try them out.  ***+.

Potato Bread (included in platter).

Included in a platter if you want it is sliced potato bread.  When you order, it is listed as an option, so those who shy away from carbs can easily opt out.  The portion was two slices, and they came packaged separately for my takeout in a ziplock bag.

The bread was, well, bread?  It tasted slightly enriched.  It was soft and fluffy, and likely good to soak up any juices if you wanted.  Definitely fresh and not stale.  But just bread.  ***.

You can also add this on to any order for $0.50 for 2 slices.

House Sauces: OG BBQ and Stay Gold Mustard.

On the tables when you dine in are big containers of their two house sauces.  Little plastic condiment containers are available for you to take some home to go with your leftovers if you please.

I of course tried both, even though many people say you don't need sauces for any of the food - which, they are absolutely correct.  I'm a sauce girl, and I realized I didn't want to smother anything in these sauces. 

Both sauces were vinegar based, not exactly the style I go for, quite tangy.  Both were lightly sweet.  The bbq didn't have any smoky nature to it that I was hoping for, but, the meat had so much smoke, you didn't need it.  The mustard one was a bit sweeter than I expected, but mostly just very acidic.  Both were fine, but, again, didn't really add anything to my meal, and actually, took away from it.  ***.

That said, I did bring the sauces home, and used the OG on leftover creole seasoned mesquite grilled catfish from Goode Seafood the next day, and thought it paired beautifully there.  

You can also buy these to take home for $15.00 for a 16 ounce bottle.

Dessert

After all that epic, heavy, savory food, dessert may be the last thing on your mind, but I recommend grabbing a slice or two of their massive cakes to go.  Future you will thank you.  Desserts are all made in house, and, as you can guess, the portions are, well, Texas appropriate.  Let's just say, the cake slices do not fit in normal size side dish takeout containers, nor did the container fit in my fairly large lunch bag!

Desserts.

Cakes are the main attraction, with some available year round: carrot cake, red velvet cake, triple chocolate, coconut, banana caramel, and Italian cream, plus some seasonal offerings like strawberry in the summer, and pumpkin spice in the fall, and funfetti other times.  They also offer tres leches only on weekends.  Cakes are available by the slice, or you can order whole cakes.

If cake isn't your thing, classic banana pudding is on offer as well, or if chocolate is what you want, they have brownies (triple layer, with a chocolate chip cookie layer).

The bakery portion of the restaurant is actually separate (along with order ahead pickup), so you can actually just go get dessert if you please, and not wait in a huge line.  Even though it may not be what you'd expect, Truth is a worthy bakery destination just as much as a bbq one.

Much like the sides, narrowing down my choices here was insanely hard.  I knew I wanted the banana pudding, and I wanted a cake, but I was torn between the red velvet, the carrot (people say its great), coconut, or Italian cream (which I'd never had before).  If the slices weren't so insanely huge, I would have gone for two cakes and a pudding my first visit, but, even I have my limits.

Italian Cream Cake. $7.99.

In the end, I decided the Italian cream was the most unique of the cakes, and, it was one I've never had before.  While called "Italian", it really is a Southern cake, loaded with shredded coconut and bits of pecan.  Like all slices from Truth, it was a triple decker, with frosting between all layers.

The cake was pretty perfect.  It was moist, light, fluffy, clearly so very fresh and expertly baked.  I loved the crunch the nuts added to every single bite.  Really top notch cake, not necessarily what you'd expect a bbq place to have mastered.  The frosting was thick and rich, I think cream cheese based.  The ratio of cake to frosting was just right - I'm normally all about more frosting is always better, but this rich frosting did not require more.  It did trend a bit sweet, but, I paired it with coffee after lunch, and that balanced it out nicely.  In the evening, I think a glass of port would do well too.

Really, just near perfect cake.  I have absolutely no criticism of it, besides that I did want a little fresh fruit with it, but that was easily done.

