House in the Heights

1400 Allston Road
713.880.2166

House in the Heights is... (wait for it)... a house in the heights. A chef named Patrick Zone runs this very cute restaurant. This is the second iteration of the restaurant. It opened at its current location in early 2006. Walking into the house is like walking into an old Heights family house, replete with mirrors, dark woods, knickknacks and a maze of rooms.

Patrick doesn't take walk-ins: You must make reservations. When we arrived at 8:30 Friday night, we were the only guests. Normally, being the only guests at a restaurant is a bad thing. Not here. Here, fewer guests means more interaction with Patrick as he cooks, waits on the table, and provides witty banter in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. It's so relaxed and inviting, my sister Judy kept wondering if we should ask Patrick if he needed help plating the dishes, washing cups, or anything else you might offer when visiting a friend's house.

There is no menu. All meals start with the incredible bread. It's filled with herbs, and topped with a bit of parmesan on top. Patrick only makes the bread after you arrive, so it comes out hot and with a large plate of olive oil, vinegar, and chopped herbs. Ohhhhhh sooooooo gooooooooodd. (Yes, that's right, I wrote an entire paragraph about bread!!!! Eat, and you'll understand.)

Next comes the soup. This time, he had blue crab and corn chowder soup. Usually, such dishes come with only tiny bits of crab drwoning in a sea of soup. Patrick adds actual lumps of crab. Quite tasty.

Then comes the salad. The salad is large enough to be a meal. It was a spinach salad with rasberry vinagrette. Very good, but problematic because we were pretty full already.

Finally, the main course comes. Friday evening we had three choices. Pork loin with sweet potato mash, mahi mahi covered with sunflower seeds and dressed with a fruit compote, and chicken stuffed with something or other with sides of hot house tomato prepared in a way that infuses the tomato with qutie a lot of flavor. Patrick will be so disappointed that I totally screwed up the descriptions. When he describes the dishes to you, it sort of makes your mouth water. I had the fish. It was good, but by the time it came out, I was already pretty full and so didn't enjoy it as much as the previous dishes. The pork chop had a lot of flavor, though I prefer it a bit more rare.

House in the Heights is a fantastic experience. You can copy our night completely by making reservations here 45 minutes after sunset. Before dinner, go to the Quaker House. Quaker House is, as its name implies, a house where the local Quaker community in Houston worships. There, watch the sun set through the hole cut in its roof. It's a moving experience, though the first few minutes are spent trying to calm the mind and allow the setting light to move your senses.