Langford’s Grocery ― Houston, TX

I’ve been meaning to try Langford’s for a few weeks, but was sidetracked by other culinary visits. But I happened to catch a Diners, Drivers and Dives (with annoying boy-host Guy Fieri) where he visited the Bayou City and sampled some of our excellent fare. Langford’s website boasts they have the best burgers in town (hence the visit from the bearded spiky one), an eccentrically decorated roadhouse that feels a bit out of place in the nexus of loft condos in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood. But, Thursday is chicken fried steak day at Langford’s, so I paid a visit.

(image from Langford's website)

The CFS plate starts with a little salad with an excellent cilantro cream dressing. Accompanying the CFS is a spectacular mashed potato with bacon and topped with cheese and scallions.

The steak itself was a big hunk of sirloin, almost as wide and tall as a hamburger patty. The breading didn’t stick to it well at all but I didn’t much care. The rich brown gravy could have used a hint of salt, but the breading was plenty salty by itself. This might have balanced out in each bite but the strong creaminess of the gravy muted this communication. I applied a few dashes of salt from the converted ‘Coronita’ bottle-to-salt shaker and all was well.

The only unpleasantness was a powerful garlicy flavor to … something. I can’t tell you if it was the gravy, the mashed potatoes or the cilantro cream dressing since none tasted strongly of garlic at the time I ate it. But it was one of them. And it was POWERFUL. I can describe it perfectly because I can still taste it three hours and a stick of gum later. But at $6.29 for a half CFS, starter salad, small mashed potatoes (or fries) and a half a perfectly browned Texas toast, this is a great lunch deal. The plate and portion reminded me of little roadhouse cafes in central Texas. Just don’t schedule any face-to-face meetings after lunch on Thursdays.