a’Bouzy

Someone pour me out a double shot of whiskey… oops that’s Shaboozey. a’Bouzy is classified as a “casually refined bistro serving French-inspired American food.” Hopefully you can see where the confusion came from.

I came here with two friends to say goodbye to my bud who’s moving to Atlanta for work. The parking situation is valet only for the lot, but there is free street parking all along the side road. I didn’t see the sign, but I believe there is a $6 charge for valet. It always annoys me when I have to pay for the privilege of eating at a restaurant.

The inside is modern and sleek. It’s weird cause it seems like they’re going for a fancy vibe, but then the bartenders have polos and they’re playing artists such as Post Malone and Old Dominion in the background. So casual fancy is what I’d call it. To further enforce this vibe check, they start out by bringing a bag of truffle popcorn to the table. It was flavorful, but also a tad stale. It was obvious it had been popped a good while ago and had been sitting out.

We all decided to do the Houston Restaurant Week menu. It came with an amuse bouche, starter, entree, and desert for the price of $55. The welcoming bite was some kind of fish surrounded by a puff pastry. The fish tasted fresh and the sauce on the plate gave a good kick to the flavor. My main gripe was that the thickness of the puff pastry overpowered the rest of the bite. It was hard to focus on the rest of the tasting notes when I kept getting puff pastry.

The starter I chose was smoked salmon rillettes. This plate featured a healthy dollop of creme fraiche, bite sized pieces of toasted baguette, and the salmon spread featuring shallots, white wine, and pickled onions. The plate came out and my expectations weren’t high. WOW, I was blown away. The salmon was salted perfectly and the best way I could describe it: a lighter and fresher chicken salad, but with salmon flavors. Combined with the creamy creme freche and the crunchy bread, every texture was accounted for. Flavor bomb.

I went with Trout Almondine for the main dish. It was topped with sliced almonds and a butter sauce that soaked up the lemon flavors after I squeezed the fresh juice on top. The trout was flaky and my fork cut through with zero effort. Delicious. The sauce was the star of the show. I’m not a big wine pairing guy, but this dish deserved it. The trout would melt in my mouth enriching me with feelings I wanted to linger as long as possible.

The dish also came with a side of green beans and potatoes. Both of these compliments were average and didn’t enhance the fish in any way. The fish soaked up the sauce which was perfect, but I wish there was a little more I could have used for the sides. The green beans were exponentially better when I had some sauce to spare.

For desert I went with donuts. It included vanilla ice cream and it’s surprisingly minty and herbaceous. I’m a huge mint chocolate chip fan, so having mint vanilla is similar to how Neil Armstrong must have felt stepping on the moon. My friends said it was the best ice cream they’ve ever had and while that may sound outrageous, I can see it.

The donuts were covered in cinnamon and powdered sugar. They looked dense at first glance, but they were airy and light. The hot donut rolled around in the cold ice cream was a match made in heaven.

To cap it off I ordered a coffee to go with desert and it was brought out in a French press. I drink mine black and it was your standard coffee. I expected a cup when I ordered, but I didn’t want the extra to go to waste and had two. It was nice having the cup to sip on as we ended the night.

One thing about me is that I’m a tough food critic. Especially at high-end places. If I’m dropping that much money for food, I expect it to be a cravable experience that leaves me satisfied and full. I can happily say that a’Bouzy fits the bill. The popcorn and welcome bite was a worrying way to start, but the rest of the meal delivered.

Rating: 840/1000