****+.

The slice was massive, it may look like it is in a standard side dish / dessert takeout container, but this is actually double sized, and the slice was quite thick.  Texas portions, and I am not upset by them (although it took more than one go at it to finish it!).  The $7.99 price for a fresh huge slice of quality cake was insanely reasonable.

Red Velvet Cake. $7.99

My next visit, I was torn between all the other cakes.  I knew I wanted cake, but, I didn't know which one, as none were jumping out.  I really wanted to try the strawberry, or funfetti, but those were not on offer.  Mostly I was torn because I wasn't in the mood for more cream cheese frosting (and the Italian Cream, carrot, and red velvet all had that), and even though people rave about the banana caramel (which is topped with toffee), I wasn't really into the idea of banana cake (am I just missing out?), and I didn't want chocolate cake.  That left me with the coconut or seasonal pumpkin spice, which, I nearly ordered, but was worried about the nutmeg level.  Coconut could be good, but, I still had a little chunk of the Italian Cream, which is loaded with coconut, left, and I didn't particularly want even more coconut.  I was about to order the carrot cake, but ... then it was sold out (and, I thought would be much like the Italian Cream also, with the same frosting, and nuts in it).  And thus, red velvet it was.

The cake was ok.  Not as special.  It wasn't particularly moist.  It didn't have a very strong tang.  The cream cheese frosting was very rich and thick, which was good, but, I thought it was too much with the cake.  It didn't taste nearly as fresh as the previous cake, and wasn't as light and fluffy.  Very average cake. ***.

I ended up turning this into multiple desserts after being a bit let down by the original form.  I enjoyed it most as warm cake, which seemed to bring out the flavor a bit more, and rather than using the cream cheese frosting with it, I topped it with both ice cream and whipped cream.  This really was considerably better in my mind.  I didn't discard the cream cheese frosting though, I simply used it to make a cheesecake-like dessert, with just tons of the frosting, a little fresh fruit, and cookie crumble.  It was definitely sweeter than a regular cheesecake, but, it too worked better this way for me.  ***+ in my new forms.

I wouldn't get this one again, and would love to return in the summer when the strawberry cake is available.

Banana Pudding (Single). $5. 

Given my love of pudding, I obviously had to get the banana pudding as well.  It actually looked better than this when I picked it up, but it toppled over in my bag before I took a photo, and suffered a bit.

This was good banana pudding.  The pudding was smooth and creamy, lightly banana flavored, lightly sweet.  It wasn't super thick, but wasn't too runny either.  There was fresh banana layered within for a bit more actual banana flavor, classic Nilla wafers on top, and some light and fluffy whipped cream.  It clearly had been just made that morning, as the bananas were not mushy nor browned in any way, and the wafers were still quite crisp when I got it (they did soften over time, as I had the other half later that night).  I appreciated that it wasn't overly sweet.

There wasn't something mind blowing unique about this, but it was a classic done right.  However, I would have liked even more whipped cream. ***+.

This was a single size portion for $5, but you can also get it by the quart for $16.

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Zutro, Houston

I recently stayed at Le Meridien in downtown Houston.  My stay was a very mixed experience - the suite was really lovely, the toiletries quite nice, and I loved how the fitness center was on the top floor, with a wall of windows.  The service however, was a bit lacking - my room was not cleaned two of the six days I was there, and several days when it was cleaned, things were not replenished.  When I used the app, or even went to the front desk, to ask for more coffee for the machine, or lids, or whatever I needed, most of the time, it never came (or if something did, it was the wrong thing).  But the suite was lovely, and I did have a good stay.

