Inside My Table #93 | Excerpt
Noteworthy Openings
JEANNINE’S BISTRO, 106 Westheimer just west of Bagby, 713-874-0220. After Cafe Montrose closed, lovers of Belgian-style mussels and frites fretted about where to get their fix. This new little place is from one half of the original Cafe Montrose partnership. See Reviews on page 62.
LA BROCANTE CAFE, 2825 S. Kirkwood bet. Westheimer & Richmond, 281-556-0606. You can’t keep a good chef in retirement, eh? Georges and Monique Guy, who have had a couple incarnations of Chez Georges and were founders of Bistro Provence and Bistro Don Camillo (their son and daughter-in-law now run those two) have come out of retirement to open yet another classic French cafe, and boy do we wish it were in our part of town! All of Guy’s famous dishes are here – the fisherman’s soup, cassoulet, duck confit salad, escargot – and the service (Monique runs the front of the house, where she also sells antiques and paintings) is cossetting. Perhaps more than any other Houston establishment, the Guys’ restaurants always make us feel like we truly are in France.
MANTRA FINE INDIAN CUISINE, 15295 Southwest Freeway at First Colony Commons in Sugar Land, 281-325-0071, www.mantrafc.com. Not to be confused with the Mantra Indian Cuisine in Katy, this newcomer is from Vinay Kotak and his brother-in-law, Amar Dholakia. It’s a lovely setting for northern Indian food. We stopped in for the lunch buffet and enjoyed all the offerings, particularly the saag paneer (spinach with fresh cheese), daal (lentils), chicken tandoori and goat curry. Nice dry pea pilau (rice), too, was perfect for soaking up the rich curry gravy. There is table service in the evenings.
W GRILL, 4825 Washington at Durham, 713-861-9933. In the little drive-thru hut that used to house the Bright And Early coffee spot, Gene Monteaugudo’s new diner dishes up breakfast tacos, croissant sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads. It opens at 6 am weekdays and Saturdays. There are two drive-thrus, and you can call ahead to speed up your order.
