Inside My Table #50 | Restaurant listings
At Your Side
Why do we enjoy tableside preparations so much? They’re terribly old-fashioned (mostly) and labor-intensive for the restaurant. Is it because the whole floorshow rolls up to our table almost oozing showmanship? Such preparations can certainly be exciting: There’s always a frisson of excitement generated by a live demonstration performed at arm’s length, especially when fire is involved. Will the flare of rum singe the chef’s eyebrows? Can the teppan chef really catch a shrimp in his hat? Will the fish skeleton be lifted out intact? When the magic show moves from the kitchen to tableside, food is transformed into an entertainment, an artform, an experience.
ARCODORO RISTORANTE ITALIANO, 5000 Westheimer at Post Oak Blvd., 713-621-6888. Salt-crusted fish is evidence of Arcodoro’s emphasis on freshness ÷ there’s no making this dish with iffy fish. To begin, a selection of fresh fish in varied sizes and types is presented to the diner. After a faultless fish is singled out, it returns to the kitchen to be covered in a dome of salt and baked. Twenty minutes later, the salt crust is cracked open at the table, and the perfectly cooked (and decidedly unsalty) fish is served with elation. $$$
BENIHANA, 9707 Westheimer at S. Gessner, 713-789-4962, and other locations. Benihana and similar restaurants (such as Tokyohana) offer the ultimate in tableside preparations, as the entire meal is cooked at the teppanyaki grill, a U-shaped table around which diners sit. Showmanship is the key here, and the chef performs tricks with knives and the customers’ food. “Playing with your food” is allowed, even encouraged. $$
BRENNAN’S, 3300 Smith St. at Stuart St., 713-522-9711. Since the birth of bananas Foster (named for Dick Foster, friend of Owen Brennan) at the original New Orleans Brennan’s some 50 years ago, the dessert has bloomed into one of Houston’s most popular sweets. Bananas are sauteed in butter while sugar and rum are added. As the chef flambes the bananas, cinnamon is sprinkled over, creating a fireworks effect. Vanilla ice cream completes the ensemble. $$$
CARMELO’S, 14795 Memorial Dr. at Dairy Ashford Rd., 281-531-0696. Steak Diane, along with numerous other entrees and desserts, has become a fabled tableside treat on Carmelo’s Sicilian menu. When one requests this particular entree, the meat is brought out on a trolley and cut in front of the customer into three pieces. It is semi-cooked in the kitchen, but finished tableside with butter and tomatoes and served with a flame. $$
ESCALANTE’S MEXICAN GRILLE, 6582 Woodway at S. Voss and other locations, 713-461-5400. At Escalante’s, guacamole is not simply a dab of green stuff on the combo plate, but a delicious demonstration of the avocado’s ripest succulence. (The tableside preparation also vividly distinguishes the grille from its competitors.) All ingredients are rolled out on a cart and the waiter proceeds to scoop out the avocado, then mash in pico de gallo, lime and Mexican spices. $-$$
IBIZA FOOD & WINE BAR, 2450 Louisiana at McGowen, 713-524-0004. Wanting to focus more on the “food and wine bar” aspect rather than a bar scene, Ibiza created drink carts for its cocktail service. Served from custom-designed mini-bar carts, a wide selection of mixed drinks, including various martinis, is offered. Tableside drink preparation adds excitement to a meal, provides an opportunity for showmanship and helps management avoid a boisterous happy hour scene. $$-$$$
LA TRATTORIA, 6504 Westheimer bet. Voss & Winrock, 713-782-1324. Upon request, La Trattoria will mince the filet mignon required for its steak tartare into petite pieces at the table rather than grind them in the kitchen. The meat is tossed into a wooden bowl at the table and mixed with anchovies, egg yolk, chopped onions, capers, parsley, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and paprika. The end result is served on a well-chilled plate. $$
McCORMICK & SCHMICK’S, 1151 Uptown Park at Post Oak Blvd., 713-840-7900. One of two tableside preparation dishes at this seafood restaurant is the scampi. Waiters cart the meal’s materials to the table, and diners see their shrimp being sauteed, then swirled through a bowl of creamy warm garlic sauce. The shrimp are then ecoratively arranged in the center of a plate already arranged with vegetables and rice. $$$
RUDI LECHNER’S, 2503 S. Gessner just north of Westheimer, 713-782-1180. Following a hearty German dinner, one can solicit the gute nacht kaffee , or “good night coffee.” Ingredients are brought on a rolling stove to the table where juice from an orange is squeezed onto the rim of the glass. The glass is then rolled in sugar and set on fire, caramelizing the sugar. Galliano, Jameson whiskey and Kahlua are poured in, followed by either regular or decaffeinated coffee, then topped with whipped cream. The glass is handed to you swaddled in a fresh white napkin. $$
TONY’S, 3755 Richmond Ave. in Greenway Plaza, 713-622-6778. Tony’s has one cook who does nothing but the restaurant’s glorious souffles every evening. Choose chocolate, cinnamon, Grand Marnier, raspberry, lemon or whatever your heart desires. All are held high and waltzed through the dining room. Arriving at table, the souffle is carefully broken and sauce drizzled over it.. Special occasion? Tell your waiter, and he’ll add sparklers to your parade of souffles. $$$
