Chick Houz
"LAZY DAY!!! Because I did not feel up to cooking a home cooked meal for me and hubby, I decided to place an online to-go order from this establishment. The online ordering process is super easy, but you must have a Chow account in order to place online orders with them. This is not our first experience trying their food. It's great Peruvian cuisine which we absolutely enjoy! Normally, my husband will pick up our order, but he was super busy on this particular day. Therefore, I decided this would be the perfect time for me to make an appearance and check them out personally for myself. This review has been a long-time coming. Firstly, when I arrived, the place was not busy. There was a couple dining in and it was nice and quiet. I don't recall hearing any music playing in the background. There was dim lighting which made for a relaxing ambience. They have TV monitors mounted on the wall for entertainment. The dining area was pretty clean and spacious. Customer service is top-notch. The lady that served me was extremely friendly and welcoming. My husband said that whenever he goes to pickup our orders, they're always friendly and nice to him. I'm glad that I was able to finally come and see for myself. Secondly, I ordered the Brasa burrito with salad for hubby and the two-piece rotisserie dark meat with black beans and Chaufa rice on the side for myself. I chose the green sauce and yellow sauce, which are complimentary on all orders. They also have a red sauce which is okay. By the way, their green sauce is my favorite one. It tastes so delicious when you dip the chicken in it or even if you drizzle a little on the Chaufa rice. OMG! DEE-LI-SHUSH! It has a semi-spicy cilantro flavor to it. My husband absolutely loves their Brasa burrito. It's filled with delicious pulled chicken, queso fresco, yellow sauce, Mexican cream, crispy onions, black beans, and chaufa rice all wrapped inside an enormous flour tortilla. He also favors the green sauce and likes to dip the burrito in it. As for the side of black beans, they're packed with flavorful deliciousness. NOW, for the rotisserie chicken, it's the best that I've ever tried in my life. It's also packed with mouth-watering, flavorsome, delectable, and unique Peruvian flavors. Furthermore, it's juicy, tender, and succulent! It's definitely a must-try! Hubby and I normally order their whole rotisserie dinners which are accompanied with three sides and six sauce flavors of your choice. Overall, I am a huge fan of their Peruvian cuisine. I think I will dine in one day, since their dining room is clean and spacious. Since hubby and I are always ordering the chicken and the Chaufa rice, we would like to try something different on the menu. However, their rotisserie chicken and Chaufa rice are the bees knees people! It's absolutely delicious! I rated them four stars because the Chaufa rice that they sold me was not fresh this go round. It's usually super fresh and piping hot. However, this time it was hard and the chicken that's in it was also hard, making it difficult to chew. Bomber, because it's my favorite side on the menu. Instead of replacing it with some fresh rice, they sold me some stale rice. I was highly disappointed. Since it was late in the evening and close to closing hours, I guess they didn't want to throw it out and make some fresh rice. Nevertheless, I am recommending anyone who enjoys great tasting food to give them a try. You will not be disappointed! You can also follow them on instagram @chickhouz for updates and to also witness some of their most delectable and mouth-watering Peruvian cuisines on display. By the way, they have a new Chick Houz location coming soon in the Tomball area."
Las Brasas Charcoal Chicken
"After seeing how popular the Westchase location (#1) is, I had high hopes for the second opening of Las Brasas along Bellaire just outside of Hillcroft. I've been missing my weekly Peruvian jaunts in NYC so this was as highly anticipated for me as anything. The place is clean and feels like an ideal spot for a casual meal. It looked and smells new, with brightness from the natural light, with plenty of rotisserie chickens spinning in the background. So far, everything is looking good.I ordered their claim to fame, a half pollo a la brasa, and was ready my food notalgia to kick in. My chicken, while juicy and tender, was a salt bomb. I tried coating it in the aji sauce and mixing it with the rice in hopes of enjoying it. Strangely, aji makes *everything* better (#2) but this wasn't the resolution. The fries were crispy, but the let down was real. I chalked it up to new establishment jitters.My next go-around included much more variety: chaufa chicken fried rice, a whole chicken, lomo saltado (#3), tallarin verde, ceviche, tallarin saltado, and even their anticucho kebab. Minus the chicken, which was mildly better this time, most things were bland. For the tallarin verde with bistec, I was kind of blown away at how much gristle and how tough the meat was. Once again, I drowned my chicken in their huacatay (aji verde) and it didn't make much of a difference. The lomo saltado was also mad salty and the ceviche had plenty of citrus, but was still disappointing given the price. Even the cilantro rice was dry. The food is 2 stars at best, but I'll give them 3 because the customer service, initial deals, and store location was a thumbs up.Before I could give it another shot, they went ahead and closed, albeit temporarily. I am not sure if they're going to reopen, but I hope they do. I'm not done with satisfying this Peruvian craving palate.___________(#1) https://www.yelp.com/biz/las-brasas-charcoal-chicken-houston-2(#2) Without a doubt, if done properly, aji verde is one of the world's greatest sauces.(#3) The national dish of Peru and the name of my future pet."