I recently took a brief trip to Houston setting out to select the best dining experience that offers a true reflection of the area. A friend recommended that I could experience the culture & flavor of Houston at Underbelly. It was a delightful example of architecture & design built with local charm offering a menu that was filled with updated southern style cooking prepared with locally sourced seasonal ingredients. Just what I was looking for!
The chef/owner, Chris Shepherd, showcases his interpretation of Houston food and culture with his American Creole Cuisine. He defines this as merging diverse cultures with local ingredients. Chris has a fully equipped back-of-the-house butcher shop in the restaurant, allowing him to pursue his passion for butchery and processing all of Underbelly’s meats in house. There was a wonderful host of examples of these fine meats interlaced throughout his menu.
The restaurant was bustling with staff ready to be at your beck and call. Their open kitchen was nicely appointed with book shelves displaying what appeared to be a vast selection of personal cook books and rows of house-made pickled vegetables and sauces, that were used in the menu & also available for purchase. The atmosphere was warm & welcoming which created a feeling of being in someone’s personal kitchen.
To further enhance the feeling of home, they offer a menu that is designed with “food to share”. Whether you select their Family Style Servings or Tonight’s Plates, there is plenty to share allowing you a chance to taste multiple items.
Our meal began with their Warm Slow Dough Bread and Honey Lardo. It arrived almost too hot to touch with a wonderfully crisp exterior and a soft delicate bread inside. The honey lardo was clearly the icing on the cake and we struggled not to devour the whole loaf in a matter of seconds!
We ordered all of our items at once and our server promised to deliver them slowly knowing just how to select the order they should arrive. She did a fantastic job at it too. Our first item although difficult to see in the photo was beautifully presented on a wood stave. It was titled Grilled Butternut Squash, Bacon Jam and Granola. The description hardly described the taste combination and the perfection of how they grilled the squash to tender perfection with a smoky grilled flavor only enhanced by the house-made bacon jam and chunks of fresh granola textured croutons. It was partnered with a simple, perfectly dressed green salad.
Next up; Seared Snapper, Tomato, Eggplant, Squash was a beautifully seared and seasoned fillet of fish over poached cherry tomatoes on eggplant puree with a side of herb inflected yellow squash. Yum! Our side dish was Crispy Market Vegetables with Caramelized Fish Sauce. The market vegetable was okra and was nicely charred. Our only complaint was that it was a little too salty for our tastes and I expect that was from the saltiness in the fish sauce.
Of course we had to order a butcher item so we selected the Butcher’s Cut which was a Double Pork Chop, Charred Squash Salad and Vietnamese Pesto. Thank you Chris, for knowing that you don’t have to overcook pork to serve it properly! It was deliciously charred, juicy & flavorful with a perfect spice combination which elegantly paired with the pesto and salad. I really wanted to chew on the bone, but someone else beat me to it:)
To compliment our meal we ordered two bottles of California wine. We were pleased with their selection and thoroughly enjoyed both bottles.
Our sweet tooth was now calling and required an assortment of three of their desserts. They were all delicious with the table favorite being the Honey Cheesecake with Blueberry & Lemongrass. Close seconds were the Satsuma Roll with Ginger & Cardamom Ice Cream and the Blackberry Crumble Fried Pie with Ginger and ElderFlower Ice Cream. Originality and presentation won top marks for all three!
Our table was visited by both the chef and general manager, who were both friendly and gracious. A great personal touch to our experience. Our visit to Underbelly was definitely a highlight of my trip to Houston and I would highly recommend joining them for a meal.
In perusing information about the restaurant and chef, I later found out that Chef Shepherd leads Houston Culinary Tours in his free time. Sure wish I had been around longer to enroll in one!