58limited Loses Costco Virginity!

[Panhead John]

In one of the recent posts about Costco, 58limited was bemoaning the lack of any Costco’s in his area. Since I’m a member, I told him he could make the 105 mile drive to Houston and he could shop using my card if he wanted to. We decided to meet for lunch today and hit up Costco afterwards. There’s a small chain of Tex-Mex restaurants in the Houston area called Ninfa’s. They’re legendary here and Mama Ninfa started the first of her restaurants on Navigation Blvd. in East Houston. She passed away in 2001. The Original Ninfa’s she opened was where we went today. I’d never eaten there before but I’ve always heard this one was the best. David and I met up there around 11 this morning.




OMG! The prices were insane! I was in the mood for some tacos al carbon, or beef fajitas. When I saw the price on the menu my jaw dropped! Just a regular ol’ medium size order was $38. !!! It came with a tiny bowl of charro beans and some very bland yellow rice. A large order was $58.!!!


My $38. Plate of fajitas….😳




Their homemade flour tortillas were excellent!




I gotta tell ya, this was probably the most overpriced meal I’ve ever had….for taste to price ratio. My fajitas were just ok, nothing to write home about. I could have hit 10 different Tex-Mex places within 2 miles of my house and got just as good or much better, for 1/2 to 1/3 of that price! The laughably small bowl of charro beans was excellent. The bland yellow rice, one forkful was enough for me. The Mahatma yellow rice I buy at Kroger is better than this stuff. Needless to say, I’ll never go back. I’m sure David will chime in later about his experience. Meanwhile…..on to Costco!

David loaded up on some Kirkland briquettes and a bag of their pellets


David says once you’ve had veggie burgers you’ll never go back to beef


David was shocked at how much cheaper his Depends were here than at other places


Anyway, we had a good time today and it was nice meeting up with David. I’m sure once he gets home and settled, he’ll add some things to the post.

[Jerod Broussard]

Yeah, like PM's to mods to delete some information contained above.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for the good laugh this morning, Panhead John , and 58limited . That photo is great.

Did a pre-loading of an alcoholic bevvie or two at Ninfa's play a role in the horseplay at Costco?

Kathryn

[Panhead John]

Kathryn, you’d think that would be the case, but I was afraid to even ask how much a margarita was. 😳

[fzxdoc]

Panhead John ,

[STEbbq]

Dang, that is some successful marketing for you in terms of selling that overpriced food. I probably would have made an excuse and headed elsewhere once I saw that menu prices. Wow.

[Panhead John]

It was kind of a hassle getting there and David had already ordered an appetizer before I got there. Otherwise we might have done that. Hell, there was 2 other Mexican restaurants just across the street. But, live and learn. There’s a ton of good Mexican places in Houston that are much cheaper.

[58limited]

Hey, at least we ate at the original. It really is a Houston landmark. As you said, live and learn. We should have looked at the online menu (if they have it posted).

[Panhead John]

58limited You’re right, we should have checked their menu prices ahead of time. They are posted. I put a link to it a few posts below.

[58limited]

To start I had to get a flat tire fixed - nail. Third time in a month, same tire (coincidence?).

At Ninfa's I ordered the queso ($13.00) which was really good but pretty pricey for the amount. For lunch I ordered the Mole Salmon ($30.00) which was served with grits, poblano creama and chipotle creama. The presentation was outstanding, the salmon cooked the way I liked but it didn't knock my socks off. Both creama sauces tasted about the same and were a bit bland. The mole seasoning on the salmon was OK but needed more salt (and, really, more flavor). The restaurant was cool, the neighborhood, while old, has had some revitalization and has other interesting restaurants nearby - mostly Tex Mex but I saw a Vietnamese place too. For those prices I probably won't be back. I know restaurant prices are up all over but this seemed high for Tex Mex. I suggested we eat at the Costco food court next time



To set the record straight, I've been to a Costco once before about 25 years ago as a tag-a-long; I didn't buy anything but thought it was better than Sam's. Today cemented that opinion. Prices were great, I ended up buying things that were cheaper priced than what I usually order from a janitorial service: Charmin Toilet paper and Bounty paper towels. I like to buy in bulk because 1) its usually cheaper per item and 2) I hate going to the store for that kind of stuff - I just want to go in, get food and beer, and leave. We only had one cart and shared it. The Depends and testosterone booster were John's, the veggie burgers were a photo-op as a joke.

