From the street, the new Kirby Collection mixed-use complex rises sleek and glassy and inscrutable. It’s hard to tell what’s inside the office tower and swoopy atrium that curves off toward retail and restaurant space. But down toward the northern end fronting Kirby, behind greenery and too-discreet signage, lies Verandah — the new restaurant home of the very talented chef Sunil Srivastava.
The posh Inner Loop location is something of a dream for Srivastava and his wife and front-of-the-house partner, Anupama. At Great W’Kana Cafe and then W’Kana Express, they labored in the wilderness of Stafford Meadows and the Energy Corridor without ever quite garnering the high profile the chef’s deep, resonant flavors and finely etched textures deserved.
Now, they’re ensconced in a handsome, high-ceilinged glass box near row restaurant crossroads of Kirby at Richmond. Pale settees and sculptural armchairs beckon. Ranks of bottles and glassware glint behind a pretty little bar. Colorful paintings by Anu’s mother — the green thumb who grows chiles, herbs and subtropical fruits and vegetables for the restaurant — lead back toward a display kitchen with its tandoor, the Indian clay oven, front and center.
Like the restaurant’s name, which alludes to the covered porches that are hospitality hubs in classic Indian homes, the paintings draw on the Subcontinent’s rich visual motifs. And Srivastava’s menu, always rife with surprise, now delves even further into dishes outside the well-worn canon of Indian food abroad.
Verandah Progressive Indian Cuisine
Three stars
3300 Kirby, Suite 7A; 281-501-0258
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; dinner 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, 5-9 p.m. Sundays
Credit cards: All major
Prices: starters $9-$21; entrees $16-$41 (3-course lunch $21.99); flatbreads $3.50-$5.50
Must-orders: beetroot ki galouti; Peshawari chicken tikka; kalonji baigan (baby eggplant with wild onion seeds); nargisi kofta curry (lotus-root dumplings); Kolhapuri chicken in fiery coconut gravy; jackfruit or goat biryani; assorted bread basket; Panchporan Hiran Ki Champey (grilled venison chops); khargosh ki saounth (rabbit korma); manga bhindi (okra with fennel and mango powder); Imli Martini cocktail
Reservations: taken via exploretock.com; walk-ins welcome; some bar seating
Noise level: quiet
Parking: 2-hour validation in Kirby Collection garage; valet; some street parking
Website: verandahrestaurant.com
STAR RATINGS
Four stars: superlative; can hold its own on a national stage. Three stars: excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city. Two stars: very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind. One star: a good restaurant that we recommend. No stars: restaurant cannot be recommended.
MORE FROM ALISON COOK: Houston restaurant reviews updated weekly
Not only does he serve a biryani in which young jackfruit assumes the role usually assigned to meat in the aromatic rice dish, he sends forth platters of Baddal Jam, in which triangles of tandoor-roasted jackfruit meet slices of eggplant encased in the laciest, deep-brown batter, all brought to attention by squiggly shreds of fresh coconut and a vibrant tomato chutney spiced with wild onion seeds. There is nothing like it in Houston.
Maybe you’d like a nice glass of Barbera to go along — yeah, seriously — and Verandah’s charming manager, Naveen Kumar, has just the thing for you, chosen from a still-sketchy wine list that he is beefing up. He and chef Srivastava have collaborated on a cocktail list that walks on the wild side, from an Imli “Martini” that jumps tequila up with tamarind and lime, to a brunchy Shirabi lassi in which white rum, yogurt and rose syrup add up to an otherworldly species of milk punch. (I’m working my way up to the betelnut-infused gin, and to the rye punch with mango, black pepper and mint.)
That Barbera suits a brace of venison chops grilled with panchporan, the “Indian 5 spice” blend of whole cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds. Sometimes meats arrive a little too cooked for my (admittedly) Western palate, but the deer chops on a recent evening were perfect, with a rose tint down the middle and a lively crust. The rogan-josh-type sauce on the side matched well with its warm spices, and the folded ceramic plate that cradled venison and precisely turned vegetables made it all look like a special event.
Srivastava is a native of Rajasthan, that hilly northwestern desert province where hunting everything from deer and rabbits to small game birds is ingrained. Thus the deer, the quail and the rabbit korma on Verandah’s menu — this last a lush swoon of tender, smoky meat and yogurt-smoothed gravy. It’s as gentle as the chef’s Kohlapuri chicken is fierce. (That menu description of “fiery coconut gravy” is not kidding. Even my two “nothing is ever hot enough for me” friends were impressed.)
