french provencal mixed with texas home cookin’

Mockingbird Bistro
1985 Welch St.
Houston, TX 77019
713-533-0200

4/5 truffle fries

American kobe burger with foie gras and truffle fries

Chilean sea bass with vegetables

Our July Supper Club was spent at this quaint bistro in the eclectic Montrose neighborhood. I picked the spot because I’d heard of the name in passing before and happened to see them on the Restaurant.com summer sale where $25 coupons were going for $2. (Per my previous Chick-Fil-A post, you know I’m a sucker for discounts.)

Before ordering, a small plate of beef carpaccio was set on our table. “From the chef,” the waiter said. It was like nibbling on a little bit of heaven and did its job of whetting our appetites.

We decided to skip additional appetizers and go straight to the entrees. Two of us ordered the American Kobe beef burger with foie gras and truffle fries. Another two ordered the fish special which was Chilean sea bass with vegetables. And I ordered the meat special which was a beef filet in red wine sauce with vegetables.

Those who had the burger said it maybe one of the best burgers they’d ever had. The foie gras accompaniment apparently made all the difference. The truffle fries came with what seemed like a aioli sauce, or at least that perfectly spiced mayo condiment that the French love dipping their potatoes in. Those that ordered the sea bass claimed it was cooked just right: tender and juicy. As for my filet, I very much enjoyed the first several bites but found it slightly oversalted after that. I suspect it was in the sauce. Regardless, I mopped up my plate and then just downed two glasses of water.

For dessert, we all shared the torte and bread pudding. A torte is a cake made mostly of eggs, sugar, and ground nuts instead of flour. Both were delicious.

None of us had leftovers which meant: a) the portions were perfectly well thought out, and b) the food was delicious enough that we finished it all. The bistro itself was small in size, a marking of a true European bistro. This is no surprise considering Executive Chef and owner John Sheely has spent much of his career cooking up food from the likes of the French Riviera. At Mockingbird, he combines his Texas roots with Provencal fare in his French-American comfort foods. Since its opening in 2002, Mockingbird Bistro has had numerous accolades and rave reviews. I’m following suit.

The restaurant does, however, have a reputation for slow service, but it wasn’t until we waited for our check that it became apparent. But in their defense, the computer had trouble applying the Restaurant.com coupon to a split check. (Hrm?) I give this place 4 out of 5 truffle fries and would definitely return.

rvfc better than kfc?

To eat or not to eat?

I came across a Twitter feed yesterday that said a San Francisco chef created RVFC–red velvet fried chicken. It’s exactly what it sounds like: chicken dipped in red velvet cake batter, tossed in red velvet crumbs, and then deep fried. The fact that this super- healthy combo exists does not surprise me. What surprised me is that it was invented in San Francisco and not Houston.

And because no red velvet ccupcake is complete without cream cheese frosting, this RVFC is served with a side of cream cheese infused garlic mashed potatoes. You can order up a plate of RVFC at American Cupcake. As crazy as it sounds, I bet it’s pretty delicious. How can you go wrong combining two of the best flavors: the savory saltiness of fried chicken and the sweet glory of red velvet? I would try this in a heartbeat and then head over to the hospital for an angioplasty. How about you?

turkey sloppy joes

With all of our fancy feasts lately, I was craving something completely on the other end of the spectrum. I brought it back old school with a variation of the school lunch favorite: sloppy joes. Everyone has memories of their elementary school experience when the hefty, hair-netted cafeteria lady would slop the meat mixture onto their open-faced bun. (Pass on the white milk…chocolate milk, please.)

To make it a little healthier, I used ground turkey instead of the usual ground beef. The original recipe came from ChoppedOnions on All Recipes. It was very simple to make and ready to eat in a jiffy. We ended up leaving the sandwich open-faced and eating it with a fork because, like its name, it was incredibly sloppy.

Also, I’m trying out this recipe plugin John installed for me. Let me know what you think. Should I continue to use the recipe template plugin, or should I stick to my rudimentary HTML skills and just list ingredients and directions the way I did in the Vietnamese chicken curry recipe?