Houston · Vintage Park
Black Walnut Cafe: My $18 Wagyu Chicken-Fried Steak Visit
Black Walnut Cafe had so many choices that I had a hard time deciding what to order. I ended up picking the Texas-sized wagyu chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and housemade gravy while my friend Nicole and I caught up over dinner.
It was a big plate, but the steak wasn’t my favorite. The mashed potatoes and a grape Sprite were the parts of my order I enjoyed more.
From my video published October 13, 2023.
What I tried
Chicken lettuce wraps
The chicken was tender, and I liked the cilantro and herbs. For my taste, though, the filling was both too salty and too sweet. Nicole liked the seasoning more than I did.
Adding the pickled onions helped bring everything together. That tangy bite made the wrap better for me. The filling also had peanuts.
Wagyu chicken-fried steak
The portion was large enough that I was already thinking about leftovers. The part of the coating I tried was nicely fried, but I wished the gravy had come on the side so it wouldn’t soften the crust.
The meat was a little too salty for me. This wasn’t a dish I’d choose again based on that meal.
Mashed potatoes
I liked the potatoes more than the steak. They were creamy and buttery, with the right amount of salt for me. I just wished they had been mashed a little more, since I prefer them smooth instead of chunky.
A bite of chicken parmesan
I tried some of Nicole’s chicken parmesan too. The chicken was dry, and it didn’t stand out to me.
Grape Sprite
I ordered a grape Sprite, which tasted like grape syrup mixed with Sprite. I enjoyed it!
How much was it?
The wagyu chicken-fried steak was featured at $18 in my October 2023 video. It came with mashed potatoes and housemade gravy. Check the current menu for prices.
What would I get again?
I’d be open to trying something different from the big menu, but I would skip the chicken-fried steak next time. Of what I had, I enjoyed the mashed potatoes and grape Sprite more. One entrée doesn’t tell the whole story of a restaurant, so there were plenty of other dishes I hadn’t tried.
Restaurant details
Restaurant: Black Walnut Cafe — Vintage Park
Address: 10623 Louetta Rd, Houston, TX 77070
Food: Cafe dishes, sandwiches and American entrées
Watch my full visit
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