Category: Houston restaurants (Page 1 of 2)

Rosie Cannonball: A Pleasing First Visit to a New Houston Restaurant

I am not one to visit a restaurant before it has had time to iron out the details, before back of the house and front of the house teams have gone through a good number of services.

I made an exception last week in Houston. Rosie Cannonball is the name, and I trust the executive chef there. His name is Felipe Riccio, and his approach to cooking appeals to me. (The other principals at the restaurant — David Keck, Ryan Cooper, June Rodil, and Adam Garcia — also made it easy for me to join the early-days crowd.)

Angela and I arrived for our 9 p.m. reservation, and the next two hours passed in a wonderful and delicious way. We began with burrata and charred tomatoes, which, we eventually decided, was the best dish of the evening. The tomatoes were juicy and rich, the burrata — partly melted, partly solid — was substantial and authentic, and the bread accompanying it was among the best I’ve had in Houston, the crust crisp and charred, the interior moist, hot, and almost chewy.

Charred leeks were next, and though not as satisfying as the first course — my palate was a bit confused by the flavors here, as a lemony/citrus note seemed to battle back and forth with an anchovy/briny undertone, never achieving unity, and the thickest parts of the leeks were a bit too mushy — the crisper and charred portions of the vegetable were memorable. I like the application of flame to vegetables, and this dish is something I want to try one more time.

Charred leeks, salsa verde, toasted bread crumbs, and leek powder, at Rosie Cannonball

Pizza was next; we went for simple cheese pie, because I love the source of the cheeses used here. Lira Rossa is a creamery based in Texas, run by an Italian, and everything I’ve tried from the place has been authentic and good.

As with the burrata, the dough part of this pie was superb, as was the tomato sauce, but … we needed more cheese. Simply put, the amounts of mozzarella, latteria, and caciotta were deficient (in our opinions). We did not mention this to Maggie, the woman who was taking our orders and delivering our food and wine (as I told you, Rosie Cannonball is a new restaurant, and we did not expect perfection), but when the check arrived, we were told the chef had been unhappy with the pie so was not going to charge us.

This is not your everyday mint chocolate chip ice cream, and that’s a good thing. Rosie Cannonball’s version should be on your agenda.

Desserts? We debated this decision for a few minutes, then decided on the Good Thyme Farm Mint Gelato and the Torrijas. Angela has had a long and satisfying relationship with mint chocolate chip ice cream, and she gave this version of the flavor a hearty “yes” … it was creamy and rich and made with care.

My brioche was over the top, in the best way. I have been scaling back my consumption of desserts, but was glad I made an exception here. I was served a brioche that was dense and crisp, roasted in the embers of Rosie Cannonball’s wood-burning oven, accompanied by a fine ice cream swirled with dulce de leche. It was all a success, a dish whose individual components sang together with grace

Seriously decadent: This brioche French toast with dulce de leche and milk ice cream will make you very happy.

I am in the process of dining at my favorite restaurants in Houston, an exercise designed to “bid farewell for now” to some people and places I’ll miss when Angela and I move to Los Angeles (in November), and I have saved an evening for one more visit to Rosie Cannonball. Focaccia di Recco, you will be mine.

Rabbit, Peaches, and Some Great Wines: Theodore Rex is One of Houston’s Best

Theodore Rex has, for the past year or so, been one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, and a recent evening spent there resulted in a firm reinforcement of that opinion. It is, in my estimation, one of the five best restaurants in that city.

I’ve dined at Theodore Rex six or so times, and each evening has been full of myriad flavors and textures that are just right, from a dish of poached peaches coddled in a rich broth with fresh herbs — a savory/slightly sweet beauty of a course — to handmade farfalle in a rich sauce vin jaune with chard and braised rabbit (typing that made me want to have this dish now) or, one of my top dishes of the past several years, beans and rice (but not your average bowl of beans and rice, to be sure).

