Al Bula said:

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Bass pro in general is ass. But damn I'd like to go see the hotel at the Memphis pyramid.

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Went there a few years ago, it is awesome!

bigjag19 said:

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TheWoodlandsTxAg said:

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Texas A&M said:

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I imagine the Woodlands mall will continue to do well. It doesn't seemed to have slipped much (if any) over the last 10-15 years. That area seems to work well with the combination of the mall, Market Street, the theater, the waterway, and the pavilion.

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Higher end dining in a suburban mall area is the most unique thing about the Woodlands Mall area. Flemings, The Audrey, Mastro's, Sorriso, Morton's, Kirby's, Truluck's, Del Frisco, Fogo, Churrascos, TRIS and North Italia. Don't know of any other suburban mall area that has so many higher end dining options.

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Baybrook is close these days. Not quite as much but close.

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Perry's is good and I was sad Kona Grill closed but now there's a Fogo.

The Dillards at Willowbrook is nice enough. Macy's is ass. The rest of the mall I generally avoid.

Katy Mills is not great.

The Woodlands is worth a drive.

Galleria is okay but filled with high-end stores and low-end people.

Memorial City was okay the last time O went a couple of years ago.

Town and Country/City Center is alright if you know what you want/where you are going.

Im a Gloria's fan. Yardhouse is alright. Whiskey Cake is good.

Of course the always important Cheesecake Factory and PF on the other side.

Diggity said:

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Fame City to us olds

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Gawd.... you made me feel real old. Thanks for that.

BowSowy said:

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ccolley68 said:

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BowSowy said:

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Ag_07 said:

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So which is next up on this list?

My vote is Katy Mills

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Katy Mills stays pretty busy, especially on the weekends.

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I don't know, when your primary anchor store is Bass Pro, and Bass Pro has gone to **** recently as well, I don't think that bodes well for your long term viability. I used to love Bass Pro, but it's steady and recent rapid decline is disheartening.

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Any time I go there it's obvious Bass Pro is not the reason the people who visit that mall visit that mall.

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I'm fairly certain the vast majority of Bass Pro shoppers just enter from the outside and never continue on to the mall. I don't know if the mall cares as long as Bass Pro is able to keep making rent payments.

Tex117 said:

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Diggity said:

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Fame City to us olds

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Gawd.... you made me feel real old. Thanks for that.

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tokens!

Whatever happened to Fame City?
Did it get bulldozed?

Al Bula said:

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Bass pro in general is ass. But damn I'd like to go see the hotel at the Memphis pyramid.

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I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened but Bass Pro used to be awesome. Not only did they carry great gear and have knowledgeable staff but even their house-branded gear was quality. But then at some point before they bought Cabela's they went to hell and their house-branded gear became cheap crap. And they killed the Cabela's stuff too. I still have a Cabela's GuideWear rain/wading jacket that withstood a good 10 years of hard use until about a year ago. I went and checked out their new GuideWear line and it's complete crap compared to the original.

Now Bass Pro is basically a Wal Mart of outdoor gear.

Diggity said:

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it's Funplex now. I didn't realize it was still open until I just googled it

Sadly. Fame City Waterworks is no longer around



https://famecitywaterworks.com/fame-city-houston-pictures.php

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I remember going there near the end when it was called Adventure Bay and the lazy river straight up tasting like piss if you accidently got water in your mouth.

Blue star for you sir

Because i went to Fame City/Adventure Bay in the 90s

Growing up with divorced parents, my dad in SW Houston/Missouri City, and my mom in Lake Jackson, our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the 80s, I would not have stepped foot into Sharpstown. Westwood is apparently gone but I don't get out that way often these days. I occasionally drive by West Oaks or even Brazos Mall when I have to go to Lake Jackson. Neither appear to be what they were in their heyday, but I'm also not inclined to venture into either of them.

We occasionally might have stopped in other malls when we were traveling outside of our normal areas - I remember trips to the Galleria, Gulfgate, Almeda, Baybrook, and Willowbrook. Then at A&M for my first couple of years, I lived in an apartment right across the street from Post Oak Mall. Not a great mall even then.

As for Katy Mills Mall, I don't like to go there. I do just for the AMC but rarely am I compelled to venture deeper into that place.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the 80s, I would not have stepped foot into Sharpstown.

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You would've missed out on the legendary NATHAN'S PHYSICAL WHIMSICAL.


Is Katy Mills really that bad? I go pretty often as it's close to work; park by Sun & Ski to look at stuff I'm going to buy online for cheaper and then do returns for my wife at Banana/J Crew etc. Get some samples from Charley's and maybe look at some other clothes.

My mom did get her car broken into & a few things jacked 5 years ago when she left stuff in plain site.

