As I mentioned in my last On the Menu, my husband and I are going on a vacation. Actually, as you're reading this, I'm most likely back home and relaxing.
We are visiting New York City for five days, and I plan on featuring what food I eat in the Big Apple for my next column. Because who knows? Maybe you can visit some of those places if you visit there in the future.
This time around, I tried out a new business on the Southside, celebrated my brother's birthday at a spot on Saratoga Boulevard and traveled to North Padre Island for a burger.
Is there a place you think I should try? Send a suggestion to john.oliva@caller.com.
The Sunday House
6702 S. Staples St.
When I was leaving Crunch on
the Southside last month after working out, I noticed the signage at BBK thai kitchen + bar on South Staples Street was gone and new signage was up for The Sunday House.
It didn't look like anyone was inside, so I drove to the front and saw a piece of paper was taped on the doors. I learned that BBK had closed its second location on July 25 and announced the arrival of a new business coming soon.
A few days afterward, I saw a few videos on social media of people visiting The Sunday House and sharing their thoughts on it. It all seemed positive, and I love breakfast, so my husband and I decided to visit there on Aug. 30.
We got there around 8 a.m., and as we made our way inside, we heard "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles playing, which went perfectly with the early sunrise. I took it as a good omen for our visit.
When we walked in, we saw a sign directing people to order at the bar. The layout of The Sunday House looked pretty much like BKK but had a more Southern living aesthetic.
There were two parties in front of us, so my husband and I were able to look over the breakfast menu while we waited. I wanted something filling, so I decided to go for the French toast breakfast, which came with French toast, eggs and a side of meat. He went for the Sunday House breakfast, which came with a side of meat, toast, hash browns and eggs.
Our total came out to $29.69 and we tipped $10.
We placed our order with the cashier and then grabbed a table. There was plenty of seating, but we learned you have to order before you can claim a spot.
While we waited, an employee brought out our drinks and asked us what sort of condiments we needed for our food. We noticed there wasn't one server designated to a section — every employee was checking on all patrons inside. It was nice because we felt we were attended to frequently, so I imagine others felt the same.
Our food shortly came out and it looked tasty. I dug in and my French toast was warm and sweet. My over-medium eggs were good, but my sausage didn't really have seasoning. I'm used to there being some spice with sausage patties, but I didn't taste any.
My husband said his food was fine but that he didn't care for his hash browns. He said they were cold and had no seasoning. I tried his side of potatoes and definitely agreed.
As we were eating, more people decided to come early for breakfast and the line started to go out the door.
We'd be interested in going back to try out their lunch menu, which starts at 11 a.m. daily. As for breakfast, it was fine, but I don't think anyone can touch Andy's Kitchen.
Wingbar & Grill
5017 Saratoga Blvd.
Wingbar & Grill opened last year in July. I wrote a story about its opening. I even got to try their street tacos (which were delicious). I also ate there for my mom's birthday last year, but I don't remember what I had.
One of my brother's birthday was on Sept. 6, and he turned 27. Since he and his wife live in San Antonio, he came down the weekend before his big day so my family could celebrate him.
He originally wanted seafood, but I think after my mom and stepdad forked over more than $400 at The Boiling Pot back in May for my youngest brother, they didn't want to repeat that. So, we had dinner at Wingbar & Grill for my other brother on Aug. 31.
My husband and I arrived before my family did and secured us a table. It was pretty slow when we arrived, so I use the word "secure" loosely.
If you've never been to Wingbar, it's very much a sports bar type of restaurant — neon signs everywhere and live sports on multiple TVs playing.
Our server was grabbing our drink order as my family walked in. We decided not to get any appetizers and said we needed some time to look over the menu.
My husband knew he was getting chicken strips, and I ended up deciding to get the Cowboy Burger, which comes with shredded brisket, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and barbecue sauce. I nixed the tomatoes and pickles and asked for the brisket to be on the side.
While we waited on our food, we noticed that the music there would not play the entire song. As a hardcore lover of Jesse McCartney, I was upset when "Beautiful Soul" ended midway and another song started to play. It continued that way the rest of the time we were there.
After a while, our food came out and we all were ready to eat. I had asked for the brisket on the side of my burger because I knew it would just end up lodged between my teeth, so I passed it over to the birthday boy. I took a bite of my burger and thought it was good. I feel like it could've used more barbecue sauce, but it was fine.
When we were ready to pay and leave, our server was nowhere to be found. My stepdad went up to ask another server to grab her so we could pay. She eventually came back informing us she was triple-sat and apologized for the delay. My mom and stepdad paid, and it was around $165.
As we said our goodbyes, my husband and I said we don't think we'll be back there to eat on our own unless it's another birthday gathering.
Padre Island Burger Company
11878 TX-361
In my last column, my husband and I visited Padre Pizzeria on the island. As we were leaving, he saw Padre Island Burger Company and said we had to go there soon.
On Sept. 6, we got there around 4 p.m. for an early dinner and found decent parking. We opened the door to walk inside but were met with a line of people waiting to order.
The menu was displayed above the cashier, so we decided on what we were going to get. My husband was going to get a build-your-own-burger plate and I was going to try the Dr. Padre Burger, which comes with a house-made Dr. Padre sauce that is barbecue sauce mixed with Dr Pepper soda syrup.
We didn't realize that with my husband's BYOB plate, he had to pay for a side of fries. Our total came out to $47.34 and we tipped $10. A bit pricy for burgers, but it's about $5 more than what we get at Five Guys.
The inside of Padre Island Burger Company was not what I expected. I was imagining something either beach-like or country-like, like most places on the island. There was very limited seating inside, but it looked like how Joe's Crab Shack used to look — random signs and posters covering the walls while a disco ball spun above.
The music was also unexpected because a lot of pop songs were playing, so that put me in a good mood.
After about 15 minutes, our buzzer vibrated, letting us know we could go pick up our food from the counter. When I came back, I saw a group of four men had decided to sit right next to us. I mentioned that seating was limited, but it was also congested. So, they were about a foot away from us, which was not ideal.
I took a bite of my burger and thought it tasted delicious. It was thick and juicy and the sauce was a nice, sweet surprise. It wasn't overpowering at all, which I had been afraid of.
As we were leaving, we noticed there was a lot more seating space outside. If the weather wasn't so diabolically hot, we might've dined out there.
We both said we would definitely be back, though. Those burgers were some of the best we ever had.
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Is The Sunday House worth a visit? | On the Menu
