Skip to content
  • Wednesday, May 14, 2025
thebeerhousecafe

thebeerhousecafe

World's finest Food

  • Food & Cooking
  • Mexican Food
  • Organic Food
  • Healthy Food
  • Street Food
  • Fast Food
  • About Us
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Sitemap
  • Home
  • Alison Cook tries Flora Mexican Kitchen’s epic lunch in Houston
Mexican Food

Alison Cook tries Flora Mexican Kitchen’s epic lunch in Houston

May 13, 2022
Elizabeth W. Jernigan

Down a glazed concrete walkway, past horizontal wood slats and distressed concrete columns, the view of Lost Lake and the greenery of Buffalo Bayou Park floats like a watery mirage. Allen Parkway highrises and downtown skyscrapers tell you the city is right there, but suddenly, it’s not.

Through a door, into a glass-walled box, past the signature flock of mismatched crystal chandeliers, you reach a covered patio that is one of my new favorite places to dine.

Part of my pleasure is that intensely green view, popping me out of my urban bubble. Part is Flora’s caring staff. But the sine qua non is serious, crave-worthy Mexican cuisine from the kitchen team of Epifanio Rosas, the head chef, along with Daniel Gonzalez and Reynaldo Quezada.

Virtually everything I tasted at a recent epic lunch was memorable. I’m still thinking about the little round masa boats called sopesitos, layered with refried beans and snowcaps of queso fresco and crema, to eat with a rousing green table salsa. There were three of these babies per $12 order, I am sorry to say, because I could have consumed a big plateful all by myself.

The patio at Flora Mexican Kitchen in Buffalo Bayou Park.

The patio at Flora Mexican Kitchen in Buffalo Bayou Park.

Alison Cook / Staff

Yes, there is sticker shock in play here, heightened by the current inflation of food prices. The house frozen margarita is a distinguished version, and it costs 15 bucks. Gulp. A beef short rib swathed in a deep, stirring red mole rings in at $48, joined on its plate by a black bean tamal.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Both items were extraordinary: the short rib perfectly cooked so that it fell away in yielding shreds; the tamal made of feather-light masa and lifted by a haunting current of hoja santa, the heart-shaped leaf with a faint licorice scent of root beer. Still, 50 bucks is a big splurge for an entree — or at least it was, not too long ago.

And $26 for my new favorite green enchiladas in the city is a sobering price tag. Stuffed with velvety hunks of poached chicken and swathed in a lively salsa verde, these enchiladas were perfectly accessorized. Just enough tart, cool crema, just enough molten cheese, just enough strips of pickled onion on top.

The refried beans and Spanish-style rice on the side soared above filler status, too.

I admired the house-made corn tortillas I ordered to go along with the short rib. Pliable and fragrant, they were well worth the 3-buck price. Flour tortillas for the same price were just OK. The only item I found seriously wanting was a tuna tostada put together like a stained glass window, with a translucent slice of cured yellowfin tuna at its heart. Unfortunately, the cure had enough salt to overwhelm the other flavors, from the tortilla itself to the trimmings of avocado, leek and chipotle aioli.

Flora gives a lot of attention to light seafood preparations, salads and soups — a necessity on a menu from a restaurant group that caters to an upscale crowd long on ladies who lunch — and the men who love them.

Principal partner Grant Cooper, who recently split up the business empire he built with chef Charles Clark, now also runs Gratify, a Frenchified bistro and raw bar in Rice Village; and the next-door Coppa Osteria Italian restaurant. They attract some of the same social butterflies who flock to Brasserie 19, the River Oaks bistro that Cooper turned over to Clark as part of the split.

Cooper says he always wanted to open a Mexican restaurant, and his love of the genre shines through at Flora. The menu mix of regional Mexican, Tex-Mex and Baja-style seafood feels just right for Houston, and it yields some surprises along with familiar ideas.

