Friday, May 02, 2008

two Houston HITS: VOICE and the GROVE

Today was a great day for food in Houston as I dined in two spots that have been open only since January, but have garnered great well-deserved praise.

For lunch I was at the ICON Hotel which is in an historic bank building with a gorgeous lobby much of which is occupied by VOICE (www.voicerestaurant.com). The folks at Voice managed a great coup by bringing in starchef Michael Kramer who created and maintained for eight years the stellar McCrady's in Charleston, SC. The atmosphere is classy yet modern with the high gilted ceilings above thick columns, a bar with cowhide chairs (this IS Texas) and tall leather gray chairs at formal dining tables. The original bank vault covers the far wall behind the reception desk and is impressive as well.

I started with the excellent PATCHWORK of LOCAL BEETS with TEXAS GOAT CHEESE, Beet Caramel, Micro Arugula and a dash of novel yummy Hawaiian salt (coarser than anything I have ever had before). Chef Kramer is clearly using the wonderful local ingredients to the best of his capability.

My entree were the MAINE LOBSTER SLIDERS and while they were pricey, they were spectacular. Two large rolls had huge chunks of juicy lobster, PANCETTA, ARUGULA and TRUFFLE AIOLI with tasty crunchy TARO CHIPS in between the two mini-sandwiches.

I had to resist dessert, but I left hoping to return after the opera tonight for a snack. Alas, I have an early flight and it was not in the cards, but I KNOW the next time I'm in Houston, I'm headed straight for VOICE.

Before the opera I had some spare time to eat at a new spot right next to my hotel facing the convention center and a wonderful new large park area called DISCOVERY GREEN. The park is also facing Minute Maid Stadium and is supposed to get an outdoor theater and ice rink (in 84 degree humid heat??) so it will quickly become a destination. In the park is The GROVE (www.thegrovehouston.com) which has floor to ceiling windows, the requisite bar/lounge at the entry and a large dining area with blond tables, green leather (lots of leather in Texas) chairs and some booth-like sofas with fabric/leather furniture. One wall is all brick and opens into the open kitchen and rotisserie grills which are a big part of the varied menu. As I sat I received a selection of marinated olives and almonds which was a nice touch. It was tough to decide as I really wanted to try everything, but my eye caught the first of the season SOFT SHELL CRAB with WARM POTATO SALAD, FAVA BEANS and an AIOLI with Shallots. The crabs were large and juicy and tempura battered and fried to perfection. A Cotes du Rhones Blanc BALADRAN "Les Muges" 2006 was cold, crisp and refreshing in the heat. My server spotted a fruit fly in the mini carafe partway through and immediately replaced the glass and carafe. Indeed, Alexandra was a super server having just started there this week. She was charming and as helpful
as she could be, especially since she had not tasted a lot of the food and wines yet.

My entree was the slightly spicy MESQUITE SMOKED TEXAS QUAIL which was crusted to perfection and served with Turnips, Broccolli-Rabe and Local PEACHES in a Light Brown Sauce. A Spanish PASANOU Cep Nous Red was simply perfect with the two tasty little birds.

I could not resist dessert so I ate half of the ROASTED PEAR BREAD PUDDING with Poached Pear and Marinated Dates (the dish could have used some more dates) as I was so full, even though the dish was a treat. I would definitely put The Grove on my list of places to visit again as it is open for lunch and dinner and is also great with kids because of all the park attractions outside.