We walked into Howies around noon and were greeted by the host at the door. He said hello, asked how I was doing and how many would be in our party. This gave Howie’s a friendly, inviting atmosphere.
One of the other members of my group had already arrived so I joined him at the table. The server had already been by and gotten him his beverage. We waited quite a bit until the server returned to get the rest of our drink order. More than likely it was the fact that we arrived at different times that threw him off. When he did arrive he was very friendly and took both our food and drink orders. The service was a bit slow as far as refills and the server checking back, but we observed him taking care of at least 5 other tables in the bar. He later made up for it later by continuing to refill our drinks even after the bill was paid.
As the three of us sat at our table we began to admire the decor, from the random trinkets to the sport and music memorabilia. We were impressed by the number of TVs they have as we enjoyed the wide variety of different sports channels. The music was modern and hip, which gave a nice feel to the experience.
We began our meal by ordering the fried mac’n’cheese off the “Starting Lineup” menu. The fried mac’n’cheese came out to the table and it was in the shape of a grilled cheese sandwich that had been cut into wedges that was battered and deep fried. As we cut into it the cheese oozed out of the crust followed by the macaroni. It had a great creamy, cheesy flavor and the outer batter added texture and had nice flavor. The dish had ranch and buffalo sauce as accompaniments, which complimented this dish very well. My personal favorite was the buffalo sauce because it gave the fried mac’n’cheese a nice little kick.
One of my friends ordered the ultimate burger off the “Big League” burgers menu. When the ultimate burger came out, our mouths dropped open. It was huge! It had a burger patty topped with melted cheese, grilled onions, 2 thick pieces of bacon, lettuce and tomatoes, sandwiched between 2 sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches that were oozing with cheese. This burger had definitely earned its name. It was a bit difficult to eat but very tasty.
My other friend that joined us ordered the El Diablo burger, also located on the “Big League” burger menu. This burger has a blackened burger patty and was served with a chipotle aioli and is topped with dusted onion strings and jalapeños. It tasted good and had a nice kick to it.
I ordered Aunt Beatty’s brisket sand. It arrived at the table served on a warm French roll and was accompanied by au jus. The brisket was tender and juicy. It had good flavor and was all in all, a good sandwich. As my side I go their homemade potato chips they come in three flavors, I chose to get them plain. Homemade potato chips are one of my favorite foods and Howie’s did not disappoint.
For dessert we decided to order the red velvet cake. We ordered it with the recommended a la mode selection. We ordered the drunken udder caramelized white chocolate godiva ice cream. We laughed as we were carded to order this ice cream. The red velvet cake was good, but tasted a bit like it has been left exposed to air in the refrigerator a bit to long. The ice cream on the other hand was amazing. I recommend it to anyone ordering a dessert at Howie’s.
The overall consensus at the table was that we had a good experience, with good food and decent service. For the overall experience I give Howie’s a 3.5 out of 5. For food I give them a 4 out of 5 and a 3 out of 5 for service. If you like good food and sports definitely give Howie’s a try
For More information on menu’s and location visit:
http://www.howiesgrillandbar.com
Howie's Bar and Grill
Simi Valley California
