GEO Burrito, Nederland, Tx

Today, we visited the newly-opened GEO Burrito (a new concept by Novrozky's), located at 1629 Hwy 69 South (formerly Manning's) in Nederland. Now, if you have ever eaten at Chipotle (owned by McDonald's), it's hard not to make direct comparisons between the two; except at GEO, the interior seems more inviting, brighter and bursting with colors. A line of young, cheerful, attentive and helpful crew stands ready behind steamy-hot, freshly-prepared meats and ingredients, constructing your dishes as you order, all the while under the watchful eyes of a seasoned manager.


I ordered three tacos, carne asada, carnitas, and pollo, with refried beans and Mexican rice topped with Pico de gallo, lettuce, corn and shredded cheese, and a side of salsa verde. The tortilla of my choice, maize, of course (although GEO does offer more choices of tortillas for burritos). The tacos were tasty, juicy, and satisfying. The carne asada was particularly well-marinated and flavorful.
GEO Burrito may not be hardcore- or adventurous-enough for some of you Anthony Bourdain-type out there; but this clean, airy and energetic establishment will be Latin-enough for most, and will no doubt make the short list of places to meet friends or enjoy a meal with family in Mid-County. For Beaumont folks who like GEO, there's also a Beaumont location at 4230 Calder St (the old Novrozky's).--Lorenzo

Floyd's, Great China Fail Inspections

Floyd's Cajun Seafood, one of our favorite area seafood restaurants, and Great China, arguably the oldest Chinese restaurant in Beaumont, both received failing grades initially from Beaumont health inspector today.

The news that Floyd's flunked the inspection did not come completely as a shock to me for two reasons. First, from the previous inspection, Floyd's only earned an "AVERAGE" rating from the Beaumont Health Department (and perhaps for this exact reason, the inspection sign was not posted prominently for the public to see until they were walking out the door). Next, the fried oysters served to me about one month ago were lumpy, mushy, and had the consistency of cottage cheese. At the time, I merely attributed those facts to the oysters being out of season (months without "r's") and didn't think much more about it. In hindsight, I should have returned the questionable oysters as soon as the irregularities were discovered (since Floyd's oysters always tasted juicy and fresh); but with only less than one-hour lunch and no time to spare, I ate them anyway with quiet displeasure.

These are the details from today's Leger's Restaurant Report Card:

Inspector Lee checked out Floyd's Cajun Seafood on I-10 South. She found oysters, beans and raw fish at unsafe temperatures, chicken was thawing in standing water, and there were numerous flies in the kitchen area. Floyd's received a failing grade of 64 but was able to make improvements before opening and raise the score to 84. Floyd's didn't have to close.

(As for) Great China Restaurant on Calder. Inspector Lee found chicken, noodles and rice at unsafe (temperatures), the inspector saw egg rolls dropped on the floor and then an employee pick them up and put them in a cooler, the wiping cloths were not in sanitizer which is necessary to kill germs. The inspector found so many serious problems she forced the restaurant to close for several hours until the problems were corrected. Great China Restaurant on Calder received a failing (grade of) 59; but has since improved and reopened.

There's no guarantee that on any given day you can be sure to receive a meal that's not only delicious in taste, but also prepared according to sanitary standards required by law. Thanks to the diligence of the dedicated health inspectors hard at work everyday, most of us not only can feel good about dining out, more importantly, we can go home, unaffected by food-borne illnesses and stay alive. Safeness of the food that we consume, should always outweigh its taste. When you eat out, your safety is really in the hands of others, and I do mean many others, so choose where you eat, wisely.--Lorenzo

L & T No More!

L & T Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant, arguably the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Beaumont is no more. Passing by the site the other day and noticed the sign had been updated (when, I don't know) and now reads "L & T Pool Hall". How sad?! Where are we going to get our Vietnamese food now? Pho Four Seasons now appears to be the only game in town.--Lorenzo

Novrozky's Now Serving Aka-ushi Burgers

The expensively delicious Kobe beef is a type of Aka-ushi (Japanese meaning "red cow"), prized for its exceptional tenderness, wonderful flavor, and incredibly rich melts-in-your-mouth marbling. A local burger chain, Novrozky's Hamburgers, now regularly serves burgers made with high-quality Aka-ushi beef produced right here in Texas. If you haven't tried it yet, please go check it out. I believe you would agree that Aka-ushi burgers at Novrozky's are not only some of the tastiest around, they may actually be good for your health.--Lorenzo

(*Sample photo of Aka-ushi rib-eye courtesy of HeartBrand Beef)

Old Address, New Restaurant

Pancho Villa's has newly opened where Rio Rita once operated on Crockett St, Beaumont. More details later.--Lorenzo

Quality Café Reopens In Spring 2009

Scott Lawrence of KFDM-TV Ch. 6 reports that the Downtown Beaumont landmark, Quality Café, will reopen early 2009. Hurricane Rita had dealt the building with much damage; but the Danna family plans to bring the business back to the glories of the 20's and the 30's (said during the TV interview). Let's hope the food will be worth the wait, too!--Lorenzo

Sartin's West Destroyed In Morning Blaze

According to KBTV Ch.4, the popular west-end Beaumont restaurant Sartin's West, famous for its BBQ crab and Cajun fare, was destroyed today in an early morning fire possibly caused by electrical problem. Click here to read the complete report. For those of you who still remember, Sartin's occupies the location where Cody's used to be. There's another Sartin's restaurant at 11th and College Street in Beaumont, and another one also wears that name Sartin's in Nederland. Both are still in business; however, the former is not directly related to the one burned down today.--Lorenzo

Extra! Extra! Spice 6 Opens This Weekend!

Giri Mohan, the owner of Fusion Grill, an Indian restaurant in Pt. Arthur that we love (and are sad to learn that it is now closed), has just informed ScooterHawgs of his newest creation--a new restaurant called "Spice 6". The grand opening is at Parkdale Mall Food Court in Beaumont this weekend. So if you have been craving for some of that delicious Indian food to fire up that dulled, autumn appetite, or just looking for a great meal to warm up you heart, look no further, rush out to Spice 6 and get you some! Yes, do ride or drive carefully and don't become yet another mindless holiday idiot on the road.