FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE + LEISURE
Spanish Octopus
Hot Chicken
Lasagnette di crespelle – a play of textures : three layers of soft , savory crepes alternating with a meaty melody of sautéed , thyme-accented , butter-weeping wild and domesticated mushrooms rich with earthy flavors and topped with a béchamel . ( The melted ever-so-slightly fruity taleggio cheese foreshadowed fall ’ s arrival .) And the red snapper with Thai ginger sauce whispers Southeast Asia .
While Matos is chef on premise , the chef owner is Ford Fry , a local guy , now of Atlanta , where he has several restaurants . “ Three of them Tex Mex and they all , just as we do , have Ford ’ s nod to nostalgia . The cheese enchilada from Felix ’ s is on the menu ,” says Matos .
Matos favors farm to table , though he does not flaunt it . He values quality above all . “ We want the best and we want local ,” he says . “ When the best is local , even better .”
“ We don ’ t do daily specials . The menu reflects the seasons . Last month we did snapper with heirloom tomatoes and farm fresh cucumbers ; now the tomatoes are gone , so we do it with a Thai vinaigrette . Dish by dish , I am moving into the more autumnal flavors and , as it becomes available , the new crop of citrus .”
Aiming to please the clientele , Matos ’ s most current project is the development of a “ big juicy , something special ” hamburger to the dinner menu .
The realm of hospitality – gracious , refined , from the greeting at the door to the oatmeal spice cookie sandwich gifted as you depart – belongs to general manager Matthew Crawford . A dedicated and certified sommelier , he is also responsible for the 325-bottle wine list and 30-plus wines by the glass .
Bar
“ Houston has a phenomenal wine community . People are very savvy as regards to wine . We want to offer options for everyone . At the end of the day we want people to be happy , to feel they have been taken care of ,” says Crawford . Nice thought .
STATE OF GRACE
3258 Westheimer Rd . | Houston , TX 77098 | 832.942.5080 | www . stateofgracetx . com LUNCH : Mon – Fri , 11am – 3pm | BRUNCH : Every Sun , 10am – 3pm | DINNER : Sun – Thu , 5pm – 10pm ; Fri & Sat , 5pm – 11pm
october 16 | L O C A L 19