Inside My Table #95 | Excerpt
Noteworthy Openings
ANDALUCIA TAPAS AND TAVERNA, 1201 San Jacinto at Dallas in The Pavilions, 832-319-6673. This isn’t restaurateur Youssef Nafaa’s first round with Spanish food (he founded Mi Luna in Rice Village before selling it a few years ago), but this one may take its food more seriously. Tapas (e.g. Spanish white anchovies, sweet piquillo peppers stuffed with salmon tartar, sautéed mussels) are served in a dark, rustic setting. You can also order a full dinner, such as lamb tagine or Spanish-style seafood stew washed down with a glass of sangria. Make a point to catch a Thursday night flamenco performance.
BISTRO ALEX & CAFE ROSÉ, 800 W. Sam Houston Parkway in Hotel Sorella, 713-827-3545, bistroalex.com. These upstairs/downstairs siblings are the newest restaurants from the Brennan’s family and they are the Hotel Sorella’s main in-house restaurants. Mirrors and panels of wavy rough-cut mesquite frame the dining room, which is lined with cozy banquettes. Juan Carlos Gonzalez mans the kitchen stove: oysters au gratin, boudin blanc-crusted black grouper, crispy whole red snapper, beef short rib “osso buco” and cheese and charcuterie platters. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
BYRD’S MARKET & CAFE, 420 Main at Prairie, 713-225-0100, byrdsmarket.com. Downtown’s first and much-anticipated grocer/prepared-food purveyor finally opened in December. There are “grab-and-go” meals, plus artisan breads and pastries from the in-house bakery, wine, cheeses, specialty items and household essentials geared to downtown residents of downtown. A cozy dining area is a great place to people watch or work on your laptop. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s from Rusty Powers and chef Marlies (“Mars”) Wasterval.
CANOPY, 3939 Montrose bet. Branard & Sul Ross, 713-528-6848, canopyhouston.com. We were elated last year when we learned that Claire Smith, husband Russell Murrell and chef David Luna, who together operate Shade in The Heights, were coming to our Montrose neighborhood. Their lofty new location is green and cool (like being under a canopy, perhaps?), and the seasonal menu might include buttermilk-fried pork loin or free-range chicken with mustardy mashed potatoes. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
HAVEN, 2502 Algerian Way near Kirby & Hwy. 59, 713-581-6101, havenhouston.com. Rhea Wheeler, who was a behind-the-scenes investor for Ibiza, is back in the restaurant game. His and wife Debbie Jaramillo’s Haven, which opened late December, is a remarkably fresh approach to the greening of Houston restaurants. It showcases a luxurious if understated building (we’re hoping the architect provides building notes – here’s the reclaimed wood, over there is the energy-saving lighting – to be shared with curious customers) with chef Randy Evans’ hearty Texas-centric menu. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
LAURENZO’S GRILLE, 4412 Washington Ave. three blocks east of Shepherd, 713-880-5111, laurenzosgrille.com. This newcomer was first announced as a sports bar, but during construction it morphed into a prime rib house with a sporty feel. The name is familiar because it’s run by Ninfa Laurenzo’s son and grandson. The story is that Mama Ninfa used to make prime rib on Sundays because the family was tired of eating Mexican food all week at the restaurant. We recommend that you stick with the house specialties, prime rib and margaritas. If you ask nicely, you might be able to score a plate of roasted beef bones left over from the prime rib – rich and crazy good. (The management could charge top dollar for them.)
MERCHE, 21208 Northwest Fwy. at Huffmeister, Cypress, 281-949-5999. Joel St. John, a long-time fixture on the Houston restaurant scene – he’s a veteran of Spencer’s in the Hilton Americas most recently – runs the kitchen at this newcomer that is adjacent to the North Cypress Medical Center. The kitchen specializes in a healthful fusion of Spanish, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. Among the menu offerings: rotisserie chicken, appetizers, salads, soups, pizza, a wood-fired pork chop, buttered snapper and pasta.
THE ROCKWOOD ROOM, 5709 Woodway bet. Chimney Rock & Bering, 832-251-9463, therockwoodroom.com. Like every other restaurant in Houston, The Rockwood Room (it’s at Chimney Rock and Woodway – get the name?) took much longer to open than owners Michael Dei Maggi (previously at Max’s Wine Dive) and Robert Hall III had hoped and announced. Ultimately it became part of 2009’s torrent of year-end debuts. In this case, the formula is retro food and cocktails served in a sort of Mad Men-era setting. It’s a fun place to go, a lively scene. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
STELLA SOLA, 1001 Studewood at 10th St., 713-880-1001, stellasolahouston.com. It was a busy fall for chef Bryan Caswell and his Reef partner Bill Floyd. Not only did they open their second edition of Little Bigs (in Hermann Park, by the zoo), they also renovated this Heights space in record time. Justin Basye is the chef de cuisine, cranking out Texan-accented Tuscan food (or is it Tuscan-accented Texas food?), such as bucatini with Gulf crab and pappardelle with Texas wild boar ragù. Dave Poss (formerly Vic & Anthony’s) runs the front of the house. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
SUSHI RAKU, 3201 Louisiana at Elgin, 713-526-8885. We didn’t know what to expect here. Patrick Chiu’s Waza in the Champions area is very good, if a little trendy for our taste. But we quickly found out this is a calmer setting with a high-performing sushi bar and Japanese kitchen already firing on all cylinders. Chef Takayoshi Sekiguchi’s menu is luscious, varied and ever-surprising. Details like house-made flavored salts, fresh-grated wasabi and fish flown in from Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji market will thrill serious foodies. A word of advice: Don’t even think about parking in the nightmarish 24 Hour Fitness garage. But you can park across the street in the High Fashion Fabrics lot or on the west side of Louisiana. See Restaurant Listings: 2009’s Best New Restaurants.
YARD HOUSE, 800 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N. in CityCentre, 713-461-9273, www.yardhouse.com. Already packed within days of opening, this California-based chain (located near Bistro Alex and Straits) is most famous for its huge draft beer selection. Come here to try something new in the ale, lager or stout categories. The upscale pub menu includes spinach dip, crabcakes, salads, wings, burgers, seafood, steaks and pizza. There’s also a kid’s menu. If the noise and the food and the beer are not enough, the place is stuffed with TVs. The name? According to their website it’s derived from a three-foot-tall glass originally designed in England to hand up to stagecoach drivers back in the day.
YELAPA PLAYA MEXICAN, 2303 Richmond west of Greenbriar, 281-501-0391, yelapatime.com. It seems like Yelapa’s owner Chuck Bulnes always comes back to Mexican seafood. And no wonder: He’s worked at Berryhill’s, Ninfa’s, Joyce’s Oyster Resort and Pan Y Aqua, among others. Mexican Pacific Coast seafood just seems to be in his DNA. So we not surprised to find him with his latest endeavor boasting big flavors (ceviches, grilled fish, gazpachos, posole, fish tacos, even chicharrones) and a laid-back attitude. L.J. Wiley is in the kitchen and Brett Story runs the dining room. Check out the restaurant’s monthly Reality Dinners; details on their website.
YOUR CUP OF TEA, 2620 Fondren at Westheimer, 713-334-4TEA (4832), www.urcupoftea.com. Mary Schnurr has introduced a wee bit of England to Houston’s West side in the form of a cozy English tea room where she serves traditional afternoon tea, complete with homemade scones and clotted cream. The tea room is also open for a light luncheon Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday). In addition to sipping tea, you should check out the selection of china, silver and crystal. As of January, Schnurr began conducting etiquette classes. The shop is also available for private functions.