Their beef looked outstanding, thicker cut than at HEB and better priced. We checked a ribeye primal, they are about $13.50/lb for prime and run 15-20 lbs. I have about 40 dry aged steaks from the Creekstone sale so I didn't buy any meat other than a pork belly.

No Costco pics, John took those but here are a couple of price comparisons:

Francis Coppola Claret (cabernet):

My local Market Basket - $20.78
HEB - $15.28
Costco - $11.99

Pork Belly (I bought a full belly, 9.7 pounder)

Market Basket - $5.55/lb - only available as a half belly
HEB - $4.67/;b for regular; $5.71/lb for "Natural" - only available as a half belly
Costco - $3.99/lb

Charmin Ultra Soft

Market Basket - $16.89/12 rolls
HEB- $27.54/24 rolls
Costco - $29.99/30 rolls

Bounty Paper Towels

Market Basket - $29.39 for 12 Select-A-Size rolls
HEB- $22.18 for 12 Select-A-Size rolls
Costco- $24.99 for 12 Advanced Select-A-Size rolls (not sure what "advanced" means)

Other things I bought were Kirkland brand:

Organic Tomato paste 6 Oz 12 pack for $8.99
Kirkland smoker pellets (blend) $12.99 for 40 lbs
Kirkland Professional briquets $18.99 for two 20 lb bags

On John's recommendation I bought a 2 pack of Motor City Meat Lover Pan Pizzas (dinner tonight) for $14.99

Next door in the liquor store I bought some ice for the cooler and a bottle of rum. Counting lunch at Ninfa's and the start-of-the-morning flat tire repair this was about a $250 day. I don't know what the monthly or yearly Costco membership costs but I'm liking the prices of their wares. I hope they open one here.

[Mosca]

I know how seriously everyone takes you John so I thought I had to clarify.

I love how Panhead John thinks people take him seriously….

(It was actually a pretty good visual.)

[Davek8282]

At least it's a real veggie burger and not one that's trying to pretend it tastes like meat. Glad you brought up the testosterone supplements as they were not clear in any of the pictures that I looked. at.

[bbqLuv]

yep, we joined Costco for the meat, and the rest is a plus.

[captainlee]

Pricing is getting crazy out there. We have noticed that restaurants are really increasing. Too bad it wasn't worth the asking price. Looks like a fun shopping day. In my college days we would throw a box of Tampax in the cart of guys shopping. Oh we were so wild.

[tstalafuse]

You definitely paid an upcharge for eating at the original location. The other locations all have different (lower) pricing. I can't say I was overly excited by the one in Waco, so I just attributed it to being more authentic Mexican than Tex-Mex.

[Panhead John]

https://ninfas.com/menu/lunch-dinner/

Check out their prices here…..scroll down a little and check out their price for a fajita burger!!! …..ridiculous! 🙄

[Richard Chrz]

Glad you all had some fun, but those prices, that’s just crazy, maybe I don’t go out enough.

[SheilaAnn]

I heard Ninfa’s is an institution. I wonder what it was like before mama passed away…..

[Panhead John]

A lot better value I’d guess. With tip and tax, who wants to pay almost $50. for lunch!? It’s not that the fajitas were bad, but for that much money I was expecting them to knock my socks off. The charro beans were the star of my lunch, all 4 tablespoons of it. 🙄

[Bkhuna]

SheilaAnn I think you meant to say that if you pay that much for Tex-Mex, you belong in an institution.

[Michael_in_TX]

I heard Ninfa’s is an institution. I wonder what it was like before mama passed away…..

This is the key. The Ninfa's on Navigation of today is not the Ninfa's of yesteryear. In fact, the Ninfa's on Navigation is no longer owned by the Laurenzo family; they license the name from them. I knew they had deviated from the old menus over time, but until Panhead John posted those menus I didn't realize that it essentially is now an utterly different restaurant!

There are other Ninfa's restaurants in the Houston area that are closer to the original Ninfa's and their prices are far more reasonable. For example, the Ninfa's in Missouri City (a suburb in southwest Houston): https://ninfasmissouricity.com/menu

That is the Ninfa's menu I remember. My favorite things to get are the Queso Flamedo (melty cheese served on fire? Yes, please) and the Pechuga Chihuahua with tortillas so you can eat it like a fajita (chicken breast, poblano peppers, mushroom, bacon, and jack cheese, yum!).

