HOUSTON – Houston, get ready to brunch! KPRC 2's Houston Life has assembled a team to taste-test and review some of our city's top brunch spots. Up next: State Fare Kitchen & Bar.
**Click here to meet the Brunch Bunch**
State Fare Kitchen & Bar is best known for their massive pancakes and made-from-scratch menu.
"We’re an upbeat southern concept. We kind of focus in on comfort food. We are a kid-friendly concept, and we’re real big on brunches. Brunch is like a southern thing, and we really knock it out of the park here," said executive chef, Justin Yoakum.
The bunch decided on the following dishes, as described by Yoakum.
THE DISHES
Ray's Fried Catfish:
Slaw, jalapeno hush puppies, handcut fries
"We start with a mustard wash, we baste it in mustard and white wine. We top it off with seasoned flour and egg wash then go into a cornmeal breading. We then flash fry it, serve it with our French fries, homemade cole slaw and then your choice of condiment on the side whether it be remoulade, cocktail sauce or tartar sauce."
Poached Eggs on Crab Cakes:
Hot sauce hollandaise, skillet hash browns
"So, this is kind of like a seafood twist on eggs benedict. Two crab cakes made with jumbo lump crab meat, we’re going to top those off with poached eggs however you like them, and a little bit of tobacco hollandaise on top. So, there’s a little bit of spiciness to it. We’re going to take that and serve it with our hash browns."
Huevos Rancheros:
Crisp tostadas, refried black beans, crema, avocado, cotija, 2 eggs any style
"We have [a] tostada, which is a fried tortilla. We’re going to put a little bit of refried black beans on top. Eggs however you like them. A little bit of warm, in-house tomato salsa, a light drizzle of crema on top with fresh avocado and Cotija cheese and a little bit of cilantro."
State Fare Breakfast:
2 eggs any style, house sausage patty, spicy brown sugar bacon, skillet hash browns & a cathead biscuit with whipped butter & house jam
"It's one of our most popular dishes. What we have here is a little bit of everything. We have a 'cathead-sized' biscuit. We call it a cathead size biscuit because it’s the size, literally, of a cat head. We have eggs however you like them. Two sweet and spicy bacon strips. Two pieces of in-house sausage patties and hash browns."
THE REVIEW
So, what did the Brunch Bunch think of State Fare Kitchen & Bar?
The Atmosphere:
"I would say that the atmosphere here is very casual and laid back. It looks like a place you can be comfortable bringing your friends or eating with your family," said Beatriz Oliveros.
"I like it because it’s family-friendly, the seating is large, so if you’re like a plus-size model like myself you have enough cushion and support," said Monica Lewis.
Food Quality:
"Well, if you are coming here and you are hungry this is the right place to be. It’s like huge Texas-sized portions, nothing little. Honestly, I wish I would come with a few people and share a couple of things. There’s no way I could eat a dish like that by myself," said Dom McGee.
"Be prepared to wear elastic pants! No skinny jeans allowed when you come here," said Darian Lewis.
Drinks:
"What’s cool is they also have this frozen drink flight. You can get a frozen drink flight, a Bloody Mary flight, a champagne or mimosa flight. And gosh, that’s where it gets complicated because I want to try one of everything and so the flight was a great way to go," said Derrick Shore.
"A lot of variety for us non-alcoholic drinkers. And so we really didn’t feel cheated, we didn’t feel like we had to order off the kids' menu, a Shirley Temple or Arnold Palmer, no they had many things for us to choose from and still feel like an adult. But at the same time still have a little fun with our drinks," said Darian.
Family-Friendliness:
"I think it’s absolutely family friendly. For starters, the food is approachable. You know what you’re getting, you’re getting these huge portions," said Dom.
"I would definitely bring my nieces here, they would love it. In fact, I saw a few kids in the restaurant today. There’s so much on the menu and so many of the dishes are shareable that for kids, grandparents, people of all ages would really enjoy the menu and the atmosphere too," said Derrick.
WOULD THEY COME BACK?
"Can you tell? Yes we will be back, absolutely. Especially with the kids," said Monica.
"There’s like ten reasons why I would come back. So if you see me here sitting in the corner pigging out don’t say anything," said Dom
"I will definitely be back. The brunch menu was large, so there are a lot of options to eat that are great, but I like that it had a balance [...], some of the dishes that I saw on the menu were a little upscale, but at the same time they had a lot of comfort food," said Beatriz.
"Without question I will come back to State Fare, probably tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day," said Derrick.