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Backstre e t Cafe
1103 S Shepherd Dr
TTR W ine Cafe
Houston , TX 77019

RESTAURANT REVIEW

17 Restaurant - Alden Hotel HIDDEN TREASURES: BACKSTREET CAFE

Arturo's Uptown Italiano
by M. MARTIN
(Brunchin' Out, 09/2006)
Ashiana Indian Restaurant

Backstreet Cafe
Bistro Moderne - Hotel Derek
Bistro Toulouse
Boom Boom Room
Brennan's of Houston
Coco's Crepes & Coffee
Cova W ine Bar
D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe
El Pueblito Place
Farrago W orld Cuisine
Field of Green's
Hugo's
Kirin One Japanese Sushi Buffet
Kubo's Sushi Bar and Grill
laidback manor (closed)
Last Concert Cafe
Marine's Empanadas & Bakery
Max's W ine Dive
Niko Niko's
Oporto Cafe and W ine Bar
One of the greatest pleasures in exploring a city is turning a random
corner and discovering something you might otherwise never had
known to exist. My wife and I had an experience of this sort recently in
Brussels, when we ducked into an alley to escape a particularly noisy
street fair and wound up drinking good, cheap wine in a combination
bistro and marionette theater. The place was only a couple of blocks
from our hotel, but we could have just as easily never have known it
existed.
It is a lot harder to have that experience in American cities, particularly
cities as new as Houston, most particularly cities—like
Houston—that routinely destroy their own past to make way for
condos and strip malls (speaking of which, if you haven't signed the
petition to preserve the River Oaks theater, please do—- you can sign
it online at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/riveroaks/).
Even so, there are hidden treasures in this city; not-so-obvious corners
you can turn—and be very glad you did. One such rewarding turn can
be found on Shepherd Drive, between Allen Parkway and West Gray.
The Backstreet Café very much deserves its name. Despite having a
Shepherd address and being in view of that busy street, it is
something you can all-too-easily miss-- a cozy Thirties-era two story
house snuggled amid the trees, one of many such houses on the
border between River Oaks and Montrose. For inner-loop
cognoscenti, the easiest way to get there does not involve Shepherd
Drive at all, but a series of 'back streets' in the vicinity of River Oaks
Shopping Center.

Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant

My normal dining companion on these brunch outings is the intrepid
Mrs. Martin. On the Sunday we ventured to Backstreet Café, we were
Rouge New American Cuisine joined by Cuizine staff photographer Jordan Chan and his charming

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Saffron Moroccan Cuisine

Significant Other. This was a good thing in more ways than one. Not
Tacos A Go-Go
only did Chef Hugo Ortega's offerings of the day deserve better
Tart Cafe photography than my little pocket digital, Sommelier Sean Beck had a
Te House of Tea
number of food/wine pairings he wanted to run by us. A mere two
appetites might've sufficed. Four appreciative diners was, however, far
The Lodge at Bayou Bend better for all concerned.
TTR W ine Cafe
Mrs. Martin and I arrived a few moments before the rest of our party,
Zula
and decided to amuse ourselves in the meanwhile by examining the
specialty drink menu of the day. The menu on this particular Sunday
included a couple of uniquely-flavored mimosas, as well as a couple
of variations on the Mojito theme, and a fairly interesting iced tea
variation and sangria.
After giving the matter some thought, we settled on the Wild Berry
Mimosa and the Sunrise Red Sangria. The principal ingredients in
the mimosa were purees of blueberry, cranberry, raspberry,
strawberry, and blackberry. Additionally, it was garnished with a few
blueberries and tiny wedges of strawberry. The sangria consisted of
an Argentine Cabernet, fortified with Cointreau, sweetened with sugar
cane syrup, and flavored with mango nectar, lime juice, and orange
juice. The fruit medley flavor of the two drinks was, in some ways,
quite similar. In both case, there was a nice balance of tart and sweet
components. Although the champagne-induced dryness of a
mimosa-style drink usually makes it a more refreshing cocktail for
Houston's typically torrid weather, the sangria seemed more
seasonally appropriate this time, largely due to a surprisingly
non-sweet aftertaste. The bread course that arrived with our cocktails
also deserves mention, consisting of a small assortment of fruit-
flavored shortbreads that harmonized quite well with the drinks.

By the time we had finished our first cocktails, the rest of our party had
arrived. Sommelier Sean was informed, and we proceeded to the first
of his planned food/beverage pairing. The beverage component was a
new champagne cocktail, not yet added to the menu. Called the
“Summer's End†, it consisted of Zefiro Prosecco, blood orange
bitters, Cointreau, fresh mango nectar, and freshly pressed Cranberry
Juice. With it, we were served a trio of appetizers: Duck spring rolls,
seared scallops with jicama-corn salsa, and a savory
salmon/mushroom crème brulee.

Zefiro Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine blended with a small

quantity of Chardonnay. It is crisply acidic with an almond-like finish.
Combined with mango nectar, Prosecco makes for a nicely balanced
base in the summer's end cocktail, allowing the blood orange bitters
and the fresh cranberry juice to be distinctive signature components.