I confess that some of the prices made me gulp. My old favorite vegetable dishes now hover just below the $20 mark, which means I feel less prone to order three of them at a swoop. But the real estate, the china, the posh furnishings cost, and for guests who would like to eat ambitious and unusual Indian food in grand surroundings, the economic trade-off will no doubt be worth it. For those on a budget, though, Verandah will be a special occasion — or lunch, when the prices are gentler and there’s a three-course prix fixe for $21. There’s a happy hour coming, too, another point of entry.
Fortunately, the dishes I learned to love in more modest surroundings still deliver thrills at a high level. The lotus-root dumplings called nargisi kofta float like downy clouds in their gingery, hottish, tomato-laced yogurt bath; with impeccably cooked rice, they’re heaven. Melting, glazed hunks of baby eggplant (Kalonji Baigan) come alive in tart, tamarind-spiked tomato-and-onion sauce punctuated with the wild onion seeds called kalonji. I’d come here just to eat this dish.
Same goes for the striking okra, cut into lengthwise shreds and tossed with caramelized fennel strips, with a tart boost from the mango powder known as amchoor. I feel confident that even people who hate okra would fall under its spell.
Srivastava’s finely wrought flatbreads are present in all their glory. My favorites are the thin, crisp naan scattered with kalonji seeds; the surprisingly light-footed potato kulcha layered with sparks of dried red chile; and the pesto naan, of all things. This last is one of the modern touches that lend Verandah its portentous subtitle: “Progressive Indian Cuisine.”
I worried initially that meant there would be lots of dishes such as the Ajwaini paneer tikkas, the farmer’s-style cheese puréed to disconcerting smoothness (what can I say? I crave the rustic texture of the original) and layered with thin ribbons of chutney. At W’Kana Express, they came with clear ampoules of green chutney-water, like the molecular-style party tricks popular five or six years ago. I was relieved to see the ampoules are missing in action now and that the “progressive” part of the equation mostly means a gentle creativity and some refined presentation touches.
I’ve seen enough extraneous orchid blossoms on plates to last a lifetime, but I enjoyed the dramatic skewer stand from which dangles the assorted tandoori platter. Off the stack, the charcoaled items come immaculately cooked garlic-and-lemon shrimp; herbal mini-sausages of lamb seekh kebab; delicious lamb chops I wished were a shade or two less well-done; and chunks of Peshawari chicken tikka so succulent they actually wobbled as they were coaxed off the blade. When the menu says Peshawari chicken — seasoned with “frontier spices” from the Pakistani borderlands —is the chef’s specialty, it isn’t kidding. I can’t remember the last time chicken actually blew my mind.
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A strip of clear acrylic bubbles holds six exciting fruit-based chutneys, including clove-touched plum and green apple dotted with fennel seed. The chutney parade is a feature of that modern fine-dining wrinkle, the tasting menu. You must call ahead to reserve a tasting — offered only on the less busy weekdays — and decide on a theme by conferring with the chef (!). It’s a nice way to get a sense of Srivastava’s range — and to encounter such surprises as a molded green-pea chaat laced with crisp puffed rice and brittle shreds of fried noodle, with an exhilarating mango chutney to kick up the flavors.
The dining-room vibe feels peaceful and relaxing even in its formality. Service is notably gracious, although not yet as polished as the room and the menu. On weekends, the Srivastavas’ two handsome young sons help out, making it a proud family affair. Having admired Sunil and Anu for years, I find it a joy to see them in this setting.
In the end, I’ll return both for the modern quirks, such as a beetroot tikka appetizer so richly seasoned it reminded me of a multidimensional mole; and for the Indian classics in which Srivastava excels. When the biryani studded with tender morsels of goat appears, and the pastry lid (the “dum”) under which it is steamed is peeled back, the aromas flying forth make it feel like I’ve just opened some wonderful birthday gift.
And that is exactly how it tastes.
Alison Cook is the Chronicle's James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic. Follow her on Twitter, and keep up with Houston's latest dining and drinking news and reviews by subscribing to our free Flavor newsletter.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/reviews/article/Restaurant-review-Verandah-in-Upper-Kirby-14202120.php 2019-07-30 09:00:00Z
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