Feasting at Feast: Lunch the Day After New Year’s

I realize that if I do not make some of my entries brief, I will never get to them done. One of my New Year’s resolutions is if I do not have time to write an in-depth review to just post a brief descriptionand some pictures on the blog.

I have reviewed Feast on Lower Westheimer twice already, please refer to the index on the right. Alison Cook put Feast on her list of the top new restaurants in 2008 http://tinyurl.com/a5mhga. I couldn’t agree more.

Originally I had wanted to visit Randy Rucker at Rainbow Lodge, because (1) I am a big fan of Randy’s cooking and (2) I never wrote up a review of my first visit there when I had the chef’s tasting menu (which was wonderful.) I’m never full had just written up the restaurant complete with great photos http://tinyurl.com/99sru9 . But they were closed, due to the holidays.

So Feast with its reasonably priced two course lunch for $12.95, was a worthy second choice. Once I was in the rustic feeling dining room, being waiting on by Meagan, I knew I was in for a treat.

During my visit Feast inadvertently also had some entertainment for me to watch. The couple directly in my view could not keep their hands off of each other. It was quite steamy between the two of them. I know this sounds naughty, but I think they were married and not to each other. I have pictures, but I think I'll just refrain from posting them, just in case I am right.

For my first course I had the “French Fish Soup with Rouille and Croutons”, which I think had mustard rather than rouille, and also had a mild white cheese. The delightful aroma of the soup immediately perked me up, this was going to be a great year in food. I added the cheese, mustard and croutons into the soup. Needless to say, I did not leave a drop of soup and I would have licked the bowl had I been home. This could have been enough for lunch for me, but there was more.


My main course was “Steak Pot Pie with Cauliflower Cheese”. As a child I never enjoyed pot pies, as they always were a mush of vegetables and flavorless meat. This could not be further from the description of the pot pie at Feast. The brown sauce inside the pie was rich with the flavor of the meat and carrots, as well as other spices; I could have eaten that dish without the meat and have satisfied my meat cravings.

I do not know how they did it, but the steak was not dried out or tasteless. A forkful of the crust, with a baking soda overtone dipped in the brown sauce was a delight on the palate. The cauliflower on the side was a roasted piece of cauliflower with just a dusting of cheese and worked well as an accompaniment to the pot pie. I really struggled to finish the dish, but succeeded, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed it.

LOL - it looks like this did not turn out so brief.

Happy New Year and thank you for following my food adventures this past year!

Feast: 219 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77006 713.529.7788

Old World Service at La Colombe d'Or and Decent Food

This is the last of my Houston Restaurant Week reviews. At first glance La Colombe d'Or is everything I think of when I think of fine dining; charming, elegant, and outstanding service. Unfortunately I found the food uninspired.

Before I get started I have to say that lately I am eating way too much food at a meal and my waist line is worse because of it. This totally freaks me out and makes eating out less of a pleasure. I am going to stop eating out for a while, at least until I can get some equilibrium back!

When I eat out dinner, normally I like to order an appetizer or two and or combine it with a salad and a glass of wine and I am happy. Perhaps even share a main course. These multi course dinners are more food than I like to eat at a meal.

I wanted to try La Colombe d'Or http://www.lacolombedor.com/index.html , because it is a pretty restaurant, in an old historic house in Montrose.

The dining room is elegant looking and the place oozes charm. Parking was not a problem and I was able to park right around the corner. As I walked in the door, I was warmly greeted. We had 7:30 reservations and M. my dining companion was already seated when I came in at 7:20. Water had been poured for both of us and my menu was waiting at the table. The dining room was pretty empty. The look of the place reminds me of places I would dine with my grandparents when I was growing up.

We started with an amuse bouche, which was a scallop on a piece of toast. It was very fishy tasting and had to much lemon juice, perhaps to mask the fishy taste? I think it may have been a frozen scallop to start.

We each had ordered a house wine, wines by the glass were few and far between and all we were told about the ones we ordered was that one was a Merlot and the other a Cabernet Sauviogon . They also had a Pinot Grigio and a Chardonnay and maybe another unbranded selection or two. The mediocre wines were $10.50 a glass.

Just like Gravitas, they took our whole order at once. (Which if you recall was amongst my many complaint about my experience there.) But the service was never rushed like at Gravitas. Next came the appetizer course, M. had ordered the onion soup and I the escargots. M.'s onion soup was delicious, with a nice strong broth and lots of gooey gruyere cheese melted on top. My escargots came on a platter swimming in a garlic butter sauce, very traditional but not anything extraordinary. By the way the bread was fantastic, nice and crusty, which was perfect for sopping up the buttery garlic sauce that accompanied my escargots.

For the main course M. had the Pasta Portofino, which was lobster, crabmeat, and crawfish in a cream sauce on a bed of homemade linguini. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the sauce rich and creamy but not overpowering. I found the pasta a bit too al dente, but M. thought it was perfect.

