LOCAL Houston | The City Guide AUGUST 2015 | Page 20
Local August 2015_FINAL.qxp_002houston 7/27/15 12:18 PM Page 20
Photography by Fulton Davenport
OPEN
B&B BUTCHERS & RESTAURANT
Cuisine: Steakhouse and Butcher Shop
Executive Chef/Owner: Benjamin Berg
1814 Washington Ave. | 713.862.1814 | www.bbbutchers.com
Mon–Wed 11am–11pm, Thu–Sat 11am–midnight, Sun 11am–10pm
B&B Butchers & Restaurant is exactly as the name suggests: a butcher shop selling retail
meats, as well as a restaurant and steakhouse. The brainchild of former Smith &
Wollensky general manager Benjamin Berg, B&B is one of the only privately owned, nonchain steakhouses in central Houston. Their specialty is Texas-raised wagyu beef and inhouse, dry-aged prime steak, sourced from Idaho or Colorado.
Step into the front door and the first thing that you see is the bar area – which was packed
on the night I was there. We were led to these moon-shaped booths – what Berg calls
the “Scarface” booths – lined against the left wall which has windows overlooking the
open kitchen. Servers sport white butcher’s coats, and theatrically wheel all of the courses
into the dining room on long, white linen-covered carts.
Highlights on the menu include the carpetbagger appetizer, a stacked appetizer made
of steak, house-cured pork belly, a fried oyster and blue cheese, finished with a spicy
red sauce – a good way to start. For the entrée, you’ve got to go with steak. Will it be
wagyu or one of the dry-aged cuts? I chose a dry-aged ribeye, which arrived nicely
seared on the outside – so flavorful – while my companion chose a prime rib, served with
B&B
Yorkshire pudding and au jus. Desserts were large and
decadent; the wine list filled with well-chosen selections
from around the world. But possibly the best thing about
B&B? The upstairs patio. Weather permitting, plan to end
the evening there, with a glass of wine or drink of choice,
as you enjoy a twinkling view of the downtown Houston
skyline.
Photography by Mai Pham
By Mai Pham|@Femme_Foodie
MEIN
Cuisine: Chinese small plates and noodles
Executive Chef/Owner: Mike Tran
9630 Clarewood Dr., Ste. A-13 | 713.923.7488 | www.eatmein.com
Tue–Sun 11am–3pm, 5–10:30pm. Closed Monday.
Mein, the hip, new Chinatown restaurant by the people who brought you Aka Sushi and
Tiger Den, is my latest obsession. I’ve been no less than five times since it opened approximately three weeks ago, not only because I love the food, but because the ambiance is
so unlike other Chinatown haunts. Designed by chef/owner Mike Tran, the attractively lit
space is dominated by large format, hand-painted wall murals of Chinese stars from the
1930s. There’s a bar for solo diners, a banquette for parties of two, booths and table