Houston Restaurant Weeks: Maison Pucha Lunch

Houston Restaurant Weeks is almost over. The yearly month-long food and charity event began August 1 and runs through September 2. The city-wide (and further out) restaurant celebration allows local eateries to lure in customers during August’s typically slow time while raising funds for Houston Food Bank in collaboration with The Cleverley Stone Foundation. Gourmands across the city eagerly await the list of participants and their multi-course menus each year. As this month wanes, many Houstonians have checked off their HRW restaurants for the year but I, sadly, had not even made it to one until last week.

With a mix of vet visits, doctor’s appointments, a family vacation and getting my son settled at the University of Houston, I had not ventured any farther out to dine than the local Tex-Mex restaurant for a much-needed margarita. Scrolling through social media has only made me jealous and desperate to finally get out and take advantage of at least one HRW deal before it ends for the year.

One of the restaurants that routinely gets rave reviews for its HRW menu every year is Maison Pucha Bistro and it has been no different this year. There has been no shortage of online money shots of its tatntalizing dishes. It was on my list last year but I didn’t make it. Well, I finally achieved my goal this year and it more than met my expectations.

My usual dining companion, Classic Rock Bob, couldn’t dine with me giving some sort of excuse about having a day job and all. So, I fulfilled the promise made to a friend months ago about getting together. Driving from Cypress to Tomball then down to the Heights was a bit of a slog but a multi-course meal was in our future so we braved the Houston traffic and the 100 degree heat with anticipation in our hearts and stomachs.

I had made reservations for 1 p.m. and we were right on the nose except that the parking lot was full. After a few drives around to find street parking, we made our way to the entrance where a number of patrons were already departing. Perhaps a few minutes later, we would have had a prime parking space. However, the walk was good for our appetites, though not so much for our hair-dos.

Maison Pucha is located off Studewood in an attractive red brick building with a good-sized front patio shaded by umbrellas and greenery. However, there wasn’t enough shading to combat the triple digit heat and there were no diners sitting outside on this August day. We’re sure that will not be the case in another month or two.

The interior is the stuff of a Francophile’s dream. The paint colors of the walls are French blues, both Parisian and Provencale. Upholstered chairs are covered with a brown toile-like print with decorative upholstery tacks giving them a classic touch. There are also banquettes on either side and the whole set up is very francaise. Modern pieces of artwork adorn the walls and crystal chandeliers add to the elegance. The open kitchen, with its subway tile and hanging copper pots, is part of the energy of the space.

As my friend and I were led to our table, I saw a couple my husband and I know and haven’t seen since last Christmas. Hugs were exchanged and I sent a photo to Classic Rock Bob to show him what he was missing. Not wanting to intrude on their lunch date, my companion and I went to our table and sat down.

As we were perusing the menu, I looked up to see another couple I know, a fellow food writer and her husband, being sat at the table next to our other friends. I popped up to say my hellos and we laughed about the fact that we had all had the same idea on this Friday afternoon. In fact, my fellow food writer, the Drunken Diva, had already made a visit to Maison Pucha for Houston Restaurant Weeks this month. She liked it so much she had returned to try the rest of its HRW menu.

Tempted to move my friend and I over to their table, I reminded myself that my friend was my dining companion for the day so I decided it would be best to give my attention to her. We ordered a couple of glasses of wine and then chose our courses. While most participating restaurants have two courses for the $25 lunch and three for the $39/$55 dinner, Maison Pucha offers three for lunch and brunch, a particularly good deal.

The service at Maison Pucha is what one would expect at a French-inspired restaurant, meaning the courses are spaced out, giving time for conversation and digestion. Our first course arrived about twenty minutes after we ordered, so it’s not a place for rushing. There are four choices for the first course including tomato gazpacho, watermelon salad with whipped goat cheese, mushroom timbale and shrimp ceviche.

I had chosen the shrimp ceviche. The three owners, executive chef Manuel Pucha, pastry chef Victor Pucha, and beverage director and general manager Cristian Pucha, are brothers from Ecuador so the  French culinary techniques at Maison Pucha are often intermingled with Latin flavors. The menu lists the shrimp as Ecuadorian and they were perfectly marinated in the leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk, with a little bit of chew still left. Sometimes ceviche can be mushy if marinated too long but this version was superb with plenty of heat from the serrano peppers. Houston Press readers may know that I am sometimes disappointed in wimpy spice levels at restaurants around the city. Maison Pucha’s beautiful and citrus-y ceviche delivers a lingering warmth with fresh tomatoes diced oh-so-tiny and thinly-sliced onion on top. With three slivers of plantain chips for dipping, it was a wonderful way to start a multi-course meal.

