Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar

Local farm to table restaurants seem to be the hot new concept in the food world. When I think of fresh produce and locally made foods, I don't think of Houston. I think of the North where farmers markets are on every corner and the seasons are marked by the changing produce. Farm to table concept restaurants are the hot new thing, so we found one called Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar and decided to try it out. They were just on the last days of their summer menu which was slightly disappointing because I am a huge fan of fall flavors. I started off with lavender mojito, made with vanilla rum and lavender simple syrup. It was a lovely combination of floral and sweet aromas. The mint and the vanilla paired well and the lavender was a unique twist. It was very refreshing and something I never would have thought to put together.

As appetizers, we ordered calamari and a hummus trio. I was very surprised when the calamari arrived to see that it was not fried. The calamari was sauteed and served in what seemed to be a Thai inspired broth. Honestly, it was a bit bland and not even salt helped. The broth didn't seem to have strong enough flavors to help perk up the bland calamari. The hummus trio included roasted garlic, chipotle and bruschetta and was served with pita triangles, carrots and cucumbers. The roasted garlic wasn't too overwhelming, but was slightly sweet. The chipotle hummus had a definite smoky flavor brought out by the paprika on top. The bruschetta hummus had diced tomatoes and kalamata olives mixed in, creating a very Mediterranean feel. The pita was okay, but nothing to write home about. I love hummus and was inspired by these combinations to start making my own to see what I could come up with. The hummus trio was the winner in the appetizer round.

In the entree category, the first two options were a pork tenderloin with a mustard apricot sauce and the second choice was a halibut. The pork was grilled and served on a chutney like mix of apricots and dijon mustard. There was a brussel sprout and sweet potato hash served with it that was actually quite tasty. I have never seen brussel sprouts used in a hash and the flavors went well together. The apricot and dijon mustard created a sweet and salty combination that brought depth to the pork. Plus pork and dijon mustard are one of my favorite combinations. The halibut was served with broccolini and an optional sauce, but it was unclear as to what the server said it was. Unfortunately, the halibut was a bit overcooked, so it turned out to be nothing special.

Luckily for me, the soup of the day was their season butternut squash soup! So of course that was something I had to try. The soup was creamy and surprisingly sweet with lots of toasted pumpkins seeds. The pumpkins seeds added the tiniest bit of salt and a nice textural contrast to the soup. The sweetness of the soup came from the addition of honey to the soup. I would have never thought to put honey in a soup, but it was very good. This butternut squash soup is a quintessential fall dish and would be perfect for a chilly winter night. I also decided to try the steak, swiss and mushroom flatbread. There is an area called Kennett Square that is known for their mushrooms so these were the lucky mushrooms topping the flatbread. The steak was tender and the swiss cheese was the perfect "glue" to hold it all together. The crust was nice and crunchy and seemed to be a bit seasoned. It was definitely one of the better flatbreads I have have since it wasn't basically just bread.

Though the entree part of the meal wasn't super memorable, we decided to give dessert a chance. The way they served dessert was unique because they came in a tray and you just took whichever one you wanted right then. The two we chose were a chocolate mocha mousse and a peanut butter chocolate mousse. The mocha chocolate mousse was topping with almost a cookie like crumble and a tiny dollop of whipped cream. The mousse was light, but had a very rich chocolate flavor to it. The peanut butter and chocolate mousse was like eating a peanut butter cup. The mini chocolate chips on top were a great textural element and completed the look of the dessert. Out of the two, the peanut butter and chocolate mousse was the dessert winner. Unfortunately, this wasn't an awesome dinner overall but there were definitely some bright spots in the meal. If you are willing to not be wowed by every dish, you might want to give it a try because there were some pretty yummy things and the fall menu looked good.

Houston Restaurant Weeks - Brasserie 19

Brasserie 19 has been a place that I used to drive by regularly and was always intrigued by the sidewalk dining. It just seemed like a very cute European style cafe. I don't know why I haven't been there before as I have heard they have a yummy brunch and I am always up for that! After hearing rave reviews about their Houston Restaurant Weeks offerings, I made a reservation so I could check it out. They have a huge outdoor dining section and really bright and cheery white decor on the inside. In the middle of the restaurant they have a huge bar and a open kitchen in the back where you can watch them shuck oysters. They bring a tiny little baguette of french bread to the table that has a lovely crust and chewy inside. I started off with a Texas gin fizz made with gin, lemon and lime juice, grenadine and topped off with come champagne. It was bright and fresh, without being too sweet. The bubbles from the champagne made it extra playful.

For the appetizer course, the selections included foie gras with figs and a Gulf coast crudo. I did not try the foie gras but the presentation was lovely. The crudo was red snapper, tangerine, grapefruit, fennel, basil and Hawaiian black sea salt. The fish was pounded out into a very thin layer and then topped with the ingredients. It was a little bit odd having a layer of fish on the plate, but if you didn't think about it everything ended up blending together so well. It's a very refreshing dish and full of delicate flavors. The salt added crunch and the fennel and basil brought earthy flavors that rounded out the fish and fruit. 

One entree was the braised beef bourguignon. It was served with the traditional carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Beef was fork tender and juicy from the sauce. It wasn't too salty, but rather was a deep, rich and very hearty dish. It was definitely one of those cold winter night dishes. The other entree was a rainbow trout almandine with crushed potatoes, haricot vert and a brown butter sauce. The potatoes had a tiny bit of crunch on the skin and the inside was almost at the consistency of mashed potatoes. If you aren't familiar with haricot vert, they are simply French green beans. They are a bit thinner than normal green beans but taste similar. The trout was delicious. It was flaky and crunchy with the almonds. The thinner batter kept in the brown butter sauce and created almost like a crust on the fish. Trout has scared me a little bit for some reason but not anymore!

