I love Houston’s restaurants. We first started going when we moved to Kansas City 30 years ago.

Great ribs, soups, salads, everything. Perfect service. Nice dark, comfortable seating.

Over the years we have gone to their outlets in various cities. It is an eccentric private chain and they began naming their restaurants something other than Houston’s. The rumor was they wanted to avoid rules and regulations for big chains with one name. Who knows.

Through all the years we’ve never had anything but good when we have gone.

In Austin it is called Bartlett’s and during the pandemic they gave us the best takeout food you could find.

Our last visit to the one in Denver was the first disappointment. It is called Hillside.

We made an 11:30 reservation, had to wait, watched a fatcat stroll in with air kisses and get a table for two ahead of us. When they offered us a seat, it faced the bar and had all the lunchtime noise ambiance of a cattle drive.

We said we would wait for a decent table. They sniffed, agreed, we got a nice quite, seat and the food was fine as always.

This past week we went to California and after landing at John Wayne Orange County Airport (“you better get that landing gear down little fella”), our friends took us as a surprise treat to Houston’s in Irvine.

What they didn’t tell me is it is the snootiest Houston’s anywhere. No open toed shoes, no hats, no children, etc.

I strutted in only to have to strip off my hat in shame.

Probably because I was pissed I thought the food wasn’t quite up to par.

I’m in still in love, it just isn’t with a lovers quarrel here and there.