Beans and rice
Tomatoes and bread extraordinaire

On that recent evening, Angela and I sat at the chef’s counter at Theodore Rex and shared a few dishes (we skipped the beans and rice — “Carolina Gold rice and butterbeans cooked in soft butter with crushed garden leaves,” but will have them on our next visit — ) including the famous tomato toast:

As I wrote about that toast last year … another small and epiphanic item that you will crave often after experiencing its wonder. It combines rye pain de mie, bright green herbs and onions, and some of the most delicately delicious tomatoes you’ve tasted. (Many pounds of the fruit are cooked down into a rich fondant, which is spread on the toast and then topped with cherry tomatoes from Finca Tres Robles.)

The Dutch Crunch Roll
Ham and cream and hot sauce

We had the Dutch Crunch roll, which came with split butter (butter mixed with just enough crème fraîche to split it without completely separating it — Justin Yu, the man behind the restaurant, says, “it has a fun texture and I like the sourness.” I agree) and ham and Mexican oregano and Cherry Bomb pepper sauce. We had those peaches in stock and herbs — the fruit was mighty savory, while still tart — and that ethereal housemade farfalle with rabbit, the vin jaune sauce one of the best I’ve tasted.

Peaches and herbs
Farfalle and rabbit
An Abariño of distinction
From France, with much love.

To end the evening, instead of my usual dessert choice, Yu’s take on the Paris Brest, we went with a moist and rich strawberry cake. I missed the Paris Brest only a little.

A fine cake of strawberries

The great wines? An Albariño to start, followed by a selection from Charles Hours. Yes, Theodore Rex has a wine list I adore.

Dishes on My Mind: Spring, Delicate and Bold

Sitting at a table on Wednesday evening with four other diners, 1999 Perrier-Jouët and 2006 Nicolas Feuillatte in our glasses. We talked about memorable meals and weekends, the Kentucky Derby, and California wines.

The occasion: A winemaker was in Houston, and I was in the middle of a two-day tasting tour with him, his national sales director, and his wines (Component and State of Mind). The day had been full; joining us at dinner was a couple who had supported his wines from early on. Michael celebrated their patronage with this meal (and this couple shared their 20th wedding anniversary with us) at Tony’s.

Let’s get to the delicate part, and a dish I ordered on that evening, called Spring’s First Harvest. It was white asparagus, fava beans, and baby bibb lettuce, plated in a beautiful manner. I was in Spargelzeit heaven.

Advertisement: I’m loving this volume on wine grapes. Get your own by clicking on the image above.

White asparagus and fava beans, on the tasting menu at Tony’s in Houston.

The spear of asparagus — the best part, the tip and a small portion of the stalk — had a lingering crispness, and a taste that took me back to Germany, an earthy deepness that paired well with the fava beans. Each bite of this small journey was ethereal.

A few days earlier, at another table, around 10 o’clock in the evening, my brother-in-law, Mark, in town. Mark and Angela and I at Nobie’s. More spring, but, this time, definitely not delicate.

Bold is what this dish was, and, as with the asparagus dish at Tony’s, done well. Orecchiette made by hand, peas, pistachio pesto, lemon curd, and goat cheese. Plus, an optional addition, duck confit. Rich, wholly satisfying, a perfect ensemble. It’s called Orecchiette con Piselli.

You might not be able to find a better plate of pasta.

The pasta did almost melt in my mouth, save for a toothsome bite that gave way to a silky sensation. I’ve written about the pasta at Nobie’s, and have been nothing but impressed with what’s done with flour, eggs, and water (and perhaps olive oil and salt?) in Martin Stayer’s kitchen.

The peas, the lemon curd, the cheese, and the duck, each at peak freshness, seem made for the orecchiette, and if anyone alive pushed this plate away after one bite, I would not want to know them.

James Beard Shows Some Deserved Love to Kaiser Lashkari and Tony Vallone

I contain multitudes of identities as a writer and eater, and this piece is written by the private, unaffiliated, subjective one, the man who writes unhindered by any encumbrance, who need not think about an editor (except myself) or anyone’s vanities, insecurities, lack of experience or knowledge, delusions, or frailties.

Two of my favorite restaurants in Houston — Tony’s and Himalaya — were this week nominated for James Beard Awards, and I could not be happier, because I love both places, and adore and respect the men (and women) who run them. The food they oversee is moving, delicious, and it comforts and warms me. I am glad to be their friend.

