J. BLACK'S

CultureMap is a great resource for finding out what's going on around town and where all the hot spots are. They have been doing something called Dine Around Houston. Once a month a restaurant will do a prefixed meal and beverage for $12 benefitting the Big Brother Big Sister program...pretty good deal if you ask me. This month's event took place at J. BLACK'S which was on my list of places to visit so it was an even sweeter deal for me. You got your choice of two different entrees, drink and a dessert. Fortunately, I got to try both options because I had friends that were willing to share. First up was the "Winner Winner" pizza. This was topped with chili marinated shredded chicken, avocado, carmelized onion, and Boursin cheese. There was a bit of heat that was cooled with the avocado. Boursin cheese is a creamy cheese similar to cream cheese and a unique choice for use on a pizza. The pizza was really filling and delicious, so there were definitely leftovers, but I am not complaining about that.

The other entree option was the Washington sliders. There were three mini burgers served with homemade chips. And yes, there is a huge difference between homemade chips and ones you get in a bag. They are much crunchier and a lot less greasy. These were Wagyu beef sliders topped with Gorgonzola, mushrooms, bacon, carmelized onions and a basil mayo. I usually will not eat Gorgonzola but there wasn't a ton on the sliders and the other ingredients helped make it less pungent. The bacon was diced which was nice because every bite seemed to have some and the basil mayo was different. These were tasty little things and I would definitely try them when you visit.

I was interested to see how the dessert would turn out. It was a chocolate brownie with cajeta, carmel sauce, smoked sea salt and strawberries. Cajeta is a goat milk based sauce. You could definitely tell that there was a different ingredient in it so if you don't like goats milk, this will not be the dessert for you. The smoked sea salt definitely had a smoky flavor and created an interesting flavor combination with the chocolate and goat's milk. The vibe inside the restaurant was laid back and cozy, however your only option for parking is valet so be prepared for that. If you haven't made it to J. BLACK'S, be sure to try it.