NICK’S LOCAL EATS
HI-SNACKS
HOPE YOU’RE HUNGRY! story and photos by Nick Rama
Remember when you were a kid and you could eat anything you wanted and calories didn’t matter. If you do where would you eat? I found a place called Hi-Snacks with over the top burgers, loaded fries, sandwiches and even a funnel cake and milkshake bar. Located on the north side of Houston on 1960 (aka Cypress Creek Parkway) at Ella. It has a sign on the building with a yellow smiley face that says Hi-Snacks on top of it and a tag line that says “Hungry?.. Walk in and to the right is a mural with the same Nick Rama logo but much larger. In the front of the restaurant a digital menu on a TV screen sits directly behind the order counter. To the left the line for you to customize your own funnel cakes or milkshakes that you can dream up from a long list of toppings. This is definitely a family destination or even a fun low key date night. The first time I came there to eat with some of my good Foodie friends, I wasn’t in the mood for a burger so I chose the Philly cheese steak. This was a Philly done right. It has cheesy goodness, with perfectly thin sliced grilled beef, with sautéed onions and mushrooms. I can tell you one thing I have learned about Hi-Snacks, and that is that they don’t skimp on anything when it comes to their menu. You will definitely get what you pay for. My friends got some lemon pepper wings and a Buffalo chicken sandwich. We all split the BBQ fries with shredded cheddar cheese,
24
AUGUST 6 - 19, 2015
PUBLIC NEWS
sour cream, crispy bacon chunks, green onions and jalapeños. This could have been a meal in itself. We were so full after this meal none of us wanted to go back to work. We were all sitting there totally full, but kept picking at the remnants until we left. We practically had to roll ourselves out the door. The Buffalo sandwich was nice and crispy, with perfect bright red hot and vinegary sauce, which had a nice kick of heat. I am usually not a fan of lemon pepper anything, but these wings were great. Fried and seasoned with just the right, they had the perfect amount of crispness and seasoning. We all agreed that after one visit we were hooked and would be back to try more. Hi-Snacks is owned by Nytassja Palacios, she is always smiling and throwing out delicious fun food from her kitchen. Hi-Snacks might not look like much from the outside, just an ordinary strip center with a few other shops. Once you walk in and take a look at the menu, you will probably read the descriptions on the menu and start wondering how each menu item will taste; I know I did. The first thing that caught my eye was the Hi-Patty Melt, because I have always loved a good patty melt. I read the description and saw that theirs has some subtle differences between an ordinary patty melt and the Hi Patty Melt. This was not on the standard grilled rye bread, but on grilled brioche toast. They then add creamy pepper jack cheese with bacon, along with your standard grilled onions and a little mayo.... Why, yes, please, everything is better with bacon! The Firecracker Burger is another one of my favorites. It has two beef patties, crispy onion strings, crispy jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, bacon and a creamy Firecracker sauce. All of their signature burgers are served