Big Burger V

11207 W. Hardy Rd.

Because sometimes when think you want a burger you really want a salad?

Big Burger V is one of those old-time, walk-up burger stands that I love.  It's been in business for 40 years and appears to be a Mom and Pop and Sis and Sonny Boy business.  And it's a very well-kept north side secret.  I've never heard of it until recently but when I saw some pictures online I had to check it out.

I had the Jalapeno Cheeseburger basket which automatically  comes with a double meat burger and about 8 ounces of fries of the frozen, crinkle variety, all for a very modest price.  There was maybe a whole cup of lettuce and a half cup of chopped onions.  Though the meat didn't add much flavor or juiciness - we're not talking certified Black Angus here - I had fixings dripping into my lap from the burst wrapper long before I was finished.

The business doesn't look 40 years old.  Maybe the current building is newer or whatever but it's amazingly well-maintained and clean.  And not only was the staff friendly, so were the other patrons.  A grey-haired lady who may well have been coming since day one was one of the ones trying to get my attention when they were calling my order number and I was lost in something on XM.

ETA:  I have since learned the business was destroyed by Hurricane Ike.  It was closed for many months and re-opened in 2010 so, yes, the building is very new.

And an additional perk:  driving up there I realized it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say there's a taco truck on every corner in that part of town. 

Dilpasand Mithai and Snacks - Stafford

867 Dulles Ave, Stafford

This is the third location of this Pakistani sweets and snack shop (I understand they are not all co-owned).  It's located in an L-shaped center back from the street and the street-side sign is easy to miss.  It's a small, neat and brightly lit, colorful shop.

One of the first things I noticed on the menu was the Hunter Beef po-boy.  I don't know if they have this at the other locations because I haven't been to either in a couple of years.

If your corned beef sandwiches have been blah lately, try this spicy Pakistani version with shredded Hunter beef, melting cheese, bell pepper and chutneys, served warm on a toasted po-boy roll.

The Bun Kabob here comes as a vegetarian version with a fried egg, red onion, chutneys and generous sprinklings of chat masala inside and out.  There is also a burger and a chicken burger on the menu plus samosas and typical chat items including pani pudi, dahee pudee and samosa chat.

There's a large menu of smoothies and juices.  I tried the V5 Cocktail - a tasty concoction of orange, apple, carrot, beet and ginger. Try one of those and you'll feel at least a little more virtuous as you head out the door with your box of barfis, ladoos and gulab jamon.

Panaderia Mexicana & Colombiana Restaurante Cafe

6039 Bissonnet

This place was formerly Panaderia Y Pasteleria DF.  Gone is the wall of display cases of Mexican breads and pastries, replaced by a cooler.  There is a small display of Colombian baked goods at the counter, menu boards on the back wall and a menu for sit-down service.  The menu includes both Mexican and Colombian items including tamales but is biased towards Colombian dishes.

On my first visit I tried, from 11 o'clock, Pan Colombiana, Pastele de Carne, Pastele de Guayaba and Milhojas, 'thousand leaves cake,' a pastry popular throughout much of South America that is sometimes referred to as the South American version of a Napoleon.

The previous operation offered some very good tortas (they're still on the menu) and the best teleras I found on the southwest side.  The real winners here were the pastele de carne and the milhojas.  I went back a few days later to try another Pastele de Carne plus the version with chicken, the only other option.  The beef version is much more interesting but with a flaky, buttery crust like this, I wish there were more fillings to choose from.

The menu includes Bandeja Paisa, arepas and 'Alitas de Pollo BBQ'  (Buffalo wings, Colombian style), plus Calentao and Picadas and Fritanga on the weekend, dishes I don't recall seeing before at a Colombian restaurant. .  Though the signs and the menu both indicate they're open for business 7 days a week, when I went by on a Sunday it was locked up tight.

Amongst the myriad of signs in the window also are small signs in English and Spanish announcing that the business is for sale.  I may have discovered the place too late.

Rico Sabor Cubano - Updated 9/2017

Hillcroft @ Bellaire, in the Fiesta parking lot

NOTE:  THIS UNIT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A SIMILAR VENDOR CALLED CARRITO CUBANO.

Most Fiestas have FPF (freshly prepared foods) options, either indoors or out.  This huge store, which I think of as the Mother Ship even though it wasn't the first one, has 4 indoors and 2 semi-permanent stands just outside the front door.  Now, add this mobile unit out at the edge of the parking lot, along Hillcroft.

They were doing a good business during the lunch hour when I checked it out.  The Ropa Viejo was not ready yet, unfortunately, my first choice, so I went for Pechuga de Pollo ($8) which was described as 'fried'  - everyone on the truck was very friendly but none speaks very good English, a little problem for me as my Spanish has gotten rusty since I haven't been frequenting taco trucks and taquerias much for a couple of years..

The chicken breast was served on a bed (about 2 C) of Moros y Cristianos (black beans and white rice cooked together) with a salad of tomato and cucumber slices, shredded onion and cabbage on lettuce leaves, and with a side of stewed yuca topped with shredded, marinated red onions.  A very vinegary hot sauce was offered as a condiment.

What? No Cuban sandwich?  One will be added soon, I was told.  The proprietor has gotten numerous requests for one.  Belated note:  The Cubano sandwich is an American invention.  As these operators, and the new ones at this location, seem to be more recent immigrants, it's not surprising they don't have one on the menu.

And I will be back to try it out.