The on-site restaurant went much the same way as the overall hotel experience.  It was a nice facility, particularly for a hotel restaurant.  And if you have high status with Marriott, which I do, you can pick breakfast as your welcome gift, and it is one of the most generous I've seen in the US, on par with what you more frequently see internationally (in the US, for non-buffets, they usually limit you to a continental option, or, sometimes a dish from a set list of only a few items).  Their breakfast vouchers however were for $50 each, to use on whatever you wanted in the restaurant.  The restaurant, oddly, doesn't actually serve a separate breakfast and lunch menu, but rather, just serves brunch every day, from 6am-4pm.  And unlike most hotels where if there is a brunch offering you can only use your vouchers during the morning, these vouchers worked anytime from 6am-4pm.  If you were there with a second person, you could easily use one for breakfast, and one for lunch, if you wanted to eat your meals in the hotel, and be fully covered, as prices were reasonable.  In theory, this was all fabuous.

That all said, um, the restaurant was not that great.  The food was all mediocre, and after the first couple days, when I had a switch to my reservation anyway (personal stay the first few days, business trip ater), I opted not to take breakfast as my gift going forward.  Every single visit, dine-in or takeout, had something not right.  I was given the wrong order twice.  Orders took forever.  All but one takeout order I got had at least one item missing.  Uh, yeah.  The common experience when you entered was to be ignored.  But, I was a captive audience, at least those first few days, with my vouchers, so I kept trying it.

Setting

The restaurant is located in the ground floor of Le Meridien, in downtown Houston.

Coffee Shop Menu.

At the front of the restaurant is a little takeout coffee shop, with all your standard espresso drinks.

Bar.

Next comes the bar, a lovely natural wooden bar, for drinks and snacks, or full meal dining.  It was never busy when I was there at any time of day.

Tables.

The main restaurant fills the rest of the space, with vibrant artwork and bench style seating along the walls, and chairs on the other sides.  There are also some coveted large round booths with benches around 75% of the booth, and one chair on the other side.

Semi-Private Tables.

Assorted other larger tables, and semi private areas are around.

Baked Goods / Coffee

The coffee shop area also has baked goods, and a few other grab and go items like yogurt parfaits and fruit cups.  Later in the day this transforms to house cakes and other desserts.  I sampled much of this menu.  The baked goods all looked much better than they were, but the coffee was reliably good.

Decaf Americano. $4.

My americano the first day took about 8 minutes to prepare, which seemed a bit lengthy for a pretty empty restaurant, but, it was worth the wait.

This was a good americano.  Good for regular, great for decaf.  No funk to it.  I also appreciated that my server used the word "decaf" several times, e.g. "I'll be right back with that decaf americano" and "Did you want another decaf?", as I didn't need to wonder if it truly wasn't decaf, as it was so good.

Far above average for hotel, and even coffee shop, coffee.  A nice surprise.  ****.

I got takeout the other days, and always thought the decaf Americano was above average, and the staff always did say "decaf", again, very appreciated.  Highlight of the restaurant.

Bagels, Croissants, Loaf Cakes.

The coffee shop in front has a display housing the baked goods of the day, which seemed to always include croissants (regular or chocolate), 3 kinds of loaf cake (lemon, banana, marble), bagels, and grab n go parfaits.  I never saw the danishes listed on the menu, and a staff member confirmed they had them "like one day ever", the day they put them on the menu, and haven't seen them since.

The chocolate croissants actually looked pretty good, lofty, and the kind with two big bars of chocolate in them.  I actually did try to order one my final morning, but they had been replaced by another kind of croissant (more on that soon).

By lunchtime, the breakfast pastries are taken away, and slices of cake are in their place, huge slices of what looked like pretty generic chocolate cake, carrot cake, and cheesecake.

Fresh Baked Muffins. $5.

The muffins were also on display in this area in the mornings, and really drew me in.  They looked great.  The staff told me they make them in house daily.

Double Chocolate Muffin. $5.

The first morning, I had no choice but to try a muffin.  They looked too good not to!  Plus, jetlag and all that.  It was delivered to my table alongside my coffee.

I had to laugh when my muffin was set in front of me, exactly like this.  No, I didn't pick out the chips before taking the photo, it came this way.  It was served warm, so, I give them a point for that.

