roflhouse

519 Shepherd Drive
Houston, TX 77007
http://www.brcgastropub.com/

0513 — My first visit to BRC (yes it really means Big Red Cock) was actually last week, however I came around 2pm and was told the kitchen was closed. A minor detail you need to pay attention to if you’re always getting a late lunch like I am. For this week’s visit I planned accordingly with my lunch buddies Katie and Annie, we arrived a few minutes after 1 to a pretty packed dining room, luckily there was a table waiting for us and a friendly waitstaff to greet us.

I previously looked over their menu and I was rather excited to try a number of different items. We opted for a pretty hefty appetizer order, Louisiana Boudin Balls, Dr Pepper Fried San Antonio Quail, Blue Crab Beignets and a small order of Mussels and Fries. The boudin balls came on top of a pickle relish which contrasted the nice crisp texture of the ball and the first bite was awesome, textures were all over the place and was just what I expected from boudin. The Dr Pepper Fried San Antonio Quail had a crisp batter atop possibly the finest example of a blue cheese potato salad I have ever had. In the first bite, you get the crisp texture of the batter, the softness of the quail, the familiar taste of Dr Pepper and a bit of honey to finish it off, couple that with my obsession with blue cheese and this could quite possibly be the perfect dish for me (might have to order two next time lol). Next, the Blue Crab Beignets came in something that closely resembled the Boudin Balls, and at first glance I thought they brought out the wrong order. I was expecting something that was more beignet formed (read: square/rectangular cafe du monde-esque) possibly stuffed with the blue crab. As you can see in the photos below the Blue Crab Beignet came more in the form of a balled up crab cake, which upon first bite was great, but I probably wouldn’t order it again since the other appetizers outshine this one. Finally we come to the Mussels and Fries. I’ll admit that Mussels didn’t even come to my mind until I arrived and saw another table with a plate full of shells, and if you’ve kept up with any of my other posts from Sorrento, Branch Water Tavern or Ciao Bello, you’ll notice my slight fascination with well prepared, tasty with mussels. We can definitely add BRC to that list of mussels that are pure win, coupling it with the fries and you now have a dish that go straight to the must order list along with the quail. You can be damn sure I’ll be getting those two dishes every time I set foot in BRC.

Whew, that was literally a mouth and stomach full there, however that was only the appetizer portion of the meal (!). For entree duties, Katie and I opted for the Chicken Fried Steak sandwich; A potato crusted and pan fried beef tenderloin with cream gravy and onions. While not a photogenic subject, it was a pretty solid dish. The problem I have with CFS is that I’ve been spoiled by what Rucker offered at Bootsie’s Heritage Cafe, and while the offering they had here at BRC was good, it’s not as good as Bootsie’s. Annie ordered the BRC Pub Burger Bowl which is a loaded BRC Pub Burger chopped up and thrown on top of a salad with avocado, bacon, and cheddar ranch. While the chef described it as something that wasn’t pretty, it looked amazing to me and it tasted even better, the meat was super tender. This was literally the love child of a wild night with a burger and a salad that got kinky with some avocado and bacon. Flavor, Flavor, Flavor from everywhere in this dish. As if I didn’t come off looking like a fatass at our table, Katie opted for some Mac and Cheese of the day, today’s M&C had some black forest ham thrown into the creamy (CREAMY!) mac and cheese. I’m going to have to give their mac and cheese a special place in my heart, it was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what the other days have in store for my new mac and cheese heaven.

As if we didn’t order the whole menu already, Katie chose the White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding to top it all off. It was a great ending to an amazing lunch at BRC. I will DEFINITELY be back for more, next time I’ll probably sit at the bar and try to enjoy their epic beer selection that changes out monthly.

4/5: BRC FTW. A welcome addition to the washington/shephard area, you’ll find me here assuming I can make it out here before the 2pm kitchen cut off. One of these days I’ll try to make it out for their beer and bar selections assuming I can stand to be away from Anvil.