Tuesday, May 26, 2009

GrumBar & Grill

GrumBar & Grill
306 Main, Ste. A
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 224-6448

During the Houston Press Menu of Menus event, I came across a restaurant that really caught my attention. It was the GrumBar & Grill. Now the name might throw you off and admittedly I was a little discouraged because it was in downtown on Main St. I have spent many years in the nightlife industry and over the last 8 years I have watched downtown dry up and die, but this weekend I decided to go forth and explore the cemetery that has become downtown and try the GrumBar & Grill. Located in a small building squeezed between two nightclubs, GrumBar is a tiny little place that seemed to catch my attention right off the bat. As we walked in we were given advice from the patrons sitting on the patio. Friendly little place, I thought. Walking in, a 3 piece jazz band is setting up, the NBA play offs are on the screens and there is a table waiting just for us. Keep in mind this is a very small place so seating can be limited. The tables are against the wall on the right and the bar and band on the left. A very friendly waitress walks right over to hand us menus and offer drinks. Upon her quick return with the drinks she asked if we had any questions. She was very helpful and her advice on menu options was great. This trip I went with the Black & Blue Burger. A half pound blackened burger topped with blue cheese crumbles. They had a special on MGD 64 for only $2 which isn’t bad (even though MGD 64 taste like a beer with water). We sat back and enjoyed the jazz trio waiting for our food. This kind of made me think good things could be coming for downtown if we could get some more spots like this. It didn’t take very long for the food to come out and the smell was amazing. The burger was pretty big and topped with lots of Blue Cheese. I picked up the bun to slap on some mayo and couldn’t believe how soft the bun was. It was soft and squishy, which is just how I like my buns, no pun intended. I added my fixings and I was ready to take a bite into this soft and juicy burger. As I took a bite I noticed the bun was perfectly toasted but still soft to the touch, the meat was juicy and flavorful and the blue cheese gave was tangy and added a semi pungent kick. This burger was near perfect! To make things better the home cut fries were seasoned lightly and fried to a beautiful golden brown. I was really starting to like this place more and more. The jazz trio complemented the meal perfectly. I really appreciate live music with dinner, let alone some toe tapping soul jazz. This place was a true joy. I couldn’t really find anything to complain about. My girlfriend had the chicken salad sandwich which I thought was pretty good also and came with a fresh salad with a wonderfully delicious balsamic vinagerette. GrumBar should be an example of what Downtown Houston needs more of. If we could get more spots like this downtown there might be hope for downtown Houston to live again. There are a few new spots on Main St. that are worth checking out, but if ya make it downtown be sure to stop by GrumBar you will not regret it!

1 comment:

  1. Nice post.

    This is becoming one of our favorite pre-Astros spots. The food is truly good. Much better than it has to be. They offer half off appetizers during happy hour several times a week. Try the scallops. They're great.

    And the staff is always very friendly.

    ReplyDelete