Killens
This entry was posted on 8/5/2007 8:29 AM and is filed under Steakhouses,New Openings,Out of Town Destinations,Casual Chic - Jeans Allowed.
Some may not consider Pearland an Out of Town Destination, but we do. It's outside the Beltway, and in an area not yet annexed by the City of Houston. Accompanied by four friends on a recent Saturday evening, we road tripped to check out this new steakhouse that received a rave review from the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook. The chef/owner, Ronnie Killen, is Cordon Bleu trained.
Reportedly an icehouse in its previous incarnation, Killen's decor is more Bonanza than Flemings, although there are white tablecloths and some artwork that we don't recall including farm animals. Low ceilings and small windowless rooms lend to a somewhat cramped and noisy setting. But the place was packed. Reservations are definitely required. No need to dress up, although shorts wouldn't be advisable.
Service was good even though we were probably asked a few too many times whether we were ready to order, and it took a while to get the cocktails. Although the restaurant appears to have a full bar (no seating), it's not designed for turning out drinks quickly. No problem, we also ordered wine. The list was fairly extensive, not too heavy on the really high end stuff, and oddly missing vintages for all but a few of the listings. But we enjoyed a reasonably priced 2001 Rutherford Hill. Prices seemed to be about twice retail.
The restaurant likes to use lump crab meat, so we tried the crab cakes and fried asparagus starters. The crab cakes were excellent, not much breading and topped with even more crab and a large grilled shrimp. The asparagus, sauced with the same stuff as the crab cakes, were fine but not as good as Piatto's version. We tried three classic steakhouse salads -- caesar, wedge, and sliced tomatos with blue cheese. All were more than acceptable, although the caesar stood out (nice and garlicky/anchovy'y) but for being overdressed. The wedge's creamy blue cheese was too sweet for our taste.
We all ordered steak except one person who tried the chicken fried sirloin steak. The steaks were just fine, comparable to Houston's other steakhouses. The overdone t-bone was promptly replaced. There wasn't much chicken fried steak left on the plate. The onion rings (crispy and grease free) stood out from the other two sides of creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin. Although probably healthier, the potatoes lacked the gooey decadence of other steakhouse versions. We finished with the creme brulee bread pudding. We aren't big bread pudding fans, but Alison Cook steered us well when she raved over this version.
If you live in Pearland or the surrounding area, this is a must try restaurant. It's likely one of your best options for great food. Would we drive from Houston again? Probably not, but one never knows.
2804 Main Street, Pearland, Texas
281/485-0844
http://www.killenssteakhouse.com/