Cucumber and chayote salad at Flora Mexican Kitchen

Cucumber and chayote salad at Flora Mexican Kitchen

Alison Cook / Staff

I loved a cool, crisp salad of sliced raw chayote and cucumber dotted with mint and a bits of chile, even though the puddle of yogurt underneath had no hint of the advertised hoja santa. Chayote squash worked so well as a thin sliver, I swore to make my own version of the dish at home, where my hoja santa supply is endless.

A little pot de creme based on cajeta instead of chocolate proved to be staggeringly rich and dreamy stuff, with a strong pull of caramel and smooth layers that descended from mahogany to chestnut.

What a brilliant idea, I thought as I lounged on the terrace with a few mid-afternoon lunchers. And how civilized to serve lunch straight through, the better to enjoy the cocktails, food and setting.

Dulce de leche Pot de Crème at Flora Mexican Kitchen

Dulce de leche Pot de Crème at Flora Mexican Kitchen

Alison Cook / Staff

A word to the wise about getting to Flora. Driving west on Allen Parkway, the easiest way to enter, start looking for a right turn after you pass Waugh Drive. You’ll take a long drive down to the circle in front of Flora’s building, which once housed the park’s Lost Lake Visitor Center. (It’s in renovations to serve as Flora’s cocktail arm and holding pen.)

Valets will take your car and park it. You will thank them.

Flora Mexican Kitchen

3422 Allen Parkway at Dunlavy in Buffalo Bayou Park, 713-360-6477


[email protected]

Featured Food & Culture Stories



Tags: Food Games, Food Gift Baskets, Food Grade Mineral Oil, Food Hall, Food Handlers, Food Handlers Card, Food Handlers Permit, Food High In Fiber, Food High In Iron, Food High In Potassium, Food High In Protein, Food Ideas, Food In Spanish, Food Inc, Food Insecurity, Food Insecurity Definition, Food Intolerance, Food Intolerance Test, Food Italy Is Famous For, Food Jobs, Food Jokes, Food Journal, Food Journal App, Food Journal Template, Food Justice, G Food Items, G Food Mart, G Food Mart Deli, G Food Names, G Food Near Me, G Food Store, G Food Truck, G Foods, H Food Express, H Food Logo, H Food Market, H Food Mart, H Food Mart Upland Ca, H Food Share Price, H Foods, H Foods Words, I Food Deli, I Food Items, I Food Near Me, I Food Real, I Food Real White Chicken Chili, I Foods, I Foods Names, I Foods Words

Post navigation

Starbucks Holidays Operating Days & Hours For 2022
Tyson Foods Tops Q2 Earnings Forecast, Boosts 2022 Sales Outlook
May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Mar    
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • November 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • July 2020
  • March 2020
  • Fast Food
  • Food & Cooking
  • Healthy Food
  • Mexican Food
  • Organic Food
  • Street Food
  • How to Plan a Corporate Catering Menu on a Budget
  • Scoring Big on Flavor: Exploring the Best Pizza Specials and Game Day Deals
  • How Regenerative Farming Differs From Organic Farming: Key Comparisons
  • Ruby Jewelry for the Bohemian Woman: Free-Spirited and Boho
  • How a Skilled Kitchen Porter Can Boost Efficiency in Your Restaurant

bl

BR

techoutgrowth
SynergeticBizPulse

BP

backlinkplacement.com

You may Missed

Fast Food

How to Plan a Corporate Catering Menu on a Budget

March 27, 2025
Elizabeth W. Jernigan
Fast Food

Scoring Big on Flavor: Exploring the Best Pizza Specials and Game Day Deals

February 26, 2025
Elizabeth W. Jernigan
Fast Food

How Regenerative Farming Differs From Organic Farming: Key Comparisons

January 28, 2025
Elizabeth W. Jernigan
Fast Food

Ruby Jewelry for the Bohemian Woman: Free-Spirited and Boho

November 25, 2024
Elizabeth W. Jernigan
Copyright © 2025 thebeerhousecafe
Theme by: Theme Horse
Proudly Powered by: WordPress

WhatsApp us