Vietnamese Pho Restaurant - This place is Pho real

Vietnamese Pho Restaurant



This is a small, family owned Vietnamese place just off of 64 and the loop, across the street from the Walmart.  It is in a strip center without a whole lot of curb appeal.  Walking inside reminded me of your typical Vietnamese place in Houston, minimal decor, plenty of seats, and clean.  I have been wanting to try this place for a while because I love a good bowl of Pho and am alwayas looking for a good 'real' ethnic place (of which there are few and far between in Tyler).

The spread: Well they obviously sell Pho, which is a vietnamese rice noodle soup.  It comes in a big bowl of savory beef broth with rice noodles and your choice of meet (go for the combo - meatballs, flank steak and brisket) and with fresh basil and bean sprouts.  You also put in hoisin sauce and sriracha to your liking.  They offer various appetizers from egg rolls to spring rolls with your choice of meat, as well as salads and other (as far as I can tell) authentic Vietnamese items.  They also have a good selection of vegetarian items.  They also offer vermicelli and rice entrees that all look authentic.  This is a menu I am excited about discovering.  Many of the items I have never tried, and certainly are offered no where else in Tyler.

The verdict:  Well I only tried the spring rolls with roast pork and the special Pho soup, but I was very impressed and can't wait to go back and try some of the more esoteric items on the menu.  If you care about food and are looking for a different, authentic eating experience, then give this unassuming little place a try.  The spring rolls were terrific and fresh.  The Pho had a great base broth with fresh basil and bean sprouts and tasty, well seasoned meat.  If you've never had Pho, this would be a great place to give it a try.  I was a little scared when I first sat down because I was the only person there at lunch, but please go out and support this true gem in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses:  5 out of 5;  Do I recommend this place?  Pho sho!

Razzoo's Cajun Cafe - is it worth the wait?

**UPDATE:  Tried Razzoo's out again the other day.  The spectacular catfish we had on our first visit is no more.  The catfish we had was fishy, muddy and just awful.  There were some pieces that were simply inedible.  My wife ended up throwing up afterwards.  The fried pickles and green beans also weren't as good.  I had a redfish special which was overcooked and not fresh.  Overall, the food quality and attention to detail were abysmal.  Additionally, maybe I didn't notice last time, but there were several waitresses that were wearing shorts that were so tiny, they would make a Hooters girl blush.  I may be overly harsh, but we won't be returning.  That said, the place was still packed on a Sunday afternoon.

Razzoo's Cajun Cafe



Razzoo's is a new place just off 69/Broadway south of Grande, just south of the Walmart in the building that Carretta's used to be in (Carretta's closing wasn't a surprise - see my previous review).  They put a lot of time, money and effort turning this place into a unique, bright, vibrant, visually appealing space.

The spread:  They are Cajun themed as the name implies with a menu to reflect.  The appetizers range from gumbo, fried pickles, popcorn shrimp, stuffed jalepenos, boudain, etc.  The entrees range from poor boys (shrimp, catfish, chicken), red beans and rice, etoufee, shrimp creole, various combinations of fried fish/shrimp/crawfish, shrimp creole, pasta, ribs, etc.  The have a full bar with a decent selection of draft beer as well as some desserts to choose from.

The verdict:  Well, my first impression of the place was that there was a lot of flash/marketing and not a whole lot of substance.  The outside decor is very eye catching and if you have tried to eat here, you have more than likely had a long wait.  We fortunately were able to be seated right away.  The service was friendly, if a bit young and inexperienced.  The food had some high points and low points.  We tried the fried pickles, seafood gumbo, catfish platter, shrimp poboy and crawfish etoufee.  The crawfish etoufee was nearly inedible, there was some background plastic flavor that was simply disgusting.  Next worst was the seafood gumbo, as the roux base was watery and bland - no depth of flavor from a genuine gumbo.  The shrimp poboy was fairly good with nicely cooked shrimp and great bread (key to any good poboy).  The fried pickles were also very good and were well seasoned.   The jalepeno hush puppies were also very good.  In the end the Cajun food reminded me of Joe's Crabshack - commercialized, bland, dumbed down with the caveat of outstanding catfish.

Edible Tyler Roses:  0 out of 5, skip the "Cajun" food, real problems with consistency.

