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The Lodge at Bayou Be nd


1 Birdsall
TTR W ine Cafe
Houston , TX 77007

RESTAURANT REVIEW

17 Restaurant - Alden Hotel Brunch on the Bayou—The Lodge at Bayou Bend


Arturo's Uptown Italiano
by M. Martin

Ashiana Indian Restaurant The location of the Lodge at Bayou Bend is not easy to find; the
Backstreet Cafe restaurant is nestled in a setting of towering trees, an artfully
manufactured waterfall, and the manicured yet primitive banks of
Bistro Moderne - Hotel Derek
Buffalo Bayou. Birdsall Street, which intersects Memorial Drive a few
Bistro Toulouse blocks west of Shepherd Drive, could be overlooked in entirety if you
Boom Boom Room
did not know what to look for. Even after we had found it, it took the
prompting of the parking valet to take the correct footpath to the
Brennan's of Houston restaurant's front door, through gardens and past the waterfall.
Coco's Crepes & Coffee Formerly the Rainbow Lodge and now under new ownership, returning
and first time patrons will get a new menu to experience with the same
Cova W ine Bar
gorgeous views.
D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe

El Pueblito Place

Farrago W orld Cuisine

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

Oporto Cafe and W ine Bar


It is easy to see why both restaurant incarnations in this setting have
Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant chosen to incorporate the word 'lodge' in their names. The building
Rouge New American Cuisine looks like the private hunting lodge of someone who has the means to

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Saffron Moroccan Cuisine


enjoy nature without sacrificing any amenities. It is a multilevel
Tacos A Go-Go
building with dining areas on several levels, all open to a soaring,
Tart Cafe spacious interior providing many pleasing views of the grounds and
Te House of Tea
the nearby bayou. Through this setting, the staff moved like culinary
ninjas, all clad in black (suits for the wait staff, set off by cream-colored
The Lodge at Bayou Bend sport shirts, even more ninja-like tunics for the bus staff) and all
TTR W ine Cafe unfailing courteous and unobtrusive. The visual setting was
complemented by a soundtrack that range between neoclassical
Zula
ambient and acid jazz.

We began our meal, as we often like to do, with cocktails—in this


case, a Bloody Mary, a blood-orange mimosa, and an amusing
concoction called a 'dreamsicle', intended to invoke the orange-
flavored frozen sweetness of the eponymous childhood treat, an
intention in which the bartender most certainly succeeded. The blood-
orange mimosa was a very refreshing variation. In addition to their
ruby red coloring, blood oranges have a dryer flavor than most orange
varieties, highly suitable for combination with champagne. The Bloody
Mary was a good rendition of the brunch standard, garnished with
pepper-stuffed olives, that nicely complemented an amuse bouche of
fried fish atop microgreens that happened to show up at the same
time as our drinks.

From there, we proceeded to an appetizer of smoked Tasmanian


salmon, served toasted brioche with a caper aioli and a dollop of
truffled egg salad. I had not previously been aware that salmon were
indigenous to the far southern hemisphere, and I saw little to
distinguish Tasmanian salmon from its northern brethren—although,
as smoked salmon goes, this was definitely high in quality, with a
buttery richness and a smooth, complex flavor.

As an entrée I opted for the roasted Kurobuta pork medallions while


Mrs. Martin had decided in favor of the Eggs Benedict Florentine.
Kurobuta Pork is essentially to pork what Kobe beef is to
beef—Japanese black hog finely marbled with a dark, sweet flesh, this
pork product is a far cry from "the other white meat" so aggressively
marketed in recent years. The Lodge's Kurobuta medallions are
served on a base of braised mixed greens with cheddar biscuits and a
hollandaise flavored with jalapeños and duck sausage. The term
"biscuit" fails to do justice to the rich, flaky pastries, although "cheddar"
was certainly evident, particularly in the golden crust. The hollandaise
sauce effectively married the other ingredients—although the duck
sausage component was overwhelmed by the pork.

The Eggs Benedict Florentine combined standout presentation with


quality ingredients-- Prosciutto di Parma and wilted spinach arranged
artfully atop brioche, served with a chive-flavored hollandaise and
"hash browns" that more nearly resembled a potato soufflé.

At last, we were asked if we had room for dessert. It was a rhetorical


question—of course we didn't, and of course we were going to order it

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anyway. We received a pistachio passion fruit terrine, a tawny port


pyramid, and an orange chocolate bombe. The terrine was a
delightfully detailed and ornate cylinder, served in slices, half filled with
a passion fruit mousse and pistachio-flavored Bavarian cream, and
marvelously complemented by a passion fruit sauce. The tawny port
pyramid was just that—a chocolate pyramid filled with a port-flavored
mousse, key lime curd, and maraschino cherry, served on a base of
chocolate sponge cake and almond cookies. The orange chocolate
bombe consisted of a hemispherical shell of dark chocolate filled with
orange-chocolate mousse, orange-flavored chocolate sponge cake,
and orange caramel, adorned with an elegantly crafted sugar butterfly
and a candied orange slice (special thanks to pastry chef Edet Okon
for his remarkable edible artistry).

All too soon afterward, it was time to finish our coffees, reclaim our
vehicles, and re-enter the world at large. The Lodge at Bayou Bend is
an astonishing, world-class dining experience, a nature retreat, and
home to some of the most skilled and gracious hospitality I have ever
encountered. Navigating to this fine and private place is not without its
challenges but it very, very much has its rewards.

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