My companion had ordered the Savory Mushroom Timbale. When I think of timbale, I picture a molded pasta dish or a French concoction where the filling is enclosed in thinly sliced vegetables. This version was more like a mushroom flan, topped whimsically with a wild mushroom cap that was scored on top, making it resemble a star anise. My friend was impressed. It was not only cute, it was delicious. Though mushrooms are not top on my list of favorite foods, this was smooth and silky. It delivered on the savory, just as its menu name suggests, thanks to the pesto on top and the porcini foam.

Our main courses arrived, well, in due course. Though the Ecuadorian Pork Stew tempted me and I knew the Duck Pithivier would be a stunning dish, as witnessed by its arrival on my friends’ table across the way, I opted for the Trout Almandine. While trout is a very mild fish, the addition of the delicate lemon butter sauce at Maison Pucha gave it the flavor it needed, though I could have used just a wee bit more sauce. The use of garlic here is very restrained which was perfect for this dish. The seasonal vegetables were cooked al dente and could have used a touch of seasoning, or more of that wonderful lemon sauce.

My friend’s main was the Chicken Paillard, a safe choice for those who may not like the strong taste of duck or a hearty pork stew. The chicken breast was seared beautifully, giving it a slightly charred flavor that complemented the fresh salad ingredients on top. Like my trout, it was a perfect summer dish, delivering lots of flavors without too much heft. And it was the piccata sauce that really made the chicken shine. My friend was struck by how good the sauces all were, which is usually evidence of intense French culinary training.

When our desserts arrived, I could hardly contain my glee. I will admit to scanning the Houston Restaurant Weeks site for menus in search of one of my all time favorite desserts, ile flottante. I first had it at the now-shuttered Brasserie Max and Julie in Montrose quite a few years ago and was lucky enough to enjoy it once in a small bouchon in Lyon, France. I rarely eat desserts after a meal but ile flottante is so light, it’s like eating yummy air. At Maison Pucha,  the poached egg white meringue floats atop creme anglaise with a drizzle of caramel and a garnish of slivered almonds. With this version, I could actually taste the egg yolk in the custard, giving it some body rather than just a thin soup of vanilla creaminess.

My lunch date had opted for the Crepe a l ‘Orange. The folded triangles of crepes sat happily in a boozy bath of Grand Marnier orange sauce. A dainty dollop of Chantilly cream added the perfect touch to a quintessentially French dessert.

Over the two-hour meal, we had bid adieu to mes amis, caught up on each other’s busy lives and enjoyed a beautiful meal that makes one pine for Paris whether you’ve been there or not. We weren’t quite ready to end the fantasy, so we headed to the small bar, just in time for happy hour which runs Tuesday to Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The bar only has five large bar stools, so we were lucky to find a seat. There were two other gal pals at the bar, also solving all the world’s problems or at least their own.

I ordered the Beso di Primavera which is made with habanero-infused silver tequila, guava, lime and sweetened a tad with agave syrup. The heat hit me at the back of the throat and I liked it. Perhaps I am a bit of a masochist. I had ordered my friend the Magic Cosmo and when she returned from what I would describe as one of the prettiest restrooms in the city, she was met with a martini glass full of vodka, triple, sec, cranberry and lime, topped with a perfect, round bubble. Unfortunately, I was not fast enough with my camera and the bubble popped leaving a mist of smoke in its wake. I have no idea how it’s done but it’s a pretty cool gimmick. For the happy hour price of $8, it was worth it.

While we would have loved to spend the rest of the day enjoying the respite from our daily mom lives, all good things must come to an end, especially when you have a drive back to the ‘burbs.

I had finally made it for the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu at Maison Pucha, but I am not going to wait until next year to make another visit. I may come back for its happy hour, though I do wish it wasn’t only available in the small bar. And, while I love the restaurant’s charming decor, I might be tempted to spend a lazy autumn afternoon on its patio. I will definitely bring Classic Rock Bob here so he can see taste the Duck Pithivier for himself while I check out the Coq au Vin.

The Houston Restaurant Weeks menu at Maison Pucha and its exceptionally good deals are leaving soon. However, most of its HRW dishes are available on its regular menu, though they won’t be as great a bargain.

Still, it’s cheaper than a trip to Paris and you won’t have to wonder if the waiter is mocking you.

Maison Pucha Bistro
1001 Studewood
713-637-4976
maisonpucha.com