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| photo by Patrick |
July 25, 2016
P&J:
Smoked UB Ham & Cheese, Mustard, Quick Pickles, Fries
Crispy Farmer’s Market Vegetables, Caramelized Fish Sauce
Roasted Chicken & Butter Biscuit, Local Vegetables, Gravy
House Made Root Beer and Cream Soda
House Made Shrub with Berries, Jalapeno, White Balsamic and Topo Chico (sparkling water)
Vinegar Pie, Salt Brittle
Notes:
And so begins our road trip from Austin to Little Rock, with lots of stops along the way. We hit up Underbelly on our way to our first detour - New Orleans. Underbelly is a James Beard award winning farm to table restaurant in Houston, TX. It's in a seemingly nowhere part of town, tucked in amongst some run-down but still operating strip malls. The restaurant itself is a large space with an open kitchen, soaring ceilings and an entire wall of bookshelves packed with Mason jars of various pickles, preserves, and sauces.
We started with some of their house-made beverage offerings. Patrick couldn't decide between the cream soda or the root beer, so he had both. The cream soda was first - reminiscent of cream soda, he said, but weak in flavor. Same with the root beer, he later learned. I rather enjoyed their subtlety. The root beer was very rooty (for lack of a better word), and the cream soda tasted creamy and not overly sweet. On the flip side, my shrub, aka drinking vinegar, was stronger than I anticipated. Perhaps an acquired taste, the vinegary drink was particularly balanced and refreshing with food, but I can't say I much enjoyed it alone. And while the berry notes were there, sadly I couldn't pick up any heat from the jalapeno, which is half the reason I ordered the drink (I love spicy, cold beverages).
First to hit the table was the ham and cheese sandwich. I'm not sure what I envisioned this would be, but this wasn't it, though it was incredibly delicious. Perfectly round slices of chopped ham were pan seared and layered on a toasted egg bun with a melty slice of cheese and thinly sliced cucumber quick pickles. The ham was well-seasoned and succulent; the pan sear lent a caramelized exterior with crispy edges. The bun was soft and delicious; the pickles provided a nice, cool crunch, though weren't particularly pickle-y. And the fries, with a light golden and craggy shell, certainly fresh cut, were remarkably good.
The market vegetableS turned out to be (just) okra, seemingly flash-fried and sauced a bit too heavily with a sweet-salty-sour sauce. Very tasty, but nothing extraordinary. The roasted chicken and butter biscuit, on the other hand, was a beautiful thing. Shredded chicken, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and broccoli soused in a velvety gravy accompanied by a giant biscuit split in half, its top crowning the dish. Patrick thought the chicken was dry, but loved the biscuit and creamy chicken gravy. The veggies were cooked through but still bright in flavor; I couldn't stop eating them. And when I just couldn't eat anymore, I grabbed my spoon to help finish the sauce.
Almost incapable of consuming more, I just had to have the vinegar pie with salt brittle; it was too weird [sounding] to pass up. Not so strange after all, the dessert was basically a firm custard pie flavored with vinegar instead of citrus (as we're all more familiar with). The vinegar flavor itself was subtle, almost imperceptible save the tang. The aroma, on the other hand, was very evident and a turn-off for Patrick. The brittle, a sheet of sugar cooked to light amber and generously sprinkled with a coarse sea salt was too thick to enjoy alone, but shattered little bits eaten with the pie elevated them both. This was just okay.
It was great to have the opportunity to try out a place far from home. If we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we might come back.
First to hit the table was the ham and cheese sandwich. I'm not sure what I envisioned this would be, but this wasn't it, though it was incredibly delicious. Perfectly round slices of chopped ham were pan seared and layered on a toasted egg bun with a melty slice of cheese and thinly sliced cucumber quick pickles. The ham was well-seasoned and succulent; the pan sear lent a caramelized exterior with crispy edges. The bun was soft and delicious; the pickles provided a nice, cool crunch, though weren't particularly pickle-y. And the fries, with a light golden and craggy shell, certainly fresh cut, were remarkably good.
The market vegetableS turned out to be (just) okra, seemingly flash-fried and sauced a bit too heavily with a sweet-salty-sour sauce. Very tasty, but nothing extraordinary. The roasted chicken and butter biscuit, on the other hand, was a beautiful thing. Shredded chicken, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion, and broccoli soused in a velvety gravy accompanied by a giant biscuit split in half, its top crowning the dish. Patrick thought the chicken was dry, but loved the biscuit and creamy chicken gravy. The veggies were cooked through but still bright in flavor; I couldn't stop eating them. And when I just couldn't eat anymore, I grabbed my spoon to help finish the sauce.
Almost incapable of consuming more, I just had to have the vinegar pie with salt brittle; it was too weird [sounding] to pass up. Not so strange after all, the dessert was basically a firm custard pie flavored with vinegar instead of citrus (as we're all more familiar with). The vinegar flavor itself was subtle, almost imperceptible save the tang. The aroma, on the other hand, was very evident and a turn-off for Patrick. The brittle, a sheet of sugar cooked to light amber and generously sprinkled with a coarse sea salt was too thick to enjoy alone, but shattered little bits eaten with the pie elevated them both. This was just okay.
It was great to have the opportunity to try out a place far from home. If we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we might come back.
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