Graciela's Cuisine - Asian/mexican fusion?

Graciela's Cuisine




Graciela's is a newcomer to Tyler and is located just south of 5th on Broadway.  They are located in a space previously occupied by a former catering/restaurant place whose name I can't recall.  We were driving by and saw several employees waving at us to come in and give it a try.

The spread:  Well I was a little confused by the menu.  It seems to be some sort of fusion between traditional Mexican food (not Tex-mex) and American Chinese food.  The menu ranges from various types of fried rice to moles, enchiladas, and soups.  They have quesadillas and a spicy guacamole amongst other items on the appetizers menu.

The verdict:  Well again, this is one of those places that I want to like, but falls short.  The waitstaff was really trying hard, but didn't fully understand the menu.  The food took a LONG time to come out for lunch.  The spicy guacamole was at a very high heat level and the enchiladas my wife tried were nearly inedible they were so spicy.  I also tried the consume and it was basically a beef broth with some vegetables and rice, it was very nice and light.  The rice and beans were a little bland for me, but I think they were in line with the traditional Mexican taste profile.  My overall impression is that the kitchen and concept are not fully developed - passionate and young, but still immature.  The location is going to be hard to overcome, but there is a lot of passion and hard work going into this endevour.

Edible Tyler Roses: 3 out of 5, The food is average to good, there is a lot of room for growth.

The Rack Hamburger Grill - My kind of place

***UPDATE:  Wow, The Rack has closed.  I feared for their business success because of their location and recently downgraded their rating.  They were having problems in the kitchen and keeping beers on tap.  I am truly sad to see The Rack go, but you gotta keep people happy and coming back to succeed.

**UPDATE:  I have been to the Rack multiple times since the original post.  I have to say that they have some real problems with consistency.  I have yet to have a burger as special as the one I had on my first visit.  They just can't seem to get the meat temperature right.  I still enjoy the place and definitely recommend giving it a try, but just not as enthusiastically they go from 5/5 to 4/5 Edible Tyler Roses.

The Rack Hamburger Grill
http://www.theracktexas.com/

The Rack Hamburger Grill is a new restaurant that opened up near the Azalea district off of Broadway, just south of 9th street, located in the Tyler Shopping Center (next to Steinmart).  I don't think their has been a restaurant in this particular space, but it seems like a pretty hard place to keep a restaurant open.  From the outside, they have a little patio area with some large picnic tables.  Inside the place there is a healthy bar area and a dining section.  The decorations consist mainly of stuffed/mounted animals.

The spread:  As you can imagine this is trying to be a hamburger joint, but they are doing a lot of interesting things with the food menu. Their apps consist of candied bacon, salads, seared tuna, cheese fries, etc.  The star of the show is their hamburger selection.  You can choose their regular ground meat burger (ground and seasoned in house), buffalo burger, blue cheese burger, venison burger, lamb burger, ahi tuna burger, veggie burger, turkey burger and a few others.  The meals come with charro style beans and choice of one side:  regular fries, sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, etc.  They also offer a few desserts.

Perhaps the most impressive is their MASSIVE draft beer list.  They have a lot of beers on tap, almost all of which are craft microbrews from Texas (20 beers on tap on a regular basis).  I was in beer heaven.  They also offer a large selection of bottled beers.  A beer lover could get quiet happy here.

The verdict:  THIS IS THE BEST HAMBURGER IN TYLER BY FAR.  Stop what you are doing, go to The Rack and get a burger.  I recommended this place to a friend of mine who loves burgers and he told me it was the best hamburger he has had in his life.  I ordered a Rack burger with cheddar cheese, bacon and egg and I ordered it medium well.  This is one of the rare places that actually cooks your burger to your desired temperature.  They care about their food.  The burger was one of the best I have had in my life.  The meat is juicy and tender, with the right amount of sear from the grill.  The french fries are also done right, in house, from real potatoes and fried twice (the way fries are supposed to be done).  The beers were great.  This is definitely a place that I will go back to again and again.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5.  Get a burger and a beer and enjoy!  I fear that location will doom this place, but it is worth the drive....yum.