The muffin though was far more average than it looked.  Not particularly moist, not particularly chocolately.  But it did have a lightly crisp top and certainly wasn't stale.  The chocolate chips were tasty.

I ended up saving most of this, heating it up again in my little portable oven, and serving it topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries, and copious amounts of whipped cream, for my dessert after lunch, and enjoyed it enough that way.  But as served, just **, and I wouldn't get it again.

Cream Cheese Muffin. $5.

The next day, there were the same chocolate and banana nut muffins, but rather than blueberry or cranberry as I had seen other days, there was a mystery muffin.  And only one of them.  To me, that meant exclusive, and perhaps an interesting flavor (is that why there was only one left?), so I inquired about it.  I was told it was "cream".  Uh, sure?  Cream muffin it was.

Cream seemed to mean cream cheese, as I heard another staff member refer to it that way as she took it out of the oven.  I thought perhaps it would be stuffed with cream cheese, or have a cream cheese bottom?  It didn't have either of those things, but seemed to just be a richer plain muffin, if that makes sense.  It was very moist, and had a bit of a streusel top that I liked.  But otherwise, it was a fairly plain, sweet muffin.

I later used it like the base of a shortcake, and topped it with fresh fruit and whipped cream.  But I wouldn't get another of these either.  ***.

Chocolate (Nutella?) Croissant. $5.

The chocolate croissants every other time I visited looked fairly good - lofty, huge, and the rectangular kind that have two big bars of chocolate running through them.  So my final morning, I asked for a chocolate croissant (which I didn't see, as I called in my order to pickup).  I was surprised when I opened my box to find this crescent shape croissant, with the chocolate dots all over the top.  It also was not served warm, when all other pastries were.  I think they forgot to warm it for me?

The croissant itself was pretty meh.  Not flaky, not laminated, the kind that seems like it is baked and frozen and just defrosted.  Inside was a bit confused ... it seemed like there was a solid chocolate lump, but then there was also what seemed like chocolate cream ... and the more I tasted, it actually seemed more like Nutella?  I think this was a Nutella cream croissant, not chocolate?  It was partially underbaked inside.

The filling to this was good enough, and I used it with some leftover hazelnut crunch cake, fresh berries, and whipped cream to make a decent dessert, but the croissant itself was pretty meh.  ***+ filling, ** croissant.

Bread Pudding. $7.

I struck out with basically everything I tried from the breakfast menu (baked goods or otherwise), so I'm not sure why I kept trying, but, one day, when I was passing through in the afternoon, they had some epic looking slices of carrot cake and cheesecake, chocolate cake, and this: bread pudding.  Now, granted, I didn't identify it as bread pudding, and thought it was some kind of odd cinnamon roll (given the icing on top ...), but when the staff member told me it was bread pudding, I couldn't resist trying it.  I should have known better.

I adore some kinds of bread pudding.  That said, I know I am very opinionated on this matter.  I do not care for the dense, homogenous lump kind of bread pudding.  I want distinct chunks of bread, large slice hunks.  I want it super moist and custardy in the middle, crispy on the outside.  I want it served warm, and ideally with a scoop of ice cream on top.  Bonus points for nuts or something for crunch inside.  And I can safely say, I've never seen *iced* bread pudding before.  But I was willing to give it a try.  Captive hotel audience I was.  This is also on their room service menu as a signature dessert.

I tried it first at room temperature.  The icing was just odd, and I'm a big fan of icing, but, it seemed strange in this context.  But I could get past the icing if the rest was good.  It was basically the dense style I don't care for, and had strange flecks of black around in it.  At first I thought it was mold, or burnt bits, but I think it was intentional? I just don't know what it was.  The flavor to the whole thing was a bit off.  It didn't have any clear spicing, no nuts, fruits, etc mixed in.  Fairly plain other than those flecks.

