LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JANUARY 2015 | Page 17

Photography by Jodie Eisenhardt

Local January 2015_FINAL_002houston 12/19/14 9:44 AM Page 17

MAIN KITCHEN
EXECUTIVE CHEF: ERIN SMITH
www.mainkitchenhouston.com
806 Main St.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Daily
713.237.1111
Cuisine: Globally inspired, seasonal

Charred Green Beans

Chef Erin Smith is a hometown girl who received a biology degree, then
graduated at the top of her class at the California Culinary Academy in San
Fran before working with the likes of Thomas Keller and Mario Batali in
NYC. Her return to Houston in 2010 found her at the helm of Plonk in
Garden Oaks, then as Culinary Director for The Clumsy Butcher group (her
biscuits still reign supreme at Blacksmith). All this before the age of thirty.
At the new JW Marriott downtown’s Main Kitchen, Smith aims to change
Houston’s attitude about hotel dining with her keen execution of seasonal
fare, working passionately with local purveyors. The menu is straightforward
– not the least bit uppity – with attention focused on quality and bright flavors resulting in unexpected twists on otherwise familiar dishes in the industrial
chic dining room, open to the “806” lounge/bar.
Don’t miss the superb pizza with “sausage ragu,” kale, pickled red peppers
and chili flakes; the charred green beans with togarash