Keith Lee in Houston visiting local restaurants
HOUSTON - Keith Lee, the former-MMA-fighter-turned-social-media-food-critic with over 15 million TikTok followers, has landed in H-Town.
Lee recently took to social media, posting a video on Nov. 18, to share the exciting news of his upcoming "food tour taste test" in Houston.
Recently, Lee's reviews in Atlanta created a mix of controversy and opportunity for local businesses. While some owners were disappointed or angered by his criticism, others saw a chance to engage with customers and improve their services. Lee's followers have coined this phenomenon as the "Keith Lee Effect".
His TikTok and Instagram accounts are frequently updated with his comments after he visits a restaurant, sharing his thoughts on presentation, customer service, and food.
As of now, Lee has tried two local restaurants while touring the city and posting on social media.
Below are the reviews he has given of these local restaurants:
Keith Lee's local restaurant visits and points:
1. Stick Talk Cajun-Hibachi - Overall rating is between 7.0 and 7.2
Keith's order: $135- Salmon, 2 chicken bowls, 1 Salmon- Ribeye bowl with a Raspberry Lemonade
- No phone orders
- After tasting, he felt the meat inside the bowl could have more salt and spice, like onion.
- The sauce on the side did enhance the flavor of the food and complimented the food well.
- The sauces are really good and were a part of the high rating the restaurant received.
- Hours of Operation: Monday-Wednesday 11am until 12am, Thursday-Sunday 11am until 3am
- Chicken bowls with sauce - rated 7.3 with sauce and without sauce it is 7.0 out of 10.
- The rib-eye bowl was more tender than the chicken but still needed more flavor - rated 7.2 out of 10.
- Rasberry Lemonade is sour but sweet and not too sweet, which he liked - rated 7.3 out of 10.
2. Butter Funk Kitchen -Overall rating varies but is pretty good
Keith's order: $60 -Red beans and rice with Catfish and a side of Mac' n Cheese plate, Corn bread, Fried Okra, Six piece lemon pepper wings,
Oxtails and gravy plate and Gumbo.
- Take a call in orders and must pay over the phone.
- Hours of Operation- Monday- Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday and Saturday- 11am-10pm and Sunday 11am-9pm.
- Oxtail plate, wasn't a fan of the gravy thickness but was a fan of everything on the plate,- rated 7.8 out of 10.
- The red beans and rice are spicy and seasoned and have a flavor- rated 8.2 out of 10.
- The catfish could have been cooked a little harder just as a preference, but the overall flavor is good and juicy - rated 8.9 out of 10.
- Mac N' Cheese needs a lot more flavor, in his opinion, and little but more salt and said he's not a fan of it- rated 3 out of 10.
- Fried Okra is okay. He likes the way they cook, because it doesn't have slimness with it. He suggested a little more seasoning as a personal preference - rated 7 out of 10.
- Lemon pepper wings seasoned well and really good - rated 8.5 out of 10.
- Keith Lee is allergic to shrimp, so his wife tasted their gumbo. The meat is too soft, and the gumbo feels more like a soup - rated 6 out of 10.