NEW RESTAURANTS | march 2010
BYRD’S MARKET + CAFE
420 Main St. | 713.225.0100
www.byrdsmarket.com
CUISINE gourmet american + southern california
CHEF Marlies wasterval
Breakfast – it’s the most important meal of the day and the most underrated. With Byrd’s Market & Café (a chef-driven, casual dining experience) debuting on Main, this misnomer will change. Serving breakfast from 7- 11am weekdays and extended on the weekends, you too are sure to bring this long forgotten meal back into your schedule. We had the Breakfast Burrito #1, sausage, egg, cheese and sweet potato fries are all wrapped in a flour tortilla with green salsa and sour cream. Owner Rusty explained to us that this is like a typical California breakfast; any surfer would have to get some protein and carbs in for energy before their morning surf. The menu is a blend of comfort food with a Southern California twist. The twist is the fresh, organic and healthier ingredients that are the norm in California restaurants. The sausage in the burrito is made in-house and has a pleasant spice kick to it. Combined with the sweet potato fry, a delicious and hearty union is achieved. We also had another favorite, the All in One Biscuit Sandwich. A fried egg is sandwiched with arugula and tomato on an artisan cheddar bacon biscuit. It’s awesome and somehow you don’t feel bad eating it because all the ingredients are fresh. No grease anywhere! The only juice is from the exploding egg yolk. Stop in soon for everything from burritos, to chilaquiles, to granola, to a stack o’ pancakes, mimosas and more! Breakfast – it’s the BEST meal of the day.
Carla Valencia de Martinez | Photography by Sean Blake
BISTRO ALEX @ Hotel Sorella
800 West Sam Houston Pkwy. | 713.827.3545
www.bistroalex.com
CUISINE Texas-Creole fare
CHEF Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Brennan’s strikes again! With a sample du jour style menu that seems to be catered to sharing your meal with your company, there is no such thing as an unsatisfied customer. In keeping with Brennan’s Texas-Creole fusion, we started with the smoked pheasant gumbo and from the small plates section, the BBQ shrimp shortcake. I’m not a huge fan of gumbo but Bistro Alex might have turned me. Usually gumbo is too gritty and seafood flavor for my taste. Here Chef Gonzalez has eliminated that with delicious strips of smoked pheasant in a perfectly seasoned rendition of a classic dish. I think I might be the only one who thought shrimp and BBQ didn’t mix. Until I tasted a piece of the buttermilk and rosemary biscuit. With a bite of shrimp in a Shiner Bock beer cream and New Orleans-style BBQ sauce, boy, did my belief change. Both the shrimp and biscuits are smothered in the BBQ sauce but surprisingly this doesn’t make either too soft. It’s deceptively delightful. For dinner we split the large plates (they aren’t kidding with that description) crispy whole red snapper. A sauté of saffron fennel, melted leeks, deck oven roasted grape tomatoes (my fav!), charred corn and local citrus are served along with a whole (head, tail, etc.) crispy (i.e., fried) red snapper with a chimichurri sauce. After we de-boned the fish, the meat was moist and tender. Each bite with the sauce, veggies and burst of grape tomatoes was perfection. A side of macaroni au gratin is a must. Fiori pasta with Veldhuizen cheese and bacon brioche crumbs is totally worth the calories when you are splitting fish. Good food, great service and a visit from Chef Gonzalez himself (he visits with most tables it looked like) made for a memorable experience.
Beatrice Valencia | Photography by Shannon O’Hara
