Florence “Flo” Bosley is the queen of the steam table. Most cuisines aren’t tough enough to endure the rigors of the lunch buffet (although that never stops Chinese restaurants from trying). But the down-home soul cooking of Bo & Flo’s only benefits with a spell on the buffet table’s steam bath. Most of the dishes have already simmered for hours anyway; so if, say, the oxtails have been braised until they’re falling-off-the-bone tender, more steaming will only intensify their flavor.
Open since 1997, Bo & Flo’s is a beacon of soul-food goodness, and Flo is exactly the kind of woman you want filling your Styrofoam plate. She’s been cooking since she was a little girl, and has a drawer full of recipes to prove it. As she told me, though, “I don’t measure anything — you know how it is, a pinch of thisย.”
“Everything here is made the old-fashioned way,” she says, “because that’s the way I love to cook.” And she means what she says: no packaged foods, nothing frozen, and the only thing that comes out of a can is tomato sauce. The cornbread and rolls are baked fresh daily (and kept warm, individually wrapped in foil, in a Nesco roaster on the back counter). The vegetable medley is made from fresh vegetables; the mashed potatoes are the real thing. Flo even makes her own boudin — both pork and seafood.
Yes, there is a menu, which lists burgers, sandwiches and fried seafood. (And the stuffed shrimp, $5.50, were amazing, with a crabmeat stuffing so good, I’d be happy to skip the shrimp entirely.)
But the heart and soul of the restaurant is the steam table. I can’t tell you what exactly you’ll find on it on any given day, since Flo tries to keep her regulars guessing (call ahead if you must). But it hardly matters, since everything here has been delicious. We’re talking entrees like pork chops, shrimp pilaf with stuffed mushrooms, meat loaf, even quail and dressing.
Oh, and did I mention the price? Entrรฉes range from $2.99 to $5.49. If there’s any other place in Houston where, for $2.99, I can sit down to a plate of homemade chicken and dumplings, with two sides and a piece of fresh cornbread, please let me know.
I have a hard time selecting a favorite among the entrรฉes, but if forced to, I’d have to pick the chicken and dumplings. My serving was a huge portion of tender breast meat, with lots of tasty dumplings smothered in a surprisingly peppery gravy. (I was tempted to have it over a bowl of white rice and call that a side dish.)
Flo’s regulars go for her baked chicken, and I do, too. It’s a “chef’s magic touch” dish: somehow, the chicken is falling apart tender, yet still incredibly juicy and full of flavor, with a luscious skin showered with creole spices.
Flo’s oxtails are distinguished by their surprisingly light gravy. Rather than overwhelming the rich, gelatinous meat, the gravy complements it.
And if you’re not up for oxtails, consider the beef roast, fork-tender slices of crown roast with the deep flavor that only careful slow cooking can achieve.
Flo even does good barbecue, cooking it in an old-fashioned barrel smoker she keeps behind the restaurant. There’s plenty of beautifully crusty sweet pork to worry off the bones, and it’s flavored with tangy homemade sauce.
As for the two “vegetables” that accompany your entrรฉe, Bo & Flo’s defines the term liberally. Counting macaroni and cheese as a vegetable is just fine with me, and with mac’n’cheese as good as this, who cares what you call it?
Even more traditional vegetables are terrific: stuff like smothered okra, new potatoes cooked with green beans, or classic creamy red beans. Most memorable, though, are the greens. Usually mustard, but occasionally collard, they’re long-simmered with salt pork, seasonings, vinegar and a pinch of sugar. The juice demands to have cornbread crumbled into it.
Bo & Flo’s doesn’t serve desserts, but take heart if you’re in the mood for something sweet. Flo’s yams are startlingly good, intensely flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger — a taste of the holidays year round.
Bo & Flo’s Restaurant and Catering Service, 5127 Ella Boulevard, (713)686-5700.
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 1999.