Houston Restaurant Weeks - Lucille's

Lucille's is a neighborhood gem that I had begun to hear lots of rave reviews about, so it was only appropriate that I take advantage of the Houston Restaurant Weeks and check it out. I have found myself being much more open to trying different liquors in my cocktails these days, so I opted for a kiwi bourbon drink. I don't think that I have had a kiwi cocktail before and I am just beginning to explore the bourbon world, so I was taking a huge risk here. What I found was it not not sweet, it had more of a tang to it and the bourbon was subtly apparent in the aftertaste of the kiwi. Most people think that when you use fruit in something, it automatically makes it sweet which isn't the case. For me this was a good experimental drink and was pleasantly surprised.

I feel like I am not a very good Southern girl because I haven't had some of the staples until recently and fried green tomatoes was just another example of me failing. Thank goodness that this was on the menu so that I could rectify that. This dish came with four fairly large pieces of tomato coated in a spicy cornmeal breading and served with a spicy aioli. The tomatoes themselves didn't taste like a normal tomato. To me they were milder and less acidic which went well with the spicy cornmeal. There was quite a bit of heat to it, but not enough to overwhelm the dish. The aioli had a bit of heat to it, but balanced out the tomato. I am glad that I got to try them as I feel much more in touch with my Southern roots.

And speaking of becoming more Southern, I decided to try shrimp and grits in the Houston fashion. Based on my experience in Charleston were every version was different, I had no idea what to expect. What was delivered to me was something like a cross between shrimp and grits and a light gumbo. There were grits in the bottom of the bowl topped with shrimp and lots of andouille sausage with a sherry tomato broth over it all. The sausage wasn't spicy but had a nice flavor. Between the shrimp and sausage it became a very filling dish. The broth helped keep everything moist and the consistency of the grits made the very sturdy. These were stone ground grits which are ground using a traditional mill so they have the corn bran and tip cap in them (the little specks you see in the grits). This would be a lovely meal for a cooler fall evening as it it very hearty.

For the sweet finish, I chose the bread pudding. When they brought it out, I was shocked at how small the serving was and then that it was served in such a large bowl. The middle of the bowl was proportionate to the piece of bread pudding but there was a huge rim on the bowl that seemed like it didn't belong. After I got over the interesting presentation, I found that the bread pudding itself was just normal but the sauce it was served with was what made it so tasty. It sort of tasted like a caramel cream rum sauce. I was a denser sauce, but had a lovely combination of flavors. The berries on top added some freshness and texture to the dessert. Though I wasn't overly impressed with dessert, the rest of the meal was very fulfilling and so I will definitely be back to try the regular menu. Don't let the fact that this place is a little hidden deter you from trying it out.