Located in the heart of the museum district Lucille’s is a family friendly, healthy food stop where you can see the Chef and Owner Chris Williams and staff hustling back and forth as they pick fresh items from their make shift garden out back.
Check out my updated Lucille’s post HERE!
I am a huge supporter of minority owned business, especially when the namesake of the restaurant is someone’s sweet grandmother. One thing I can say about granny Lucille is that she taught her grandson how to produce some “mean” southern cuisine. I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Williams at an event he catered recently. He was so gracious and kind while working feverishly to get his food out. He’s passionate about living up to his family name and making his grandmother proud….
I was lucky enough to have a moment with a cousin of mine who happened to be in town. So we enjoyed this experience together. The fact that my entire circle of “loves” know not to touch their food before I snap a picture is priceless and HILARIOUS to me!
THE FOOD
For starters we tried the fried oysters and fried green tomatoes. I love oysters but prefer them raw. These were tasty and the presentation was pretty with the cilantro slaw on top.
The fried green tomatoes were amazing. I love the slight sourness and crunch that green tomatoes have, similar to green apples. The cornmeal batter and spicy aioli truly made this dish. I found myself eating these delectable bites with a fork so I could savor every morsel.
For the entree we had the Pan Roasted Chicken that come with quinoa salad, broccolini, tomato vinaigrette. My cousin hates quinoa, I think he said it’s like eating cardboard, but he ate this quinoa.. I think. I recall seeing a clean plate, but that may have been my plate.
I simply couldn’t resist trying Lucille’s Shrimp and Grits. It happens to be a favorite southern staple of mine and was super popular in the restaurant that day as they kept passing my table.
After taking my first bite of those creamy grits soaking in a bed of flavor sherry tomato broth and the savory mixture of shrimp and sausage my soul left my body, went into the kitchen and slapped one of the chefs.
Luckily it returned just in time for dessert!
DESSERT
For the last course we both ordered the same thing: Croissant Bread budding. The crème anglaise and berry compote paired with that warm soft, gooey bread was incredible. We ate this in silence, with a couple of glances and smiles in between spoonfuls.
If you didn’t get a chance to visit Lucille’s during Houston Restaurant Week you truly missed out, but don’t fret you can stop by anytime for some, if not all of these items. Make sure to check the website to reserve your seat for brunch and view their new menu here!
A couple of things to note:
Lucille’s has free parking available across the street in the hospital parking lot.
If you happen to be in the mood for a cocktail, I suggest the “New Orleans Dandy”, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”