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Bre nnan's of Houston

3300 Smith St
TTR W ine Cafe
Houston , TX 77006

RESTAURANT REVIEW

17 Restaurant - Alden Hotel BRENNAN'S—a case for the classics.

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BY M. MARTIN

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Brennan's of Houston
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Nestled on a side street on the border between Montrose and
Midtown, you can find a secluded oasis of old-school charm and
old-south fine dining. The original Brennan's restaurant in New
Orleans was a pioneer of the 'brunch' concept, serving "Breakfast at
Brennan's" as far back as the early Fifties. When Brennan's of
Houston opened in the late Sixties, the parent restaurant had already
established a reputation throughout The South for world-class
continental cuisine with an authentic touch of Gulf Coast Creole class.
Brennan's of Houston carried that reputation forward, rapidly becoming
one of Houston's premiere places to dine, see, and be seen.

D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe
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Field of Green's
Hugo's
Kirin One Japanese Sushi Buffet
Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill
laidback manor (closed)
Last Concert Cafe
Marine's Empanadas & Bakery
Max's W ine Dive
Niko Niko's
Forty years later, Houston has a wealth of dining choices and culinary
styles. Even so, Brennan's has retained its aura of old-school
class—and continues to earn its reputation as one of Houston's finest
restaurants.
When we arrived, it was noon on Sunday. Since the parking valets
were busy trying to determine what to do with a recently arrived tour
bus, my companion and I opted to park on the street and enjoy the
brief walk to the restaurant. Stepping through the front door was like
stepping back to a time when fine dining meant continental cuisine
and very little else, especially in a sleepy little oil-patch town like
Houston. It was a time of tuxedo-liveried waiters, starched white table
clothes, darkly paneled dining rooms, and lavish sauces that didn't
care what sort of diet you thought you were on. Brennan's has retained
the décor and the tuxedos, and only mildly tempered the sauces.
Wisely so, I think.

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We began, as always, with the beverage menu—in this case, entitled
"New Orleans Eye Openers". Brennan's serves a number of 'classic
cocktails', as well as a few modern recipes and a small but
impressive assortment of champagne cocktails. We opted to start

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Saffron Moroccan Cuisine

with the "Cafe Adelaide Mint Julep Moderne" from the modern cocktail
Tacos A Go-Go
selection and the "French 75" from the champagne cocktail selection.
Tart Cafe Beyond being served in a martini glass instead of the traditional silver
Te House of Tea
cup, it is difficult to determine what exactly is "moderne" about
Brennan's mint julep. It is simply the traditional mixture of mint syrup,
The Lodge at Bayou Bend bourbon, and water, done well and garnished with enough mint to
TTR W ine Cafe make a mojito on the side. The "French 75" is named after a WWI field
gun. The original recipe called for gin, apple brandy and absinthe--and
Zula
probably deserved the comparison to an artillery piece. The principal
ingredients in Brennan's more refined version are Mont Marçal Cava
Reserva and cognac. Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine noted for its
dryness, which played well in this cocktail. A lemon twist helped
accentuate the dryness, and made this a bracing and refreshing drink.

A bread course was brought to the table shortly after our drinks,
consisting of two items: a dinner roll leavened with bits of pepper and
what appeared to be bacon, and a small muffin flavored with apples
and cinnamon. As a happy accident, I discovered that the muffin
paired quite well with my mint julep.

For appetizers, we ordered the Creole Apple Pecan Salad and the
Crab Ravigote on Fried Green Tomato. Ravigote is a classic French
white veloute sauce that has been seasoned with aromatic herbs.
Traditional herbs include chives and tarragon, but the version here
seems to include a hint of mustard as well. The crab meat had been
steamed to a tender consistency that went well with the slightly piquant
sauce. The fried green tomato base added crunchy texture and an
element of sweetness. The Creole Apple Pecan Salad consisted of
mixed greens garnished with spiced pecan pieces and bacon
crumbles, under a creamy dressing made with local honey and
balsamic vinegar. The dressing was far and away the best part of the
salad, turning fairly ordinary mixed greens into something savory and
noteworthy.

