We recently went on a trip to Houston, TX to attend an alumni event at my alma mater – Rice University. The trip happened to fall around the time of our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, so we wanted to have a nice dinner in Houston to celebrate. We chose the Mockingbird Bistro as our location and had a wonderful evening.
We were impressed as soon as we entered by the hostess’s greeting: “Are we holding a table for you?” I thought that it was much more polite than the usual “Do you have a reservation?” The manager brought us complimentary Cava in honor of our Anniversary, and they also knew our favorite (and hard to find) cocktail, Pisco sour, so we were quite pleased from the beginning. Once we were seated, we had a chance to look at the decor and layout. The main room is pretty small and divided into a bar/lounge area and a dining area, but there is another large room (which doubles as wine storage), and stairs to a balcony room (both of which are available for private events). The style was very cool – hip, old Paris feel with a bit of a gothic edge – I was instantly in love with it. The cool vibe, old-fashioned cocktails, and stellar wine list (one of the best in the city) makes this a place that I would definitely hang out at – if only I had known about it when I lived there!
We started by sharing two appetizers – the beef carpaccio and the roasted beet salad. The beet salad was very good, but the carpaccio was stellar – served with a creamy Parmesan vinaigrette, pesto, reduced balsamic, and truffle oil.
Next, we both had the Hudson Valley foie gras “club” – seared foie gras on top of toasted brioche and applewood smoked bacon with heirloom tomatoes and some sort of fruit jam (I forget which kind). This was, of course, amazing – which is why we never share foie gras.
For my entree – I ordered the kobe beef burger, topped with more seared foie gras, on an onion bun. This was possibly the best burger I have EVER had, and the sides were amazing too – truffle frites, pickled onion, cornichons, dressed watercress, and a delicious aioli.
Jasper ordered the seared sea scallops with carbonara risotto, which were very good as well. The risotto tasted EXACTLY like carbonara – with peas, lardons, and Parmesan butter. But let’s be honest here, that burger is where it’s at.
We ended our meal with a lovely cheese plate and left full and happy. We will definitely be coming back here anytime we are in Houston again.