Lunch at Artisans

This is my first experience with a truly French restaurant (as opposed to a French-fusion or even a French-inspired restaurant) and it was amazing.  I think this is quite possibly my most favorite restaurant that I've been to in Houston.  All of the staff were polite and down-to-earth.  I think the stereotype of a typical French restaurant is that of snooty waitstaff who look down on their unrefined, pompous American customers.  This was most certainly not the case at Artisans. Granted, we are in America, but this restaurant went above and beyond to be amiable and attentive, more so than even a New American restaurant.

Our waiter, in particular, was cordial, courteous, and good-humored.  He asked us where we were from and introduced us to another waitress who was also from Clear Lake.  He explained that she drops her son off at school, drives all the way downtown for work, and doesn't get off until midnight. I thought it was cool to learn about the personal life of a restaurant staff member.  You don't usually get this kind of insight about the people who are serving your food.

Half of the restaurant is set up in a semi-circle.  The high top tables are against the wall with a window view of Louisiana Street.  There is also one long curved, bar-style dining area that faces the kitchen.  We were sat in the very center and got to see all the action.  Our waiter said we had the best seats in the house and I have to agree.  

This was our view:

The chefs were surprisingly calm and quiet.  They worked quickly and efficiently.  I guess I expected pots and pans to be banging, fires to be flaming, and the executive chef to be yelling at the sous chef. I neither saw nor heard any of that.  It was quite pleasant. I even saw the manager walk through the kitchen several times, browsing at different stations, but he didn't seem to need to speak with anyone because everyone was skillfully working in sync.

The other half of the restaurant looked like this:

This was my place setting before we got our meal:

Simple and elegant

It was Houston Restaurant Weeks so we ordered off of that menu.  Some of the restaurants that participate in HRW have a menu that is different from their regular menu.  However, at Artisans, the sampling of food on the HRW menu was the same food on their regular menu.  I was happy with this because I have a good idea of what type of food this restaurant really offers.

My friend, Shannon, and I both ordered the Chilean Bass.  For dessert, Shannon ordered the mousse. I ordered the Pithiviers pastry.

1st
Le Poisson du Pacifiquechilean sea bass, pistachio crusted, mussels velouté creamy risotto, lima beans

Le Filet de Boeuf au Poivrebeef tenderloin, black pepper crusted, green peppercorn sauce, fingerling potatoes rôties haricot vert

Queue de Langouste Pochée au Beurre Clarifié butter poached spiny lobster, amoricaine sauce, creamy risotto, asparagus

2nd
Clafoutis Auvergnatblueberry clafoutis, lemon thyme sorbet, white wine vanilla sauce, pistachio tuile

Mousse au Chocolat Parfumé au Curaçaochocolate mousse perfume with curaçao

Le Pithiviers á la Crème d´Amandes au Rhumpuff pastry filled with rum cream of almond 

Chilean Bass

With this entree, I was immediately able to see why this restaurant is aptly named Artisans.  In the case of this restaurant, food is an art form.  Not only is this the best risotto, the best mussels, and the best fish I've ever eaten, but the plating was beautiful.

Looking at the portion size, I was telling my friend, Shannon, that the typical American, when they taste something they like, they want MORE, MORE, MORE.  In France, however, they enjoy savoring every small bite. Dining should be an experience, not an Olympic sport.  I feel perfectly satisfied with the amount of food I ate and I think more restaurants need to follow in Artisans' foot steps.

We moved onto our second course.  This was Shannon's dessert:

Mousse

I had a small bite of the mousse.  It was moist and creamy and fantastically delicious.  You can't see it from this picture, but in the center of the mousse was a dark chocolate creme.  It was decadent.

This was my dessert:

Pastry with Raspberry Sorbet

The pastry was filled with an almond rum cream.  The raspberry sorbet had a splash of crushed pistachios sprinkled on the right side.  Our waiter told us that the pastry was best sampled in conjunction withe the raspberry sorbet.  Again, he was right.  The sorbet was really fruity and flavorful and added a heavenly sharpness to the soft and velvety creme center of the pastry.

And can you believe it?  A two-course meal at a fancy restaurant for only $20 thanks to Houston Restaurant Weeks.

I do need to mention that you don't need to wait until August to enjoy a fabulous meal at a great price.  Our waiter informed us of the Business Lunch that they offer year-round for only $25 and comes with an additional soup or salad to start.