Katy Mills is not bad from a crime/run-down perspective. But from its onset, I've never viewed it as anything other than a large outlet mall (which I suppose is exactly what it is). I do enjoy the "butt-rumbler" auditorium at the AMC, but I tend to stay out of the rest of that place. There's very little of interest to me in there. Book store - I tend to buy digital books these days. Bass Pro - only when I need something that I know they'll have. Otherwise, nothing of interest there.

drumboy said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the 80s, I would not have stepped foot into Sharpstown.

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You would've missed out on the legendary NATHAN'S PHYSICAL WHIMSICAL.


Is Katy Mills really that bad? I go pretty often as it's close to work; park by Sun & Ski to look at stuff I'm going to buy online for cheaper and then do returns for my wife at Banana/J Crew etc. Get some samples from Charley's and maybe look at some other clothes.

My mom did get her car broken into & a few things jacked 5 years ago when she left stuff in plain site.

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**** physical whimsical. I went there for a birthday party in 4th grade and they wouldn't let me on most of the play areas because I was "too tall".

My grandmother used to take me there and I would end up at the arcade down the way. That was back when people started putting statements on the back of their mlb caps. '87/'88 I think.

That ball pit always smelled like vomit or diarrhea.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the

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That was my lineup, too. Sharpstown as a young kid, Westwood later on, West Oaks in college, and Brazos after I graduated from A&M and lived in LJ.

I remember going to the Monterrey House in Brazos Mall, ordering a margarita and finding out I had to have a "membership" to buy a drink.

Growing up in the '70s in SW Houston was a cool time. There were new homes, new schools, new malls, new restaurants ... every couple of years something new and nice would open.

EclipseAg said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the

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That was my lineup, too. Sharpstown as a young kid, Westwood later on, West Oaks in college, and Brazos after I graduated from A&M and lived in LJ.

I remember going to the Monterrey House in Brazos Mall, ordering a margarita and finding out I had to have a "membership" to buy a drink.

Growing up in the '70s in SW Houston was a cool time. There were new homes, new schools, new malls, new restaurants ... every couple of years something new and nice would open.

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One of my earliest memories was a place in Sharpstown called Jean's Model Shop (I got into building model airplanes very young, and that place was Heaven).

What time frame about the Monterrey House? I remember that place (loved it) as being on Dixie Drive, other side of town from the mall. But that was late 70s. I was thinking the Tex-Mex place at Brazos Mall was El Chico (might be wrong on the name, as kids we derisively called it "El Cheapo").

Agree on growing up in that area in the '70s.

Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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So, for West Oaks, is the mall closed and abandoned or is it still open but with no businesses inside or what?

Man, that was the place we went for shoes prior to the first day of school. That was, of course, assuming Wiener's didn't have anything.

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Lol yep, memories of parents taking me there to get some clothes early August for the first day of school.

El Gallo Blanco said:

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TheWoodlandsTxAg said:

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Diggity said:

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The line between Indian and Paki is so blurred in Houston that I'm surprised you can tell the difference (besides the beer offering).

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I think many restaurants call themselves Indo-Pakistani and have both cuisines like Aga's Restaurant (rated number 1 Indian-Pakistani restaurant in North America). I like the Pakistani meat dishes. I think many Indian restaurants are vegetarian. I believe Hindus worship cows so they cannot eat beef, so many items are vegetarian in their Indian cuisine. I think most Pakistanis are muslim so they can eat beef but just no pork. I would recommend the following Pakistani food dishes: Chicken Karahi, Beef Nihari, Beef Haleem, Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka, and Beef Seekh Kebabs (every Pakistani restaurant should have all of these). Make sure to get plenty of naan bread for the Chicken Karahi, Beef Nihari, and Beef Haleem. Dipping the naan bread in the different Pakistani curries is great. Also ask them for their green yogurt sauce to dip the grilled chicken tikka and grilled beef seekh kebabs.

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I am obsessed with this stuff after discovering it a few years ago when my wife brought a sample home from a Pakistani wedding caterer she came across in helping plan an event. It was from some place off Hillcroft, but then I tried the same from Aga's and it was even better. Found a place about 5 miles southeast of my house (Larosh Grill) that does is pretty damn good, but this stuff is hard to find, you have to search it out. One of my top 3 foods for sure....feels like I'm eating some type of ancient, primal porridge.

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Historically it was army food for the Mughal Empire's soldiers so you're basically correct.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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EclipseAg said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the

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That was my lineup, too. Sharpstown as a young kid, Westwood later on, West Oaks in college, and Brazos after I graduated from A&M and lived in LJ.

I remember going to the Monterrey House in Brazos Mall, ordering a margarita and finding out I had to have a "membership" to buy a drink.

