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Bistro M ode rne - Hote l De re k

2525 W Loop S
TTR W ine Cafe
Houston , TX 77027

RESTAURANT REVIEW

17 Restaurant - Alden Hotel Bonj our bon bistro

Brunch at Bistro Moderne
Arturo's Uptown Italiano

Ashiana Indian Restaurant Brunching Out 3/19/06

Backstreet Cafe M. MARTIN

Bistro Moderne - Hotel Derek
Bistro Toulouse
Boom Boom Room
Brennan's of Houston
Coco's Crepes & Coffee
Cova W ine Bar
D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe
For this edition of Brunc hing Out, we venture out from our usual inner-c ity
haunts. For years, this week's destination was simply referred to as "The Galleria
Area"--no surprise, given that it's single distinguishing feature was that massive
and still-growing shopping c omplex. Sinc e the late 90's, the term "Uptown" has
seen inc reasing usage as the area diversifies and grows into something more than
a mere shopping c omplex. At its worst, Uptown remains the provinc e of big-haired
gals and their c owboy-booted beaus, trying (and failing) to buy a little c lass with
their oil-patc h profits. At its best, Uptown gives truth to the notion that Houston
c an be c onsidered a world-c lass c ity.

El Pueblito Place Bistro Moderne, at the c orner of Westheimer and the 610 Loop, very muc h
c onfirms that notion. It is often said that one eats first with one's eyes. If that is
Farrago W orld Cuisine
the c ase, then the very first c ourse is the very first view of the plac e where one will
Field of Green's be dining. In the c ase of Bistro Moderne, that first visual c ourse is a feast in itself,
thanks to the efforts of award-winning designer Jeffrey Beers. Bistro Moderne
Hugo's
adjoins the lobby of Hotel Derek, one of Houston's premiere hotels. Both hotel
Kirin One Japanese Sushi Buffet and restaurant are designed with a simple yet luxurious eleganc e that sets one
immediately at ease. Hotel Derek's goal is to be "The c ontemporary Leader of
Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill
Houston Galleria Hotels", ac c ording to their website. Their c hosen methods for
laidback manor (closed) pursuing that goal are extraordinary style and impec c able servic e. As the
designated on-site bar/restaurant, Bistro Moderne may be expec ted to share those
Last Concert Cafe
goals--and they do. From the moment we walked in, my dining c ompanion and I
Marine's Empanadas & Bakery were made welc ome with a level of grac iousness and professionalism rarely
enc ountered in even the best of this c ity's restaurants. From the manager to the
Max's W ine Dive
busboy, the staff was uniformly attentive and c ourteous and very good at their
Niko Niko's jobs.

Oporto Cafe and W ine Bar

This should perhaps c ome as little surprise. Chef/c o-owner Philippe
Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant Sc hmit and his assoc iates have perfec ted their skills with multiple restaurant
ventures in New York, San Franc isc o, and Chic ago. We had a c hanc e to speak
Rouge New American Cuisine

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Saffron Moroccan Cuisine

briefly with Chef Phillipe before our meal, as well as after. He explained his
Tacos A Go-Go
vision for brunc h at Bistro Moderne, whic h inc ludes meeting the expec tations of
Tart Cafe brunc h diners, meeting the expec tations of his restaurant's more usual
lunc h/dinner c lientèle, and meeting his own determination to do brunc h in a
Te House of Tea way that is uniquely 'Bistro Moderne'.
The Lodge at Bayou Bend
Let's begin the review, as we did the meal, with the c oc ktails. Bistro
TTR W ine Cafe Moderne's brunc h beverages inc lude standbys like Mimosas and Bloody Marys, as
Zula well as a fairly lively martini and c oc ktail menu (any restaurant that features Frank
Sinatra as prominently on its sound system as Bistro Moderne is pretty well
obligated to have a dec ent martini or two). All too frequently, brunc h mimosas
suffer from poor ingredients--inexpensive c hampagne or frozen orange juic e, or
both. No suc h problem here. The freshly-squeezed orange juic e was perfec tly
balanc ed with a generous quantity of good, dry, c hampagne. Bloody Marys were
equally well-done, seasoned to perfec tion with fresh horseradish and prepared
absolutely right with Absolut Peppar vodka. A standout from the martini list was
the key lime martini, an exac t taste-matc h to its namesake. On the less alc oholic
side of things, Bistro Moderne also serves standout Illy drip c offee, and my
c ompanion was delighted to disc over that she c ould order a c up of her favorite
"Mighty Leaf" c hamomile/c itron tea. To rehydrate somewhat, we then ordered a
bottle of Fiji water--and were surprised and delighted when it arrived in a c ooling
sleeve that prec isely matc hed the rec tangular Fiji bottle (we were also fairly
impressed with our server's storehouse of memorized Fiji trivia).

