Houston’s name is rather misleading as you won’t find the
Texa steakhouses of the South. Instead, it’s swathed in black and red with an
atmosphere closer to lounge than ranch. It also has prices and food that’s
reasonable in an area of downtown Toronto where price points often require
expense accounts to satisfy. In particular, their price fixe lunch and dinner
menus offer real value. A place where I frequent for drinks, we decided to
extend the night away by tucking into their special $35 winter menu.
The beef carpaccio was certainly the table favourite,
vibrantly coloured with a slight peppery seared edge. Sliced thinly and topped
with truffle aioli, pickled red onions, parmesan shavings and a sweet balsamic
reduction there were tons of flavours. The beef could be warmed up more as the
middle was fairly icy but washed down with mouthful of wine it mixes into the
meat juices so well.
Despite being labelled “Asian” the pan-seared seabass was
everything but with the fresh tomato and avocado salsa reminiscent of Latin
dishes and the Hungarian/Polish cabbage roll as a side. While a lighter dish
paired with cauliflower puree and a tomato sauce, there’s still a significant
portion and a satisfying main.
Carnivores, who don’t care about plate presentation, would
lean towards the hefty 12 oz portion of prime rib. It’s decent, well cooked and
moist served with traditional mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Houston’s dessert of the day, sticky toffee pudding, was an instant
choice for me. The comforting sweet cake didn’t sit in a pool of sauce, rather just
soaked enough with the toffee as to not overwhelm the water with sugar. Between
the caramel sauce and cake was a layer of frosting which added a creamy
tanginess (like a sweet cream cheese frosting) that was a miss for me. But,
upon scraping it off and eating the warm cake with the cold toffee ice cream the
dessert satisfied me.
Ask for a spot in the dining room if you’d rather carry a
conversation; the booth tables at the entrance are great for people watching
but difficult to converse given the rowdy bar, echoing entrance and loud music
playing in the background. But, that’s what Houston’s all about: not a traditional
dark steakhouse, rather a trendy after-work hangout … for those who will be
paying their own way.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 33 Yonge Street
Address: 33 Yonge Street
Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
