DINING THE NIGHT AFTER THE DAY BEFORE
It turned out to be a serendipitous choice. My friend thought it the perfect venue, located in Montrose in Houston's Museum District. The restaurant had a pithy and interesting wine list. It transpired all day yesterday an overwhelming need to drink mindlessly had invaded her senses and overwhelmed her. Did I mention she was a Democrat? As a confused foreigner in town for a month it seemed a fine plan to me. Of course it would be remiss of me not to mention I have never seen plan involving alcohol that I need not like. Our third dining companion was up for the event and promptly ordered a celebratory champagne cocktail on arrival. Did I mention she was a Republican? And to the unasked question? Yes she voted. The serendipitous part was the name of the restaurant; Pax Americana derived from the Latin for "American Peace". I kid you not.
In a nod to even more symbolism it was a shared plates restaurant. So all we had to do was agree. It turns out this was much easier than you may have thought. It so happens when you have a common goal involving the speedy arrival of food and beverages anything is possible. We signed off on Indian Creek oyster mushrooms, creamy grits, clothbound cheddar and matsutake shoyu. This was the stand out dish of the evening. Great contrasting textures and an unctuous umani back note counterbalanced with some light acidity from the cheddar. The slow roasted carrots, whipped goats ricotta, Texas grapefruit and sesame was a well balanced dish but not ground breaking. The grilled Napa cabbage,white anchovy, preserved lemon and parmesan was a disappointment. It looked great and full of promise. Half a cabbage enveloped in the dressing and dusted with the cheese but the flavour was lacklustre and the cooking uneven. I considered renaming it the Pollster Cabbage. The Californian Albarino was universally enjoyed by everyone. The favourite dish though was the fruit clafoutis with bay laurel ice cream. Not just because the sharp bright acidity of the raspberries was a perfect foil for the eggy base and the perfumed rich ice cream but because it was a generous gift. Arriving unexpectedly the waiter announced the next door table was running late for the theatre and gifted us their dessert. Strangers were strangers no more. I have no idea how they voted but I do know that all five us had a great time at dinner last night.