(I have a little bit of 'inside' info on the Ninfa's lore as my sister's husband works for the Laurenzo family in their restaurants.)

[Porkies]

Panhead John - That explains my extreme disappointed in the Whataburger's that opened up here in the last year. I was looking forward to it so much and hyped it to everyone I knew! It was nothing like the Whataburger food when I lived in Texas.

[Panhead John]

Porkies Yeah! They seem to be all about expanding the restaurant chain as quick as they can…and forgot about what got em there.

[Bkhuna]

They expanded into Central Florida in the early to mid 2000's. I loved Whataburger. I stopped in to several in the Panhandle in my trips over the years. They expanded to fast and left Central Florida a few short years after the initial expansion. Shame.

[Willy]

So, yet another comment about youse rough and tough Texans: you can't buy liquor in a grocery store? Or Costco? WTH?! Here in AZ, every grocery store and many convenience marts sell beer, wine and liquor. I'm beginning to doubt the claims that Texans are really manly men--and strong women.

LOL and ;<)

[Willy]

Panhead John Mebbe because we expect Texans to wear Depends since y'all can't buy liquor 'ceptin' from a special liquor store? Again, ;<) Lessin' you're talkin' 'bout pot likker from a pot of collards...but that ain't the same at all.

[Panhead John]

Willy, if you don’t quit I’m gonna hit you with my purse! 😂

[Mosca]

Wait… there are states where people don’t have to buy liquor directly from the government? Which ones?

[JCBBQ]

The Depends gag…😂😂😂😂

Dude! I don’t even have to go to Houston. I can get shitty Tex mex for that price in New York City!

[Panhead John]

😂 Yeah, these prices were like going to some fancy high end restaurant! This was just regular ol’ Tex-Mex in a 50 year old building in a “not so fancy” part of town. And what got me was they were crowded with people at 11:30 am. 🙄

[SheilaAnn]

Panhead John and JCBBQ kinda like people lining up for Olive Garden to get Italian food.

[Bkhuna]

SheilaAnn You know, there are some words you can't say in polite society, or here for that matter.

[fzxdoc]

I still have a Ninfa's menu "borrowed" back in my misspent youth. I think the statute of limitations for this transgression has expired.

Check out the prices from back in the day, as in the previous century. And the food was outstanding.







Kathryn

[Michael_in_TX]

Kathryn is a national treasure and should be protected at all costs.

[smokenoob]

if I ever go to Ninfa’s, I’m bringin’ that menu!

[58limited]

That is the menu I remember from college. Yesterday's menu was strange to me, seemed they are trying to become an upscale restaurant. They nailed the pricing but the food quality isn't upscale. I might go to one of the other Ninfa's if they still have the old menu with better pricing but I won't go back to the original unless someone else is paying.

[Sid P]

Those Ninfa prices are why I’m retiring to Winston-Salem. That place WayneT took us to on Thursday night sold a giant burrito with rice and beans for $9.99, and it was excellent!

[Panhead John]

I agree, the place was great!

[WayneT]

None other than Pancho Villas!

[smokenoob]

nothing to write home about but you wrote AR, I thought this was you home……??? 😁

[Porkies]

Those prices are crazy. Inflation, and inflating of wages for high schooler jobs, don't help that situation.

Panhead John There was a restaurant which was known for it's country fried steaks back in my Houston days. You got two large plates (and I always went at lunch), one of which was filled with the cfs handing over the edges - gravy dripping - and the other plate was filled with fries. I can't remember the name of it and you may have been too young to have been.

[J-Melt]

I am in Houston in a little more than a week for my Grandma’s memorial service. Maybe I should have my family stop by at done point while we are there!

[Panhead John]

J-Melt Sorry to hear about your grandma, my condolences. Do you know what part of Houston they’ll be in? Houston is huge, if they’re too far from there, maybe I can recommend something else for them.

[J-Melt]

Thank you. She passed back before the Texas Meatup, but the we decided on a summer memorial service so everyone can make it. I’ll be north west kinda near 1960 and I45. We used to drive through tomball to get there from Austin while I was a kids, so it would not be too far out of the way.