a'Bouzy is a champagne-fueled restaurant concept featuring a fresh, ripe menu, seasonal seafood, salads, gorgeous greens, prime meats and a large raw bar. Simple, shareable small plates play sidebar to owner Shawn Virene’s jaw dropping wine list that features more than 250 champagnes and sparkling’s priced from $12 to over $2,000. Perfect for celebrations and every day occasions.
Artisans isn't cheap, but at this Midtown tour-de-force, you get what you pay for. And what you're paying for is high-quality food shipped in from all over the world, regardless of season, and prepared by Jacques Fox, an experienced chef and lover of all things decadent. At a time when many restaurants are moving toward more locally sourced ingredients, Artisans is sticking with the time-honored ways of the French aristocracy and bringing in the best ingredients, no matter how far they have to travel. Don't be confused by the name, though. Artisans refers to the chefs and cooks who carefully craft each dish, not the new, hipster definition in which "artisanal" implies local. In this case, it just means hand-made and really, really good.
Salads, seafood dishes and chilled white wines are the things to order at this cozy French restaurant in a refurbished bungalow on Colquitt. The interior is decorated with bad paintings of Paris street scenes and frumpy lace curtains, but the crowd of well-heeled socialites
doesn't seem to mind. Elaborate $8 desserts are the best deal on the menu.
The Village's Bistro des Amis looks like the sort of small town French cafe where
you stop to get a coffee and a pastry or an ice cream while shopping
in the village. The gleaming dark wood and glass pastry case is
always well-stocked. Lunch and dinner specials are very reasonable
and the soups, stews and pastries are housemade. Try the escargot in
puff pastry or the pate with cornichons.
From the outside, it looks like a typical strip-center restaurant, but inside, Bistro Le Cep recalls a little cafe in the French countryside. The escargots are tender, and the duck pté is a knockout. Canard à l'orange, a broiled duck breast served with red cabbage, has a big rustic flavor that makes you think of barbecue. Tart tatin, a caramelized apple tart, and a pear poached in red wine served over ice cream are both awesome. Best of all, appetizer, entrée and dessert with a modest bottle of wine will set you back little more than $40 per person.
Memorial's Bistro Provence is one of Houston's oldest and most authentic French restaurants serving Provencal cuisine with wood oven pizzas and seafood specialties as well as French classics like escargot, duck confit and rabbit stew. The outstanding wine list is all French.
Brasserie 1895 In 2015 Kris Jakob left his namesake Kris Bistro restaurant to partner with Sky Lyn Gibbons and open a neighborhood spot a few miles from his home in Friendswood. The cuisine is defined as New American and French, but adding a label to Jakob’s creations is not quite that simple. His award-winning beef tartare, Vuelva a la vidal and piri piri lamb pasta are exquisitely fashioned, mingling French with Latin, South African and Indian flavors. Desserts are beautifully paired with craft brews for a unique and imaginative finish.
A River Oaks playground for Houston's rich and famous, Brasserie 19 nevertheless has the food to match the crowds and the hype, turning out classic French and Belgian staples like steak frites and cassoulet and serving an impressive list of beers and wines to match. The sleek bar is the place to be if you're young and single, while the restaurant's main floor is a gathering point for socialites and food-lovers alike. The egalitarian patio is the most pleasant spot to dine, however, with far less noise and a pretty view of the brightly lit River Oaks Theatre marquee across West Gray.
This tiny French cafe in Rice Village does a remarkable job of re-creating lovable peasant dishes from the French countryside. Try merguez and frites (lamb sausage and french fries) or a goat cheese-and-olive tart or even a chicken liver-and-poached-egg salad for lunch. The blackboard menu also might include steak salad, bavette frites (flank steak and french fries) or an old-fashioned vegetable potage. Cafe Rabelais's mottled cream-colored walls look like old plaster, and somehow the French rural look is absolutely charming despite the shopping center parking lot outside the window.
Located on a tree-lined street in suburban Humble, Chez Nous is one of Houston's top French restaurants. The atmosphere is a French tug-of-war between formality and informality, and you can dress either way. Founded by French chef Gerard Brach, the restaurant is now in the capable hands of French-trained chef Stacy Crowe-Simonson.
Service at this modest Midtown creperie and coffee shop can be slow, but part of the appeal is lingering at an outside table with a watermelon soda (patrons can choose from a variety of flavors), waiting for your to-go order of Moroccan sausage panini and a Nutella dessert crepe.
Except for the updated accents, this coffeehouse looks like a New Orleans original, with exposed brick walls, black-and-white photography and zydeco music in the background. The specialty here is, of course, beignets, which are as hot and fluffy as you remember them at Cafe du Monde. The house beverage, café au lait, is a vacation in a cup, but we recommend another treat: granitas, akin to frozen coffee smoothies. Crescent City also serves Cajun/Creole entrées.
