Houston Restaurant Weeks - Sparrow Bar + Cookshop

If you are familiar with the Houston culinary scene than you have probably hear'd of Monica Pope. She recently rebranded her old concept (T'afia) into a new "create your own meal" restaurant called Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. I have been hearing lots of buzz about this place and decided to check it out for Houston Restaurant Weeks. When you walk in, you immediately walk into the bar and this large group table. The decor is a bit eclectic and artsy, but homey feeling. The water was served in the beakers you used in chemistry class and the salt and pepper were in test tubes. They brought out two tiny little rolls that they cut into mini pieces and some whipped butter. The roll was soft and fluffy with the slightest hint of sweetness to it. The cocktails are not named, but numbered instead. I got something that was like a blackberry Caipirinha. It was fruity and refreshing for a super hot day. The drinks are not your average cocktails and use lots of local ingredients. My advice...don't be afraid to try something new.

Instead of appetizers, there is a selection of tapas (which are basically one or two bite dishes). We tried the shiitake mushroom dumplings with a bleu cheese honey sauce. I usually avoid bleu cheese whenever possible so this was a stretch for me. The dumplings were filled with mushroomy goodness and the honey definitely mellowed out the pungent cheese. Though I could still taste the bleu cheese, they were still fairly good. The other dish we started with was a Sardinian ravioli. It was filled with a blend of four cheeses, ricotta, goat cheese, mozzarella and brie, topped with olive oil and pine nuts. This blend of cheeses created a very rich and creamy filling, but the pasta dough tasted a little doughy to me. The olive oil kept them from being too heavy and the pine nuts added a nice bit of crunch.

 Since the entrees are not served with sides, we ordered one main dish and three sides. The main dish was a soba noodle dish with a mushroom medley. This was served in a coconut chili curry like sauce with tons of different kinds of mushrooms. It had spice to it but wasn't spicy and the noodles were well cooked and not too chewy. The sides we ended up with where crispy brussels sprouts, carbonara mac and cheese and milled potatoes. The brussels sprouts were flash fried to get them crunchy and then tossed in a delicious olive oil sauce. They had tons of flavor and the crunch was a nice surprise. The carbonara mac and cheese wasn't like what you are thinking. It was basically the pasta, a creamy cheese sauce, a few pieces of hot dog and a sprinkling of peas with an egg on top to complete it. You have to mix in the egg as soon as possible so that it cooks. I like that they used the orecchiette pasta and it had enough sauce to coat the pasta without drowning it. The hot dog was an interesting ingredients but was playful. The milled potatoes were topped with a poppyseed creme fraiche which I have never had before. The creme fraiche added richness to the potatoes without out making them too rich. I would have to say surprisingly the brussels sprouts were my favorite side dish.

Though we didn't order dessert, I thought that the origami folded menu was cool. It wasn't that the desserts didn't sound yummy, we were just too full to indulge in that course. Overall, I can't say that I was too impressed by Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. It was by no means bad, it's just a very artsy and eclectic style of dining. I am all for creativity with food, but this just didn't do it for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset, but it didn't live up to the hype. Maybe I will try it again in the future, but for right now I will not be rushing back. However, I would say that you need to try things for yourself because each person's tastes and experiences are different. If you try it out, be sure to come back and comment on how your trip to Sparrow Bar + Cookshop went.