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The dining room at Etoile, the new French restaurant in Uptown Park. Photo by Alison Cook
I think I’m going to like Étoile, the good-looking new French restaurant in Uptown Park. In fact, one visit in, during which I loved each of four courses I ordered while seated at the bar, I think I’m going to like Etoile a lot.
If San Diego transplant Philippe Verpiand and his team continue to deliver on the level I experienced, when Étoile had only been open a couple of weeks, they’re going to help raise the bar for French food here — a real public service.
Tarte a la Fourme d'Ambert with blue cheese and red-wine poached pears at Etoile. Photo by Alison Cook
I knew it the second I tasted the flaky little Fourme d’Ambert tart lined with mild, creamy blue cheese and studded with squares of pear poached in red wine. It came from the seaonal side of the 2-page menu (the other, labeled “La Tradition,” features familiar French classics), and it had everything I wanted in an autumn dish: the savory twang and earthiness of the cheese, the sweet-tart warmth of fall fruit and red wine. A side salad of arugula in an unusually dimensional aged-balsamic dressing brought the bitter peppery snap of fall greens to the equation.
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Every bit as good was a torchon of duck foie gras, the chilled pate as smooth and rich as satin, with crushed black peppercorns as a sharp, aromatic counterpoint. I liked the torchon best when it had warmed on its glass plate for five minutes or so, so that it melted away on the tongue. The brioche toast served with it may have been classic, but the fascinating compote of prunes smoothed with mascarpone cheese was pure contemporary genius.
Torchon of duck foie gras at Etoile. Photo by Alison Cook
The short but thoughtful wine list didn’t have as many French wines as I expected, but a well-versed server produced a tiny glass of Jurançon, the graceful sweet white dessert wine from southwestern France that seems made to go with foie gras.
The list also has a nice Entre Deux Mers white Bordeaux by the glass, very fresh and crisp; and a deep-dark Cahors La Coutale from southwestern France (the original Malbec blend) that proved to be perfect with Verpiand’s deep-dark coq au vin.
Chef Philippe Verpian at the kitchen pass of Etoile. Photo: Chronicle
Yes, coq au vin. That warhorse is from the “traditional” side of the menu, obviously, and I came to L’Etoile specifially to eat it. (“You and all the French people,” joked the bar manager.) It’s a dish that’s often done poorly in restaurants, but not here: the bird comes apart in moist, dense strings under a cap of concentrated red winy-ness, the flavors holding true and separate rather than merging in a liquid stew.
When I wondered what the haunting note was beneath the red wine sauce, the bar manager told me it was a little dark chocolate, which made sense: the dish had a complexity not unlike a good Mexican mole. That’s hardly traditional, nor was the tumble of roasted baby carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions and cauliflorets on top, rather than simmered into the mix. All to the good: the dish wasn’t a slavish recap but a smart reinterpretation that delivered just the right flavor profile by way of updated textures.
Coq au vin at Etoile. Photo by Alison Cook
Oh, and did I mention the dreamy little gratin of sliced potatoes that shared the iron skillet with the coq au vin? I could have eaten seconds, although I would not have had room for the most elemental of French desserts: slices of salty, nutty sheep cheese with a bit of cherry conserve. Which is pretty much my idea of heaven. (Or breakfast, for that matter.)
Friendly service clearly is a point of pride here. Count on periodic visits from chef Verpiand’s wife, Monica Bui — whose Houston roots brought the couple here (along with our strong economy) from their restaurant in San Diego — and who rehabbed the former Thierry Andre Tellier bakery-cafe space with soft whitewashes, blues and casual country fittings.
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Dining room at Etoile in Uptown Park. Photo by Alison Cook
It’s a pretty, understated room that, like the food at this very young restaurant, seems comfortably ready for prime time. The price range is $8 —$18 for first courses (most hover just over $10) and $18—$33 for entrees. Wines by the glass are mostly $8-$10.
Don’t speak French? Never fear. Though the menu names are written in that language, the descriptions are in English. And the name of the restaurant, should it give you pause, is pronounced ay-TWAHL.
In French, it means “star.”
Etoile: 1101-11 Uptown Park Blvd. @ Post Oak, 832-668-5808. Open 11 a.m.—3 p.m. daily for lunch; 5 p.m.—10 p.m. Sunday—Thursday and 5 p.m.—11 p.m. Friday & Saturday for dinner.
hahahaha! congratulations Allison, you outdid yourself on the pretentious adjectives scale! lol
After reading your comment I reread the article looking for gratuitous or pretentious adjectives. Didn't find any. Maybe these pretentious adjectives you speak of only seem pretentious to you because of your lack of familiarity with them.
This topic was broached with Ms. Cook months ago and after having exchanged several messages with her, I got then..and still get...the impression she's deathly afraid of printing prices next to the menu items she tastes. Sure, she's summarised the prices at the end of this review, but with a range of $8-$18 for an appetiser $18-$33, we're talking about an across the board range of 50%. When I walk out of Etoile, is it going to have cost me $25 or $50. That's quite a price spread here. As for the lame excuse posting prices next to each menu item will interrupt her "flowing" prose, Ms. Cook is neither the Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon, much less the Bard of the Bayou, nor am I able to detect this (or any other Chronicle food review) was written in Homeric iambic pentameter.
