LOCAL Houston | The City Guide November 2017 | Page 33

There may be no more fashionable business lunch than Treebeards
on Market Square in Downtown. Since 1978, Treebeards has
been serving Cajun classics at lunch to Downtown's finest from the
north end and they now have five locations to help spread the love.
Business. Lunch. You. Guys. Get selected for jury duty? Lucky you,
the Cloister location is the go-to for judges, jurors, attorneys and
everyone in between for years. It’s also set in a church, which is
pretty divine actually. The 1100 Louisiana spot is cafeteria-style,
and the line to eat is huge, too. It‘s worth it. The other two spots
are for quick picks, serving to-go out of the The Shops at Houston
Center and Pennzoil Place. But Market Square, that’s where it’s
at. Known as the Baker-Travis Building, built around 1861, the
Market Square location is in the second-oldest building in Houston.
It looks straight outta New Orleans, too. Walk in and queue up
along the exposed brick wall, get your drinks (yes, there is beer),
tray and silverware, order over the glass and check out, it‘s that
easy. No need to fuss with table service for great food. Then, it‘s
out front on the upper balcony or lower sidewalk seating for those
great Houston fall days. If outside isn‘t your thing, there is a ton of
seating inside. We’d say bring your whole office, but most already
do. Upstairs doubles as an event space, with TV and some couches
even, so if downstairs is full, don’t hesitate to try up – usually plenty
of extra space.
This month's Perfect Pair, which we’ve eaten so many times (get
it on the rookie plate with the daily special such as chicken and
dumplings) is always in fashion. Red beans and rice, while a sta-
ple, is just the perfect lunch. Traditional red beans, rice, gravy and
link sausage, Treebeards also offers the dish with an added twist,
which we absolutely recommend: cheese and green onions. An
addition that differentiates the dish from its Louisiana roots. We
understand the “cheese and onions” tradition began in the early
days of Treebeards; thank your lucky stars it hasn’t stopped. We
already mentioned getting the red beans and rice on the rookie
plate (two small orders combined) but how else do you make this
lunch lagniappe? Well, grab some bread and butter and pair it all
with an ice cold glass of Treebeards’ iced tea. Fresh brewed Lou-
isiana-based Community tea over pebble ice, and red beans and
rice – you can tell this is a favorite for many customers. Us included.
TREEBEARDS
315 travis St. | Houston, TX 77002
713.228.2622 | www.treebeards.com
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am - 2:30pm
By Mike Cook | Photography by Kennon Evett
11 . 2017 | L O C A L
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