The Yardhouse

We've been to The Yardhouse in San Antonio and we really enjoyed it, so we decided to give the one in Houston's City Centre a try. We were with a relatively large group (7 people -- one less than we needed for Yardhouse to accept a reservation) on a beautiful Saturday night, so I was surprised at how short the wait was for an outdoor table. I was also pleasantly surprised that our waitress immediately offered to split the check for us. So far, so good.

Our table started with a round of beers from the huge and ecclectic list and a serving of truffle fries. There were enough of these crispy little shoestrings for everyone to get a try, and they really tasted like truffles. That's great if you like truffles, but I don't.* Everyone else seemed to enjoy them though.

For dinner I got a house favorite, the Mac and Cheese (squared).



A HUGE dish of campanelli pasta arrived, smothered in cheese, mushrooms, chicked and bacon. The menu also claimed that the dish includes truffle oil, but luckily for me, I couldn't taste that.* What I did taste was the tangy cheese blend and the smoky bacon. It was dressed-up comfort food at its very best and there was enough to take home for lunch on Monday.

The atmoshpere could not have been more pleasant. The football game was on the outdoor TV, but the sound was off and the company was interesting enough that we didn't completely lose the men in our group. Our waitress did a good job managing all of us without being over-bearing, and as far as I know, everyone left happy. In my book that's enough to earn Yardhouse a recommendation from me.


*No, I don't know why I don't like truffles. Yes, I know they're a delicacy and everyone with half a palate loves them. No, I don't think my disliking truffles makes me unfit to write about food.

Out of Town Special: Butcher Boys

My husband had to take a deposition in Nacogdoches and I went along for the ride. His coworker Fred really likes Butcher Boys, so I thought I would give it a shot.



What I got was a delicious hand-formed patty of fresh (they grind it in-house) ground beef served on a warm and crusty bun with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo. The meat was perfectly cooked, with just enough "ooze", and the fries on the side were well-seasoned and more-than-serviceable. It was inexpensive, accessible and filling -- a delicious meal to fill up with before we headed back to Houston.

Butcher Boys offers a ton of other meals, from rib-eye steak to hot links, but I can't comment on those. All I can say is that Butcher Boys is a great addition to my already long list of great Texas burger dives. Nom!

Special Out of Town Edition: Garrett's

I want to preface this post by saying that I love Waco Texas. It's where I went to law school, where I met my husband, and where some of my best friends (the folks we ate with at Garrett's) live. I love the idea of a "Waco Renaissance" and I love supporting new businesses -- especially small businesses -- that move to Downtown Waco.

All that said, I didn't love Garrett's.

Garrett's motto is that "fine dining is finally affordable." And Garrett's was affordable. It's whether it was truly "fine dining" that's disputable.

Our table started with a plate of hummus. What arrived was a very, very orange scoop of dip with pita chips. It tasted fine, but it didn't look like any kind of hummus that I've ever seen before. It wasn't enough to make discourage me (yet), and I ordered the seared ahi tuna for dinner.



That is where things got bad. Look, I understand that Waco is nowhere near the ocean, and that therefore fish has to be shipped in frozen sometimes. That's fine. Unfortunately, this fish did not taste like it had been properly defrosted, probably because it was sliced so thickly. That's not fine. The texture of the tuna was completely off. It was hard to cut and even harder to eat. The rice served with the tuna had a wonderful flavor, but was overwhelmed by the slightly-odd sauce beneath it. Overall, I just can't say that I enjoyed this dish.


For dessert we tried the "chocolate peanut butter lasagna" (really just a chocolate-peanut butter layer cake), which was similarly unbalanced. The flavors were good, but the layers were stacked so high that it was hard to eat it without tipping it onto it's side, and the peanut butter filling was so rich that it would be impossible to finish. In this instance a smaller portion would have actually been better.



Service was friendly, but green. Our server accidentally removed our knives after the appetizer and didn't replace them, leaving us to steal knives from the empty table behind us. There were many employees gathered around the bar area with seemingly nothing to do, and they could -- and should -- have helped our server to ensure those kind of minor snafus didn't happen. Oh, and there was a fruit fly in my water. Not exactly the kind of fine dining experience I was hoping for.

The real pity here is that downtown Waco is in desperate need of cool new gathering spots. Garrett's might come around in time, but if it doesn't improve, I just can't see it lasting long. Until and unless it gets better, I suggest trying a less-fancy but delicious alternative while in Waco: get yourself a burger.

Gravitas

Like last week, this week's restaurant can be summed up in one word, but it's not disappointing. For Gravitas, I'm going to have to go with cool. The decor is cool. Our server was cool. And the menu is most certainly very cool.

We started with the goat cheese tart with red onion jam and fennel slaw. What arrived was akin to a little pizza filled with a warm and savory goat cheese mixture. When eaten together, the three elements combined to create something crispy, satisfying and fun to eat. Highly recommended.



For dinner I had the mussels cooked in Stella Artois. These babies were quality, meaty and fresh. It was a very simple meal, but simple is good, as long as it's done well. And this was done very well.



On the side I had a HUGE bowl of fries (nothing special) served with a variety of dipping sauces (fun, though overwhelming). Obviously portion control is not a priority at Gravitas. You get a lot for your money -- bring friends who like to share.



I also have to mention the talented staff at the bar. I had a signature cocktail, the blood orange whiskey smash. Though it was a little pricey, this drink was just about perfect. The bartender at Gravitas is giving the staff at TQLA a run for their money, and that's saying a lot.

Overall, Gravitas is a sophisticated, hip little place with a creative chef and fabulous mixed drinks. This is the perfect place for date night, girls night, or a mommy-and-daddy-need-grown-up-time night. Try it -- you won't be disappointed, and you won't leave hungry.

Special Out of Town Edition: 901 Postoffice

One word for 901 Postoffice: disappointment. I had heard and read so many good things about this place. Maybe we caught it on an off night. Or maybe it's just ... not that good.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible. The building (an old house) was kind of neat but half-empty. When I told the hostess that we had a reservation, she gave me a look that can only be described as nasty. Right off the bat I knew that she didn't like me, I didn't like her, and I wasn't sure why.

We tried an appetizer of smoked Texas sausage with quail egg. This was actually pretty yummy. The sausage was slightly crispy and paired well with the warm, soft egg yolk. We finished it easily.



For dinner, I had grilled gulf snapper with crab wontons. The snapper was fine, but the wontons were too heavy and the filling too sweet. It coated by palate and made it difficult to taste the fish. I only ate half of it.



Dinner for 4, with two bottles of wine and one dessert, came to a little over $300. I guess that's a good value for fine dining, but I wouldn't spend it on this again. Our server was very friendly and competent, but it was so dark in there that we never did get a good look at him -- one more little peculiarity about 901 Postoffice that did not add to the experience.

PS: the next morning we had breakfast at a little dive on the seawall. For just a couple of bucks, I got an amazing breakfast, a HUGE mimosa, and to watch dolphins swim in the ocean, all in a laid-back (and well-lit) atmosphere. My point? When you're at the beach, embrace your inner beach bum. Let fine dining wait until you're back in the city.