Houston Restaurant Weeks - The Federal Grill

The food scene in Houston is constantly changing and places are coming and going. This new establishment - The Federal Grill - is new on the food scene so of course I needed to go check it out. The inside of the restaurant is pretty dim and the walls are brick with a semi open kitchen in the middle. Taking full advantage of the special restaurant week menu, I started off with the fried oysters. These were served on individual spoons with spicy sprouts and Hoffman sauce. We were also served a fresh bread basket which included locally baked sourdough bread and biscuits (which were like little fluffy clouds), served with pepper jelly and butter. The jelly had a bit of heat in the background but was still slightly sweet.

For the main course, there was roasted organic chicken with gnocchi, fresh veggies and a thyme jus. I ordered the Norwegian salmon with roasted cauliflower, arugula and a golden raisin-caper relish. The salmon had a little bit of a crust on the outside and the bitterness of the arugula went well with the sweetness of the relish. I liked that they used the golden raisins because they are a little out of the ordinary and have a nice subtle sweetness to them. There could have been a few more pieces of the cauliflower, but it had a nice toasty flavor to it. It still had some texture to it and wasn't mushy.

I will be honest...I chose to try The Federal Grill because the desserts sounded amazing and since I do like desserts that was a huge draw. Dessert one was a carrot cake with a bourbon carrot puree served with pistachio ice cream. The ice cream was amazing! It had nutty undertones and wasn't overly sweet. The carrot cake itself was more of a spice cake and the ice cream just added that extra touch of sweetness. The pistachio ice cream was my favorite part of the dessert because it was unique and had a rich and creamy mouth feel. The carrot puree was delicious and the bourbon added dimension to the cake. Dessert number two was a PB & J bread pudding. Who would have thought that you could turn a childhood staple into a sophisticated dessert?! This was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, peanut butter cream and strawberry compote. The peanut butter cream was light and a fun way to eat peanut butter. The strawberry compote and the ice cream melted into the bread pudding and helped meld the flavors together.

I love trying new cocktails at restaurants because they are becoming very unique and creative. I tried a violet drink. Though I am not entirely sure what all was in it, it had a lovely floral aroma and the lemon added some freshness to it. It wasn't super sweet but the violet was definitely fun. I didn't realize this beforehand, but apparently they are know for their bourbon and whiskey flights, as they had quite the selection, so if you are a fan then this might be the place for you. Even though I went for the desserts, I had a wonderful meal overall and was pleasantly surprised with the whimsical qualities of the dishes. If you are still looking for a place to try for Houston Restaurant Weeks, this is definitely a winner.