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Bistro Toulouse [Closed]
This entry was posted on 4/15/2007 9:10 AM and is filed under Casual Chic - Jeans Allowed, closed.
CLOSED SPRING 2008 --
We ventured slightly outside our inner Loop comfort zone on a recent cold and rainy evening to try this casual, unpretentious French restaurant in the Tanglewood area. We were greeted warmly by the host at the door of the one room, modestly decorated venue that bills itself as a "neighborhood bistro." Unfortunately, that door leads directly into the restaurant, resulting in some breezy moments at a number of tables. In better weather, the outdoor patio looked quite inviting.
The menu is a hybrid of French and New American. No escargots, sweetbreads, or foie gras. There is a limited, but varied selection of appetizers, salads, and entrees from the usual suspects of fish, fowl, and meat. The wine list is short, not just French, and reasonably priced, with a number of choices by the glass.
For starters, we tried the goat cheese fritters and creole crawfish cakes. We'd eat goat cheese on cardboard, so it's hard to go wrong. The fritters were nicely fried, perhaps not quite hot enough. The fig jam was an interesting touch. Overall, good, but nothing special. The crawfish cakes were also tasty enough, nicely sauced, but slightly too bready. We moved on to the classic French onion soup, which was the highlight of the meal -- piping hot, richly flavored, and covered with lots of melted cheese.
We finished with the beef short ribs, substituting the truffle potatoes for frites. (Who can resist frites in a French restaurant?) The short ribs were not any cut of short rib that we've ever seen. (And we cook and order short ribs frequently since they seem to be one of the dishes du moment.) Although nicely cooked, the two pieces of meat were slightly dry and far too lean. A little more sauce would have improved matters. The bigger issue was what were identified on the menu as frites. What appeared on the plate were chunks (not even wedges) of deep fried potato. Tasty enough in their own right, but not frites by any stretch of the Frenchination. (For great frites, stick with Gravitas.)
For true French food, go to Cafe Rabelais or Chez Georges, or venture out to Chez Nous. In reflecting on whether we would return, we both thought lunch on the patio would be quite pleasant. Otherwise, short of a craving for French onion soup, probably not.
A note on finding this place -- the address is on Woodway, but it's actually slightly north on Bering, the first light west of Chimney Rock on Woodway. We drove up and down Woodway before calling to get directions.
5750 Woodway
713/997-6900
http://www.bistrotoulousehouston.com/
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