Last but certainly not least was dessert. There was a lemon Bavarian and creme brulee. The creme brulee had a nice crust on the top and was very colorful with the fresh berries. The custard wasn't too thick or too sweet. It was a yummy creme brulee, but didn't really have much on the lemon Bavarain dessert! It was lemon custard on top of a bed of shortbread cookie crumbles with a toasted marshmallow on top and fresh berries. The lemon custard was delicious and the toasty marshmallow was unexpected and fun. The shortbread crumbles added a buttery richness to the dessert and the marshmallow tasted homemade. This was a dessert that I have never had before and was unique. This was one of the best meals that I have had in a while. Plus I found out through the grapevine that they have a free shuttle service to anywhere within a 5 mile radius...not bad and very convenient if you ask me. This quaint little French place should get a place on your restaurant list if you ask me because you won't be disappointed.

High Cotton

When you are having a girls weekend of course you need to have a special dress up dinner and this one took place at High Cotton, a sister restaurant to Slightly North of Broad. The restaurant had live music, beautiful light blue striped fabric on the walls lots of candles creating this intimate that drew up in.   Like a lot of restaurants in Charleston, they pride themselves on using as many fresh and local ingredients as they can. The meal started off with some She-crab soup, a soup that is a feature of the Charleston region. It is similar to a bisque and uses the female crab. Though heavy cream is a main ingredient in the soup, it didn't feel like a very heavy soup and there were large chunks of crab meat in the soup. It had paprika notes in the background and a nice balance of flavor.

 Along with that was a grilled peach and watermelon salad. If that doesn't say summer on a plate, I don't what does. I haven't had a ton of grilled fruit but I do know that for some reason it seems to bring out the fruit flavor even more. The peach was still extremely juicy and the watermelon was super fresh and crisp. It was served on a bed of arugula with crumbled feta and a Serrano vinaigrette dressing. The saltiness of the feta and the arugula helped round out the flavors in the salad. The dressing had a hint of heat to it, but it wasn't too overwhelming. The salad had sweet, salty, acidity, and a little bitterness from the arugula. It was one of the most well composed salads I have had. The soup and the salad set the bar pretty high, so I started to get very excited about how the rest of the meal would unfold.

The first selection was a roasted chicken breast on a bed of sauteed spinach with a parsley coulis. Though I was a bit skeptical of the chicken because most of the time it is not usually something that amazes me. However, this one did...but only because of the parsley coulis. It was a mix of parsley, lemon, chives, tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper. It's amazing how much flavor these simple ingredients have which took the dish to the next level. It was a chicken dish worth ordering again and proved that when prepared properly chicken can stand on it's own.

I can't say that I am wild about ordering exotic meats but I will usually try them if someone else orders it. Maybe it's because I am not a huge meat eater, but this was one of those times where I was willing to try. This was rabbit served on a bed of pimento cheese grits. It had an au jus sauce over it to keep the meat nice and tender. I tried not to think about what I was actually eating too much or else I think I might have psyched myself out. However, I was surprised at how mild and tender it was. The pimento cheese grits were very representative of local favorites and where pretty hearty in texture. I am not sure if I would ever order rabbit on my own, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to try it as it was much better than I expected.

The last entree selection was roasted monkfish with pork shoulder sugo, fried capers, calabrese olives and tomatoes with a touch of lemon. The monkfish is a fairly mild whitefish that some have compared to lobster tail. The fried capers added a textural element to the dish and olives brought some salt to the dish without it being too salty. The pork shoulder sugo (sugo is Italian for sauce) added richness and depth to the fish. The pork was tender and not too fatty and was interesting play on the traditional red sauce. I would have never thought to put together pork and fish, but it was a surprisingly good combination.

We finally arrived at one of my favorite parts of the meal. Why dessert comes last doesn't make sense to me, but maybe it's just because you save the best for last? Of course the dessert selections were just as creative tempting as the meal and the decisions were very difficult. Creme Brulee is a favorite so naturally this Grand Marnier Creme Brulee was selected. It was served with a dollop of whipped cream and a piece of candied orange. The crust was perfect and the custard wasn't overly sweetened. The orange in the background was light and perfect for the summer. The whipped cream tasted like it was made from scratch and didn't leave that coating in your mouth. They do know how to make one delicious Creme Brulee.

Of course you can't have dessert without some kind of chocolate involved. This was a dark chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream, pretzel pieces and a caramel drizzle. I was a bit skeptical at first since pudding wouldn't be the first thing that popped into my head when thinking about upscale desserts. However, this wasn't your typical pudding that can be thin and artificial tasting. It seemed to be on the verge of a chocolate fudge with a decadent chocolate taste. The crunch of the pretzels helped to keep the dish from becoming overly sweet and the whipped cream added a lightness to the pudding. Chocolate and caramel are one of the combinations that you can't go wrong with and definitely proved to me that pudding can be very upscale.

Last but not least was a set of ice cream sandwiches. They may not sound super fancy, but it was a nice flashback to my childhood. One was made with chocolate chip cookies and a scoop of peanut butter hazelnut gelato. The other was sugar cookies with lemongrass lavender gelato. The cookies were able to hold in the ice cream fairly well without getting soggy. The chocolate chip cookies had lots of chocolate chunks throughout and sugar cookies were silky and buttery. You could taste the peanut butter and the hazelnut in the gelato and neither one overwhelmed the other. The lemongrass lavender gelato was heavenly and fresh with both floral and citrus notes. Neither one was too sweet and somehow managed to not immediately melt into a giant puzzle. I wouldn't recommend eating these if you are trying to impress someone as they did get a bit messy, but sometimes it's the messiest things that are the best. The meal at High Cotton was truly memorable and definitely highlighted the wonderful culinary world in Charleston.