A weekend in Austin, Texas made us yearn for a little relaxation so we made the four hour drive east to stay with a friend in Houston.  I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about Houston, but the promise of good times with friends made us go.

Strangely enough, there were several things I wanted to do in the city.  The Astros had a homestead, an artist I wanted to see was in town and, of course, there was a restaurant I’ve been meaning to try.

The restaurant is called Feast and I first heard about it in a New York Times article.  Unlike the rest of its Texan brethren, Feast does not serve Tex-Mex.  In fact, Feast sticks out like a sore thumb in the culinary restaurant-scape of Texas.

Feast touts itself as an eatery for rustic, European fare.  The two chefs are good old boys from the U.K. and pay homage to the church of nose-to-tail eating.  If the idea of good British food in Texas surprises you, the menu full of English prepared hearts, livers and kidneys in Texas will knock you off your feet.

I ordered a Fuller’s ESB to drink and while my dining mates started with a aromatic and hearty fish stew, I chose to begin my feast with a stuffed lamb heart.  As soon as the delicately prepared organ came out I knew I made the right delicious.  The heart was tender, with the slight mineral taste of offal but the minty goodness of roasted lamb.  Even my reluctant guests were impressed.

The rest of the meal was equally as tasty.  Our waiter—either slightly spastic or slightly stoned—was a bit of a goof but his eccentricity didn’t damper our dining experience.  Entrees consisted of a hanger steak salad, a stuffed eggplant dish and—my personal choice—a meat pasty with potatoes and beans.  After a leisurely paced meal, a couple more drinks and a soul comforting berry tart I left Feast barely able to contain my overworked stomach. 


A quick look at Feast:

The hearty fish soup

A stuffed lamb heart.  You’d be surprised how delicious this is (once you look past the fact that you’re chowing down a heart, of course).

Visually pleasing hangar steak salad

Meat pasty.  Since it is considered the Cornish working man’s lunch, this was the dish of choice for me.