Tag: Hanger Steak

Roost Has Hooked Me

This is one of the best things I have put in my mouth in a long time.

This is one of the best things I have put in my mouth in a long time.

There’s a Notes list on my iPhone that grows larger daily. It’s a list of restaurants in Houston I plan to visit. Last night I crossed one off of the roster, a restaurant about which I have heard a lot, good things. It’s called Roost.

I have been looking for a restaurant here with “personality,” which in my book means, loosely, “not slick and shiny, not a place that looks as if it belongs in a hotel lobby or was designed with ‘wow’ in mind.” Too often, I have found lately, more attention is devoted to wall hangings and shiny displays than it is to the food. Roost, however, has the type of personality I want. Small space, a bar at which two people can sit, lots of wood, simple tables and chairs, eclectic decoration on the walls. It’s in a house on a fairly quiet street in a residential area of Houston, and my dinner there was one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve spent dining in this city thus far.

I arrived a little after 6 and waited for Angela at the bar, which overlooks a small room that has a pass-through to the kitchen. A Sixpoint (in a can, a tallboy) was my order, and I sat and drank and watched the activity as diners began walking in. Roost does not take reservations for parties of fewer than six, but outside the restaurant picnic benches provide perfect seats in which to wait for your table. The chef and owner, Kevin Naderi, was out out at those tables lighting the heat lamps.

Angela arrived, and we took our seat at a table along the back wall that gave us a perfect view of the dining room, which by that time was filling quickly, mostly parties of four, with a few couples mixed in. The menu at Roost has just been changed, and I was impressed: highlights to my eye were hanger steak, mussels in a red curry, an oyster stack, an off-menu special of redfish. And the “famous” cauliflower.

An oyster stack at Roost is a good thing.

An oyster stack at Roost is a good thing.

We ordered the cauliflower, the oyster stack, an order of the mussels, and the hanger steak, with a bottle of Hahn pinot noir. In short, every dish was very good, especially the fried cauliflower, with its sauce and pignoli and onions. (It is usually served with bonito flakes, but we asked from them on the side, though I later nestled them on top of each floret.)

Hanger steak done with class.

Hanger steak done with class.

The fried oysters were breaded perfectly, and the sautéed spinach under them was a great touch. The mussels were cooked well, full of flavor, which the curry (tomato-based) complemented ideally. Hanger steak medium rare with kimchi rice (a half order) and a runny egg came to the table with aplomb: nice temperature, fine flavor, though it could have used a bit of salt at the end.

You like crisp-on-the-outside doughnuts? How about coffee ice cream and pistachios? Then get this.

You like crisp-on-the-outside doughnuts? How about coffee ice cream and pistachios? Then get this.

Finally, the beignet-like round donuts and coffee ice cream finished our meal. (And a note about the service: Some of the best I have encountered in Houston. Not obsequious, informed, calm, and each plate came out with perfect timing. We were able to enjoy the meal in a relaxed manner. Someone has conducted great training at Roost.)

An Impromptu and Perfect Lunch

Last week I made a spur of the moment decision to dine at RDG+Bar Annie, Robert Del Grande’s elegant restaurant in the Galleria section of Houston. I ordered the Restaurant Weeks menu, and for $20 was treated to three courses … All very good, one excellent. I started with a chilled corn soup – the excellent course – and proceeded to a nearly perfect hanger steak and frites, closing with a chocolate brioche bread pudding. The soup was creamy, fresh roasted corn, touch of spiciness imparted by a dollop of smoked chile, garnished with cotija. I drank a 2011 Jean-Louis Chave Côtes du Rhône ‘Mon Couer’ and am now ordering a case of this beautiful wine.

A lovely touch I encountered in the restaurant … Actually, two lovely touches: a framed handwritten letter from Julia Child to Chef Robert Del Grande hangs on the wall, and when the hostess (I later found it that it was Mimi Del Grande I was talking to) saw the book I was reading, a volume of Johnny Apple‘s NY Times dispatches, she told me that he and his wife, Betsey, were frequent guests . She added that his business card was still in her wallet, and produced it for me. I like how food and passion connects us.

20130828-101607.jpg

20130828-101635.jpg

20130828-101659.jpg

20130828-101743.jpg

20130828-101803.jpg

20130828-101819.jpg

© 2024 Mise en Place

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