Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Ashiana Indian Restaurant Nestled on a side street on the border between Montrose and
Backstreet Cafe Midtown, you can find a secluded oasis of old-school charm and
old-south fine dining. The original Brennan's restaurant in New
Bistro Moderne - Hotel Derek
Orleans was a pioneer of the 'brunch' concept, serving "Breakfast at
Bistro Toulouse Brennan's" as far back as the early Fifties. When Brennan's of
Boom Boom Room
Houston opened in the late Sixties, the parent restaurant had already
established a reputation throughout The South for world-class
Brennan's of Houston continental cuisine with an authentic touch of Gulf Coast Creole class.
Coco's Crepes & Coffee Brennan's of Houston carried that reputation forward, rapidly becoming
one of Houston's premiere places to dine, see, and be seen.
Cova W ine Bar
D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe Forty years later, Houston has a wealth of dining choices and culinary
styles. Even so, Brennan's has retained its aura of old-school
El Pueblito Place
class—and continues to earn its reputation as one of Houston's finest
Farrago W orld Cuisine restaurants.
Field of Green's
When we arrived, it was noon on Sunday. Since the parking valets
Hugo's
were busy trying to determine what to do with a recently arrived tour
Kirin One Japanese Sushi Buffet 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
Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill
stepping back to a time when fine dining meant continental cuisine
laidback manor (closed) and very little else, especially in a sleepy little oil-patch town like
Last Concert Cafe
Houston. It was a time of tuxedo-liveried waiters, starched white table
clothes, darkly paneled dining rooms, and lavish sauces that didn't
Marine's Empanadas & Bakery care what sort of diet you thought you were on. Brennan's has retained
Max's W ine Dive the décor and the tuxedos, and only mildly tempered the sauces.
Wisely so, I think.
Niko Niko's
Oporto Cafe and W ine Bar We began, as always, with the beverage menu—in this case, entitled
Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant
"New Orleans Eye Openers". Brennan's serves a number of 'classic
cocktails', as well as a few modern recipes and a small but
Rouge New American Cuisine impressive assortment of champagne cocktails. We opted to start
1 of 4 09/03/2009 10:20 AM
Cuizine Magazine: Houston's only free publication dedicated to ... file:///home/martin001/Documents/cuizine_reviews/BRENNAN...
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.
2 of 4 09/03/2009 10:20 AM
Cuizine Magazine: Houston's only free publication dedicated to ... file:///home/martin001/Documents/cuizine_reviews/BRENNAN...
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.
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.
3 of 4 09/03/2009 10:20 AM
Cuizine Magazine: Houston's only free publication dedicated to ... file:///home/martin001/Documents/cuizine_reviews/BRENNAN...
3300 Smith St
Houston, TX 77006
(713) 522-9711
4 of 4 09/03/2009 10:20 AM