Once a year I go to hot humid Houston in August to see some clients and I've always been surprised at how decent the food is there. Of course when you think Texas you think either steak of Tex Mex. I've always wanted to go to a down and dirty Tex Mex place but it doesn't seem quite right for work, so we always end up at the nicer steak houses. This time my client recommended Brennan's and everyone from the hotel staff to the cab driver said that we were in for a very nice experience.
I don't know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't this. First off, the restaurant is gorgeous, straight out of the old charming South, but it had a much more New Orleans feel than Texas one. Apparently this place had burned down many years ago but they re-built it and it was really quite lovely and elegant. Definitely dress up when you are here because you will look super out of place in jeans and a t-shirt. When you walk in, the entire staff lines the hallway and is overly accommodating but not in a creepy way. You can just tell that they were trained to provide the upmost attention to detail and customer service. The menu here is straight creole and cajun inspired stuff - which is basically a lot of yummy spicy seafood goodness. I opted for the shrimp and okra gumbo to start and then got the dover fish special of the day because it came with a topping of lump crab meat. Everyone else at the table either got the fish special or the steak special because that also came with crab meat on top - I could definitely get used to eating like this.
The gumbo came with the shrimp and rice served in a bowl and then the waiter poured the hot gumbo on top of it. It was fantastic - not too spicy but it had definite cajun flare and the shrimp and okra were both cooked really well. While I'm not from the South (ok, fine, technically Maryland is the South but let's be real, it's not really), I have always had a soft spot for really good gumbo and this really hit the spot. Next they served a full filet of dover sole, deboned a the table and then topped with a heaping pile of lump crab meat. I mean what the hell is there not to like here? It came with some asparagus which were a bit on the wimpy side, but who comes to Texas to eat vegetables?! I did find a few tiny bones in my fish but as someone who has grown up eating whole fish her whole life, that didn't really bother me that much. The crab was full-on all meat, no filler and it paired nicely with the mild dover filet to give a wonderful seafood flavor combination.
Of course, when I'm at a client dinner, I look to be incredibly indulgent with my entire meal, so we went to town and ordered 4 different desserts: their famous banana fosters, pecan pie, strawberry shortcake and peach cobbler. When in Texas, you have to do everything big and extravagant. They come to the table flambe the banana fosters in front of you which is always a nice spectacle. I haven't had this dish in a long time and it's always a good sweet favorite of mine. One of the clients chose the peach cobbler and we all agreed that it wasn't a great dessert. Clearly they had put in the ice cream when the filling was pipping hot because by the time it arrive at our table, the ice cream was totally melted and in a messy puddle. Plus the cobbler didn't have much crust or crumble to it at all, so that was a fail. I had chosen the strawberry shortcake dessert and it was a doozy. It was a huge portion with lots of whipped cream and sweetened strawberries. What I like about these kind of desserts is that it's not overwhelming sweet but you still get a rush of sugar. I didn't get a chance to try the pecan pie which was fine with me because it's not something I was super excited by.
Overall, this was a classic over indulgent client dinner. Luckily, they are really great, Texas nice people and it was a very enjoyable dinner. I was surprised to see such New Orleans style food in Houston but I guess this just goes to show you that I still have a lot to learn about the food scene in different parts of the country. Total price: Unknown, I didn't get to grab the check!
Photo Credit: Yelp
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