Tag: Theodore Rex

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.

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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