Editors note: This location of Hubcap Grill closed in March 2010.

At the start of the summer I decided I'd had enough of living with vague allergies and other miseries that couldn't be pinpointed by regular old doctors, so I headed to an allergy clinic and let them prick my skin and scratch my skin and test my blood for reactions. I was not expecting to find that I would have to adjust my diet to live without cow's milk and beef.

Next to "beef" on my chart, there were four check marks and a plus sign, meaning the reaction was off the charts.
Photo by Sara Cress: The festive exterior of the new Hubcap Grill.

My thoughts upon hearing the news turned immediately to Hubcap Burger Grill. I craved one of those beautifully made burgers, seasoned so nicely, a little charred, on a hefty, toasted bun, a little mayo, a slice of melting cheese. My first Hubcap burger was a couple of days before Ike hit. Word had been spreading around our building that these burgers were amazing, and, in the midst of so much worry about the hurricane, eating that burger was a half-hour of sheer happiness.

My instructions: Avoid beef for three months, then try it again to see what the reaction was, to see if it was bearable.
Photo by Sara Cress: Nothing fancy inside.

The three-month mark came at the beginning of September, but I kept putting it off until I heard that there was a new Hubcap Grill opening two minutes away from my house near Reliant Park. The plan for reintroducing beef became perfectly clear.

The new Hubcap is in a dilapidated strip center at Buffalo Speedway and Main, behind a Church's Chicken. It's one of those places you would pass by in your car and grumble about how ugly Houston can be. But Hubcap's windows are festive, and you have to give owner Ricky Craig (who was in the kitchen during our visit, training his new employees) credit for opening in a not-at-all-trendy neighborhood.

The large, gray dining room (yes, Hubcaps are chrome, I know, but a another color might have been less dreary) was mostly empty last Saturday afternoon, though it was after the lunch hour and there was a slow-but-steady line of customers coming in for take-out orders. A postal worker delivered a piece of mail with a smile and said, "great burgers, man. Great burgers."
Photo by Sara Cress: Yum.

My burger was similar to those I've had at the downtown location, with a couple of unhappy differences: the patty was thinner and drier and the bun was an unappealing pale color with sooty char marks. Still a yummy burger, just not quite the perfection that I've come to expect from Hubcap. The fries, however, were perfect: crisp, seasoned and hot.

My boyfriend, a Hubcap newbie, was pleased enough with his burger to want to recommend it to coworkers. We both mused that we hope the neighborhood will support the business, which will be tough given the four fast-food restaurants within spitting distance. But if Hank's Ice Cream and Mama's Oven can survive in this neglected stretch of Main, maybe Hubcap can, too.

Hubcap Grill, 9591 S. Main. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Cash only, no ATM on premises just yet, but it's coming. Burgers start at $4.

Postscript: The end of my sad allergy tale is that the burger, though a lovely experience, also was a painful one that has lasted days. Beef and I have called it quits, but I'm glad I ended it on a high note.