Off the Wall: Now That's a Po-Boy

• My favorite poboy in Houston is the fried shrimp poboy from Beacoup Bar & Grill on OST / 288. Whoever is working the fryer back there is a god!

• I can agree with Kevin's statement above... I enjoy the seafood po-boys at Goode Co, BB's, and Seafood Shoppe.

• I don't think it's fair to say this city lacks a great po-boy, especially if you haven't had Goode Co. That is an outstanding po-boy (in my opinion).

• Guest, for the record...I don't think you have a cranky tone at all. I appreciate your opinions, and more than that, I respect your opinions. I wouldn't be happy with a place either if I kept having a bad experience. Thank you for sharing!

• Kevin, it's comments like Wynona's and Meriqueen's that explain my cranky tone. Between that and years of the Houston Press food bloggers, even without including you, publish rave after rave about Calliope's, I can't help but feel there's become a sort of hivemind surrounding this restaurant. Throw a rock and make a less than stellar comment about the food, and the bees come swarming. Wynona and Meriqueen, a lot of people do like Calliope's sandwiches. I respect that. But almost half the commenters in this thread: myself, SirRon, Ruthie J M, and Matthew, have all had disappointing experiences with the food. The experiences all mention something in common: seafood that is either off or poorly prepared. So I think there is more to those comments than "outliers, or just lies." Kevin also conceded my point about the prices being higher than most other po boy shops. I think three visits with three different expensive sandwiches and three different experiences of poor quality seafood should be enough for me to form an opinion, regardless of what the hive thinks. I don't have anything against Calliope's, but I've been burned there enough that it's worth warning others who read those rave reviews that there are other opinions out there.

• @Meri It appears that you may be equating not having a bad meal with best dish in the city. So maybe what I'm saying is that it is not, in fact, a fact that they are the best po-boys in Houston. Something actually exists between fact and lies. We get it here everyday. That's why I read.

• The gumbo there is awful. Legitimately awful. I'd also like to supplant that Houston does not have a great po' boy. We've got some decent/passable ones (Calliope, BB's). But not a great one. At all.

• the fact that so many have not had a bad meal there, and consider calliope's one of the city's best po-boys, would support that the bad experiences are outliers, or just lies.

• Isn't your comment also based on personal experience? Purely? Therefore, isn't it also pure silliness? My personal opinion is that the people that really love this place aren't there for good seafood (including the seafood po-boy). There isn't anything wrong with that and it doesn't make them people of impaired judgment *sneezeGentiancough*. I eat at Taco Cabana from time to time. I just don't proclaim it to be the best Mexican food joint in the city. The author of this post might, however *smirk*

• pure silliness. and purely your personal experience, and I do mean personal: I've never had a bad sandwich there and I've been at least 10 times, and order differently quite often. sandwiches are good, gumbo is good and having shrimp chips is cool. and the prices are in line with other places that sell similar stuff

• zing!

• It's good to find out I'm not crazy. Anywho...

• First, thank you for reading and giving such a thorough response. I appreciate that. I agree with a few of your points and take issue with some others. 1. Saying the prices are absurd is overstating it a bit. I agree they are are tad bit high, and I probably should have included that in my write-up. An 8inch fried oyster po-boy at Callioppe's is 9.75. Rajun Cajun's, for example, is 8.49. Are the prices a bit higher? Yes. Absurd...no. 2. I wrote about one experience, which was good. I'll go again, and if I find they are having some inconsistencies with their product, I'll write about it. I never stated this was the best po boys in town though.

• i went probably over a year ago. don't remember too many specifics (i think it was a shrimp po'boy), other than thinking it was a good sandwich, but that the ones i've had at goode co. seafood were better. if i remember correctly, i got fries on the side and they were poorly done freezer bag fries, which always throws my overall meal satisfaction down a notch.

• Here's the thing with Calliope. I really want to like that place; the owners and staff are friendly and personable; the location is reasonably convenient and homey, and they serve up one of my favorite types of food. But: 1. I've never had a good sandwich there. I tried the oyster po-boy, and it was slimy and fishy. I tried the soft shell crab po-boy, and the portions were skimpy and mostly full of tomalley rather than recognizable crab meat. The shrimp wasn't deveined when I had it in a po boy. 2. The prices are absurd. Seafood costs money, I understand, but the idea of going to a po-boy shop and being unable to get out of there full and satisfied unless you spend $10-15 for a standard sized po-boy and a few bucks for a side or salad completely contrasts with the very name "po-boy." I feel like a "po-boy" after spending $20+ to get a mediocre meal there. 3. For whatever reason, food bloggers have a love affair with this place and rate it well past what it can deliver. I'd rather go to Mardi Gras, BB's, or even Rajun Cajun, and pay a decent amount of money for a solid po-boy, then spend a small fortune for a place that people who seem not to know any better treat as the best po boys in town. Getting super excited about a place that charges $12 for a po boy full of spoiled oysters only hurts your credibility.

