A Foodie Shocker

New vegetarian menu at Brennan's highlights local produce with a gourmet Creole twist

It's due time that a Creole restaurant realizes there's more to vegetarian cuisine than a house salad with ranch dressing — and Brennan's of Houston seems to be doing it right with a newly-released Southern-style vegetable menu.

Executive chef Danny Trace and his culinary team developed the Digging Texas Creole menu, which will be be offered at the Kitchen Table — the 12-seat communal table in the midst of the restaurant's kitchen — from here on out.

"We are proud to work with incredibly fresh bounty from Houston area farms and incorporate their offerings into our cuisine."

The tasting menu includes a Gumbo Z'herbes Moderne (with dino kale and mustard, collard and Swiss chard greens, buttermilk fried okra and green garlic "Sunset Rice"), Mushroom Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé (blue-foot mushrooms whipped into egg whites with thyme and melted leeks), Le Coupe de Milieu (sweet tea "Mint Julep" sorbet), Chicken Fried "Lot 42" Cauliflower Steak (served with Purple Majesty potato salad, pickled mirliton and oyster plant with sherry creamed onion), Froberg Farm Eggplant Grillades & Grits (with goat cheese stone-ground grits, fire roasted trinity and Chicory coffee red eye gravy) and a Candied Creole Tomato Galette (with mozzarella ice cream, black garlic and tomato pralines, Poirier's cane syrup and Chipotle Imperial sugar).

For lunch, Brennan's will offer a two-course Farmer's Corner special that highlights "a local farm's seasonal bounty prepared in a Texas Creole style."

"This menu is a natural extension of my family's philosophy to utilize local and regional farmers. We are proud to work with incredibly fresh bounty from Houston area farms and incorporate their offerings into our cuisine," said Alex Brennan-Martin, owner of Brennan's of Houston, in a statement.

A restaurant representative tells CultureMap that the Digging Texas Creole menu could change seasonally to accommodate what's fresh and available, and that some of its offerings might be added to the regular menu in the future.

The mushroom Creole bread pudding soufflé includes blue-foot mushrooms whipped into Hatterman’s hen egg whites with 3300 Smith Street thyme and melted leeks

Photo courtesy of Brennan's of Houston

The mushroom Creole bread pudding soufflé includes blue-foot mushrooms whipped into Hatterman’s hen egg whites with 3300 Smith Street thyme and melted leeks

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cheers to that

Texas bourbon named one of 2024's top 10 whiskies

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey

Still Austin Whiskey Co./Facebook

Now if only we could snag a bottle...as a Christmas gift, of course.

Three cheers for Still Austin Whiskey Co.! The distillery's Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as one of Whisky Advocate'sTop 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of 2024.

Every year, Whisky Advocate's expert panelists rank hundreds of whiskies based on their quality, availability, value for the price, and "X-factor," meaning an excitement-inducing component like a unique flavor or an innovative idea. An international panel also reviews contenders through several blind taste tests without knowing each whisky's producer, origin, age, or price.

The magazine ranked Still Austin's five-year Red Corn Bourbon No. 7 on the list with a prestigious score of 94 points. The Red Corn whiskey, which was released in June 2024, has mash bill consisting of 36 percent Jimmy Red corn, 34 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and 5 percent barley.

According to panelist Shane English, tasting notes start big and bold with cracked pepper, dusty leather, and cocktail cherries, before moving on to a palate of chile pepper, caramel, and buttery cornbread.

"Each sip is electric — the pepper gives this whiskey a zing balanced by poundcake and glazed doughnuts," English said. "Charred oak fades to chocolate, coffee, and pecan pie on the finish."

Still Austin had the only Texas product on the list, which was fitting given the brand's recent boasting that it could match any Kentucky Bourbon. As a game day stunt when the Texas Longhorns played the Kentucky Wildcats in November, Still Austin refilled empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles with its own Cask Strength Bourbon for just $1.

When the brand isn't playfully antagonizing Kentucky fans, its Red Corn Bourbon sells for a retail price of $85 per 750-milliliter bottle, falling nearly in the middle of the price category out of all 20 bourbons on the list, with eight others priced for less.

For additional context, none of the top five bourbons fall under a $100 price tag. In fact, the most expensive bottle on the 2024 list is the Angel's Envy 2023 Cask Strength Port Wine Barrel Finished Bourbon, which ranked No. 12 and retails for $230 per bottle.

"Our top 20 whiskies represent a curated collection that deserves your attention. Each whisky on the list stands out for its superb taste, representing the pinnacle of a year filled with remarkable tastings," said executive editor David Fleming in a release. "This list features whiskies offering exceptional value, leaders in their respective styles, and superbly made expressions that are well worth seeking out."

Whiskey Advocate's 2024 Whiskey of the Year is Laphroaig Elements 2.0 Cask Strength Scotch Single Malt, which earned 95 points and retails for $165 a bottle.

whiskey bourbon distilleries awards lists