The Blind Cook

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.

Catalan
5555 Washington Ave., Ste. A
Houston, TX 77007
713-426-4260


4/5 big beefy bone marrows


In continuing our attempt to relive our honeymoon gastronomically, John decided to take me out on a spontaneous dinner date. We’ve heard two of our friends claim this place to be in their top five, so naturally, we gave it a try. Since half of our honeymoon was in Barcelona, which is part of Catalonia, I was looking forward to reminiscing over some familiar foods. We arrived right before the dinner rush at about 6:45 and were not turned away nor did we have to wait despite our lack of a reservation. (We were, however, seated near the back at a table with wrinkly linens. But this didn’t bother us–we were there for the food.)

The menu is extensive, and everything sounded delicious albeit unfamiliar–there was no mac ‘n cheese in Barcelona as far as I could recall. Our waiter could not recommend any particular dish, saying “everything’s great.” Thanks for the help, buddy.

We ended up ordering three appetizers and one main dish to share. The plates were brought out one by one; we were not presented with the next until we were done with the previous. This aided in a slow dining pace which I enjoyed because it allowed for full concentration on one dish at a time. Our entire dinner conversation consisted of how the food looked and tasted–we felt like true critics.

The first plate was crab croquettes ($12) with a lemon zest sauce dribbled over it. A croquette is a small deep-fried little ball of goodness usually containing some variation of protein (meat or seafood), vegetables, dairy (cheese, eggs, etc.), and herbs. It is wrapped in bread crumbs before frying. Croquettes, which come from the word meaning “to crunch” in French, are originally from France but have since popped up all over the world. At Catalan, we oiriginally ordered pork croquettes but were told they had just been placed on the menu that night and were not ready. John and I exchanged glances. It didn’t seem very professional to print things on the menu only to disappoint your customers. Nevertheless, thinking back to the chicken croquettes I had at Paco Merlago (more on this later), I knew I wanted croquettes.

The croquettes were tasty but nothing to rave about. We thought it would be better if there was more lump crabmeat inside and less of the creamy filling. The lemon zest sauce added an interesting citrus twist to the flavor, but call me old-fashioned because I think I prefer a traditional croquette. I do commend the chef for trying something different. If it’s any consolation, I am not much of a fan of anything with lemon flavor, e.g. candy, cookies, pies.
The next dish was the bone marrow ($14) which is spread on a slice of toast and topped with a pickled onion. This was my first time to ever have bone marrow, and I must say, this dish blew me away. It tasted even better than foie gras. There is something delightfully rich about each bite. The marrow was salty, and its marriage to the pickled onion was perfect. John and I could not stop swooning over this dish.

Our last of the appetizers was the seared foie gras ($18) which was dressed in a blueberry jelly. John enjoyed the salty and sweet complexity (probably a testament to his love of PBJs), but I found the jelly too sweet. I like to taste foie gras for its fatty, substantial essence, and so to add anything that overpowers the foie gras usually results in disappointment for me.

Finally, our entree arrived: Bryan’s farm-raised fried chicken with redneck mac ‘n cheese and watermelon pickles ($24). I always judge fried chicken on its battered skin, and this fried chicken was pretty damn good. It tasted of a lot of herbs, and I like that (I like KFC’s original recipe, what can I say?). Even the white meat was fairly juicy. Redneck cheese, we were told, is a particular cheese from Texas. It tastes like a sharp cheddar to me, but not too pungent. It made the mac ‘n cheese taste like home cookin’ with a gourmet kick. I tried a bite of the watermelon pickles just to try it. It wasn’t too tart and tasted refreshing, but because John is much more of a watermelon and pickle fan than me, I gave him all of it. I’m sure he was glad to have more to himself.

John had a $12 glass of cabernet sauvignon, and after tax and tip, we ended up spending an even $100. Don’t get us wrong–we are typically cheapos, and this was much higher than we were expecting to pay for a Friday night dinner, but we are still newlyweds and still splurging on our dates. But I do think $100 for 3 appetizers and a shared entree with only one glass of wine is pretty high. Catalan is great, but for that price, we still prefer Mark’s. But because of the heavenly bone marrow and I give it four out of five big beefy bone marrows.

Disclaimer: I know the photos posted on this entire blog are sub-par, but for what it’s worth, either I (a blind person) am taking the photo, or we’re using an iPhone and not a nice camera. So please excuse the mess. I’m sure you can understand the Blind Cook’s blog won’t be the most visually appealing.

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


4/5 truffle fries

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.