Sometimes it's just too damn hot to cook at home. And sometimes -- as in these days of record heat and few cloudbursts -- it's even too hot to want to brave a parking lot and sit in a possibly under-air-conditioned restaurant.

That's where drive-thrus and curbside pick-up become our best friends. What's better for beating the heat than having someone hand your food through your driver's side window while you never leave the A/C-blasting confines of your cool little car, absconding back home to eat your treasure on the couch with all of the shades drawn?

Maybe that's just me, but the fact is that great drive-thrus are often unrecognized, despite their ever-increasing popularity in our heavily car-crowded city.

10. Hooters

When we polled our readers earlier this week, Twitter follower Jeff Greer swore by the curbside pick-up at Hooters: "50 naked Bentley Flappers with bleu cheese from Hooters - perfect for a game or movie at home..." Although you kind of miss the point of dining at Hooters by not having one of its scantily-clad waitresses tend to you, we can't argue with the logic of curbside wings to-go.

9. Chacho's

An old favorite of Robb Walsh's and of mine as well, Chacho's is famous for two things: Staying open 24 hours and serving fast-food tortillas that would put your grandmother's to shame. Check out the one on Westheimer near the Galleria for dual drive-thrus to minimize your waiting time.

8. Becks Prime

At certain Becks Prime locations, the greenery around the building makes it feel like you aren't even at a drive-thru; it makes for a pretty pleasant wait at this perennially popular burger joint. But the burgers and extra-thick milkshakes aren't the only draw: Where else can you get a drive-thru rib-eye or hunk of seared ahi tuna?