Inside My Table #70 | Restaurant listings
Go For the Bistro
Though the offerings from our recommended restaurants are far more varied than what would be found on a year’s worth of chalkboards announcing the plats du jour in the French countryside, the list will have a bias toward French and French-inspired eateries. The French invented the bistro concept, after all. The best and most inviting restaurants in Houston that follow the general bistro theme are shown below. Just ignore the term “cafe” in the name of some of these, as “bistro” truly is a more accurate term.
BACKSTREET CAFE, 1103 S. Shepherd bet. West Gray & West Dallas, 713-521-2239. One of the favorite patios in the area anchors this long-popular restaurant near River Oaks. With dishes like pecan-crusted chicken and fried lobster sandwich on a brioche, the food is interesting and satisfying, and the setting is intimate, just like a modern American bistro should be. $$-$$$
BISTRO MODERNE, 2525 W Loop South at Westheimer in the Hotel Derek, 713-297-4383. The ultimate local expression of the upscale, “modern” bistro, this restaurant charms with an excellent, approachable, yet creative French menu in one of the most seductive dining rooms in Houston. Bistro Moderne more than makes up for the two previous clunkers that occupied the restaurant space at the Hotel Derek and was well worth the wait. $$$
BISTRO CALAIS, 2811 Bammel Lane south of Westheimer, 713-529.1314. Comfortably located in an old house on a quiet street, Bistro Calais churns out standard French bistro fare at very fair prices. With the exception of the Caesar salad, the menu is strictly French, much of it quite traditional. Note the ragout de lapin and ris de veau. The cooking is complemented with a fairly priced, interesting, mostly French and food-friendly wine list. $-$$
BISTRO LE CEP, 11112 Westheimer at Wilcrest, 713-783-3985. Joe Mannke, who ran the well-loved Rotisserie for Beef & Bird for many years, downsized his efforts in creating a smaller restaurant down the street that serves approachable French country classics. Here you can enjoy such long-popular dishes such as pate de canard, poisson meuniere, coq au vin, pot-roasted rabbit, steak au poivre and tarte tatin executed in fine fashion. $$-$$$
BISTRO PROVENCE, 13616 Memorial bet. Wilcrest & Kirkwood, 713-827-8008. Provençal classics, good bread, French owners and a bistro-like atmosphere welcome diners at this small restaurant that is a charming southern Gallic outpost on Memorial Drive west of the Beltway. Crisp pizzas, boullibaisse and braised rabbit are among the offerings. $$
CAFE MONTROSE, 1609 Westheimer bet. Waugh & Dunlavy, 713-523-1201. This cozy, laid-back, family-run eatery on lower Westheimer serves very good versions of classic, hearty Belgian dishes such as moules frites (mussels and fries), boeuf carbonade, waterzooi and profiteroles. The requisite pommes frites and the various sauced-versions of the steamed mussels are each probably the best in the city. $-$$
CAFE RABELAIS, 2442 Times Boulevard bet. Morningside & Kelvin, 713-520-8841. An intimate place in the Rice Village where the dining room’s charms have, in the past, usually overcome the inconsistencies from the kitchen. Quaint and often boisterous, this most recent location — the restaurant moved several months ago — serving Provencal-inspired fare is now even a better fit among the other small ethnic restaurants in the Village. $$
BISTRO TOULOUSE, 5750 Woodway at Bering, 713-977-6900. Chef/owner Scott Castell, who took over this long-time Tanglewood favorite in 2006 and updated the menu (and tweaked the name), is winning applause for his efforts. The menu is larded with American bistro favorites, including gorgeous chops, burgers, crab cakes, salads and soups. The lunch menu is lighter and faster. In fine weather, the vine-covered arbor is a favorite outdoor dining venu. $-$$
GRAVITAS, 807 Taft just south of Allen Parkway, 713-522-0995. Scott Tycer of Aries fame is the co-owner with Jason Gould of this large, but surprisingly intimate restaurant located in the site of the original Antoine’s. Food is comfortable — often American-influenced takes on European classics — and quite well-prepared, even soon after opening. Though a casual place, it has lived up to its considerable pre-opening press. $-$$
JULIA’S BISTRO, 3722 Main at Alabama, 713-807-0090. The modern Latin-inspired fare is on the mark for Houston, and the sleek decor and urban setting with the MetroRail whizzing by on Main Street will be a welcome change for many diners. Caveat: It can be very loud, and at times service can be reminiscent of Parisian bistros. $$-$$$
LAURIER CAFE, 3139 Richmond bet. Kirby & Buffalo Speedway, 713-807-1632. Houston needs more restaurants like this. Laurier Cafe adapts French bistro classics with a modern, local sensibility in creating a menu and atmosphere that most Houstonians will find comfortable, yet interesting. The dishes combine excellent ingredients and technique with wide-ranging influences, and the restaurant sports a very good and appropriate — albeit small — wine list. $$
LE MISTRAL, 1420 Eldridge Parkway north of Briar Forest, 832-379-8322. Owners and brothers Sylvain and David Denis have taken their “family’s recipes and merged them with fresh Texas produce and American taste buds.” Quite successfully it seems. With well-prepared dishes like escargot, seared foie gras, sauteed skate filet, steak au poivre made with a ribeye and red snapper cooked in parchment paper, Le Mistral has settled in as a very welcome landmark in west Houston. $$-$$$
MOCKINGBIRD BISTRO, 1985 Welch at McDuffie, 713-533-0200. Described as Texas Provence cuisine, John Sheely’s current dining room is his most comfortable, while the food is the same high quality he showed at the Riviera Grill. The wine list and prices are even better. Braised short ribs, lamb T-bones, grilled tuna and ragù Bolognese featuring veal are just some of the satisfying dishes that have graced the seasonal menus. The ultimate Houston neighborhood restaurant fits in perfectly with the increasingly prosperous and urbane area east of River Oaks. $$-$$$
