Nobody likes a sad, skinny baby...nobody!

Whether I’m ordering a meal at a restaurant or cooking up something at home, enjoying what I eat brings me immense satisfaction. On the other hand, being disappointed in a meal sends me into tantrum mode.

I expect certain things out of a dining experience. I’m realistic about the standards I hold for each place, from the local taco bar to the five star steak house. What I've decided is that it's about a perfect balance between service, food quality, ambiance and price. That may seem like a lot to juggle, but Houston is a big city with a plethora of restaurants to choose from. There’s no reason to expect anything less than the best.

If you strip my needs down to the bare essentials, you'll find I'm very much like a baby; I love tasty food and I love to be happy. If an experience doesn't generate a sense of fulfillment for those two basic needs...you're gonna hear me cry.

Nobody likes a sad, skinny baby...nobody!

Rudyard's Pub - Give it a Try


The Skinny: Aside from the down right relaxed atmosphere and great beer, this place serves some fairly good bar food.


The Fat: This little hole-in-the-wall pub quickly became one of my favorites when I first moved to Houston five years ago. I would drag myself over there pretty regularly, after a long night of studying, for a few beers and an eclectic assortment of live music . Then one day, when 3 (or4 or5) Stella's just wouldn't stop my tummy from rumbling, I realized...there's a kitchen here...with a full menu!

I started out small; I'd order a basket of super crunchy tater tots (a deep fried, must have!) with ketchup or crispy fried zucchini with a side of ranch dressing to take the edge off. Oh, I wasn't gonna get serious about this food. After all how good could the food be in a place where you feel like you're overdressed if you're wearing a brand new pair of jeans and a t-shirt without holes?

Fast forward to the present. Nothing about their food has changed except my opinion of how good it is. Get any burger and you're sure to be stuffed, satisfied, and ready for a nap. They serve great sandwiches, hot subs, salads and quesadillas. Try the garden burger. They're not made from scratch but, aside from the shape of the preformed patty, you would never know.

The Pasta Special rocks my world. The recipe changes, but it always gets me smilin'. Thick linguine smothered in a magical, creamy sauce and peppered with fun veggies (i can only seem to remember the corn) and topped with juicy grilled chicken. It comes with two pieces of cheesy, crusty bread so you can sop up any of the yumminess you may have left behind.

Sure, everything tastes better when you've had too much to drink. That's why the drive through line at Taco Bell is the longest at 2:15 am. But, Rudz has some pretty good bar food, with or without the beer buzz.

P.S. The reasons I love Rudyard's are simple. I can go on any given night and head upstairs to listen to local bands, sit downstairs on the patio and eat, or just pop by for one too many beers...and then walk home.

Location: 2010 Waugh Drive

2 comments:

exo said...

Ha! So that's where you were speedwalking from that nite!

Been meaning to walk up in there at some point.

Tad Radish said...

Really good post . . . it's probably hardest to do justice to the places that are near and dear to you.

But if I find out one more time, that you do a review of a place you know I like, and *I'M* not invited, I'm going to strangle you. Or die trying.