LOCAL Houston | The City Guide October 2016 | Page 23

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE

ATTENTION, MEN! Are you looking for that new (to you) hidden
gem to take your current or prospective lady on a date? Perhaps
you’re just looking for a night out away from the kids with a
great wine or craft beer. Whatever your reason, we’re sure
Plonk! will meet your expectations – you may just not know it yet.
Unless, of course, you live in Oak Forest. In that case, you probably already know Plonk! resides in the strip center at 43rd and
Ella (for the last 17 years), is staffed by mostly locals and is right
by the owner’s house, because he wanted to open a place for
his hood. What he likely didn’t realize is that he opened a food
and wine destination. Plonk! has a lot to offer and does so many
things right. Perfectly clean interior design (and impeccably clean
in actual cleanliness) with a stellar patio, Plonk! wants you on a
date, with friends or your entire crew for that night out. Let them
show you the service, food and wine list that have kept them
going 17 years strong. It’s a labor of love and it shows. We
could go on and on, but we’re space-limited.

Now, this pairing is real manly, but that’s certainly not saying
everyone won’t enjoy it. When you get two generous cuts of
Berkshire pork (a 36-hour sous-vide belly and an applewood
smoked shoulder), served in a cast iron skillet on a butcher block
(obviously not shown in Kennon’s masterful photo) you can’t help
but think manly. But then you see Le Cochon’s (that’s French for
pig) sides – the butter lettuce, house-made steamed buns, the
mint/green onion/cilantro garnish, the pineapple/serrano relish,
stir fried peanuts and a garlicky Asian sauce, and it confirms
what you need to know: Plonk! can put out some food! So pack
everything on the board into a steamed bun, or go sans pineapple relish if you don’t like the heat. Or, try the butter lettuce
because with pork this tender, Le Cochon is an adventure for
parties from one to even four people. And it is perfectly paired
with the punchy Rockpile Zinfandel from Mauritson. Apparently.
the 2014 growing season was epic and just a taste of that fullbodied, tannic Zin with flavors of berries, cocoa and oak, shows
it’s as good as any Zinfandel we’ve ever had. Pass a steamed
bun and some more shoulder, please.

By Mike Cook
Photography by Kennon Evett

PLONK! | 1214 West 43rd Street | Houston, TX 77018
713.290.1070 | www.plonkbistro.com

october 16 |

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