New Cocktails!

Our new cocktail list is here! I think it’s our best yet. These drinks are refreshing, delicious, and very accessible. Here are a few of my favorites. [Take a look at the menu HERE!]

- Bourbon Mai Tai – I’ve always been a fan of Maker’s Mark, so I love it when we can find awesome new ways to use it. This drink uses Ramazotti, an Italian amaro (not to be confused with Eros Ramazzotti, the Italian pop singer)–in other words, a tasty herbal liqueur. The bourbon and the amaro seemed like a workable combination–and it is–but the addition of the lemon and orgeat (an almond-based syrup) make it incredible. To be fair to the classic tiki drink, this isn’t really a Mai Tai–in particular, there’s no orange liqueur in it–but it is a great drink for a warm day.

- Mambo Sun – Named after the classic T. Rex song, this is another great warm-weather drink. It uses something that you don’t see very often that makes it extra delicious–a coconut-lime eggfoam. The pulpiness of the pineapple and the dryness of the rum balance really well with the eggfoam for a wonderful beverage. (I could seriously eat an entire container of this eggfoam, and I will accept any challenge to do so.)

- Might as Well (pictured) -This is a new classic. Our housemade vanilla bean syrup has long been a favorite in our lattes, but when Jason paired it with cucumber, basil, and gin, he hit an incredible balance. If you want to introduce gin to a non-gin-drinker, this is the drink to do it with. When Jason first came up with this drink we sold a bunch of them but we hadn’t come up with a name yet. Eventually it became obvious from the feedback we were getting: “Would you like another one?” “Might as well.”

This menu was created with a lot of research, care, and lots of fun by DH bartenders Jeremy Olivier, Jason Moore, Ben Mowbray, and Amber White. I did a lot of sampling.

Until next time!

- Chris

Our New Spring Menu is Here!

The new spring menus are here!

We’re thrilled about our new spring menus. This is our biggest overhaul to date, but we have kept some of our most popular items (don’t worry, fried chicken-lovers). There are more vegetarian options, more seafood options, and a wide selection of smaller plates to share. I highly recommend getting a few of our smaller plates to share and then an entree to split. That way you get to try more!

Some highlights:

- BLT Bread Salad: This is a Panzanella, or “bread salad,” a style originated in Italy. This salad doesn’t strictly adhere to the definitions of a panzanella inasmuch as it uses bacon and sherry vinaigrette, but it does use the same basic structure, and it’s delicious.

- Lamb Belly Wraps: This is a delicious dish with a lot of hard work behind it. There is a lot to say about getting sustainably raised, delicious cuts of beef and lamb in Texas. After a lot of experimentation and working with different cuts, we’ve sourced some incredible lamb belly (think pork belly) from Niman Ranch. Paired with a pitim (Israeli cous cous) salad, fresh herbs, and honey-parsley dressing, this is a truly unique and incredible dish.

- Harissa Lamb Tartare: If you’ve never had harissa, the North African spice paste, you are in for a treat. It goes wonderfully with lamb heart, thin-sliced, tender, and delicious (from Black Hill Ranch). I use a little yoghurt and bread to make a delicious bite.

- Two of my favorite veggie dishes (and I’m a heavy-duty meat eater) on this menu are the pickled local vegetable plate and the beet salad. It’s a real treat to get a visit from Scott Snodgrass a few times a week and get in the best produce that Texas farmers have to offer. These dishes make great use of local produce.

A lot of time, research, and experimentation that went into this menu. I would be proud to put any of these dishes along side any dish in the country. What’s more, we’ve priced these dishes so that you can visit us a few times a week instead of just on a special occasion. Chef Benjy Mason,sous chefs Mark Decker and Victor Hughes, and the whole kitchen staff have done a fantastic job of putting together our best menu yet. Please come in and enjoy!

-Chris

Paul Ladd Photography

Check out these great shots from Heights photographer Paul Ladd! He came by recently and we had a great time visiting with him and his staff. The shots speak for themselves, but we highly recommend Paul if you’re looking for a photographer.

From top to bottom, check out the gouda sandwich with tomato bisque; the Queen B, Bitter Crowl, and the Left Hand cocktails; our now-famous croissant bread pudding; and our Longhorn Burger with house-made fries. Yum!

Cupid, draw back your bow . . .

Don’t get left waiting on Valentine’s Day!

As you may know, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest restaurant days of the year. It’s an occasion to spend time with your sweetheart and remember why they’re so special to you in the first place.

What better way to be reminded than to come have a delicious meal for two at Down House? This is almost definitely the best deal in town this Valentine’s Day. For $65, you’ll get a three-course meal for TWO and a TWO-person cocktail from a selected list. Tax and gratuity are included!

Buy tickets for either our 6:30 p.m. seating or our 9:30 p.m. seating HERE.

Cask-apalooza is coming!

Down House is teaming up with Real Ale Brewery (Blanco, Texas) for an ALL CASK four-course paired beer dinner! [BUY TICKETS HERE!]