Growing up in the '70s in SW Houston was a cool time. There were new homes, new schools, new malls, new restaurants ... every couple of years something new and nice would open.

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One of my earliest memories was a place in Sharpstown called Jean's Model Shop (I got into building model airplanes very young, and that place was Heaven).

What time frame about the Monterrey House? I remember that place (loved it) as being on Dixie Drive, other side of town from the mall. But that was late 70s. I was thinking the Tex-Mex place at Brazos Mall was El Chico (might be wrong on the name, as kids we derisively called it "El Cheapo").

Agree on growing up in that area in the '70s.

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Yeah, Monterrey House was on Dixie Drive. El Chico was in the mall.

Monterrey House was good early on but it went downhill quickly.

Didn't it become Monteray's for a spell, then close? Feel like we had one in Katy.

I think the Kingwood guy that owned El Chico, Casa Ole, Tortuga, etc. might have bought it. Obviously a tremendous perveyor of bad/mediocre TexMex

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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EclipseAg said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the

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That was my lineup, too. Sharpstown as a young kid, Westwood later on, West Oaks in college, and Brazos after I graduated from A&M and lived in LJ.

I remember going to the Monterrey House in Brazos Mall, ordering a margarita and finding out I had to have a "membership" to buy a drink.

Growing up in the '70s in SW Houston was a cool time. There were new homes, new schools, new malls, new restaurants ... every couple of years something new and nice would open.

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One of my earliest memories was a place in Sharpstown called Jean's Model Shop (I got into building model airplanes very young, and that place was Heaven).

What time frame about the Monterrey House? I remember that place (loved it) as being on Dixie Drive, other side of town from the mall. But that was late 70s. I was thinking the Tex-Mex place at Brazos Mall was El Chico (might be wrong on the name, as kids we derisively called it "El Cheapo").

Agree on growing up in that area in the '70s.

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Jean's Model Shop was awesome. Spent a lot of time there.

You are spot on about the Mexican restaurant in the mall. It was definitely El Chico ... my memory was a little fuzzy. I lived in LJ for a couple of years -- June '84 to December '85 -- in an apartment on Garland Drive.

I burned a lot of gas driving up and down 288 in those days, trying to escape the small town feel of LJ.

El Chico was always owned by corporate. There was no franchisee.

They were really solid starting in the 90's until I moved away in the mid-2000's.

you're correct.

this is the group I was thinking of. Seems like the key to ****ty texmex is to pick rural locations that don't have many other options

Quote:

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Tortuga Mexican Kitchen, Casa Ole, Crazy Jose's, Monterey's Little Mexico and Uberrito

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https://mexicanrestaurantsinc.com/brands

EclipseAg said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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EclipseAg said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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our go-to malls were Sharpstown, Westwood, West Oaks, and Brazos (in Lake Jackson). Late 70s and early 80s, those malls were great to go to. By the time I graduated from A&M at the end of the

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That was my lineup, too. Sharpstown as a young kid, Westwood later on, West Oaks in college, and Brazos after I graduated from A&M and lived in LJ.

I remember going to the Monterrey House in Brazos Mall, ordering a margarita and finding out I had to have a "membership" to buy a drink.

Growing up in the '70s in SW Houston was a cool time. There were new homes, new schools, new malls, new restaurants ... every couple of years something new and nice would open.

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One of my earliest memories was a place in Sharpstown called Jean's Model Shop (I got into building model airplanes very young, and that place was Heaven).

What time frame about the Monterrey House? I remember that place (loved it) as being on Dixie Drive, other side of town from the mall. But that was late 70s. I was thinking the Tex-Mex place at Brazos Mall was El Chico (might be wrong on the name, as kids we derisively called it "El Cheapo").

Agree on growing up in that area in the '70s.

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Jean's Model Shop was awesome. Spent a lot of time there.

You are spot on about the Mexican restaurant in the mall. It was definitely El Chico ... my memory was a little fuzzy. I lived in LJ for a couple of years -- June '84 to December '85 -- in an apartment on Garland Drive.

I burned a lot of gas driving up and down 288 in those days, trying to escape the small town feel of LJ.

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I am a little younger. Graduated high school May 85 and was in Aggieland August 85. Came back for the summer of 86 and have only visited family since. Curiously, when my mom first moved us to Lake Jackson, we lived in an apartment complex on Garland Drive.

Glad I am not the only one who remembers that model shop. That place stands out along with a place called the Purple Cow, that was on Hillcroft fairly close to our house in Sharpstown when I was real young. Dad would take me there for a chocolate ice cream cone.

When you said Purple Cow I immediately thought of Kitty's in Surfside.