Kaiser Lashkari, who with his wife, Azra, runs Himalaya, is a semifinalist in the Best Chef Southwest category, and Tony Vallone, whose wife, Donna, is his partner in excellence, and his team are (once again) in the running for the Outstanding Service Award. There is stiff competition in both categories, but making the cut this far is no small feat.

Tony Vallone in his domain.

I’ve spent hour upon hour in both restaurants — last night I dined at Himalaya, and invited a friend who had never eaten there; as with everyone else Angela and I have introduced to Kaiser’s food, he loved it, the Masala fried chicken and the saag paneer, the chicken achaari — and both places are now part of me. Both men — Vallone for more than half a century, Lashkari for 15 years now — have created small universes that exert satisfying pull, on me and many others.

From Italy, with love

Anyone who has occupied a table at Tony’s need not be convinced that the restaurant’s nomination is deserved. Nothing is out of place. Guests are never asked, “Are you still working on that.” The wine is poured properly, the cutlery placed just so. And it all began, and begins, with Vallone’s demanding attention.

Here’s something I wrote about Vallone in a piece on his 50th anniversary of owning the restaurant: He’ll never stop. I have had long conversations about food with many people in various locations around the world, from Paris to New York to Hong Kong, and none of those discussions has been more captivating than the ones I’ve shared with Vallone. We talk of sweetbreads and the importance of proper service etiquette. We speak about Tony May, of San Domenico fame, (whose retirement earlier this year leaves Vallone as one of the culinary world’s few elder statesmen) and Marcella Hazan. Our conversations could go on endlessly, interrupted only by a waiter bringing a ristretto — Vallone’s drink of choice — to the table.

A master at work

Lashkari also runs a tight organization, and has eyes in the back of his head. When I walked into Himalaya last night, I spied him seated at a table, alone, a menu and notes in front of him. Seconds later, he glanced to his left, saw that a table of diners was in need of attention , and silently alerted a waiter. He’s the kind of man whose accolades make no one jealous. If he wins the Beard Award, those who know him will rejoice.

I’ve written many words about Vallone and Lashkari, about their food and approaches and personalities. I’ve praised the rigatoni bianco Bolognese at Tony’s, and the Nebbiolo Braised Oxtail Alla Vaccinara. The chicken fried steak at Himalaya is one of the few I can eat, and Lashkari’s Parathadilla with lamb is something of which I’ll never tire.

Men and food

If you are out and about in Houston of an evening, and find yourself on Richmond Avenue in the Greenway Plaza area, or near Hillcroft and US 59, spend some time with Vallone and Lashkari. I might be there, continuing my journey around their universes. We’ll eat well.

Do go here.

There’s a beauty in coming to this place, a spot that never tires me. Lamb, beef, masala fried chicken (the best fried chicken in Houston), the Parathadilla — my favorite dish in Houston at the moment — and Hunter’s Beef. More. A lot more. You need the Chicken Hara Masala.

Angela and I introduce people to this table, and the conversions are rapid and deeply felt.  One of my goals is to make sure that everyone who knows me dines at this restaurant. At least once. And when you do, don’t forget to bring bottles of wine, because this place is BYOB.

Nirvana

The platter came to the table, a communal table, and I served the gentleman to my right. I then served Angela, and placed the remainder on my plate. Ragu bianco, crisp fresh pasta sheets, greens, feta, winter squash, béchamel. It’s been at least two months since I tasted something as comforting and complex and rustic and flavorful. All of the components stand starkly alone, but linger as a symphony on the palate. William Wright, of Helen Greek Food and Wine, created this for a fundraising dinner at Poitín for Urban Harvest, and it was more than good.

A winter’s feast

La Lucha Was Warm and Welcoming on a Rainy Evening in Houston

The tacos are, with firm intent, meant to evoke stoner food — crispy tortilla shell, fried shrimp, American cheese, arbol chile — and succeed on that count, and more. The shrimp are toothsome and tender, the sauce clearly made with care, and the whole melds into a series of bites that would satisfy your soul no matter the time of day.

