Following his departure from F.E.E.D. TX, the restaurant group that owns the Liberty Kitchen and Little Liberty concepts, Houston native, Chef Travis Lenig, debuts his newest venture, Field & Tides Restaurant and Bar. Located in the former Zelko Bistro space, Field & Tides is a minimally modern space with seating capacity of roughly 40. The interior accents highlight the restaurants “field and tide” concept nautical tones of navy and Prussian blue.
During a recent media preview Executive Chef Travis Lenig and general partner, Christopher “Chico” Ramirez, shared their vision behind their newest joint venture. An intimate group of Houston writers and bloggers were served a selection of Field & Tide favorites alongside classically crafted cocktails from Beverage Director Monique Hernandez.
Chef Lenig’s menu boasts of big dishes. Bountiful portions of meat and gulf coast seafood make up the majority of this menu. Additionally the restaurant offers a variety of well dressed salads, which were particularly a hit at my table. Our tasting began with a few appetizers, followed by a variation of land and fish dishes. We closed with some of THE most deliciously down-home desserts.
MENU & SPIRITS
We started with the Local Greens and Roasted Beet Salad. Tablemate and former Houston Press Editor, Phaedra Cook expressed her appreciation of the Chef’s attention to the small detail of seasoning the salad. Crispy, warm and cheesy pimento fritters, Deep fried oysters on a bed of shaved brussels, and the F&T Wangz were served next. The lighter dishes were served with the Ripe Tide, a light a floral gin based cocktail.
The Duck Confit, Roasted Rack of Braised Venison and Bacon wrapped Pork Loin were beautiful. They glistened in the spaces natural lighting. Here, Monique showcased her art by serving three cocktails, each a tad boozer than its successor. These big dishes were paired with an old fashioned made with vintage whisky, a super smokey mezcal cocktail called the El Vaquero, and my favorite, The Nearshore. The base of this cocktail is Bank 7 rum, an outstanding blend of 23 rums from 8 distilleries from 7 origins. Although these cocktails were classic in creation, I suggest you only have two. Or have three and call an Uber.
Concluding our afternoon (It’s like 4:30 pm at this point) were three sweet and luscious desserts! I am a huge fan of desserts, but not chocolate so much. I could have easily eaten my weight in Field & Tides’ Strawberries & Cream dish of macerated strawberries , vanilla crème frâche, basil syrup and shortbread. The Southern classic styled Pineapple Upside Down Cake was “stupid good.” Pineapple is baked into the bottom crust! The Chocolate Alabama Stack Cake stole the show with its multiple layers of bourbon chocolate soaked sponge cake. Though I didn’t taste it, I must admit, it was stunning!
FOOD GALLERY
BEVERAGE GALLERY
FIELD & TIDES IS LOCATED IN HISTORIC HEIGHTS DISTRICT
ADDRESS: 705 EAST 11TH STREET HOUSTON, TEXAS 77008
HOURS OF OPERATION:
MONDAY – THURSDAY: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
FRIDAY: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
SATURDAY: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
SUNDAY: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
HAPPY HOUR: MONDAY – FRIDAY 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
WEEKEND BRUNCH: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
