Pam & Jeff Rate the Chef

Brasserie 19

Date Visited: November 15, 2012

Dinner tonight was an experiment. We had heard mixed reviews of Brasserie 19, so we decided to give it a shot to decide for ourselves.

Pam started with a glass of Laguna Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2008. This wine is full of fruit with just a touch of oak. Jeff grabbed a Miner Viognier Napa Valley 2010, which is a great example of a viognier with citrus and a nice acidity.

As for food, we started with the Hand Cut Steak Tartare accompanied by caper remoulade, quail egg and smoked paprika. The flavors were nice and it was decently executed however it is not our favorite in Houston. This is a dish you can miss.

Next, we moved on to Roasted Beets served with spring onion pesto, local goat feta, almonds, arugula and a horseradish vinaigrette. This was a much better dish and Pam simply loved it due to her love of beets and goat cheese.

For our next round of wine, Jeff ordered a Nickel Nickel Searby Vineyard Chardonnay 2009 from the Russian River Valley. Jeff enjoyed this chardonnay as it was a perfect balance of fruit, oak and acidity. Pam ordered an excellent Louis Latour “Grand Ardeche” Chardonnay 2009 which is a slightly spicy and powerful wine.

Moving on, we ordered the Seared Diver Scallops with boudin noir, leeks soubise and apple. The scallops were well cooked and the flavors of this dish are well-balanced.

Finally, we rounded out the evening with the Crispy Gulf Oysters over creamy spinach, bacon and a spicy remoulade. This was the best dish of the evening. Jeff loved the oysters and all the flavors were great. This was also the highest calorie dish, so you see where we stand!