Skip to content
thebeerhousecafe

thebeerhousecafe

World's finest Food

Primary Menu
  • Food & Cooking
  • Mexican Food
  • Healthy Food
  • Organic 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

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 3 months ago

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

Continue Reading

Previous Starbucks Holidays Operating Days & Hours For 2022
Next Here are the top 5 Mexican fast-food restaurants in Texas, per report
August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul    

Categories

  • Fast Food
  • Food & Cooking
  • Healthy Food
  • Mexican Food
  • Organic Food
  • Street Food

Archives

  • 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
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • December 2016

Recent Posts

  • Online Digital Buying Retailer In India
  • New Minneapolis cooking school aims to build community through food
  • Bún Chả (Vietnamese Meatballs) – Budget Bytes
  • The Food Conundrum: Can Regenerative Agriculture Feed The World?
  • How to Make Agua Fresca – Mexican Drink

Tags

food 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 Inc Food Insecurity Food Insecurity Definition Food In Spanish Food Intolerance Food Intolerance Test Food Italy Is Famous For Food Journal G Food Items G Food Mart G Food Mart Deli G Food Names G Food Near Me G Foods G Food Store G Food Truck H Food Express H Food Logo H Food Market H Food Mart H Food Mart Upland Ca H Foods H Food Share Price 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

https://citratextile.com/category/jilbab

Intellifluence Trusted Blogger

BL

TL

buildinglink.buybacklinks.online/agence-seo 

thebeerhousecafe.com © All rights reserved. | Magazine 7 by AF themes.