Brennan’s of Houston
(New Orleans in Texas)
So you want to write a food review do you? Sure there is all the glamour, the fine dining and the world travel…well ok no travel on the RECORDER but you can write about places that you go to. However there is that one tiny little detail about dead lines yup missed one! That’s why there wasn’t a review last month and why I am sitting in the Vancouver airport writing this one! So without further ado let’s talk about a place that I was lucky to eat at during the last SEG convention in Houston. That place is Brennan’s of Houston owned by the Brennan family of New Orleans fame, and in this case they have brought a little bit of New Orleans to the Houston area.
Located at 3300 Smith Street (Stuart Street) in a renovated boarding school house, Brennan’s brings a little of the flair of New Orleans into the Houston a rea. With up to 11 different areas to dine in, including the opportunity to dine right in the kitchen where the food is prepared you should be ready for a fabulous dining experience. If possible dine in the outdoor courtyard as it adds even more to the evening, or you could request the “Terms of Endearment” room where the movie of the same name was shot, or the map room where Presidents and Prime Ministers regularly meet and gaze at the antique maps of the surrounding area on the walls.
However as always we came here to eat so let’s get started! To begin the evening we started with Mulard Foie Gras, a pan seared La Belle Farms Foie gras paired with Chef’s warm peach preserves & toasted brioche – drizzled with a pink peppercorn gastrique, plus Gulf Coast Seafood Gumbo. A Brennan’s classic roux-less file gumbo filled with Gulf fish, shrimp and lump crabmeat. Now if these two dishes don’t get your mouth watering then you should consult your physician as you are in deep trouble! However if they don’t appeal to you try the Turtle soup which is a specialty of the restaurant.
For our main courses we settled on Louisiana Pecan crusted Amberjack and Jumbo Shrimp Chippewa. The first being a pan sautéed Amberjack, topped with a Creole meuniere sauce & resting on a bed of haricots vert! The second dish was a New Orleans classic! Jumbo Gulf shrimp flambé tableside in a rich garlic and sun-dried tomato butter, on a bed of creamy Parmesan Carolina stone ground grits. Needless to say both were absolutely fantastic! With this we paired a Berringer Cabernet Sauvignon which proved a perfect pairing to the rich flavors of the meal.
To finish our evening we tried a sample fro m Brennan’s excellent after dinner cheese menu called the Bermuda Triangle. This is “double rinded” cheese with an ash layer covered with white bloom on the exterior, which won 1st place at the American Cheese Society as the Best American Made International Style Cheese. It was at this point that we ran into the hospitality that Brennan’s is famous for. The staff decided that no dinner at Brennan’s was complete without their famous Bananas Foster and after having it I must say they were right. This was followed by an impromptu tour of the restaurant from the kitchen to the wine cellar, truly a fine way to end a great evening.
So next time in Houston try Brennan’s of Houston, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! As always I am available at sgourmet@telus.net , stay tuned for more locations from around the world!
Brennan’s of Houston
3300 Smith Street (Stuart Street)
Houston, TX
Phone: 713-522-9711
www.brennanshouston.com
Food ****
Service *****
Price $15.00-$35.00 US
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