Houston Restaurant Weeks 2024 — Lunch at Late August in Midtown Houston – Houston Food

Late August’s Field Pea Hummus fulfilled my hunger for creativity. Photo by Phaedra Cook.

• HRW Meals Offered: Brunch, Lunch and Dinner
• Offers Self-Parking? Yes
• Presented the HRW Menu Without Being Asked? No
• Would Return for a Regular Meal? Yes, especially for dinner

I’ve wanted to visit chef and restaurateur Chris Williams’ newest restaurant, Late August at The Ion, located at 4201 Main in Midtown Houston, ever since I wrote about its opening. It was not hyperbole to call Late August “long-awaited”, as it had been in the works for nearly three years. I’ve long admired what Williams has accomplished, not only at his original restaurant, Lucille’s, but also as a philanthropist with his Lucille’s 1913 charity.

I visited for a somewhat-late lunch, famished after landing at Hobby Airport. So far, it had been a bad day, so I was looking for some cheer and to hopefully reverse my fortunes for the afternoon and evening. The restaurant was smaller than I expected — on a quick, rough count, it appears that the dining room seats about 40 and the patio perhaps 10 — but it’s elegant without being overdone. I admired the deeply hued, blue-green velvet banquettes and emerald green chairs tastefully accented with earthy gold and terracotta hues. 

Late August’s overall menu isn’t that big, so the Houston Restaurant Weeks lunchtime selection is limited to three choices each for the appetizer and main dish. 

The first-course choice was tough and came down between the gumbo and Field Pea Hummus. Being substantially hungry, and feeling in need of protein, I went with the hummus — and I am so glad I did. There’s a complex fearlessness to the dish. It has the Southern influence that I’ve come to expect from Williams thanks to hummus being made out of field peas, but then he added the unexpected ingredients of chorizo, pepita crunch and chapulines. The fry bread is slightly crisped on the outside and fluffy on the inside, so it’s best to spoon the hummus onto the bread rather than trying to dip it. 

I found the main-course choices of a vegetarian chili relleno, a smash burger and crispy octopus less enticing. I was in the mood for meat, and I don’t order octopus (although I’ll eat it if someone puts it in front of me or a companion offers a bite), so that meant my only option was the smash burger. I would have appreciated at least one other choice. (You can avoid this issue by visiting Late August for dinner instead of lunch, when there are four entrée choices.)

The patty was thicker than expected and didn’t have the hallmark frilliness of a deeply seared smashburger, but it was flavorful and of good quality, and the bun was perfectly toasted on both top and bottom. Grilled panela was an interesting choice for the cheese, with it mostly adding some taut texture rather than melding with the patty. The crisp, fresh tomato and lettuce, as well as the morita aioli and pickled onions, were my favorite aspects of the well-made, if unremarkable, burger. I don’t know if the seasoned fries were scratchmade in-house, but regardless, they were excellent. 

I ordered an extra side — the potato salad — and was disappointed when my server informed me that it was unavailable. However, she suggested the Red Rice and Beans, which also tickled my interest. It was a wise recommendation. The rice gets its red hue from tomato paste, according to my server, but I think I detected something like a dried red pepper seasoning, too. The beans also had a nice jalapeño-driven kick. 

The HRW meal itself was perfectly fine, and the Field Pea Hummus alone was worth the price of admission. Regrettably, The Mansa Musa cocktail I ordered alongside was one of the worst cocktails I’ve had in recent memory. It’s supposedly made with bourbon, housemade musa syrup with aromatics of star anise and cinnamon, and a blend of citrus juices. I’m not sure what went wrong — maybe double syrup, juice and no bourbon?? — but it was so cloyingly sweet as to be undrinkable. I couldn’t detect the bourbon, nor even the promised baking spice flavors of the syrup, and it was oddly pale for a drink with a brown spirit. I took two sips of the $13 drink (the second just to be sure it was really that awful) and left the rest untouched. For people on a budget, spending $13 on something they can’t drink is a big deal. 

The young lady who was my server was very kind (actually, every staff member was warm and friendly), but never mentioned the hardly touched drink sitting and sweating on the table. It was as I was leaving that a gentleman who came to clear the table noticed. “Didn’t care for the drink, did you?” I replied, “No, it’s far too sweet for me, but perhaps it is to someone else’s taste.” I actually doubted that. On my next visit, I’ll opt for wine. 

Speaking of wine, there were apparently cocktail, wine and mocktail pairing options for an additional fee, but no one mentioned them. I just happened to notice a note under Late August’s lunch menu at the Houston Restaurant Weeks website as I was researching this story. 

Regardless of the drink mishap, I hope to return to Late August someday for dinner. The menu may be of a judicious size, but it bursts with tantalizing potential. 

Next Up: HRW 2024 Dinner at Riel

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.