Dear Restaurant Week Diary,

Guess who I have a crush on! It's not a fire chief or movie star. No, it's the local tomato gazpacho at Catalan, which is the star of the special Houston Restaurant Week lunch menu.

Gazpacho is revered during the summer for its cooling effect, but this soup is equal parts refreshing and rich. It's clear that chef Chris Shepherd is using an approach straight from Spain (where Catalan manager partner Charles Clark extensively traveled and cooked), as I could taste the true test of authentic gazpacho — the inclusion of day-old bread, which adds a thickness to the equation that can't be obtained with heavy cream. An artful drizzle of olive oil made the soup just that much more decadent.

It was the absolute foil of the green gazpacho at Caffe Bello, which has an almost brothy consistency and leaves one asking, "Should I have ordered a larger entrée?"

But I wasn't going to let the decadence stop there. Having had my authentic taste of Catalonia, I indulged in the "Juicy Lucy" hamburger. While Catalan is known for its inventive menu, the Restaurant Week menu selections stick to the classics — which is good, because it's imperative to keep a tally on fine restaurants' renditions of the burger (don't get Shelby Hodge started on the RDG version).

Catalan's burger blueprint is a thick beef patty stuffed with Swiss cheese, served alongside classic condiments. The meat was fairly well-cooked, but the dish's show stopper was the pretzel bun upon which it was served. While some burger buns shudder under the weight of a hefty patty, the thick,eggy bread took on the task of soaking up the delicious burger juices with nary a complaint.

My only regret about the hamburger is that I didn't have the appetite to finish the mountain of skin-on french fries. "What is it about uncircumcised potato that's so appealing?" asked my dining companion.

Meanwhile, my comrade dived into a plate of fish and chips. Having spent a summer in London, she has a keen taste for the British street food. Perhaps Catalan didn't get the memo that "chips" in the UK means french fries, because this dish was plated with actual potato chips that paled in comparison to the Lone-Star-beer-battered grouper.

A bit of the breaded casing fell off as she tore in — testimony to the beauty of fried food. Thank you, Catalan, for imbuing the dish with a classy, Euro flair.

Whether for lunch or dinner, Catalan is a prime choice for Houston Restaurant Week — it has a trendy appeal, but without the fuss and flash of its neighbors in the Corridor. The interior's soft tones and high ceilings make for an excellent respite from the workday, but the space accommodates the tastes of both a small family or an almost-too-touchy couple.

In my three Restaurant Week experiences, I've yet to encounter a waiter who didn't seem displeased about something — perhaps it's the elevated crowds or the reduced price meaning assumed reduced tipping. At Catalan, our waiter complained about his coworkers "not doing their jobs," but I was impressed by manager Matthew Pridgen scurrying around making sure everyone was pleased.

Catalan's Restaurant Week menu holds a few lighter surprises — a deconstructed Cobb salad, beet and goat cheese appetizer, and seared tuna with a cucumber and red chili sake vinaigrette. But to be honest (and I can be honest since this is a diary), I'd break my own rules and order the same things twice.

Yours always,

Steven

Other Restaurant Week diary entries by Associate Editor Sarah Rufca:

The Grove reminds us that size matters
III Forks breaks out the halter tops & the cream corn