Gilbert's El Charro Restaurant - Old fashioned Tex-mex

*UPDATE*  El Charro's is reopened as El Charro on the Ridge or something like that.  It is now located in the Fresh parking lot.  The food is as I remember, the new space is definitely modern.  The only criticism I have is that the dining room is very loud, there are a lot of hard surfaces, so the sound tends to amplify.  I am glad to have the food back, but El Charro has a lost a little of its charm with the new location.

*EDIT*  Sadly, both Gilbert's El Charro Restaurants closed their doors after 70 or so years of business in Tyler.  My family and I will miss the food.  Another loss of a local favorite, hopefully, another local place can fill the void.

Gilbert's El Charro Restaurant



Gilbert's is an old school Tex-Mex restaurant that has two locations in Tyler. The decor and atmosphere take me back to my youth when my grandma and great aunt used to take me out to eat. For me, there is a warm feeling of nostalgia when I walk through the doors.

The spread: They have your typical, what I call Old school Tex-mex. That is to say, enchiladas smothered in chili con carne, nachos, fajitas, tamales, rice N beans, chips N salsa, tacos, burritos, etc. I usually go with one of the combination plates or with the fajitas. Interestingly, they have teamed up with Mother Frances and offer a few healthy options. They also offer free soft serve ice cream, which the kids love.

The verdict: I love this place, mostly because they stay committed to being old school Tex-mex. They aren't trying to be a fancy authentic Mexican restuarant, they are just doing food right. I particularly like the nachos, as they put beans/meat/cheese on top of a six inch tostada fried corn tortilla. The service is usually average to good, with food coming out quickly and glasses full of drinks. I think they also offer a "best" chicken fried steak, which my wife fell for the hype and turns out it was average. This is a good place to take the kids.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5, good ole fashioned Tex-mex. YUM!

Juls - New location, better than ever?

Juls



Juls is, from what I understand, a rebirth and reconfiguration of the old Julian's over in Times Square. The place is located off of 155 past Grande, pretty close to Fresh.  It is very impressive from the outside and has two sections, one side is "Juls cafe" and one is apparently just "Juls"?  Apparently Juls has an Asian themed menu and Juls cafe is concentrating on healthy food, but it is still a little unclear to me.  Althought, I am not sure of the intent of the business owners, the buildings structure and the business undertaking are impressive.  The building is very modern and has interesting nooks and crannies that make the dining experience unique.

The spread:  My wife and I ventured to Juls.  They have an extensive drink menu with some very unique draft selections - a couple of which I have never seen on draft (Delerium Tremens).  The food menu is a somewhat pan-asian themed with a variety of appetizers (edamame, pot stickers, lettuce wraps, wings, guacamole, etc), sushi/sashimi, salads, "woks" - really just stir fry, Pho (vietnamese noodle soup), fried rice, new american (ranging from shrimp and grits to korean fried chicken legs) and a variety of burgers/sandwiches (to include Banh mi - vietnamese sandwiches).

The verdict:  The menu seemed a little unfocused to me and that it was designed to try to make everyone happy, but the food I tried was very good.  We started with some pot stickers, followed by some sort of spicy tuna/crab roll, beef Pho, grilled pork Banh mi, and the Mongolian stir fry.  The steamed pot stickers were excellent, the filling just had this background herb that was just making beautiful music on my taste buds.  My only criticism is that I would have like some sort of dipping sauce to help with the initial blandness of the dumpling dough.  The spicy tuna/crab roll was excellent, it had a great sushi flavor with a very well balanced sauce and heat level.  The beef Pho was pretty good, my problem is that I have been in some of the best Pho places in Chinatown in Houston and this Pho wasn't as good, but it is still worth a try.  The broth is solid, but I would have liked to have seen more traditional offerings (tendon, meatball, etc).  The Banh mi was also good, but not great.  The bread to meat ratio was a little skewed on the side of the bread and the heat level was nearly unbearable (perhaps this was my error) - again I have had some of the best Banh mi in Houston and my standards are very high, their Banh me is good, it just isn't great.  The Mongolian stir fry was also very good, great balanced flavor that my wife really enjoyed.  The service was also excellent, very attentive and quite helpful in navigating the ambitious menu.  I very much enjoyed the eclectic draft beer selection and will be back to try more of their beers.  The noise level was a little high, but that was because there was some sort of group Christmas party happening nearby.  I think Juls would be a great special occasion place for a date night.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5.  Ambitious menu, great service, good to very good food.