Eat these crispy shrimp tacos no matter your state. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

We’re at La Lucha, and the lighting in the main dining room is just right; one can read the menu with comfort, and the mood is slightly romantic, slightly homey. The chef de cuisine stands at the rear of the room, at the pass, handling tickets and dishes and keeping the kitchen straight.

Tables at the periphery of the dining room are set with white clothes, while those at the center, where we sit, boast uncovered studded metal tops. I like the juxtaposition; it’s as if you are in a place that can deftly handle casual and elegant at the same time, with no jarring clumsiness.

A Muscadet made with care. (Photo by the Brockhaus)

Our Muscadet (2017 Domaine Pierre Luneau-Pepin “La Grange”) costs $40, and we order it to pair with half a dozen wood-smoked jalapeño oysters from the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a good choice. Both are good choices. Large oysters from that gulf are not my preferred oysters, but I do appreciate them grilled over a fire and heat produced by burning wood. These at La Lucha are buttery and spicy and rich, and the crisp Muscadet, it is slightly effervescent and briny and cleanses the palate with grace.

The oysters, on the half shell, are plump, and they nestle in hot butter; we ask for more bread with which to sop that butter, because it is good, and warms us.

Do not waste any of the juices in this dish. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

La Crawfish bread is next, followed by those tacos. It is not late, but the room is inviting, and the bread, a pressed Po’ boy stuffed with crawfish and cheese, is crisp and moist, and when we eat some of it with the parsley salad on the plate the acidity of that salad makes the deepness of the Po’ boy soar.

Eat warm, because the acid and the crisp bread and the cheese and crawfish wow you. (Photo by The Brockhaus)

We forgo the fried chicken, but promise ourselves to return on another rainy night. La Lucha is a lot more than promising.

Robard’s Steakhouse Has a Menu Whose Rich Variety Pleases

Angela and I began the evening in the late afternoon with cocktails outdoors. We sat overlooking the 18th hole of a golf course, enjoying our drinks — she a gin and tonic, an Old Fashioned for me — and contemplating the menu at Robard’s Steakhouse, where our table awaited us. It was Happy Hour, so a few canines lounged around us, brought to the restaurant to enjoy the doggie menu (treats made specifically for four-legged creatures) while their owners drank and dined on happy hour specials. The sun began to set, and our reservation time neared.

We began with some wine, and David Morris, the restaurant’s executive chef, greeted us. It was all pleasure from there, because one can find something for most palates on the menu here. The wine list is populated with a lot of the usual suspects, and that could be improved, but the quibbles here are minor.

Click here for my review of Robard’s Steakhouse, which originally appeared in PaperCity. And enjoy the photo gallery.

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The Brockhaus Cooks a Birthday Feast High Above Houston, Theodore Rex Has Great Taste, and Wine Families of Italy

The Brockhaus returned in late July, to cook 41 floors above Houston in a penthouse apartment near River Oaks. I donated a dinner for four as an auction item at The Catastrophic Theatre’s annual gala, and the winning bidder decided to host a birthday feast for a friend, a Brockhaus Birthday.

I came up with a six-course tasting menu that included a tomatillo and cucumber gazpacho (perfect for a hot Houston evening), seared scallops and corn and tomatillo salsa, and ribeye. Alyssa Dole, a pastry chef who lives in Houston, contributed the dessert, a charred-tomato panna cotta with brûléed cherries and kadaif. I want to see her dessert on the menu of a Houston restaurant, because it is a fine dish, full of texture and flavor and one that satisfies all of one’s senses.

This dessert deserves to be enjoyed by the (discriminating) masses. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

I prepped the gazpacho and the dough for the Uovo in Ravioli the night before, and the pork belly was brined for three days. On Saturday, Alyssa made the ravioli, I took care of the risotto and the sauces for the Caesar salad, and all went well.