Our meal began with the Salad Diane, whic h features an assortment of
julienned beets topped with mesc lun field greens, garnished with a nic ely tart
avoc ado dressing and small sprinkles of blue c heese. The beets were quite
tender--perhaps lightly marinated, they did not taste pic kled. The flavors were
nic ely balanc ed and set our palates for the next c ourse.

Our salads were followed by an admirably-done steak tartare, served with

toast points and fries, garnished with a single quail egg. The tartare was liberally
seasoned with c apers and gherkins, to whic h the quail egg offered a nic e
c ontrast. One hopes that the wider ac c eptanc e of sushi may have paved the way
for an apprec iation of this delic ac y, whic h all too many Americ ans dismiss as 'raw
hamburger, topped by a raw egg'. Cooking this partic ular 'hamburger' would have
been a mortal sin. Ignoring Chef Phillipe's warning to leave room for the entire
meal, my c ompanion and I ordered additional toast points, and made sure that
not a single luxurious pink morsel went to waste.

Next c ame the first of several brunc h entrees--the "Bistro Moderne

Crepes". This signature edition of a standard bistro c lassic is stuffed with a mixed
assortment of mushrooms and served with a pleasantly mild frothy brown sauc e
and a c risp-fried sprig of basil. It is perhaps a trifle bland to a Texas palate, but
very ric h, with the mushroom filling provided a very subtle and c omplex range of
flavors.

If c repes are a bistro standard, then our next dish took as its theme a
c lassic brunc h ingredient. I have seen poac hed eggs used to good effec t in
many variations on the c lassic themes of eggs Benedic t and eggs Florentine. To
this list we may now add Bistro Moderne's Lobster Oeuf en Coc ette. The eggs are
served in a poac hing tin on a bed of lobster and assorted dic ed vegetables, then
c overed in airy and elegant lobster bisque. Like the tartare, this was not a dish
that c ould be simply sampled and passed over. The bisque in partic ular had a

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warm and subtle savoriness.

Next, my c ompanion was served the grilled salmon on lentils, while I

rec eived the hanger steak au poivre. The salmon was lightly and expertly grilled,
with just a hint of c armelization. The bed of lentils upon whic h it was served was
c ooked to a nic ely toothsome texture and nic ely seasoned with pommery mustard
sauc e. The hangar steak, while good, was perhaps the least noteworthy offering
we enc ountered. It was well-seasoned, well-presented and c ooked to medium
rare perfec t redness. But it simply did not c ompare in flavor and uniqueness to
Moderne's other and exc eptional offerings.

Our last entree was a true brunc h c lassic , Frenc h toast--in this c ase served
with spic y apple c ompote and garnished with fresh mint. This was c omfort food
done simply and done right--generous 'Texas toast'-sized slabs of wholesome
white bread (with the exc eptions of the c roissants, all of Bistro Moderne's breads
and pastries are baked in-house), pan-fried in a ric h egg mixture and served with
plenty of maple syrup.

For dessert, we were offered the tarte au c itron and the fondant. The tarte
was a zesty lemon meringue, served with lemon c onfit and lemon bavarois. The
c itrus flavor was a nic e palate c leanser, as well as a pleasant bit of sweetness.
The fondant was a ric h c hoc olaty affair, served with an exc ellent pistac hio ic e
c ream and c herry sauc e. Both were wonderful.

Brunc h at Bistro Moderne may either be ordered ala c arte or as a 'prix

fixe' brunc h for the outstanding pric e of $24, for whic h one rec eives an appetizer,
a main c ourse, a c oc ktail (mimosa, bloody mary, or bloody bull) and
c omplimentary c offee. Other brunc h items are offered at exc eptionally
reasonable pric es, with appetizers running $5 and main c ourses running between
$11 and $16. This c ompares more than favorably with Uptown brunc h venues
like La Strada or The Courtyard, whic h may in turn be hard-pressed to matc h
either the ambianc e or quality of servic e.

The summary: brunc h at Bistro Moderne is a c lassy, tasteful, and lively

dining experienc e. Expec t world-c lass food quality and servic e at neighborhood
bistro pric es. The food menu largely foc uses on Frenc h bistro and Sunday
brunc h standbys, done with panac he and originality. The drink menu c ontains all
the c lassic brunc h c oc ktails, as well as an interesting assortment of martinis and
other c oc ktails. World-c lass designers and restaurateurs have c ollaborated in
Bistro Moderne to c raft one of the most pleasing dining environments you'll ever
enc ounter. Chef Phillipe Sc hmit has promised to c ontinue to find ways to define
brunc h at Bistro Moderne as a unique and exc eptional experienc e. We believe
him.

Bistro Moderne 2525 West Loop South

Houston TX 77027 713.297.4383

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