We understand this category may initially seem a bit odd, as the words "concert food" tend to conjure up disturbing images of stale chips drowning in phosphorescent cheese, neon-orange grease pools of pizza, and the leathery hotdogs in ill-fitting buns so often found at Houston's larger concert venues.
And yes, it would be pointless to rank such items because, like portapotties, even the "best" among them still doesn't pass for preferable and certainly isn't worthy of a half-hour wait in line.
Luckily some of the city's smaller locales serve up hearty helpings of electrifying live music and equally enticing cuisine - some we even dine at regardless of what band is scheduled to play. Rock's Off's Top 5 places to grab a bite at a show are listed below.
5. The Continental Club. While it may lack a kitchen, the Main Street Mecca of rockabilly and roots rock made our list on account of Adam and Lena Fisher's backroom barbecue setup, producing some of the tastiest brisket and link sandwiches in town from a tiny table stationed near the back bar.
On nights when the duo is not in attendance, we generally opt to soak up the booze at Tacos A-Go-Go, located right next door. Most nights the line even moves quickly enough to scarf down a taco or two between sets. 3700 Main Street, 713-529-9899, Web site
4. Last Concert Café. Even though it's happened on a number of occasions over the years, we're still perplexed every single time we hear someone say, "What? LCC is a restaurant?" Maybe they thought the "cafe" was metaphorical (it's like...a big freaking platter of live music, maaaan)? Or perhaps became distracted by the twirling peasant skirts and hula-hoops or one of the reggae, singer-songwriter, roots-rock or jam bands that regularly play out back.
And it's possible the aforementioned persons never arrived before 10:30 p.m. when the kitchen stops serving a wide array of seriously tasty Mexican fare and combination plates with quirky names like "Mama's Little Dinner," "Mama's Big Dinner", and "Baby Mama". Then again, could be they were all just really, really stoned. 1403 Nance Street, 713-226-8563, Web site
