Inside My Table #88 | Excerpt
Noteworthy Openings
BECKS PRIME SPORTATORIUM, 514 Memorial City Way in Memorial City Mall, 713-463-4486. Becks Prime, Houston’s original, 23-year-old cook-to-order gourmet burger restaurant, has created a sleek new restaurant for Houston sports fans (HDTVs! game room!). Becks took over the mall space that was to have been (before the drug scandal) Roger Clemens Rocket Sports Grill. They’ve expanded their trademark menu to include more appetizers (e.g. Buffalo wings, quesadillas, fried pickles). The new spot is open seven days a week. GM is Chris Vikos.
BISTRO DES AMIS, 2347 University bet. Greenbriar & Morningside, 713-349-8441, www.bistrodesamis.com. This is a small French comfort-food restaurant with a menu that includes a variety of charcuterie (much of it made in-house) as well as mushroom ragout, sandwiches, crêpes and light entrees. There is no liquor license, and you are welcome to bring your own bottle of wine. Feeling singed by the economic downturn? On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, a fixed-price menu includes appetizer, soup, entree and dessert for $19.95 total. During this time of year, when the Houston weather is mild, it’s a pleasure to sit outside on the covered terrace. Bistro des Amis is from Odile de Maindreville and her brother, chef Bernard Cuillier.
HOUSE OF BLUES, 1204 Caroline at Dallas, 800-402-5837, www.hob.com. The new Houston edition of the international music venue has a Southern-inspired menu. “Opening Acts” (i.e. appetizers) include voodoo shrimp with rosemary cornbread and chicken quesadillas, while “Headliners” (main courses) range from jambalaya to Creole meatloaf to filet mignon with crawfish bordelaise sauce. Music-lovers should visit the website to review upcoming performances, which include blues, country, reggae, rock and much more. In January, HOB will introduce Sunday Gospel Brunch.
HUBBLE & HUDSON MARKET & BISTRO, 24 Waterway Ave., across from Tinseltown, The Woodlands, 281-203-5600, www.hubbellandhudson.com. Just visiting H&H’s tasty website will set any serious foodie on point. It’s all here: upscale market with fish counter and butcher, charcuterie and cheese, wine and beer, organic and locally sourced produce. The new store includes a take-away department, catering, in-store bistro (opening soon), concierge service and a gleaming Viking Cooking School. H&H founder is Cary Attar, and executive chef is Edelberto Gonçalves, both previously with Central Market. This is an ambitious and much-anticipated new development in The Woodlands. Whoo-hoo!
KHUN KAY THAI-AMERICAN CAFE, 1209 Montrose bet. W. Gray & W. Dallas, 713-524-9614. Also much-panted-after, this fast-casual spot from Supatra Yooto and namesake Kay Soodjai, proprietors of the late Golden Room finally opened the week we were scheduled to go to press. All of your Thai favorites are here: tom yum (the hot and citrusy soup), Thai-style curries and ka-krao (stir-fries robustly flavored with Thai basil). All dishes are prepared with your choice of tofu, chicken, pork, shrimp or beef, and you choose your spiciness comfort level. Vegetarians will find a whole menu devoted to them: garlic tofu, larb (imitation duck), stir-fried vegetables with cashews and eggplant dishes.
SAUTÉ WORLD BISTRO BAR & RESTAURANT, 2303 Richmond bet. Greenbriar & Kirby, 713-522-2106. We haven’t eaten at Sauté yet — they are just barely open in early November as we write this — but the menu lists brunch (“green eggs & ham,” breakfast crêpe, quiche), lunch (panini, salads, baguette sandwiches) and dinner options (lamb chops, steak au poivre, pasta). The smartly chosen wine list is very reasonably priced, though some of the descriptors are silly (e.g. Telteca Anta Malbec “leaves you wanting more” and a Chilean Chardonnay is described as “opening the door to new experiences”). Sauté is set in a re-done older house that shares a parking lot with Blue Fish and Hobbit Cafe.
SOPHIA, 1601 W. Main at Mandell, 713-942-7970, www.sophiahouston.com. In the space formerly occupied by Cafe Artiste, David Alvarado (previously with Shade and La Vista) has opened a very casual eatery serving an upscale menu. The space looks like a down-market diner, but the food delivered to the table is uppity: potato-crusted snapper with roasted tomato sauce, roasted beets with candied pistachios and arugula, and pomegranate-ginger grilled quail served on a bed of lentils. Not everything we tried was a hit — the shrimp tostada might be re-considered — but we’re intrigued enough to return and eat some more. Alvarado’s partner is Derek Luu, whom he met at A Fare Extraordinaire.
SWEET TEMPTATION, 1504 Airline Dr. near Patton, 713-861-0300. BYOB restaurants are definitely catching on in Houston (see Bistro des Amis, above). Another new one is this Heights spot that, despite its misleading name, is Italian. The menu includes spaghetti Bolognaise [sic], penne raviata, fettuccini scampi, involtini (stuffed and rolled chicken breast) and braciola di maiale (a pork chop topped with onions and roasted tomato sauce). There’s also Sunday brunch, more traditionally American, with omelets, eggs Benedict and pancakes, that is served 10 am to 4 pm.
TEXTILE, 611 W. 22nd St. east of N. Shepherd, 832-209-7177. Scott Tycer, owner of Kraftsmen Baking and co-owner of Gravitas restaurant, finally threw open the doors on his newest spot in October. Textile is a 28-seat spot — the venue was designed by architect Ferenc Dreef, who also did Gravitas — where patrons are encouraged to try the five-course or seven-course dégustation menu. (You can order à la carte, too.) The menu is modern American and changes daily. Yes, Tycer is on site and back in fighting form, manning the stove himself. Dax McAnear, formerly at Beaver’s, is there, too. And Plinio Sandalio contributes desserts. Dinner only.
WATER 2 WINE, 3331 Westpark just west of Buffalo Speedway, 713-662-9463, www.water2wine.com. This custom winery had a soft opening in June and its grand opening in October. The idea here is to make your own wine then, seven weeks later, return to bottle, cork and apply a custom label. Customers can bring their own food and turn the bottling into a party. It’s a fun idea for adult birthday parties or team-building events. Don’t know what kind of wine you want to make? You can try up to five tastings free before committing to making a batch, which yields 28 to 30 bottles.
