LOCAL Houston | The City Guide February 2018 | Page 20
FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
‘This is not an easy
job. You will work
all weekends, every
holiday. All your
friends will make
more money than
you. Family life is
tough. If you are
okay with all that I
will sign you up. ’
Scallops
Tuna Crudo
The next day Trace began at the bottom of the kitchen hierarchy, working every stage of the brigade
from chef garde manger to sous chef de cuisine – for the lunch shift and then repeating the entire process
for the evening shift. He still clings to those classic techniques. Trace calls it the “see it, touch it, feel it
method.”
“Nothing wrong with sous-vide but it’s not for me.” This philosophy is evident in the succulent Brasato
di Costine, the forever braised boneless short ribs – deliriously tender, aggressively and delightfully
seasoned, sitting, oh, so pretty on the tiniest slices of fingerling potatoes and a sauté of robust Swiss
chard.
He procures for Potente from local growers who truck in high-quality seasonal produce. Trace laughs, “I
have a farmers market on my loading dock!”
Years earlier, his Cajun grandfather instilled in him a love of
fresh food. “He lived in Kenner. He was a coon ass – the
real deal – real country. Took me hunting for ducks, geese,
doves, gators. He had a garden, too. We would hunt and
harvest okra and then we would cook it. My mom showed
me how to handle a wild rabbit – soak it in vinegar before
cooking. Fried fish. We would catch frogs and cook them
up,” recalls Trace.
When he wasn’t eating local homegrown foods, he ate
Italian. “My grandmother was Italian from New Jersey.
When we ate out, we ate Italian.”
Hints of these early years meshed with Trace’s training and
regional ingredients peek thru on the Quaglia – hill country
quail with its wondrous fig and duck confit stuffing, a brush
POTENTE
stroke of marsala espresso lacquer, a fried quail egg and a
slice of prosciutto anchoring the bird to the plate. “This is my
food – French, Creole, Texas, Italian, all on this one dish. It
is definitely a reflection of my training, my work experience
and my childhood,” says Trace.
Trace is continually tweaking menu items, in search of
something different. Premise-made sourdough bread is
accompanied with a white bean, roasted artichoke hummus
with toasted garlic piquant with a reduced balsamic vinegar
glaze. A savory squid ink macaron with a crème fraiche and
chive filling as an amuse-bouche sets the tone for an evening
of delicious, elegant repast. “I want to do something that no
one else is doing,” he says.
I would say he has deliciously achieved his goal.
1515 Texas Ave. | Houston, TX 77002
713.237.1515 | [email protected]
www.potentehouston.com
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L O C A L | 2 . 2018
2 . 2018 | L O C A L
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