In terms of pairing, the appetizer that worked best had to be the savory
crème brûlée. The rich custard was like a more refined version of
quiche, with a richness that the tart acidity of the cocktail both cut and
drew attention to. The morsels of Alaskan salmon and morel
mushroom were nicely complemented by a side salad of watercress

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dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

The next most successful appetizer pairing was the seared scallops.
Like the brûlée custard, the scallops had a buttery richness that
formed a nice contrast to the cocktail, and had a nice, surprisingly
sweet, outer sear that worked well with the jicama-corm salsa.

Even though the duck spring rolls were the least effective pairing with
the summer's end cocktail, they were probably my favorite appetizer. I
simply like duck, period. I like the fat content of the meat, I like the
gaminess. These spring rolls were of the deep-fried variety served
with a soy-scallion dipping sauce. The overall flavor was very bold,
and needed to be paired with an equally bold beverage. I tried a bite
with the remainder of my sangria. It was perfect.

Next, we had an opportunity to pair wines and entrees. Our group was
served two reds and two whites: an '03 Norton Reserve Malbec and an
'04 Catena Chardonnay from Argentina, an '04 Roessler California
Pinot Noir, and finally a German Riesling—the '04 Theo Minges
Gleisweiller Holle Kabinett.
The Malbec was served with a Tenderloin Salad—sliced
medium-rare tenderloin topped with chopped avocado and a coarse
salsa of tomato, roasted corn, blistered peppers, black beans, and
green onions, all of it topped with cilantro-lime vinaigrette. The
Chardonnay was served with a brunch classic: Crab cakes and
poached eggs on a bed of sautéed spinach, served with a red
pepper beurre blanc. The Pinot was paired with a chicken and
Andouille hash served with a jalapeno hollandaise. Lastly, the
Riesling accompanied blue cornmeal crusted catfish, served with a
corn flan and pan-roasted zucchini.

Out of these, the most successful pairing seemed to be the catfish

and the Riesling—or more particularly, the corn flan and the Riesling,
which every member of our group demanded to share. In completely
different ways, the Riesling managed to complement both the
spiciness and texture of the catfish dish, as well as the succulent
sweetness of the corn flan.

Next most successful was the pairing of the Pinot with the hash.
Chicken and Andouille are a reasonably well-known flavor
combination in gumbo, and equally complementary in a hash. The
Roesller Pinot Noir has a light, smoked quality and an earthiness that
pairs nicely with the robustness of a well-seasoned sausage like
Andouille. At the same time, it has a fruity component that works quite
well with grilled chicken. The overall effect was quite hearty.

The Chardonnay and crab cake pairing was also a success, if only
because Backstreet Café serves what may be the best crab cakes I
have ever tasted. This eastern seaboard Gulf coast favorite is all too
often a little too well-seared, particularly when pan-fried, resulting in
dryness. No such fate befell these crab cakes, which were moist,

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tender, and flavorful. The Catena Chardonnay is a product of the

Mendoza region of Argentina, a high-altitude region favored with warm
days and cool, dry nights. As a result, it is a vintage particularly known
for its balance between acidity and sweetness. In this case, there was
just enough acidity to counter the richness of the eggs and the pepper
beurre blanc, just enough sweetness to blend perfectly with the crab
cakes themselves.

A good red wine and a good serving of properly cooked beef is a food
pairing as old as western civilization itself, a tradition well-observed
with the tenderloin salad Malbec pairing. The tenderloin was nicely
prepared and nicely seasoned, with a slight crusting of black pepper.
The accompanying salsa was essentially a variation on a theme of
black bean salad—very appropriate for Houston's overheated
summer afternoons, and very refreshing. The Norton Reserve Malbec
has a black cherry spiciness and a sweet-oak aftertaste that makes it
highly appropriate for a cold beef dish.

We finished the meal by splitting a pair of desserts, a chocolate cake

and a cherry cobbler, paired with two very yummy dessert wines. The
chocolate cake was served with a chocolate-raspberry sauce and a
dollop of house-made chocolate ice cream. The cherry cobbler was
individually baked in a soufflé dish and served with vanilla ice
cream, also house-made. The cake was paired with a Sicilian dessert
wine—the '04 Donnafugata “Ben Rye†Passito di Pantelleria.
The Donnafugata had a smoky, golden hue and an intensely sweet
taste that was not at all overwhelmed by the abundant chocolate
flavors of the cake and the ice cream. The cobbler was served with an
'04 Domaine des Bernardins Beames de Venise-- a highly aromatic
wine from the Loire Valley region of France. Lighter and drier than the
Sicilian wine, the very fruity nose made it an ideal pairing with fruit
pastry.

That pretty much concluded the meal. Our friends made their way
back to their car and a drive back outside the loop. Mrs. Martin and I,
having a considerably shorter trek ahead of us, opted to move to the
tree-shrouded back patio, order two more glasses of that very excellent
California Pinot, and reminisce over the various 'hidden treasures'
we'd uncovered on various explorations. As long-time Montrose
residents, The Backstreet Café was hardly a new discovery for us.
But it continues to be a hidden gem that we very much love to
rediscover from time to time.....and one that we are very much pleased
to share.

1103 S Shepherd Dr
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 521-2239
www.backstreetcafe.net

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