Undeterred, I tried heating it up in my portable oven.  I had fresh fruit and whipped cream on standby (no ice cream in my hotel room at that time, sadly).  It actually was worse warmed up.  The bread got really mushy and kinda fell apart, rather that getting moist and gooey.  The slightly off tasting flavor intensified.  I ended up scrapping off the icing and very top layer, and eating that with my fruit and whipped cream.  After all that, the icing is the part I salvaged!

I used this experience to tell myself NOT to bother with the carrot cake or cheesecake the next day, and ordered delivery instead.  *+.

Breakfast

The breakfast portion of the menu contains standard egg dishes, "from the griddle" items, healthy choices, and then some specialties like biscuits & gravy, an egg casserole, chicken & waffles, and more.   There are no a la carte items, e.g. you can't just get toast or a sausage, although perhaps you could ask for it?

I sampled much of the breakfast menu, and found it all to be pretty lacking.  The $50 breakfast voucher could easily cover any two entrees, and two drinks, and a baked good or two, so the fact that both people get one is a bit crazy, and you could tell the people who were there their first day with a voucher, as they had tables full of food.

Classic Eggs Benedict (Sub Mushrooms/Spinach for Ham). $13.

"Poached eggs, Canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce, served with seasoned breakfast potatoes"

When I travel, I always get eggs benedict.  It is just a travel thing for me.  I asked if I could have mine with spinach and mushroom instead of the standard ham (unlike many places, they have just the one version of the benedict, no florentine, no smoked salmon, etc).  My request was honored.  I also asked to have the hollandaise on the side, just in case it was not to my liking (although, clearly, an essential part of a benny!).

My order took a very long time.  Tables seated after me, who also ordered egg dishes, got their meals.  One table ate and left before I got mine.  Pancakes passed by, oatmeal passed by, everyone, everywhere, got their food.  I waited and waited.  Finally, after 25 minutes, I asked.  There were only 3 tables occupied in the restaurant, no one at the bar, and 4 servers, so, they definitely weren't busy.

I wish I could say this was worth the wait.  It certainly was not.

I didn't notice that the menu said it would come with the breakfast potatoes, had I realized that, I would have asked to sub them for something else.  Oh well.  I tried them anyway, assorted sizes of lukewarm potato, with peppers and onions, and aggressive seasoning.  Not my thing at all.  Maybe with some syrup I'd appreciate them a little, but, just not my style anyway. **.

My plate also had a slice of roast tomato on it, that tasted like bacon.  Very strongly of bacon.  I wonder if they cooked it with bacon or something? The flavor was intense, and quite greasy too.  Eh to this as well. *.

The english muffins were soaking wet, from copious amounts of butter or oil.  I couldn't quite tell which.  But it meant they were spongy, and quite heavy tasting.  Not good. *.

Next, the hollandaise.  It was ok, a bit thick, not particularly seasoned, not particularly good, but at least it wasn't broken.   I needed to ask for salt and pepper to jazz up my food, even with the hollandaise. ***.

Not a great poached egg.

The star of eggs benedict though should be those perfectly poached eggs right?  Particular eggs that took 30 minutes to get to me?  Alas, perfectly poached they were not.  No runny yolk to be found.  The egg was actually fine otherwise, but, yeah, not runny, which really let me down.  ***.

Under the eggs was my requested spinach and mushrooms, sliced button mushrooms, both of which had been sauteed in oil.  They weren't too greasy, but likely contributed to the soggy oily english muffins.  The veggies were fine, but also entirely unseasoned.  Salt and pepper, and hollandaise, needed. ***.

Overall, I ate my eggs and veggies, with plenty of hollandaise, and it was fine, but, certainly below average, and didn't leave me inspired by the skill of the kitchen. **+ overall.

From the Griddle: Waffles. $14.

"Fresh berries, powdered sugar, syrup, and whipped butter."

