The Barbed Rose Steakhouse and Seafood Co.
This entry was posted on 9/10/2011 8:53 AM and is filed under New American Casual, Casual Chic - Jeans Allowed.
We'd been hearing great things about this now one year old restaurant south of town. GPS in hand, we headed down 288, landing at a modest location just off the main drag in what appeared to be downtown Alvin. Befitting its locale, there's nothing trendy or hip about this restaurant. Just good food, based on local offerrings, produced by an up and coming young chef, Jason Chaney.
We tried two starters -- country fried oysters and stuffed quail. The fried oysters, which have justifiably received alot of great press, were expertly fried served on top of house cured thick slab bacon, topped with house pickled jalapenos. Yum. Those jalapenos were so tasty, we had to ask for more. The sausage stuffed quail was flavorful, well sauced, and very nicely done. One of the better versions of that dish we've had as of late.
There are a variety of standard menu items, and then the restaurant offers a number of meat and seafood specials, based on what's available that day. These items are served simply grilled or sauteed, no sauces and no sides. The Kobe flat iron steak was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. The sauteed duck breast was also perfectly cooked, but the lack of any sauce put a damper on the dish. We requested that the chef add anything he thought would work, but nothing appeared on the plate. The mac-n-cheese was a very good but not great rendition of this uber-popular side.
Immediately next door is an open air hamburger joint owned by the same folks. It looked a little warm the evening we were there, but the family-friendly atmosphere likely makes this a popular destination in this small community.
We made a reservation for a Saturday night which was advisable. Parking is right in front of the restaurant (yea, no valet!). Our waiter was a local kid who managed just fine. The wine choices were limited but reasonably priced.
We may not make it back soon, but it was certainly worth the trip to check it out.
113 East Sealy Street, Alvin, Texas
281/585-2272
http://barbedrose.com/