In the heart of Rice Village is a little French bakery serving up fare both sweet and savory with the coffee. Try the almond croissant, a big, buttery, flaky monster of a croissant slathered with almond paste and topped with toasted almonds, or one of their adorable custard tarts dressed with fresh fruit. Their cafe mocha and lattes are generously dressed with shavings of chocolate for a sweet treat. Hungry? Try a meal of their mushroom quiche or turkey sandwich on a pillowy croissant.
Walking into Etoile for the first time and observing the menu and decor, you might get the impression that the place is a little dated. But don't be fooled: Chef Philippe Verpiand's traditional French dishes are anything but boring and old-fashioned. The attention to detail and knowledge of French cuisine are evident in everything from the simple but sinful foie gras au torchon to the more elaborate coq au vin, as well as in the formal but never stuffy service. Verpiand grew up in France and worked in a number of Michelin-star restaurants before moving to the U.S. and eventually ending up in Houston, where his young Galleria-area restaurant has already made quite an impression. The traditional menu is classic in the best way, while the seasonal menu features produce and other items at their freshest. Etoile also offers diverse brunch, lunch and happy hour menus, meaning that you never have to leave the restaurant. Really, why would you want to?
Sometimes, the most charming, pleasant things are found in unexpected places. Such is the case with Fielding’s Local Kitchen + Bar, located technically in a newly developed area of Tomball, but on the borderline of The Woodlands. It’s the second endeavor for the owners of Fielding’s Wood Grill. Where the first location is focused on burgers, ribs and other lowbrow delights, the aim of Fielding’s Local Kitchen is higher. The menu is predominantly Italian but with a good deal of French technique at work. There’s an ambitious charcuterie program that doesn’t disappoint and some fine, dry-aged steaks (that are probably better when seasoned. Ours, unfortunately, was not.). Food is astutely executed and not needlessly complicated. Well-charred , or octopus, has all the help it needs from a swath of garlicky sauce and a side of frilly, sautéed green onions. Fish, seared hot and fast to a crispy exterior and moist interior, is exceptional here. An especially fine example is the flounder bathed in silky, luxurious Hollandaise sauce on top of smashed fingerling potatoes Service is outstanding, with genuine concern for customers, and the knowledgeable servers are likely to guide wine lovers to outstanding values.
The breakfast and lunch sandwiches at this come-as-you-are Galleria diner are very good thanks to the flaky croissants and crunchy baguettes. Try the cold soups.
French Riviera Bakery has been around for 30 years, but a few years ago they moved to their newer and bigger location on Chimney Rock. If you haven't been there lately, you owe yourself a treat. The sandwiches are awesome, the pastries are exceptional and the espresso drinks are top-notch. Don't forget to take a loaf of bread home.
This old auto repair shop has been converted into a homey restaurant
with mismatched tables and chairs and a happy-go-lucky attitude. The
daytime brings Southern dishes such as pot roast, meatloaf and
smothered pork chops. At night, French dishes such as duck terrine,
rabbit and roasted duck breast take over. The menu is small and
manageable, the food is excellent if somewhat uninspired, and the
service is attentive and caring.
In a home of his own, former Tony's executive chef Olivier Ciesielski's modern French-American bistro fits in perfectly with the rest of his eclectic mix of Lower Westheimer/Montrose neighbors. L'Olivier's patio is casual and playful, the bar elegant and refined, the dining room sumptuous yet modern. The menu and the impressive wine list offer relatively inexpensive French standards like steak frites and apple tarts along with nontraditional offerings such as a tropical ceviche in pineapple and yuzu juice.
This eccentric little eatery is run by Houston's favorite French
chef, Georges Guy and his wife Monique. With only thirty seats, the
café is more like a large dinner party than a restaurant. La Brocante
means "flea market." Monique Guy sells old furniture and bric-a-brac
out of the space and there are price tags hanging on everything. The
plates are mismatched and the plastic placemats are gaudy maps of
France with advice for tourists. Try the duck confit, country-style
pate, tender escargot or any of Georges Guy's daily specials. You
can't go wrong.
This longtime favorite offers consistently good food and excellent
value. The order-at-the-counter service makes the line go fast. The
rustic French decor creates the perfect ambience for enjoying the
legendary tomato basil soup or any of the wonderful baked goods, from
a flaky croissant to a crusty baguette. A breakfast favorite is the
mushroom crepe, although the yogurt parfait and muesli make excellent
healthy choices. Try a traditional Quiche Lorraine or a Chicken
Cordon Bleu sandwich for lunch and rosemary rotisserie chicken for
dinner.
