For nearly five years this fast-casual chef-driven chain based just up the road in College Station has dished out hit after hit. The fare runs the gamut at Grub Burger Bar from towering burgers to scrumptious shakes to signature shoestring fries, of course. But the menu also offers more healthful selections, with salads and lighter sides, and the choices change often. In addition to the monthly burger and milkshake special, the team introduces new items to each menu category a few times a year.
As guests of Grub Burger Bar, we recently visited Houston’s location in CityCentre to get the scoop on what’s new in February 2017.
Chorizo queso at Grub Burger Bar. Photo by Ellie Sharp
We loved starting our nosh session with chorizo queso ($6.50, photo above), a bowl of slightly smoky melted cheese topped with seasoned ground beef and diced chorizo. Chunks of fresh avocado cut the richness nicely, and the house-fried chips served as an ideal vehicle for transporting the golden goodness right to our mouths. We may or may not have also dunked our Shiner beer-battered onion rings in, too.
Next up was the cool Thai noodle salad ($11.50). Orange chunks of sweet mango tossed with halved Campari tomatoes and cubes of avocado were tucked into lettuce along with chilled rice noodles; it was garnished with crushed peanuts and sweet chile vinaigrette. We asked for ours with seared ahi tuna, which came in generous bite-sized ruby slabs. You can also request grilled chicken.
Three new bowls ($9.50) provide an alternative to bun-bedecked burgers and sandwiches. Each bowl starts with the same base: bacon, black beans, corn, lettuce, Campari tomatoes, sprouts, queso fresco and ancho lime vinaigrette. You choose a topper: grilled chicken, pesto ground turkey or wild Alaskan salmon filet (photo below).
Salmon filet bowl from Grub Burger Bar. Photo by Ellie Sharp
We gathered up a trio of new sandwiches, too ($6.95 and up). The simplicity of the Back Porch combination spoke to our appreciation for non-fussy food – grilled chicken, pickles, tomato, lettuce and mayo just hit the spot. Slightly more complex on the chicken-sandwich scale were the California Chicken with bacon, Swiss, sprouts, avocado and chipotle aioli and the Greek Chicken sandwich featuring feta, lemon caper vinaigrette and house-made tzatziki on house-made flatbread.
Roasted brussels sprouts fro Grub Burger Bar. Photo by Ellie Sharp.
Finally, though unconventional at a burger joint, we couldn’t pass up a chance to try the new roasted Brussels sprouts ($4.50, photo above). Slightly charred and tender in all the right places, these little babies held their own with a sweet and acidic ancho lime vinaigrette and creaminess from crumbles of queso fresco.
We can’t wait to come back in another few months to see what’s up their sleeves, in their bowls and on their flatbreads.
Grub Burger Bar, 799 Town and Country Blvd, Ste 200, 713-827-7157, grubburgerbar.com