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Haven
This entry was posted on 1/12/2010 5:30 PM and is filed under New American Casual,New Openings.
Open now for a few weeks, this much awaited and anticipated restaurant was hopping on a recent Saturday night. The first LEED certified (i.e., environmentally friendly) restaurant in Houston, it took some time to get it open. The kitchen is manned by Randy Evans, formerly chef at Brennans. Built from the ground up at the northeast corner of Kirby & 59 ( behind the aquarium store and Taco Cabana), Haven has a contemporary, yet warm and comfortable, ambiance. (Similar in feel to Branch Water Tavern.)
Reservations are a must for prime time weekend tables. Foodies are flocking. We ran into three of our foodie couple friends dining there for the first time on the same evening. Parking is an interesting situation. There is a large lot right next to the restaurant that appeared to be entirely reserved for the valet service, at least at dinner.
We started out with shaky service but things improved greatly once our waiter arrived. We like the new trend toward artisanal cocktails but none appealed to us here, so we opted for wine from a varied (although not steakhouse sized), reasonably priced menu.
The menu is somewhat limited at this point. We speculate Chef Evans' idea is to do everything well rather than bite off more than the kitchen staff can produce. The menu is already expanded from what's on the limited website. And the idea is to buy local, farm-to-market, seasonally available items, which is inherently limiting.
A number of the appetizers were intriguing. Whether as a starter or a substitute for an entrée, we tried four of them. The best of the lot was the baked oysters, out of their shells, baked in a ramekin with spinach and lardons in a light cream sauce, served with grilled toast wedges, this dish packed a lot of flavor and was a very generous portion. It could easily have been a dinner entrée in of itself. Our next favorite was the pork belly, a large, meltingly good chunk of meat, served on under seasoned creamed peas. Runners up were the shrimp corn dogs (pretty much as described, cleverly sided with a shooter of meyer lemonade), with a nice spicy sauce, and chicken fried chicken lollipops, neatly served on mini biscuits with cream gravy (which we would have preferred a bit more of). The only entrée we tried was the roasted chicken served with bacon spaetzle and crispy fried brussel sprout leaves. A delicious comfort food dish for a chilly evening. A number of desserts looked good, but we were too full.
How quickly will we return? Soon but not right away. We greatly applaud the time and money required for LEED certification, and the commitment to local, seasonal ingredents. The food was very good, but it didn't knock us off our feet. There's a large outdoor patio that will be inviting in the Spring, and dropping in for a drink and appetizers at the bar appeals.
2502 Algerian Way
713/581-6101
http://havenhouston.blogspot.com/
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