The "griddle' had two options: pancakes or waffles, both served with berries, syrup, butter, and powdered sugar, both the same price.  I opted for the waffle, hoping for a great liege style waffle like I had at their sister property, Le Meridien in Munich, back in May.

Alas, it was just a regular American waffle.  And, uh, it was *very* American, being shaped like the state of Texas.  Ok, they get a point for that for uniqueness at least.  It came with a thimble of berries, two thimbles of syrup, no whipped butter as it was supposed to, and powdered sugar.  Since I got this as takeout, I didn't realize I had no butter until I was back in my room.  I almost turned back around, as I think whipped butter would have helped a lot, but, I was too lazy.  The syrup was not real maple syrup, rather the thick, gloopy, cloying sweet kind.

The waffle was underwhelming, although not bad, just, a standard waffle, slight buttermilk tang, lightly crispy outside.  It needed more to jazz it up that the tiny portion of berries however.  I'm also curious if the pancakes truly are pancakes, plural, unlike my waffles, which was just one, given that they are the same price, and both listed on the menu as plurals.  

I think a child would be into this, but I was pretty bored by it. **+.

Healthy: Overnight Oatmeal & Granola. $12.

"Almond milk, local honey, greek yogurt, apples, and berries, served with granola and whole grain toast."

After the heavier options, I moved on to the lighter "healthy" category.  My first pick?  Overnight oats.  I do like overnight oats!  I ordered takeout, and was told it would take 25-30 minutes, which seemed crazy given that they were already made (overnight after all), but, entirely in line with the restaurant speed from my other visits.  And they were right - my order was not ready when I went to pick it up after 25 minutes, and, when they did finally give me an order, it turned out to be scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes.  I was glad I checked my bag before leaving.  Another 5-10 minutes, and I was brought this, and assured that they had checked it.  So I didn't.  But when I got to my room, I realized I was missing the toast.  Sigh.

Anyway, after 30+ minutes, a wrong order, and a partial order, did I have great breakfast?  Answer: no.

The oats had a nice consistency, soft but not mush, with chia in there too, but the flavor was just odd.  Rather sour.  I like almond milk, so I don't think that was the issue.  I didn't actually find any apple, like you'd have in bircher muesli, but maybe there was apple in here somewhere that made it sour?  I'm not sure.  I set to adding the little thimbles of toppings, starting with the syrup.  I hoped sweetness would balance out the odd flavor.  But one bite with that syrup, and I nearly spit it out.  I have no idea what it was, but it tasted really, really off.  The menu said honey, and it was very thick and sticky, but it tasted like no honey I've ever had.  I thought perhaps it was the "breakfast syrup" they serve with the pancakes (note, I say breakfast syrup, not maple syrup, intentionally here!), but it didn't seem to be that either.  It did NOT help things.

The other toppings were a tiny bit of generic (Kellogg's?) granola (I get adding texture to overnight oats, but, granola? Nuts or something would make more sense ...), peanut butter (?! was that for my missing toast?), and a tiny little thing of berries.  Berries would make sense, but, they needed to be in much bigger quantity!

I tried to salvage this, but it just really was not tasty.  I was glad I had a backup muffin on hand, as this went into the trash. *.

Healthy: Bowl of Fresh Melons + Berries, Greek Yogurt. $12.

"Seasonal fruit, local honey."

Because I'm allergic to melons, I asked for just berries, no melons.  The berries were sliced strawberries and whole blackberries, all reasonably fresh.  No qualms with the berries.  ****.

The yogurt was fairly average, tart, thick but smooth, greek yogurt.  Not yogurt I'd be excited for, but nothing wrong with it, not runny. ***.  

And that was it.  The menu said "local honey", but that was missing from my order.  Yet another order with a missing component.  I also find it odd that the dish is just yogurt and fruit, no granola ... about equally as odd as the fact that the overnight oats comes with a thimble of granola to add to it.  It certainly would be more standard to have the granola here instead ...

