First Taste

Samba Grille changes up its menu, emerges as one of Houston's top restaurants

Getting talked into another dessert worked taste wonders.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Samba Grille is distinguishing itself as one of the best restaurants in Houston— period.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
It's not just about the meat anymore at Samba Grille.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Photo by Sarah Rufca
Photo by Sarah Rufca

I wasn't the only one going to Samba Grille and ignoring the rodizio menu, according to the restaurant's owner Nathan Ketchum, .

In June Ketchum announced that based on customer preferences and feedback, the all-you-can-eat meat option would be dropped with more focus on the popular a la carte menu. "The rodizio is about variety and quantity, so it took up a lot of space in the kitchen," general manager Greyson Lewis says. "We thought we could we could make better use of it by focusing on the a la carte menu."

And with new executive chef Cesar Rodriguez installed, Samba is keeping the favorites (like those incredible gluten-free yucca rolls) but also showing some movement in a very interesting direction.

Rodriguez says he is bringing flavors and ingredients from his native Ecuador, and notes that Peruvian Latin Bites Cafe is the only other restaurant in town making a serious attempt at refined South American fare.

Starting out with a plate of ceviche mixto (shrimp and fish) served on an open plate, it certainly begged a comparison to the excellent version at Latin Bites, down to the corn nuts and extra-tangy shot of leche de tigre. Other starters are mixed between the heartily South American (like the ambitious "antichuchos" skewers of beef heart and soft fried yucca) and the American favorites like crab cakes and roasted pork belly squares — with Chris Shepherd temporarily off the scene, Samba's succulent, syrupy version with a tamarind glaze might be the best in town.

It's becoming clear that Samba is not just one of the best South American restaurants in town, but one of the best restaurants in town. Period.

The a la carte steaks haven't really changed, but they are so delicious and flavorful a write up of the menu is really incomplete without mentioning them. Marinated in chimichurri for a robust flavor and a juicy consistency, every steak is Prime-certified Angus beef and the difference is palpable.

One area of the menu that still feels a bit uneven is the seafood. The lobster and grits comes with the fragrant aroma of saffron emulsion and a hint of coconut from the grits. Samba makes great emulsions, but on this dish it's a bit like too much of a good thing, as flavors compete yet don't cover a cover a main course that's a hair too dry. The red snapper topped with a shrimp and maracuyá beurre blanc was marred by a bitter taste that emerged from either the charred plantain shell it was served in or the red pepper salad that came alongside (I can't be sure but I think it was the latter.)

However the "sweet-n-spicy" sea scallops are absolutely divine, with a crust of panela (Latin American cane sugar) on top and a froth of rocoto pepper and black quinoa grain for a hint of crunch.

Desserts — if you can get there — are top-notch, and I was happy to be talked out of my deep love for tres leches in favor of a plantain fritter served with a scoop of mild guanabana sorbet and an ice-cold, freshly shaken shot of vanilla bean milk. Let me just say there is nothing not delicious about sweet plantain battered and fried in yucca. Nothing.

I can't say that I'll miss the rodizio service, but even in a period of flux, it's becoming clear that Samba is not just one of the best South American restaurants in town, or one of the best steakhouses in town, but one of the best restaurants in town. Period.

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visiting popup bagels

A highly opinionated take on Houston's venture-backed new bagel shop

Courtesy of PopUp Bagels

Houstonians are lining up to try PopUp Bagels.

It’s hard to remember the last restaurant opening with as much fanfare as PopUp Bagels. Houstonians lined up in the heat for the bakery’s grand opening on Saturday, June 13.

Shawn the Food Sheep included a glimpse of the line in his review below.

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Eager to see what the fuss is all about, I stopped by around 10 am on Thursday, June 18. Thankfully, only about a dozen people stood in line ahead of me, and I had a bag of six bagels in less than 20 minutes.

The frequency with which it boils and bakes it bagels sets PopUp Bagels apart from Houston’s traditional, mostly family-owned bagel shops. Instead of making large batches early in the morning that may get refreshed once or twice per day, PopUp Bagels is constantly boiling and baking smaller batches of a couple dozen bagels at a time throughout its operating hours. That's why customers will hear the cry of “hot bagels” echoing through the small, counter-service space every time more emerge from the oven.

PopUp is different from traditional bagel shops in a couple of other important ways. First, the menu only list five varieties — plain, poppy, salt, sesame, and everything, which is topped with poppy seeds, salt, and sesame seeds. And, it only serves whole bagels — no slicing or toasting. The store’s motto of “grip, rip, and dip” explains how it expects customers to consume their bagels. Packaged lox are available, but diners have to assemble the sandwich themselves — either off-site or at one of the couple of cafe tables outside.

PopUp Bagels also doesn’t sell individual bagels. Instead, diners must order a minimum of three bagels and a schmear — various cream cheese and butters are available — for $15. Six bagels and a schmear costs $24. A dozen bagels and two schmears is $46. As a point of comparison, the Bagel Shop Bakery in Bellaire charges $25 for 13 bagels and two, 8-ounce schmears.

So, how is it?

Fresh, hot bagels are inherently superior to hours-old bagels. That’s a real advantage for PopUp Bagels. On my visit, the fresh-from-the-oven plain bagels were so hot that they needed a couple of minutes before we could "grip and rip" them.

As for the bagels themselves, they certainly look the part. The outside is deeply caramelized with an even distribution of toppings that adhere well to the exterior.

But the biggest shortcoming is texture. Bagels, obviously, are supposed to be chewy, but all six of the bagels that an ex-pat New Yorker friend and I ordered walked the line between chewy and underbaked. That may be deliberate, as softer bagels are easier to “grip and rip.”

It's also possible that the bakery’s new employees are still dialing in procedures, and that a different day would yield bagels with a crispier texture. Colloquially, friends who have also visited the shop — both in Houston and other cities — disagreed with my assessment of the texture.

The plain is just that, with a very mild flavor. Both the scallion cream cheese and salted butter had a pleasantly creamy texture and boosted the dining experience.

Overall, PopUp is competitive with Houston’s best bagels. That’s promising, since Stripes — the equity growth firm that bought PopUp Bagels in 2023 — has announced plans to open more than 300 locations nationwide.

But you won’t see me driving half an hour or standing in a long line to get another taste. Houston’s locally-owned bagel shops are more convenient, less expensive, and just as good.

Courtesy of PopUp Bagels

Houstonians are lining up to try PopUp Bagels.

openings news-you-can-eat breakfast popup bagels