hrw take 4: the final cut

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
5839 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77057
713-780-7352

4/5 raspberry sorbets

Note: Sorry, no photos for this post; the restaurant was just too dark for any of that business.

The final cut as in the filet mignon cut. Okay, bad joke, I know.

During our August Supper Club experience, we decided to hit up Pappas Bros. for steaks as part of Houston Restaurant Week. This was my second time eating here. I’ve found that steakhouses are usually the best bet when it comes to HRW so I was looking forward to the dinner.

We were seated promptly at our reservation time and served a baguette and butter. John and I could not get enough of their French bread and butter–you could say we were still on a Paris kick–it was so simple yet fresh-tasting, soft, and so complementary of one another. Throughout our entire dinner, we must’ve gone through three or four servings of bread, and the waiter, upon noting John’s enthusiasm, offered to pack us a hot one to go. Nice.

For the first course, I tried something off the menu which was a beer-based cheese soup infused with bacon and jalapeno. It tasted very “American,” almost like a baked potato or jalapeno popper in liquid form. The concept may sound gross, but was served in a small portion (plus I shared it with another dinner guest) so it wasn’t overwhelming at all.

For our second courses, I had the filet mignon cooked medium rare topped with a smoked mushroom ragout and jumbo grilled shrimp, John had the live Maine lobster with butter garlic sauce, and our friend Christian ordered the dry aged prime New York strip. All entrees came with a side of mashed potatoes and haricots verts (which are the fancy French version of green beans–they’re typically longer and skinnier than their American counterpart). Per a friend’s suggestion who ate there a previous night, we ordered the crab mac ‘n cheese (off the menu), and while it was palatable, I wouldn’t say it was anything great. (Stay tuned for an even better mac ‘n cheese recipe right here on this site.) And to make it worse, I felt sick eating it the next day, and it cost us like $20 for a side dish! Other than that, all of our main dishes were wonderful as expected.

For dessert, we tried the New York cheesecake (so-so, but I’m not the huge cheesecake fan I used to be) and the raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was served in a chocolate shell cup and fulfilled a much needed craving for something lighter and refreshing after such a heavy meal. Definitely a good pick.

I must say we ended HRW on a high note. Until next year…

In the meantime, what’s your favorite Houston steakhouse? Or where did you eat your best steak? I know of two friends who claim Pappas Bros. has the best steaks. They’re good but I think Del Frisco’s is also up there, and I have yet to try Fleming’s or Morton’s or Mo’s. Any opinions?

hrw take 3

Masraff’s
1025 S. Post Oak Ln.
Houston, TX 77056
713-355-1975

4/5 melt-in-your-mouth chocolate fondants

We happened on this place by accident, meaning it was a last-minute decision to go. But lucky for us, it turned out to be the best HRW dinner we’d had so far. Things seem to be on the up and up. Here are the courses we tried:

Yummy calamari: the garlic & cilantro were key

First course:

• Wild mushroom ravioli in a truffle sage broth
• Garlic seared calamari in a soy reduction with oyster mushroom, shaved onion, and cilantro

So filling

Second course:

• Pan seared New Zealand sea bass cooked in miso butter with leek couscous, oyster mushroom, and corn compote
• Pan seared New York strip in red wine reduction with potato lyoannaise and pommes frites

Got milk?

A creme brulee in a pear peel!

Third course:

• Warm double chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream and and creme anglais
• Butter roasted pear creme brulee and whole berry sauce

All of the dishes were excruciatingly delicious. The calamari was dressed in chunks of garlic and cilantro, the sea bass’s corn and couscous sides were flavorful, the creme brulee came in an actual cute pear bbowl, and the chocolate fondant was fudgy rich. Two questions for Masraff’s though:

1. Why did the steak come with two sides of potatoes? This seemed a bit too starchy.
2. What do all of those fancy words mean in your menu?

I can’t answer the first question, but I’ll attempt to answer the second. A compote is a traditionally a dessert of stewed or baked fruit. I assume the chef prepared the corn either in liquid or in the oven for a long period of time for it to be called a compote. The potatoes lyonnaise simply means potatoes cooked with onions. Pommes frites are a fancy way of saying French fries–and Masraff’s happens to serve them like shoestrings. And creme anglais is French for “English cream,” a light, pouring custard used as a dessert cream or sauce. Now there you have it: all these fancy culinary French-inspired terms to throw around in your kitchen next time you want to show off to your dinner party guests.

The self-proclaimed chef stopped by our table to ask how the food was, and I appreciate it when the busy man of the hour takes the time to visit with the guests. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our Masraff’s experience. Next time, we’ll have to spend some time at the live piano bar and try the real menu.

hrw: take 2

Olivette
111 N. Post Oak Ln.
Houston, TX 77024
713-685-6713

3/5 sea bass filets

Our second venture during Houston Restaurant Week was to the Mediterranean restaurant at the Houstonian hotel in the heart of Houston’s Memorial and Galleria neighborhoods. The hotel is nesteled within wooded acres, making for a lovely surrounding and view from the restaurant. There is complimentary valet for restaurant dining, and we were greeted by every Houstonian employee we crossed paths with on the way to the restaurant from the valet, doorman, and even random staff bustling through the hallways.