As an additional appetizer, we order the "Soups 1-1-1"; a trio of

demitasse servings of the house gumbo, the turtle soup, and the soup
du jour--in this case, a poblano pepper-tortilla soup. The turtle soup is
a Brennan's signature, to which a dash of dry sherry is added at the
table. It is a rich and complex dish. Supposedly, there are seven
distinct flavors within the meat from a turtle. Considering the simplicity
of the other main ingredients in turtle soup—tomato puree, onions,
celery, parsley—I do not doubt it. Gumbo is, of course, equally a
signature for any restaurant that traces it roots to New Orleans. In this
case, the standout elements are the richness of the roux and the
quality of the andouille sausage. The tortilla soup was an interesting
take on a southwestern cuisine classic—much creamier than
standard clear-broth tortilla soup recipes, deliciously spiced with the
smoky warmth of poblano pepper.

At this point, we decided to order another round of cocktails, this time

making selections from the "classic cocktail" portion of the menu. In a

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nice piece of synchronicity, the drinks showed up just as the live jazz
combo started their set. This time around, we had ordered the
"Hemingway Daiquiri" and the "Brandy Crusta". The Daiquiri consisted
of gold rum, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit juice and lime juice. It was
very sweet and very strong. The brandy crusta contained maraschino
liqueur as well, as well as brandy and triple sec. The 'crusta' in the
name refers to the sugar crystal rim on the glass when it is served.
Although it has traces of sweetness as well, it is a far more balanced
cocktail than the daiquiri.

Shortly after, our entrees arrived-- Gulf Coast Crab Cakes for my
companion, Texas Venison Croquettes for me. In both cases,
poached egg figured prominently and well. The crab cakes had an
easy, handmade construction—very appealing, given the freshness
and the quality of the ingredients. Pan-seared to nice golden crust and
piquant with a mere hint of red pepper, these were very definitely "gulf
coast" crab cakes, much lively than the east-coast original. Served
atop a wilted spinach salad with bacon dressing, the crab cakes
would've been more than adequate by themselves.

The venison sausage croquettes arrived flanking a trio of asparagus

spears beneath a healthy portion of very fresh fruit chutney. The
croquettes themselves each supported a poached egg, which in turn
was covered with an extremely savory "Mustard Creole Hollandaise".
The venison sausage in the croquettes was of exceptional
quality—big, vibrant chunks of venison, with a leanness that would
seem dry in any setting other than these extremely moist and crisply
fried croquettes. I found myself singling out the larger chunks of deer
meat so I could dip them in the chutney, then using the asparagus
spears to chase down every last bit of hollandaise sauce. All in all, it
was a very successful dish.

After that, dessert and coffee. For myself, the Creole Bread Pudding
Soufflé; for my companion, the Sorbet Medley. My souffle tasted like
one of my mom's old bread puddings—that is, assuming after that
pudding had died and gone to heaven. The comforting taste of the
classic southern dessert was there in all its homespun glory—but as
an elegantly light soufflé, deliciously complimented by a creamy sauce
fortified with rye whiskey. The Sorbet Trio included raspberry, melon,
and lime, served on what the menu described as an "almond tulip
shell"--essentially a bowl-sized ice cream cone made of a thin basket
weave of almond-flavored candy-glazed pastry. Served with fresh
berries, the sorbets were a nicely light finishing note for a meal of
almost decadent richness.

The summation: Brennan's continues to display the classic elements

of continental cuisine and creole sensibility that made both the New
Orleans and Houston restaurants Gulf Coast legends, in a white
tablecloth and tuxedo setting little changed from The Sixties. At the
same time, the menu displays small grace notes of contemporary
hipness and an awareness of the value of local and regional

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ingredients. The breadth of the Brennan's appeal could easily be

deduced from the diversity of the diners present, which ranged from
old money blue-hairs to suburban families to local twenty-somethings
looking vaguely uncomfortable in long slacks. Brennan's makes a
strong case for the classics, with an appeal that we understand—and
applaud.

3300 Smith St
Houston, TX 77006
(713) 522-9711

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