Lead by up-and-coming Executive Chef David Grossman, this quaint and unassuming Houston gastronomic treasure is worth the three times you'll have to circle the block to find it.
I visited on a Tuesday evening around 7:30 as a prelude to catching a flick over at the River Oaks Theater. It wasn't too crowded. We were seated right away without any reservation, which was nice but could also be a red flag. The hostess was enthusiastic and really upsold the "fantastically extensive" wine and cocktail menu. Which, by the way, includes over 100 different whiskeys.
So, I started out with a glass of W.L. Weller Special Reserve, on the rocks. You really can't go wrong with Weller or Makers. If you're ever unsure of which whiskey to choose and either of these are on the list, you can basically eenie-meanie-minie-moe it and you'll be safe. I went with Weller though because it just felt right.
For appetizers, we decided to try the duck liver mousse with onion jam and the prosciutto-wrapped arugula rolls. Before those came out, they brought us warm mini biscuits with butter and mildly spiced habanero jam. Probably one of the more unique and spot-on combos I've ever had in a bread plate.
The arugula rolls were so-so. The zesty taste of the arugula against the saltiness of the prosciutto were a winning combo, but the dish still felt like it was missing something. The duck liver mousse, on the other hand, was insane. Perfection in presentation, texture and flavor. It was served with thinly cut baked french bread with sweet pickles, spicy dijon mustard and onion jam. I, for one, was not a fan of the onion jam, so it stayed in its corner like the misfit of the meal it was and remained unconsumed. Luckily, the duck liver mousse was so good on its own that it didn't need a meddling accomplice anyway.
Quite pleased with the first course, we moved onto the main course and wine selection. I decided to go with the Bielsa Garnacha "Vinas Viejas" Campo de Borja, Spain 2008. I've always been a fan of a good Grenache and this one sounded promising. It didn't disappoint. A tad over-alcoholic at uncorking, we let it breathe for about 15 minutes and Voilà! It came to life and delivered more gusto than we ever could have expected upon first sip.
For our main courses, I chose the seared scallops with butternut squash agnolotti, black trumpets and brown butter. My dining companion got the berkshire pork chop with collard greens, pimento cheese polenta and grain mustard jus. I may or may not have chosen that dish for him. What!? I can't help it! I wanted to try both! And boy am I glad I did.
First of all, I don't think I've ever had better scallops in my life. And I've had a LOT of scallops. They were pan seared perfectly. You can tell the chef continued to douse them in a white wine reduction throughout the quick but precise cooking process. Anyone who has ever had to prepare a scallop knows it's no easy feat. The trumpets and brown butter sauce were incredible. Every bite was like a symphony of flavor in my mouth. That sounded a bit too food porn-ish. Sorry. But you get the picture.
The pork chops were just as divine if not more so. Whoever thought of putting a pimento cheese polenta with a mustard jus is a genius. The two flavors complimented each other seemlessly. The chop was absolutely perfectly cooked. A little bit of a seared crust on top and deliciously moist and warm in the center. (Again with the food porn - sorry - I can't help myself.) I've never been a huge fan of collard greens, but in this dish - they work.
Needless to say, we both cleaned our plates. In fact, I think our server may have caught onto the fact that I was seriously contemplating licking mine. That thought passed after I remembered I was in public, so I went back to quietly sipping my wine and reveling in a feeling of total satisfaction and victory.
Too blissfully stuffed to even consider eating dessert (which, in retrospect, we probably should have at least tried something so I'd have something to write here other than, uh... um... yeah) we finished our wine and away we went. What was meant to maybe be an hour long meal ended up almost making us late for our 9:30 movie. But hey - as long as you're late for a good reason, all is forgiven. And in this case, Branch Water Tavern was definitely reason enough.
*Branch Water Tavern is located at 510 Shepherd Drive, Houston, TX 77007
