Review of Josephine’s Poboy Cheeseburger in Midtown Houston

When a friend messaged me to tell me that her sons had just devoured a premium poboy cheeseburger at Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, I knew I had to try one.

I knew hamburger poboys are a thing in New Orleans—a recent visit to Orange Lee’s PoBoys & Wings in Cypress refreshed this nugget for me—but I’ve never actually tried one. I was always distracted by fried shrimp, oysters or cafish; or maybe a mess of roast beef covered in sauce and debris.

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It was time. Josephine’s sneaky name for the poboy burger also amused me – both for its literal imagery of side-by-side patties on a French bun, and for its homage to Houston rapper Paul Wall’s hit “Sittin Sidewayz” featuring Big Pokey, a bit of hip-hop nostalgia from the 2005 memory box.

“I’m the undisputed king of the parking lot, sitting on the side,” the song ends. I could imagine Josephine’s Mississippi-born chef, Lucas McKinney, smiling with his head as he put the poboy on his exciting Gulf Coast menu.

Leave your car in the parking lot and come check it out.

Price: $18 for a 3-patty cheeseburger on a French bun, cut in half, with a side of fries. (It can feed two normal-sized people or a linebacker.) Grab a beer or glass of red wine from the surprisingly fun list and you’re set.

Order : Table service at the counter, in the dining room or on the terrace.

Architecture: On a 10-inch French bun, a dollop of burger sauce, made with mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard, followed by three beef patties about 1/3 inch thick. A shiny sheet of melted American cheese slides down their sides. Next comes the traditional iceberg chiffonade, tomato slices, thick rounds of sweet and sour bread and buttered pickles, and the finishing touch: strands of red onion fried into sticks and thin rings. A little more burger sauce finishes it off.

Quality: Stop me before I use the word “delicious.” Oh, I give up, because that’s exactly how this mighty sandwich hits. The ingredients sing, from the well-seasoned 44 Farms beef patties streaked with grill marks, to the tomatoes that were actually red the night I tried them, to the way the casual burger sauce supports and enhances the beef without taking over. above.

And oh, the way NOLA’s Leidenheimer bread does its job, from its crackly crust to its feathery crumb. Add some bread and butters with a big homemade font and that unexpected fleet of lightly fried red onion strings, and you’ll start to understand why my friend felt the need to message me about the poboy.

One of the patties is sliced ​​to better distribute it along the entire length of the sandwich. And there’s enough room for two normal-sized people to share, although I could imagine destroying the whole thing.

Silt rating: The patties are juicy rather than drippy, and there aren’t many condiment stains.

Value: Decent considering the size and quality, plus the accompanying flock of fries.

Bonus points: The fries are good in their own right, crisp and vigorously seasoned even if they don’t have a fresh-cut interior texture. And the service here is so welcoming and hospitable, with a palpable esprit de corps, that it adds value. They recently added Max Braverman, who made Jun’s fascinating cocktails, as bar chef, so I’m looking forward to what he brings to the roster.

Vegetarian options: Nothing in the burger/sandwich categories, and the vegetable sides tend to be porky, but there’s a fascinating Southern green pea salad, hush puppies, cookies, and fun desserts on the menu.

Tips for later: The gorgeous gumbo, rockfish dip and homemade jam biscuits are all perfect to take home.

Local color : If you love the sound of a happy dining room, Josephine is for you. It’s not the party crowd of Midtown, but rather a demographic mix of ages and backgrounds brought together by our love of Louisiana-influenced Southern cuisine and coastal seafood. of the Gulf. I sat at the counter between an older man who was asking for “the Macallan list” of expensive single malt scotch and a young woman who had come from the office to try a variety of farmed Gulf oysters hand-picked by Josephine. As she looked through the tray full of ice cubes with its labels marked, she marveled at how different they all tasted.

At the end of the counter, a few guys were groaning at the Astros game playing on the big screens. At least the Sittin Sidewayz burger made it less painful.

Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, 318 Gray St., 713-527-8988. Lunch and dinner every day.