Houston Restaurant Weeks - Brooklyn Athletic Club

About 10 months ago, a new hot spot opened and quickly became the talk of the town. Brooklyn Athletic Club is reminiscent of summers spent in Brooklyn, compete with croquet, ping pong and picnic tables. What I found interesting was that that Clubhouse (aka the indoor part of the restaurant) made up about 25% of the establishment. Most of the restaurant is outside which is odd for a place in Houston since it is always so hot. They have a large covered patio and tables and umbrellas and then in the back is it all picnic tables. Some how the weather that evening was fairly pleasant so we opted to sit outside. We decided to take advantage of the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu and started off with the BAC crab cake. This crab cake had apple and a celery root slaw in it with two baguette crisps and a jalapeno aioli. The addition of the apple and celery root slaw added crunch to the crab cake which had lots of fresh crab and a nice golden crust. The jalapeno aioli added a touch of heat to the semi-sweet crab cake.

To be honest, the dish that made this a must try place for me was Jeff's BAC Mac and Cheese. This is not your average mac and cheese in that it includes braised short rib, mushrooms and pepper and a cheese sauce made with and american and cheddar cheese finished with an herbed crust. Talk about a little piece of heaven! The cheese sauce was smooth and silky, creating this super delicious cheese glue. The pieces of short rib were tender and the mushrooms and peppers made it feel like a meal unto itself. It was the herbed crust the was the perfect finishing touch, as it added texture and used tons of fresh herbs. Don't be fooled by the petite little dish it is served in because this definitely keeps you coming back for more, but fills you up! This dish surpassed my expectations and has earned BAC a spot on my go to restaurant list.

Though I would have been totally fine with just the mac and cheese, I moved on to my entree which was a Texas beef grilled sirloin topped with a minted chimichurri and served with baby arugula tossed with a lemon shallot vinaigrette and season hand cut fries. The sirloin was buttery and tender and the chimichurri sauce gave it a delicious Latin flair. Chimichurri sauce is a South American condiment made with olive oil, garlic, cilantro, parsley, oregano, mint and red jalapeno. The jalapeno wasn't spicy and added a nice pop of color to the plate. The baby arugula was super fresh with the lemon and somehow made the arugula just the tiniest bit less bitter. The seasoned french fries were slightly addicting, but maybe that was because I was trying to figure out what all was in the spice blend. Plus they were served in a precious little mason jar.

After a lovely and very filling meal, I was ready for the sweet finish. This was a s'mores bread pudding. The bread pudding seemed to use a different bread then most bread puddings, giving it a denser consistency but it didn't make it richer. It was topped with some crushed Oreo like cookies, a chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of graham cracker. The chocolate sauce tasted like it was made with semi-sweet chocolate and the crushed up cookies that were baked into the top with so good. It was a perfect play on a summertime treat. However, I do have to admit that after the wonder starter and entree I only had room for a few bites of the dessert...which worked out for me because I had a treat to enjoy the next day. Brooklyn Athletic Club is a very laid back hangout place that serves delicious food. The atmosphere is not like a lot of other places in Houston which I think has contributed to its popularity. What's even more exciting is that BAC has opened up a food truck on the back lawn with its own separate menu. Not only will I be back to try more of the regular menu but I will also have to sample the food truck dishes, so don't worry BAC I will be back very shortly!