Here’s the menu:

THE BROCKHAUS

A Birthday Feast / Saturday, July 28, 2018

Houston, Texas

TOMATILLO & CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

SCALLOPS / CORN SALSA

UOVO IN RAVIOLI

PORK BELLY / PEA RISOTTO

GRILLED CAESAR SALAD (Ribeye from Meats by Linz)

CHARRED-TOMATO PANNA COTTA

The course starring the ribeye (Grilled Caesar Salad) featured charred romaine and a traditional olive oil-based sauce featuring garlic and anchovies. I cooked the ribeye at 175 Fahrenheit after searing it on the stovetop, a method I love. The steaks were dry-aged for 55 days.

A great piece of meat. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Romaine and ribeye make a wonderful pair. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Here are some other images from the dinner:

The flame, and a touch of sugar, transforms the flavor. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Put some romaine on a flame and taste. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Berkshire belly brined for three days, then cooked at 375 Fahrenheit. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Ravioli ready for the water. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Finishing ravioli in boiling water. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Rich pasta, egg yolk, pancetta … in broth, oil, and butter. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Ravioli in Uovo (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

The Brockhaus will return soon, so stay tuned to this space for details.

I have had the pleasure of dining at Theodore Rex a number of times in the past several months, and Justin Yu and his team are doing it well. There’s a dish of rice and beans that will move you, and the restaurant’s version of a Paris-Brest belongs in the Pantheon of Houston dishes. The wine list is thoughtful, as well, and you won’t find the service anything but exemplary. Here’s a review I wrote of Theodore Rex. Get a reservation, and let me know what you think.

Tomato Toast: One of the fine dishes at Theodore Rex.

Like a good Croque Madame? I do, and if you are in Houston, I’ve got one to recommend. It’s at Café Poêtes. Read about it here. And when it comes to wine, family and Italy are the themes this week. The Inamas and the Castagnedis produce great things, and if you have not tasted their offerings you’re missing something special. Here’s a look at the Inamas (think Soava and Carménère), and read this to get to know the Castagnedi brothers.

A family of wine. (Courtesy Azienda Agricola Inama)

Football (and Food and Wine): You Win Some, You Lose Some

I need not remind anyone that Die Mannschaft made an ignominious exit from the World Cup this year, one that stirred up much debate in Germany and giddy glee in Britain. For the first time since 1938, the team did not make it of the group stage. Löw and company lost to South Korea and Mexico, all the while playing with no heart, and left it to Croatia and France to contest the final, which was a satisfying spectacle all around.

After Germany’s exit, I was supporting Croatia, mainly because I like the way Luka Modrić plays, but the French side was better on the day. With Germany gone, I didn’t entirely lose interest in the tournament, but 2018’s World Cup will not be remembered as one of my favorites … a lot of the play was lackluster, Neymar was (and is) an idiot, and, well, Germany was definitely not Germany. We now wait for 2020 and 2022, and a better Mannschaft.

There’s more to life than Fußball, of course, and good wine and food are two vital components of an existence well lived. Angela and I were in Florida last week, there to visit my parents, who live in Clearwater, and my friend John Ryan, whom I have known since I was a child. We cooked steaks and opened a few bottles, and we made it to some restaurants, dining on fried chicken and shrimp cocktails and collard greens. One evening, Angela and I made the short drive to the Seminole Heights area of Tampa and ate at  The Refinery, where the pakora was overfried but a dish of pappardelle, black eyed peas, sauerkraut, bacon, dill, and crème fraîche was a revelation.

Pappardelle, black eyed peas, and sauerkraut … at The Refinery in Tampa.

The homemade pappardelle was to the tooth, the combination of crème fraîche, dill, and bacon amazingly comforting, and the black eye peas and sauerkraut? I would eat that by the gallons. Some olive oil and salt completed this surprise course. (The chef and owner of The Refinery, Greg Baker, attended high school with my friend Steven Eigenmann, the goalkeeper on my Florida club soccer team, who recommended we try the restaurant. I trusted him in goal, and I trust his palate.)

This Tomato Toast at Theodore Rex will have you smiling.

Back in Houston, Theodore Rex and a Rosé were on my mind. You can read my review of Justin Yu’s restaurant here, including a few words about Tomato Toast, and if you’re looking for a wine to share with good people, I recommend the Endless Crush, from Inman Family Wines.

Here’s a Rosé for you.

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