Reef Houston

ABOUT AND BEYOND
Reef
2600 Travis St
Houston TX
713-526-8282
www.reefhouston.com

Lunch Monday to Friday $5 to $24

This establishment has received many accolades. That and the menu prompted me to suggest it as a meeting place for some Lake Charles people to meet some friends that had move to Virginia but were in Houston for a day or two. The interior is classic modern industrial with exposed ceilings, brick walls and painted concrete floor. Seating consisted of brushed aluminum chairs and tables. It also possessed an open kitchen.

I will first tackle my meal. Then items I got a taste of followed by items I did not taste. First in line was Seafood Gumbo. It possessed a deep dark roux in an excellent broth with crab fingers, shrimp and sausage. They balanced the sausage against the seafood and it provided great taste. Steamed Mussels in Shiner Bock with toasted ancho chile came next. I love mussels and this proved to be something different and delicious. The deep red sauce was slightly bitter from the hops and chilies and just spicy enough. Made a nice contrast to the sweet and succulent mussels. For entree I went with the Simply Grilled Amberjack. Unfortunately my filet was simply over cooked. I barely ate more than a few bites. Undercooked I could have handled. I was with a large group and I suspect mine got done first and just sat there waiting on the others entrees. Dessert made up for it. A Vietnamese Coffee Tart with Condensed Milk ice cream. It was a rift on Sua da or coffee with chicory diluted with sweeten condensed milk and poured over ice. I got all those flavors in this wonderful dessert.

I tasted Beetroot Ravioli, which was superb. A Spicy Shrimp Roll (lobster roll style) was served with mango. My taste proved spicy, sweet, and crisp from the toasted roll. I would return for this in a second. Grilled Wahoo with plantains and long beans with plum jus was excellent (well grilled and moist). On the Creme Fraiche Cheesecake and Cherries with Honey Gelato I only got a taste of the cheesecake. The light slightly tart cake went well with the slightly sweet cherries. Again a winner

Other dishes included Spring Roll Wrapped Shrimp with a hot and spicy sauce, Baked oysters with creamy Swiss chard, lime pickle and Asiago bread crumbs, and Mix Seafood Grill (shrimp, snapper, scallop) on a sugar cane skewer over Harissa cous cous rounded out the meals. Everyone was oohing and aahing but mainly stuffing their faces.

Despite my grilled fish I would recommend this for people who love seafood and are looking for a new and innovated preparation for it. I would return if offered the opportunity.

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http://www.reefhouston.com/