Travelers table is an upscale restaurant flaunting cuisines from around the world. I came here with some friends for Houston Restaurant week. While it’s not really a deal compared to the menu prices, a portion goes to charity and it’s an excuse to try out all three courses.
The location has a complimentary valet only parking lot. We showed up at 6:45 on a Wednesday and the valet had their work cut out for them. Tons of cars trying to get in this tiny parking lot and they had to park them off site. Once checking in, we were seated immediately.
I started off with the Macaraja old fashioned pictured above. It’s an Indian based drink featuring ghee-washed whiskey, garam masala syrup, and both cardamom and lemon bitters. I was surprised at how tart it was. The flavors were extremely complex and it was the perfect drink to sip throughout the meal.
It took a while for the appetizers to come out so the manager brought us a plate of little cheese breads reminiscent of something you’d get at a Brazilian steakhouse. I wished they were lighter with more emphasis on the cheese. None of us cared for them.
For the first course I choose the Singaporean Soft Shell Chili Crab. It featured the crab in a sweet chili-tomato sauce with a side of fried bao buns. The sweetness of the sauce was a tad overpowering and made it hard to fully enjoy everything the crab offered. The baos were delicious and meant to soak up all that saucy goodness. The dish shined best when I dipped the baos in the sauce and then put a piece of crab on top. Eating the bao dry was a one time endeavor as it’s meant to be with that sweet sauce.
The server recommended three entrees for the main course and I went with the Snapper Pontchartrain. I feel like I’ve had good luck with fish lately and it featured a crab sauce that sounded delightful. Boy was I wrong. The fish was dry and there wasn’t enough sauce on the plate to help cover it up. Not enjoyable to eat. The rice and collared greens were fine, but if the star isn’t tasty then those sides certainly aren’t going to help. I made myself finish the plate because it’s such a hefty price tag, but the sunk cost fallacy almost persuaded me. Neither of my friends were too impressed with their dishes either, but I 100% chose the worst one.
Ok, so at least there’s still desert right? I choose the burnt basque cheesecake which was accompanied by earl grey peach coulis and biscoff crumble. It looks beautiful when it’s plopped in front of me. There’s no way that’s not delicious. Wrong again, bucko. The texture and consistency of the cheesecake was way off. Maybe the restaurant is for fans of dry food because this was also extremely dry. My friend took a bite and stated it was the worst cheesecake he’s ever had. Frankly, I agree with him. I forced myself to eat half in hopes that I’d change my tune, but eventually gave up and left the rest to be discarded. If I’m not finishing a cheesecake then something went gravely wrong.
The total with tip was $90 and none of us thought it was worth it. The starter and drink was acceptable and it was looking like a nice experience. Then it came crashing down. Regardless, we had a nice night together and I have to give kudos to the service. They give small water glasses to the table, but they stay on top of keeping them filled. With dishes from a plethora of different cultures and the fact that the kitchen took forever to bring out the first dish, it makes me wonder if the kitchen was overwhelmed that night and messed up the cooking. I’d hope this wasn’t the standard.
Rating: 141/1000
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