The restaurant was rather empty for what should be the primetime dinner crowd (calling for raised eyebrows), but we withheld judgment.

For our first course, we all ordered the Gulf crab cake dressed in a tomato chutney and jalapeno remoulade. The crab cake was very tasty, although I recalled preferring the ones from Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.

For the second course, all four of us again chose the same: Chilean sea bass with wilted baby tomatoes, sweet onions, basil, and aged balsamic. The fish filet was a sizable and definitely would’ve been worth the flat $35 price had it been more flavorful. I know we’re in the health-conscious age and all, but the fish needed some major butter. After a few bites, the fish (being humongous and all) became a chore to eat, and that’s just the saddest thing. (If I’ve learned anything from my 31 years of eating and ten years of cooking, it’s that you always want to feed your guests just enough to leave them wanting more.) Toward the end of our entree, we were struggling to finish, not enjoying the sea bass as much as we did at the beginning.

For dessert, we decided to all get something different. There was the tres leches (rum milk syrup, vanilla cream, Swiss merengue, and blueberries); the strawberry and almond shortcake; and the devil’s food cake (coconut pecan praline, Valrhona milk chocolate, and ganache), which we all felt was sub-par.

For $35, the value wasn’t bad for what should be a four-star restaurant, but it failed to impress us, which is too bad because the Houstonian is such a nice hotel.

Note: We had photos of our food but in all honesty, it wasn’t even worth posting. Just imagine big chunks of food on a plate that tasted all mediocre. And there you have it.

bad start to houston restaurant week 2010

Arcodoro
5000 Westheimer Rd., Ste. 100
Houston, TX 77056
713-621-6888

2/5 maggot-looking Sardinian teardrop pasta pieces

In our defense, John and I did not choose to go to this restaurant. It was not on my original list of restaurants to try during HRW 2010. It was a friend’s farewell dinner, and so we ended up at a stately table in a private room with 13 other people.

I ordered:

1. Carpaccio di Manzo al Pesto di olive – Cured Carpaccio of Angus Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper and Sea Salt, Served over Chopped Romaine Heart and Cherry Tomatoes, Leccino Olives and Sundried Tomato Pesto Dressing
2. Gnocchetti con Sugo di Maiale e Ricotta Salata – “Malloreddus”, a Traditional Sardinian Teardrop Pasta Served with Pork Shoulder Ragu and Aged Ricotta Salata Cheese
3. Tiramisu Cioccolato – Chocolate Sponge Cake, Topped with Layers of Mascarpone and Ladyfingers, Finished with Thin Cracked Chocolate

John ordered:

1. Crostini di Melanzane e Mozzaralla di Bufala – Paesano Bread Crostini Topped with Roasted Eggplant Mousse and Melted Buffalo Mozzaralla, Served over Arugula Salad and Fresh Fig Balsaba
2. Paella Sarda – Sardinian Style Paella made with Fregula Pasta Simmered in Homemade Lobster Stock with a Medley of Seafood, Calamari, Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Scallops and Saffron
3. Seadas al Miele – Traditional Sardinian Puff Pastry Filled with Sweet Cheese, Lightly Fried and then Drizzled with Sardinian Bitter Honey

Sounds tasty, right? Let’s see about that.

Arcodoro started out strong. I enjoyed the carpaccio: a mix of thinly sliced cured meat complemented with the tart tastes of the vegetables. I only had a bite of John’s first course and found it rich but delicious enough. (I preferred my dish, however, and so didn’t waste time nibbling on his.)

But then came the incredibly disappointing second course. Three people at three different times commented that my teardrop pasta looked like maggots. I didn’t mind the spongy texture, but if that many people said it reminded them of maggots, then shouldn’t you rethink serving it? Who wants their customers to think of nasty bug larvae while dining? To make matters worse, the dish tasted like it came from a can: the pork shoulder was crumbly, and the sauce was nothing special. John’s paella (which I already knew would be a mistake) was not at all like the paella of our Barcelonian honeymoon. Granted, maybe Sardinian paella uses pasta instead of rice as their main ingredient, but the prawn was cold and the clams overcooked.

Arcodoro redeemed themselves slightly with their dessert. I thought the tiramisu was light–not too heavy with the liqeur nor cheese, and the chocolate atop the dessert was deliciously bittersweet. John’s dessert tasted like a lesser quality beignet.

Accompanying our meals were one iced tea and one Jameson on the rocks, running our HRW bill to $104! You bet we were pretty pissed. John and I don’t really believe one should pay top dollar for Italian food, so already we were peeved. And while we know HRW menus don’t usually display the best dishes of that restaurant, we thought the venue should still put some thought and care into what they choose to serve during HRW since there will be many newcomers, and if their first experience is ruined by an unimpressive meal, then you can bet those people won’t ever be coming there again. And that definitely applies to us–John and I will never go to Arcodoro again.