LOCAL Houston | The City Guide April 2017 | Page 31

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE BRASSERIE DU PARC CUISINE: French cuisine | 1440 Lamar St. | 832.879.2802 | www.brasserieduparc.net Mon–Thur: 11am–10pm; Fri–Sat: 11am–11pm; Sun 11am–9pm An unexpected benefit of the Super Bowl was the opening of several new restau- rants downtown. My favorite is Brasserie du Parc. Chef Philippe Verpiand and Monica Bui, the owners of Étoile in Uptown Park, opened Brasserie in One Park Place. The beautiful open space overlooks Discovery Green and offers a wide vari- ety of French classics and incredible wine and cocktails. The indoor patio transforms to outdoor by opening the windows to allow Houstonians to enjoy spring and fall. Romain Mauger, the Chef de Cuisine, picked a variety of small plates and entrées to sample. The beef tartare was divine. Traditional style, the perfectly minced beef made my mouth water the moment it hit the table. The escargots with herbs garlic butter were tender and with just the right amount of garlic. My favorite was the Foie Gras au Tor- chon, a cold duck liver with raspberry mousseline. Sweet raspberry and savory liver. Incredible. For entrées, I sampled the Steak Frites, Galveston-style mussels and Raviolis aux Champignons (mushroom ravi- oli). The medium-rare flat iron steak had the right amount of pink/red. I wanted to eat it all, but knew I had more coming. While not traditional French, the Galveston-style mussels were served in a tomato broth with crab, shrimp and jalapenos. A wonderful combination of flavors and spice. My favorite, though, was the mushroom ravioli. Port wine truffle sauce. Yes, port and truffle with the earthy mushrooms. Heaven in a bowl. While I know I will return, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell about Créperie du Parc. A walk-up window for crepes to satis- fy your sweet and savory needs. For savory, the Poitrine du Porc – pork belly with caramelized onions, egg and gruyere. Sweet? Grand Marnier, which is a take on the classic Suzette. Risotto aux Fruits de Mer Photo by Mauricio Hernandez Brasserie du Parc is a destination. Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, Dessert. I’m glad it arrived. Vazir gave us a variety of Indian dishes for us to sample: Butter Chicken, Vindaloo, Daal Tadka, Coconut Curry. With all the naan made in house, we couldn’t go wrong dipping. I ordered the Vin- daloo and Daal spicy, somewhat to Vazir’s surprise. The vindaloo was spectacular, fork tender lamb in a perfect chili curry. Just the right amount of heat. The Daal Tadka, Grandmother Vazir’s recipe, uses four different lentils and gujarati tadka. Ratcheting up the spice worked well here, too. My daughter loved her more mild coconut curry and butter chicken. It was her first Indian experience, and she can’t wait to go back. My son? The hamburger. His declaration? The best in Montrose outside of Lankford – high praise indeed. The Slow Dough bun and 44 Ranch beef looked great. It was gone before I could get a bite. His friends at HSPVA will be glad that GrubHub delivers. Overall, Cowboys and Indians’ fusion works. Go Tex-In – it’s a different kind of rodeo. Southern Fare april 17 | L O C A L 31