For my main, I had the redfish cooked with herbs (trying to watch my waistline.) It was just a bit on the side of overcooked, but tasty none the less.

It was the vegetables that accompanied both dishes that were really good to me. It consisted of a baby carrot, asparagus, broccoli, fennel, tomato, and potato. Each one was perfectly cooked, appropriately crunchy and topped with some fresh herbs. The presentation of both dishes was wonderful as well. At least at this dinner we both took home doggy bags.

For dessert we both opted for the chocolate mousse with a coulis of berries. This consisted of a generous portion of white and dark chocolate mouse in an oval shape , surround by a fresh strawberry, blueberries, a raspberry and some blackberries. I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert, it had just the right balance of creaminess and was sweetness.

This was not a knock your socks off dinner and at their regular prices I would not hurry back. I enjoy more eclectic and innovative food then this. But the service was outstanding, the surroundings elegant and except for the amuse bouche and the slightly overcooked redfish, all was quite tasty, well prepared, and beautifully presented. If you enjoy predictable food, in an elegant surrounding and cherish the days of excellent service, you will not be disappointed at La Colombe d'Or.

By the way, since M. was parked in the back and they offered to walk her to her car.

I want to reiterate, I appreciate this old world charm that seems to be so rare these days. I just wish I found the food more compelling, and wines by the glass more interesting, as I want to frequent a restaurant that understands that fine dining is a total experience, not just about showcasing the food.

A Taste of France, Australia, and California with Monsterville Horton, IV

Wednesday night I went to a wine class at Cova’s http://www.covawines.com/ . I received a good introduction into the history and taste of wines made with Syrah/Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and blended “GSM” (Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro) grapes. The nine different tastings of wine were accompanied by three food courses.

There is no doubt that not only is Monsterville entertaining he is quite knowledgeable. I enjoyed developing a larger vocabulary to describe what I was tasting, as well as the way he walked us through the smelling, tasting, and finish of the wines and then comparing the taste after we ate with our perceptions from before.

Two hours is to short a time to become an expert and as I learned - to short a time to finish all my wines without feeling a little tipsy, it was long enough to get a good introduction. I think if I continued to go to the classes I would learn not only the vocabulary to describe what it is I am looking for in a wine but how to choose them myself when I am at the wine store.

Wednesday night we had three flights, tasting nine wines that ranged in price from $10.99 to $64.99 (which I didn't even like), with the majority of then priced in the twenty dollar range.

The Washington Location was set up with six long tables facing the bar and Monsterville, as he walked us through the history of the grapes and the tasting and the descriptions of the wine.

There was one fellow who wanted to show off and he kept challenging Monsterville. But Monsterville is an accomplished teacher and he chuckled rather than debate this fellow that obviously did not know that much, perhaps he was trying to impress his date? Or make a fool of himself? Because he accomplished the later, but added a little entertainment to the evening.

My immediate neighbors at the table were enjoyable to be with , although conversation was limited. I sat next to an older gentleman whose wife was away and a pharmaceutical rep and her friend who was an internist in general practice.

But let’s get to the food, which was wonderful. Quite frankly in my humble opinion this is the way to do wine tasting, not just taste but pair it with food that shows it off. The chief of the evening was Cova's Mike Nutt he can really cook. The staff did a nice job of serving about thirty people all at once.

Here is what was served:

1^st Course

Braised Goat with Puff Pastry and Tomato Tatare

The goat was delicious, it was crispy yet tender and worked well with the puff pastry and slightly sweet tomato tatare, it worked perfectly with the wines.

2^nd Course

Roasted Squab with Flageolets and Squab Jus

I love squab and this was nicely roasted and flavorful. The flageolets are a mild French bean and while I like to have a vegetable with my meal, they were mushy and nondescript. It added to the presentation but did nothing for the overall taste or texture of the dish itself.

3^rd Course

Herb-Dijon Crusted Venison with Creamy Polenta and Syrah/Juniper Sauce

The venison was very tender and paired well with the grainy texture of the polenta and tart sweetness of the juniper berries. My neighbor said it tasted like grits, which of course is made also from corn. I loved the feeling on my tongue as I bit into the venison and felt the slippery but slightly course and chewy polenta and the tartness of the sauce all in one bite, follow that by a good wine and my taste buds were dancing.

Dessert

Cookies

The food and the wine really worked. My advice for lightweight drinkers like myself, is just drink the glasses of wine you really like. Nine tastes even with the food was just to much wine for me.

I did walk away not just with the lesson from Monsterville, but some great handouts and notes I made on the wine. But between you and me, it was the food I am mainly interested but it is the wine that enhances it and knowing what to order or buy to drink with a meal makes all the difference in a good meal becoming a great meal, wouldn’t you agree?

The total cost of the evening was $50 plus tax and tip.