Houston's new fry king

Surprise! Ken Hoffman nominates Kirby taqueria for Houston's best fries

Ken recommends getting the fries at Goode Co. Taqueria.

Photo by Jody Horton

Years ago, Esquire magazine conducted a search for the “Best French fries in America.” The winner was Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand on the corner of Surf and Stillwell in Coney Island at 10 am Monday morning when they change the peanut oil.

Bull’s-eye! As they say, I’m familiar with the product. I grew up on Nathan’s hot dogs and fries. Every weekend, friends and I would drive to Coney Island and fill up on those fries. Nathan’s difference: they use Katahdin potatoes from Maine and pretty much buy out the entire crop.

Warning: the Nathan’s hot dogs and fries you find in the frozen food aisle at your local supermarket ain’t the same franks ‘n’ fries you get at Coney Island.

Esquire did another ranking of fries more recently. This time KFC was the winner by a “Secretariat-like margin.” I’m not even sure that KFC’s fries qualify as fries. They’re more like puff pastry. Memo: cancel my subscription to Esquire.

Drive-through essential

I love french fries. When I’m in the drive-through, I eat all my fries before I scrounge through the napkins and ketchup packets to the bottom of the bag for my Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich or my Whopper or Double Meat Whataburger.

Fries are the most important item at fast food restaurants. About 70 percent of fast food orders are pushed out the drive-through window. Now fast food chains are building restaurants that are drive-through only.

When you open the bag as you pull out of the drive-through, what’s the first thing you eat? It’s a grabful of fries. First impressions. Fries can make or break a fast food chain.

Of course McDonald’s fries are the gold standard of the fast food industry. McDonald’s uses Russet Burbank, Russet Ranger, Umatilla Russet, and Shepody potatoes. People love ‘em. They’re so crisp and salty. McDonald’s burgers? Pretty just OK, really. The sign outside about “over 99 billion burgers sold” is an insult to the real star of the show. It should say, “Octovigintillions of fries served hourly.”

(Octovigintillion is a real number, by the way. It’s equal to 1x10 to the 87th power. I have no idea how many that actually is, but it sounds like a lot.)

Most times I pass on a burger and get the supersized “basket of fries” at McDonald’s. That’s your big boy. The basket is supposed to serve two or three people. That’s so cute. It’s like a pint of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla says it contains three servings. This is America, we’re not quitters. Here’s what the nutritional label should say: “Directions: insert spoon, serves one.”

Even at an upscale sit-down restaurant with real silverware, when your plate of fish ‘n’ chips arrives, what’s the first thing you instinctively do? Grab a fry. And then you splash on the malt vinegar. If you haven’t tried malt vinegar on your fries, you’re missing out on the ultimate fry experience. Malt vinegar beats ketchup and it’s not close. And if I see you dip your fries in ranch dressing, well, one of us has to leave the table.

Goode Co. Taqueria interior The lunch took place at Goode Co. Taqueria.Courtesy of Goode Co.

Houston’s best fries

Which gets me around to: I’m constantly searching for the best fries in Houston. People tell me “you’ve got to try the fries at so-and-so” and I run. My ranking is constantly changing, and there’s nothing so personal as your opinion of fries, but here goes.

My new best fries in Houston are at...

Goode Company Taqueria on Kirby. Last week I had lunch with a certain co-worker who knows a thing or 10,000 about the Houston food scene. He ordered tacos, I ordered a burger and fries.

Our food arrived, and like a Pavlov dog, I reached for a fry. And then a few more. These are different. I think I’m in love. I spun my plate around and told my co-worker, “try these, they’re fantastic.” He took a few and agreed, “Yeah, they are good.” This guy saying “they are good” is as good as it gets in this town. I’ve been back two times already for these fries.

There’s my review. My No. 1 all-time best fries in Houston are at Goode Company Taqueria — for now.

french fries houston food scene burgers tacos tex-mex news-you-can-eat

Oh, Donna

New Houston cocktail bar serves up a house party fueled by music and martinis

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

It hasn’t taken long for Houston cocktail fans to discover Donna’s. Ever since it opened Thanksgiving weekend, the new cocktail bar in the Heights has been packed with people eager to check out the new project from Anvil owner Bobby Heugel and veteran Houston bartender Jacki Schromm.

Named for Schromm’s grandmother, both partners use the word “house party” to describe the kind of atmosphere they want to create at Donna’s. That party can be very energetic on busy weekend nights and a little quieter and more intimate during the week — allowing patrons to choose what kind of experience they want to have.

Heugel and Schromm worked with collaborators on the design, music, and art for Donna’s. So far, people seem to be enjoying themselves.

“It’s really f---ing awesome,” Schromm tells CultureMap. “It has been really remarkable to have people in this building. To see the room full is a rewarding experience. The feedback we’ve received has just been really positive.”

To transform the former Ready Room into Donna’s, the partners collaborated with Brittany Vaughn of Garnish Design. Known for her work at establishments such as Tiny Champions, Maximo, and Milton’s, Vaughn helped divide the retro-styled cocktail bar into two distinct interior spaces. The main bar area is defined by high-top, organically-shaped tables that allow large groups to congregate or smaller groups to share without being on top of each other. The more intimate living room section features a large couch and a spacious booth.

“There’s a lot of smart utility in the space,” Heugel explains. “We kept talking about how it’s a small space. We want to find a seat for everybody as much as possible.”

To honor the space’s history of hosting live music, the partners worked with Chicago-based firm Uncanned on a powerful vintage stereo that includes both a reel-to-reel tape deck and a turntable. Known locally for their work at restaurants such as Nancy’s Hustle and Nobie’s, the Uncanned team gave Donna’s the ability to kick out the jams with ultra-clear sound while not being so loud that people can’t talk to each other. It also opens up the possibility of people playing their favorite albums on select nights.

“Jacki and I both had the bold opinion when we started talking about Donna’s that cocktail bars were boring. We wanted to add more layers to the onion,” Heugel says. “Having music be here as an additional component to the bar makes the room feel really good. That’s important to us, and we’ll have some programming related to that.”

Keli Hogsett of Austin’s CoCollect helped Schromm and Heugel select the room’s distinctive art on its walls. Heugel describes the works as museum-quality, contemporary pieces from regional artists that are a cut above what’s usually seen in bars. Hogsett will also source the art for the new restaurant Heugel and chef Justin Yu are opening next year in the former Vibrant space.

Schromm, who partnered with Heugel after working at Anvil and Reserve 101, created the opening cocktail menu herself. One highlight is the Jacki’s Martini, a nod to the “Bobby’s Martini” served at Refuge and the “Terry’s Martini” served at Squable. It’s a 50-50 mix of gin with Cocchi Americano and Dolin Blanc vermouth. She describes it as more “sessionable” than a traditional martini.

“I think this cocktail menu has a lot of personality,” she says. “Some of my flair, whether it’s a spirit I chose or a flavor I like.”

Although parking on the property is limited, Heugel notes that street parking on White Oak is relatively plentiful. A nearby pay lot is available, or people can skip the issue altogether by using their favorite rideshare service.

Of course, the adjacent restaurant space won’t stay empty for long. As CultureMap has previously reported, Austin-based pizzeria Home Slice has claimed the building for its second Houston location that will open in fall 2026.

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Donna's, 2626 White Oak Drive. Open daily from 2 pm-2 am

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

openings nightlife cocktails the-heights