Thursday, January 20, 2011

BRC Gastropub

4 out of 5 Stars

Website
519 Shepherd Drive
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 861-2233


There are so many ways I could start this review given the name of the restaurant, but this is a family site (ha) so I'll behave.

I somehow got on BRC's extremely calculated mailing list for their weekly specials.

Calculated? Yes. The geniuses over at the Big Red Cock send you their weekly specials at 10:30 am.....who is NOT hungry by 10:30 when they are sitting in their cubicle with over an hour to kill before lunch...

just me?

...whatever...

After weeks of reading about their "mac of the day" I was completely conditioned to check them out.

Do you know what at that Big Red Cock outside this gastropub is crowing???? "Get your scrumptious, upscale comfort food HERE".

He's not full of feathers either....my meal was absolutely delicious.

The mood is set for intimate fun the moment you step inside BRC with its dramatic cream and red wallpaper (FEEL IT), cozy booths and cocktails tables.

We settled into our booth and read the wall sized menu of specials for the day that were so tempting, the regular menu was used just to compliment our pre-set selections.

The order: bison sliders, blue cheese mac, fries, and an order of their vegetable of the day - asparagus (all the makings for a fabulous meal).

I should add that we attended a zumba class prior to this feast. Did we feel guilty? Absolutely not! Each bite was totally worth the calories...and I don't say that often.

The highlight of the meal was a tie between the blue cheese mac (no shocker there) and the surprise hit - asparagus.

There is so much to say about their mac special - delivered in a small cast iron skillet - baked to perfection, complete with the crispy crumb topping we all yearn for.

For all those blue cheese nay-sayers.....there was nothing funky about this creamy goodness by way of noodles, crumbly bits of bacon and caramelized onions.

Often disappointed by restaurant produced mac and cheese, I was head over heels with this dish.

Then there was the asparagus special served with bacon jam and sour cream. Again, don't be dismayed. Yes, we totally passed on the sour cream and were skeptical about the bacon jam that was requested on the side. Not a second after we sampled the bacon jam, did we pour the entire ramekin  over the dish. You know that amazing moment when the syrup from your pancakes hit your side of bacon at breakfast.....that's what bacon jam is. And it made our healthy side gluttonous heaven.

On to the bison sliders....3 sliders paired with arugula, cheese and a spicy mayo - delectable, but not a must.

BRC's fries are served thin and twice cooked: once blanched, then fried....a perfect accompaniment to any meal. Be sure to ask your waiter about their dipping options - they have plenty!!

Our only real downer on the meal was the service. Don't get me wrong, our food came out in ample speed and our waiter was there for us when we needed him...but talk about pushy. It was unclear if he's trained to encourage us to order more than we needed to but he could have relaxed a bit. After all, didn't he know we came from zumba?

I kid.

The total damage after all was said and eaten: a cool $30 total between the two of us. No complaints from two girls totally satisfied with all the comfort food in the land.

So listen to me or the big red cock (whichever one you prefer) and head on over to BRC. It's a total home run on all of your guiltiest pleasures.

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