Alison Cook previews the promised second location for Little Big’s — set to open “probably late spring” in Hermann Park. The home of tiny burgers will slide into a shack overlooking a new bridge on a portion of McGovern Lake, just north of the Zoo.
But chef Bryan Caswell’s attempt to operate food carts in the park have forced him to face a Houston food legend that dates from long before the age of the taco truck:
The promised Little Big’s cart service inside the park is turning out to be complicated, however. Houston health ordinances forbid the actual cooking of sliders on the carts, which means Caswell & company must come up with some new “park-themed” menu ideas. “The whole restricted versus non-restricted cart thing is amazing,” says Caswell.
The chef notes that during the research phase of the project, “we found some very interesting info on why Houston doesn’t have street food cart vendors like New York City or New Orleans. If I recall correctly, in the early 1900s, the original Market Square was littered with tamale carts. One busy hot summer day, a large group of people got sick and I think even a few died. The carts were all blamed and chased out of town. Ever since, the food cart has been a heavily restricted H-Town deal.”
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- Sneak peek at Little Big’s–Hermann Park Edition [Cook’s Tour]
- Openings and Closings: Little Big’s, McMansion Kroger, McCain’s [Swamplot]
- Montrose’s Late-Night Restaurant Row [Swamplot]
- Houston Taco Truck Tour by Camera Phone [Swamplot]
Photos: Karen Lantz
Well,
I can attest the Little Bigs on Montrose by Westheimer is very good!
Who would have thought of selling a bottle of wine with sliders. Oh, and an order of fries is good for two people.
Hit up Little Big’s a couple of weeks ago. Not impressed with the sliders. Cooked on a steam table and the meat wasn’t great. The fries weren’t terrible.
Given the proper conditions, I might be willing to give it another shot, but for the time being I’m not terribly excited about a new location at the park.
I really liked the fries and I tried one of each of the sliders – the mushroom one was interesting, but the chicken and beef were pretty ordinary. The interior was really awkwardly set up though..
I was impressed with Little Big’s fries, but their mushroom slider was less than impressive. I will give them props for a really good bun though. But without something to really complete the bun, it’s all for naught.
Stay out of the Hermann Park area. It is to poverty stricken. To much of the bad element lingers there. Not good for business. I would never eat there.