1800 Post Oak Blvd. #6110
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 439-1000
http://www.philippehouston.com/
Cameron and I met some friends of friends a couple weekends ago, and we took their recommendation of trying Philippe Restaurant + Lounge quite seriously by booking our next date night there. We purposely arrived an hour early to the venue last Friday evening to partake of the happy hour specials ($6 specialty cocktails and $5 house wine among other promotions from 4-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday) in the trendy lounge downstairs. The Blessing, a concoction of Absolut vodka, strawberry, pomegranate juice and lime juice, piqued my curiousity. Cam chose the French Cowboy, comprised of Jim Beam bourbon, Lillet and agave syrup. The bartender crafted both cocktails exceedly well.
Following drinks, we ascended the stairs to the restaurant located on the second floor. I must compliment the design and decor of both spaces - my favorite element being the two-story wall behind the bar that is flanked with faux candles. Before being seated, we inquired about group parties. We're thinking of hosting a future dinner here. Immediately, the staff showed us the different private dining rooms available. All were spectacular; however, the chef's table really stood out!
I'll cut right to the chase: Our entire Philippe experience was hands-down superior! The spicy duck confit tamales with sundried tomatoes appetizer (listed under the "Flirtations" on the menu) delivered spot on with its taste and texture and left us wanting more. For my "Main Attraction," I ordered the Baked Lemon Sole with savory compound butter, polenta and truffle-port sauce. Whether sampling the sole or polenta individually or combined in one bite, either approach was extremely successful. Cam went with the My Darling Clementine, which consisted of roasted duck magret, crispy duck confit ravioli, carrot flan, asparagus and clementine-Cognac sauce. He couldn't have been happier with the results!
The dessert menu (aka Decadence) tempted us with several seductive options. We whittled the list down to a few and went with the top choice from our server. Our selection was the French Cowboy Churros (cinnamon churros, spicy chocolate sauce and salted caramel ice cream). Holy Mother of God: divine! Lightly dusted with cinnamon and sugar, the churros were light and airy. And the salted caramel ice cream and spicy chocolate sauce rounded out the dessert nicely.
We will return to Philippe repeatedly due to its incredible service, attention to detail and delicious cuisine ... Now, it's time to plan that group dinner party!
Service: exceedingly exceptional!
Price: $$
Atmosphere: trendy and hip yet inviting
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