Real Ale has been pushing the limit with their limited-release and cask beers, and we decided that it would be amazing if we could do an all-cask beer dinner with some of their most incredible beers. Here’s what we’ll be serving:

- Cold boiled Gulf Crab and country ham paired with cask of the Real Ale “15th Anniversary Ale” Russian Imperial Stout, 10.2% ABV

- Spicy local winter greens and a scotch egg with HP viniagrette paired with cask of the Real Ale porter, hopped with “Falconer’s Flight” hops, 6.2% ABV

- Curried Gulf Fish and Chips paired with cask of the Real Ale dry-hopped Extra Special Bitter (ESB), 5.2% ABV

- House-made Bangers and Mash paired with cask of 2011 vintage Sisyphus Barleywine, 11.2% ABV

- Cranachan with whipped cream, whiskey, and fresh fruit

Menu subject to change due to availability and discretion.

As with all of our ticketed dinners, this event WILL SELL OUT! Get your tickets as soon as possible. [BUY TICKETS HERE!]

FAQ:

- Tickets are $80 a person including tax and gratuity. Sorry, we are not able to offer any discounted tickets to this event.

- Yes, gratuity and tax ARE included in the price of the ticket. Once you buy your ticket, there’s nothing more to worry about!

- Yes, you MAY purchase tickets in person at Down House. Just stop by and let our staff know that you’d like to purchase tickets to Cask-apalooza!

- Yes, you may request to sit with your friends. Let us know any preferred seating arrangements via e-mail: chris@downhousehouston.com

- Yes, we can offer vegetarian (or pescetarian) alternatives. Sorry, we won’t be able to accomodate vegan diets. Please make sure to let us know any dietary restrictions at the time of ticket purchase. chris@downhousehouston.com

New Years Eve Menu

Last minute gift idea? Get tickets to our NYE dinner here!

The finalized menu is here!

Scallops with pea puree, beurre blanc, and fried lemon slice + apertif punch
Pigs ear salad with baby mustard greens and texas grapefruit + complimenting cocktail
Whole snapper with braised garlic chives, romesco sauce, grilled bread + wit/wheat beer
Whole lamb, veggie tagine, Moroccan cous cous, herb plates + big red wine
Roast coconut and black eyed pea ice cream + digestif

Buy tickets [HERE]. See you then!

New Year’s Plans?

Your New Year’s Eve plans are here!

Tickets are now available for our New Year’s Eve pairing dinner. Here are the details:

- $80 per person, includes:

- Four-course pairing dinner with wines, beer, and cocktails included

- Champagne toast at midnight

- Vinyl DJ spinning rock ‘n’ roll, soul, blues, and r&b

- Menu preview: whole roast lamb, fresh Gulf fish, pig’s ear salad, and other great dishes sourced locally and with loving care from chef Benjy Mason

Doors open at 8:00 p.m., and dinner starts at 8:30. Stay away from the annoying crowds and the dangerous roads on NYE. Take a five-minute cab ride to DH and ring in the new year in style!

Tickets available HERE!

Feel free to e-mail chris@downhousehouston.com for more info.

Karbach beer dinner menu

The Karbach Beer Dinner menu is here!

We’re pretty proud of this menu. We’ve managed to create a specialty cocktail and six dishes created specifically to pair with these amazing beers–all at an incredibly affordable price. (We really didn’t want to make the experience prohibitively expensive.) We’re excited to be a part of Houston Beer Week, and to get out the word about all the great brewers in Houston and beyond!

What’s sour and delicious and has your name on it?

New Sour Sunday menu! We’ve got some amazing beers for Sour Sunday this week. Based on what I’ve had so far, the menu will probably be pretty consistent for the next few weeks . . . or until we get bored with it and make something you’ll love even more.

So far my favorites are as follows:

Beers:

- The Real Ale Mysterium Verum series have all been amazing so far, and the WT3f?! is no exception. The “Brett Yeast” is noticeable, but not too funky for someone with a developing interest in sour beers.

- Lindeman’s Cuvee Reserve Geuze: This may be the only geuze beer available in Houston. (Anyone know of any others?) I’m a fan of the tart, yeasty flavor, and apparently the folks on BeerAdvocate are too.

Cocktails:

- Florodora Imperial: A drink named so for the sexy chorus girls in the musical Florodora (as documented by David Wondrich in Imbibe!), this drink is refreshing, lightly tart, and very drinkable.

- Roosevelt Sour: We garnish this drink with fresh-grated nutmeg–and somehow it works perfectly with the Laird’s Bonded. Very nice.

Beer Swatches

Beer swatches? What’s that?

There are a lot of strange logistical issues that come up in a restaurant/bar. One of them is how to get information to guests about what we have on the menu. Beer, in particular, is a challenge. We switch out our draft beers regularly, so it’s difficult to keep them on a printed menu. (Before you say anything, yes, I know it would be easier to keep the same beers on all the time. But where would be the fun in exploring new things?)

Instead we decided to post our beer chalkboard to our website (look on the menu above!) and create something we’re calling Beer Swatches. Here’s an example, using one of my favorites we have on right now:

It gives tasting information, brewery information, and an overall better idea of what to expect. The cool thing is that the little booklets we’re making are modular–we can change pages out as quickly as we change beers. The complete booklet should be ready in a couple days, so feel free to ask for one if you’re trying out our draft beers!