A Haven in Houston

MATTHEW0 COMMENTSFROM THE LUNCH BOX, REVIEWS

Mar 01

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Pork Rib Chop Platter

So, I was surprised to be completely at a loss for restaurants in Houston. Huge town–you’d figure that a ton of alternative (read: non barbeque, non steak house) restaurants would rear their heads in the area. So many steak houses, you’d figure the locals would be desperate for something different. Thanks to YELP.COM, I read about a place called HAVEN. The name says it all. It’s the only option for those seeking locally-sourced dinners in the area.

When I exited the freeway, I saw the farmers market sign, which suggested to me that locally-sourced foods could be literally just a few blocks away. Haven provided something handy, a “let’s go dutch” menu for one, which given that it was my last night and I was eating alone was just perfect. $40 gets you a wine with each course and a sampler starter of southern style appies like biscuits and andouille gravy, wild boar chili shot, and country fried chicken livers. Strange line-up, but cool, in a nouveau Southern cuisine kind of way. Then a Miner Chardonnay and a Willamette Pinot Noir pricked my ear as my waiter walked me through what little he knew of the wine list. Fortunately for me, I got the opportunity to select any item from the wines-by-the-glass menu to pair with my dinner. The rich foods I was aiming for suggested the most expensive white in the house. That might be unwise, given that I was going to have to be driving back to the Galleria area, but at $15 a glass, it seemed like a decision with which I could live.

Wild Boar Chili, Country Fried Chicken Liver, Deviled Egg Starter Sampler

For the record, after the umpteenth tablemate rolled into the space beside me, I noticed the sheer quantity of wine purchased here. The wines are fairly uniformly excellent–as you’ll see from one of the pictures in the photo slideshow on this blog post, my neighbors enjoyed a bottle of what I’d say was a Grenache Blanc-heavy Chateauneuf du Pape white. I would have loved to have ordered a bottle here. The sommelier really knows his/her stuff. The whites-by-the-glass included a Cayafate Torrontés. There was a Central Coast unoaked chard, a Dr. loosen Riesling, and more. The choices were solid. Oh! And a Morgan Sauv Blanc from Monterey!

Reds were equally diverse, but pricier, which given the quality of the whites, confused me a bit. They were equal quality, yet the reds were noticeably more. Urgh! Grateful as I was, the wines were easy to not screw up…

God bless the kindness of the store’s manager who failed to tell my waiter that there were only three ounce pours paired with the entreés and starters. This great kindness realized, it seems that I was destined to eat here. I ended up with three full pours and an a memorable, quality dinner.

Parking on the street was a bear, and it was only after I’d walked a fistful of blocks that I realized that they apparently have complimentary valet parking. I felt like a putz having walked three blocks over, once I saw the words complimentary, as I was kicking myself for dragging my iPad past some sketchy street people. But hey! It’s a lot like Los Angeles, so I felt at home.

Close up on the Wild Boar Chili

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The appetizer sampler came and was just terrific.

A small bite of country fried chicken liver in andouille cream gravy with a biscuit that was to die for.
The wild boar chili was spicy and delicious. And
I’d ordered my appetizer sampler without the deviled eggs, and he brought me three shots of the wild boar chili instead.

Wow, both terrific and friendly, and hearty portions, given the way the plate looked so nouvelle. It was filling and flavorful. It’s heavy food served light, in small portions.

My first set of table mates had ordered the green tomato crouton side. It was an enormous plate of firm green tomatoes chopped into nuggets and deep fried with a rémoulade dipping sauce. I’m a fan of soft green tomatoes, so the crunch of the green tomatoes surprised me. They were interesting and unexpected; that’s not to say bad, just not what I would have wanted. Oh! And isn’t it marvelous that they just said, “Oh you really must try these.” That’s how friendly Texans are. I didn’t know them and they were having me taste their starter!

The energy of the place was just what I’d hoped for–a little elegance, a little Texas. I like the friendliness; the space was simple and streamlined like a good Westin lobby; and the customers are casually dressed folks. I saw a family with two teenaged daughters and no one was looking or feeling out of place. A couple fresh next to me were on their second match dot com date. And a vegetarian worried that her entreé was actually shrimp (it was actually peanut crusted tofu…looked delicious) .

From there, I headed into my Willamette Pinot Noir 2007. Apparently a tricky year in Willamette for Pinot according to WS, most scoring 85-92…but this glass was solid. You could taste the tricky alcohol at 14.5%, but then I’m getting used to seeing such high alcohol levels in Pinot.

My next set of neighbors (Wow, writing this blog post up, I realize I had several sets of them here. Folks eat quickly in Houston, and then head out as quickly as they arrive.) had two very different dishes. He had the flatiron steak which he said was unlike any flatiron he’d ever had. She had had the peanut encrusted tofu which she said was nothing to write home about. It was in a yellow curry that she loved; however, she felt better about the greens and root vegetables than she did about the tofu itself which was lackluster and forgettable.

But that steak. She raved about the steak, and he concurred. It is Houston after all, and I would hope the steak would be perfect. Last night, I’d eaten at Vic and Anthony’s in downtown Houston which you may know from its Las Vegas fame on the strip, and well, it was delicious, but the gigantic roast beef had left something to be desired. Tough as old boots!

Tonight, no such trouble.

At some point, my pork rib chop arrived. It was out of this world. Unfortunately, it sat on a bed of sauerkraut and a grain mustard sauce that really wasn’t required. I could have and would have sucked on the bone of that rib for a half an hour or more, had I not been sitting alone in a fine dining restaurant!!!! The tenderloin meat was out of this world. I can still taste the simple seasoning from the rib that I did finally get in my mouth before anyone else could see…

a 12" rib

By 8 p.m. on a Saturday night, the place was hopping. I had arrive early after my conference at about 6:45 p.m. And there were only like ten tables taken. By eight, the place had a wait and all the full tables buzzing. And on a wet and rainy night no less! The ideal location here is to be seated against the inside seating area against the south wall on the long banquette where we all had the best seat in the house. You and your tablemates can enjoy one another’s dining experience without being IN each other’s dining experience. We could see directly into the restaurant and the kitchen on the left, looking directly out onto table after table of seemingly quite happy customers. The kitchen was abuzz and provided a really cool visual throughout.

Chateauneuf du Pape White

My final group of tablemates simply insisted I taste their French Chateauneuf white. It was creamy and full bodied, like a rosey Grenach blanc with plenty of typical Marsanne notes, maybe Roussanne. So floral it could have Viognier in it. What a treat to be offered a taste from someone else’s bottle! I cannot tell you just how nice these Texans are; I think I love travelling in Texas as much as anywhere else in the country.

The finale of the “Dutch” menu was the chocolate malt cake with cream cheese ice cream. Never had that on a menu before, although I feel like I should have seen this in many restaurants. Maybe I’m just not getting out enough. These are choices I should have seen before, but there was a novelty…the malt, the cream cheese…interesting.

I asked for my final wine which, again, was supposed to be a simple three ounce pour…but out came a terrific Cava. Spanish Cava…light, freeing from the heavy meal and the cream, ice cream, and the best rib chop I’ve possibly ever eaten.

A haven in Houston…tucked away next to the Twin Peaks and the Taco Cabana. In Houston, it’s all about finding a space to call your own.