Anyway, this was essentially the only dish I had that wasn't a complete failure, so there is that.  ***+.

Berries, another time.

The next time I ordered the yogurt and berries, the only real successful breakfast item, my berry mix also contained blueberries (hidden below).  Again, all pretty fresh, not bad.  They also normally had pineapple in the mix that day, but I asked to have it left off, not due to allergy like the melons, just due to preference.  Again, good berries, ****.

Specialties: Biscuits & Gravy. $10.
(Gravy on the side).

"Two fluffy biscuits smothered in sausage gravy."

For my final breakfast, I went for a "Specialty", hoping that this is where they would shine.  It is their specialties after all, and, I was in the South, they must do decent biscuits and gravy right?  HA.    I asked for the gravy on the side, which was easily done.

I was actually impressed by how lackluster this was.  The "two fluffy biscuits" was a single biscuit, cut in half.  It was not fluffy, nor very large, it was thinner than an English muffin.  It was very bready, not a crumbly, butter heavy biscuit, no butter milk tang.  Basically, just a thin English muffin without the nooks and crannies.  **.

And then the gravy.  Oh, wow.  It was very, very thin and watery.  What?!  It did not have any real chunks of sausage in it, and tasted like very poorly made clam chowder.  Thin, watery, cream, no noticeable sausage.  I mean, really?  Wow.  I expected it to be thick and gloopy if awful, not thin and watery.  It really was like they had run out and decided to thin it out to make it last longer.  It was lukewarm. *.

So, yeah, not a winning dish here, and they should be embarrassed to call this a "specialty"!  *.

Nice Jams & Honey.

I will give Zutro one credit for having decent jams and honey on the table, Bonne Maman brand, and they even had a fig jam, not just classic strawberry/grape/orange.

Lunch

The brunch menu is served daily, so it also includes some basic lunch items: 3 flatbreads, 2 salads, 2 sandwiches, and a burger.  None are particularly inspired.  You could easily use your hotel breakfast voucher for a multi course lunch instead, or really, since each person gets $50, if you are there with someone, you can go to breakfast with one, and lunch with another, and it really would cover it all, as prices aren't particularly high.

I mostly skipped the lunch menu, but my final day, I grabbed a salad as takeout (alongside my full breakfast order), to eat before I left for the airport.  It really was a generous voucher to cover my yogurt and fruit bowl, a chocolate croissant, and coffee in the morning, plus a salad with protein added for lunch!  While the food, and service, certainly did not impress me in any way, the value for the vouchers did.

Ceasar Salad. $13. 
+Grilled Shrimp, $10.

"Romaine hearts, house made croutons, parmesan cheese, and classic caesar dressing."

Since the breakfast food failed to inspire, my last day, I tried a lunch item.  I didn't risk the burger or flatbreads, which I'd see other diners get on previous days that looked pretty lackluster, but opted for the ceasar salad, assuming that would be pretty safe.  And worse case, I had my own dressing if theirs was lackluster.

The salad was fine.  Fresh torn romaine lettuce, no brown spots.  Shredded parmesan cheese, that kinda melted in mine due to the hot protein added.  Standard croutons, although I guess they were house made.  They did have a strong garlic flavor.  The dressing was indeed the style of caesar I don't care for - more tangy vinaigrette than thick, but it was nicely loaded with parmesan.  I doubt it had anchovy.  All was average, but fine.

To the salad you can add chicken at lunch (as listed on the menu), or in the evening shrimp is also an option.  But I asked about shrimp at lunch, and it was no problem.  Not sure why it isn't on the menu properly?  Anyway, the shrimp was fine, standard med-size, generic shrimp, not large succulent local shrimp, but, they were fine, well cooked, not rubbery.  The price of 5 shrimp for $10 was a bit high compared to other places, but it was fine.

Overall, an average, but safe, dish.  ***.

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