Houston's - The burger is very good, but...

Where: 

Houston's Restaurant

1 Riverside Square Mall #181

Hackensack, NJ 07601

201-488-5667

Dish #1 

What: 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Build:

Lump crab meat, Pommery mustard sauce, hand-cut French fries, house-made coleslaw.

Comments:

These crab cakes compelled me to invent a new Acronym: TDF (To-Die-For).

Not much else to say... just look at the photos and you'll agree with me based on the visuals alone. The taste of these beauties was equally magnificent. The sweet lump crab meat was pan-fried in butter to achieve that crispy, seasoned breadcrumb top and bottom, and the Pommery mustard sauce added a sharpness that contrasted perfectly with the richness of the crab meat and butter.

T-D-F 

Houston's hits this dish out of the park. 10/10

See my comments on this housemade cole slaw in my next review below...

Dish #2

What: 

The California Burger

Build: 

Approximately a 7oz. fresh-ground chuck patty, Jack cheese, arugula, avocado, red onion, brioche.

Comments:

What is there to say about a burger whose humble beginnings were only a few hours prior to cooking? Houston's grinds their burgers every day, eliminating fluctuations in taste and texture and maximizing their ability to consistently serve up one of the best burgers you could ever ask for. Although my burger was fresh and cooked perfectly to my order, it was not without a few flaws. 

1)      My last visit to Houston's was quite a few years ago and I distinctly remember the patty being much larger. 

2)     My wife pointed out to me (I let her have the first bite), the fact that she thought there was bacon on the burger. Being as I didn't order my burger with bacon I checked under the lid, no bacon. I took a bite and discovered a fairly strong wood-smoke taste that caught me by surprise. I'm not sure why this flavor is not part of the menu description since there are a good number of people out there who consider smoke flavor disgusting. Although I am not one of them, this burger did not need the extra smoke flavor, it masked the taste of that wonderful meat.

The house-made coleslaw is very good – I tasted parsley, sweet pickle relish, mustard, green onion, and just a hint of cilantro. That's all I could identify, but I'm sure there are other ingredients in this very original, very delicious side dish. The fresh-cut potato fries were also good, they didn't get soggy and cardboard-tasting after they cooled. There is something to be said about eating a fresh-cut potato out of a deep fryer. 

All in all, given all the fantastic, inovative dishes on Houston's menu, I have no freakin' idea why I ordered the damn burger. 

Again, the burger is very good, but not that strong 10\10 it used to be...

I give it an 8.5/10 on the BC rating scale. 

P.S.

Houston's provides every bit of 5 star service.