• The Fish Place: the selfsame place that just closed on westheimer and fountainview? Try the tiny Fish Market on Fountainview, btwn Westheimer and Richmond. It's a hole-in-the-wall that the Press hasn't discovered yet, tho many $$$ neighborhood folks have. Fresh daily seafood from the Gulf run by tiny Viets.

• robb was right about jazzie cafe: not so good. but they were nice folks.

• Be sure to try the gumbo. It's also one of the only places in Houston I've found with fried greent tomatos! My favorite.

• Yes, people have low standards for seafood here. Evidence for that is the popularity of the chain called The Fish Place.

• the two are night and day, and the there's nothing new-fangled about the new orleans po-boys. and of course... the places you mention are italian imitators, not italian.

• did your bread turn into a messy glop? I'll bet it didn't....

• Mardi Gras Grille, 1200 Durham. Oyster Po'boy. It ain't Mother's on Poydras, but it's good for where you at.

• If by Denton's you mean Danton's, they are the best at all things NOLA. And yes, they are open

• I adore Calliope's! Fresh crisp seafood. Good, crunchy bread and toppings that don't overwhelm the seafood. I'm going tonight!

• I'm only confused b/c I think I already did. However, I don't have a problem with your opinion. That should have been kinda clear too. Thanks for the explanation of "turning the tables" though.

• Often times, commentors complain when the writer of a piece is not detailed enough with information. I'm what you would call "turning the tables" on you. Saying "it's the worst shrimp/oyster po-boy in recent memory" tells me nothing. Be a dick, speak your mind...deal in specifics.

• Schillaci's in the Woodlands opened up a couple of months ago and definitely worth the trek up there. They are located in Market Center.

• Now that's a damn good point...love BB's. Ed, try the bread pudding. Awesome!

• Has anyone tried the fried oyster tacos at Berryhill? I know that at least the Heights location features them as an off-the-menu item. I like the idea, but expecting over-sauced sogginess.

• BBs Cajun Cafe has pretty good Po-boys....

• Kevin, I'm not trying to be a d!ck, but was I not clear? If I were to be *more* clear, I'd really sound like a d!ck. Like more than normal. It's a real catch 22. Here's something... I spent almost all my growing up years in the New Orleans area. I've got that on the resume for what it's worth. However, Houston has pretty good seafood too. Good enough seafood that people should be able to tell the difference. It is possible that the two times I was at Calliope's they served me crappy, unfresh seafood, but for everyone else they serve quality stuff. I'll give them that.

• Mesquite grilled, eh? I've only had the fried shrimp and oyster ones there. I may have to try this...

• I've been three times... All were just OK. Each time my fried shrimp, oysters, or softshell crab were overly fishy tasting. Bread was good, though. I used to *love* the po' boys at Jazzie Cafe on 19th, but it shut down unexpectedly last year and is now Gatlin's. Since then I haven't found a po' boy in Houston that I'd seek out -- but have not tried Goode Co as Kevin suggests below. All-time favorite is Johnny's in New Orleans =) Mmmm!!

• When you go to Goode Co. try the mesquite grilled poboys. They are far superior to any fried one!

• The best po-boy is any one from Good Co. Those are outstanding. SirRon and Matthew, where are the specifics with your complaints? What didn't you like about the sandwich? Was it just the seafood portion or the entire product?

• I haven't been but have heard good things about Denton's. If they are still open...

• I was born in Houston in the 60's. To me, the best Houston po-boys are Italian, not these new-fangled New Orleans style models. That means Antone's, or the late, lamented Andros, or Zinnante's.

• i wasn't a big fan either. my new orleans native friend wasn't impressed.

• I had the worst oyster po-boy in recent memory from Calliope's (oyster po-boys being my litmus test for po-boys). Since judging a place based on one visit isn't fair, I went back and had one of the worst shrimp po-boys in recent memory. Is the place hit and miss or do most people have really low standards for fried seafood here? We live near the Gulf. Surely most people know what the good stuff should taste like, right?

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