I enjoyed Etoile's deliciously juicy waygu beef hamburger, sauteed in black truffle oil, topped with a large slice of Maui onion and encased in a fresh brioche bun($9). See how easy and painless it is to include the price? If I'm going to dine like Ms. Cook (but not have the Chronicle pay for it, as they did for her), I'd like to know what I'm going to be spending.
Alison is the best food writer/critic that Houston has ever had. Please don't disparage her.
P.S. Alison hates you.
Oh KurtVR - you critic of grammar, you - you forgot to put a space before the left parenthese: bun($9). wince you were a'hammerin' on Mz. Cook and all ...
honestly, Cook goes out of way to review places most (read 97%) of Houston will not go to. But the norm, general run of the mill....She is way too good for them. I wish she would push her glasses back up to her bridge instead of looking down at everything. Instead of looking for the pricey crappy food that very few want or will go to be a real food critic and go to the normal run of the mill places and be honest.
Not that she has that many that listen and respect her reviews.
I guess I'm in the minority then.
Which restaurants do you consider "norm, run of the mill..." restaurants? For some people, this is a normal, run of the mill restaurant to patronize for a meal.
And what data are you basing your 97% figure on? I think that's grossly exaggerated.
Yeah, Alison should review places like Luby's, IHOP, and Red Lobster, normal run of the mill places where us common folk eat. We like to tuck our napkin into our shirt when we eat there, and reminisce about the good old days when we could smoke at our table.
What is it you expect of a food critic? She reviews a burger joint every Friday, is that fit your 'real food' criteria?
Go on the big Google to read reviews of Luby's. (296,000 results in 0.27 seconds)
=/
wow nassin, way to pull a meaningless stat out of your arse.
What's with all the moaning and groaning?
LOL!!!!!
Another nice review of a new restaurant. Thank you, Alison.
The lack of culture on these post are a mirror of our society as a whole and it scares/saddens me!
There are a bunch of people defending Alison. Don't be Debbie Downer on the society the glass is half full.
Excellent review. You've tweaked my interest on this new restaurant, so I'll make plans for a visit.
Ms. Cook, please ignore all the naysayers here in the comments section - I don't know where they're coming from . . . . clearly, not from around here.
Again, great job on the review for Etoile!
Trey Scofield
Nassin,
I don't really think it benefits anyone for the Chronicle to send out food critics to Chilli's, Joe's Crab Shack, or any of the other "run of the mill" places that "97%" of people frequent because we all know what those places are all about. Part of the job of a food writer is to bring to people's attention the types of places that aren't everyday dining out options. There are a plethora of food options in this great city and not everyone hears about them organically. People have to seek out information about new restaurants from people like Alison or else they won't know that they exist. If you don't care to read about restaurants that arent cookie cutter franchises with locations every 30 square blocks then don't read the food section.
"honestly, Cook goes out of way to review places most (read 97%) of Houston will not go to. But the norm, general run of the mill....She is way too good for them."
Absolutely right! We need more Applebee's, Chili's and Olive Garden Reviews!?
Pretty sure some of these comments were written by the folks who go to the TGIFriday's when they visit New York in Times Square. Houston is quickly becoming a foodie destination, and personally, I like to read the reviews about new, upcoming restaurants and chefs. And Alison does appease the "every-man" view by writing about "Burger Friday." Some of you have no manners. Alison, I appreciate your work.
When you have to explain to your readers how to pronounce "Étoile," then you are really writing for the unwashed masses!
The old saying goes: "if you write for the masses, you eat with the classes. If you write for the classes, you eat with the masses."
That's probably why Alison eats burgers on Friday. And no, I am NOT hatin' on Alison. Just joking. Save yourselves an apoplexy here.
Entre-deux-Mers. André. In Canada, even capital letters get accents (Étoile), but in France, they normally don't (Etoile).
Im still not willing to go outside the loop. Maybe for a business dinner. But otherwise, no.
Montrose1, Etoile is literally one block west of the Loop. One block. Actually it's more like a half block. Live a little.
SNAP! Good comeback, Alison. That's why I like reading your blog! Keep up the good work.
Thanks Alison, we're going tomorrow. I'll let you know what we think.
I fully agree with Alison's review. I like Etoile so much that I've had dinner there 5 times since their opening. I've tried different dishes each time and have been impressed with all of them. I am French and have tried all the French restaurants of Houston. Etoile is by far the best. Prices are very reasonable compared to other restaurants of the same caliber. If you understand the difference between Prêt-à-Porter and Haute Couture, you will understand the difference between Red Lobster and Etoile. If you don't know the difference you are missing out on one of the greatest life pleasures - The appreciation of Haute Cuisine. It's never too late to learn unless you are a chain restaurant snob.
So, despite a small snafu with our reservation (restaurants need to stop blaming issues on OpenTable, if they use it, they need to own it) that was ultimately settled satisfactorily; we loved Etoile. The weather was quite nice last night so we sat outside with the bartender as our waiter. He met the challenge of recreating a cocktail from a friend's description, and made it even better. Our table of three shared the Fois Gras Torchon, which was, as you described, a true winner. We had the Coq au Vin, the Cassoulet, and the Sole Meunière; all delicious, especially the Sole; with much larger portions than expected. The bread service was very good too. We ordered wines by the glass from the surprisingly small list, but all were satisfied. The Apple Tart was one of the best (and prettiest) we've had outside of Paris. The best thing we can say about Etoile is that we can't wait to go back.
So glad to hear that you liked it. I'm with you--looking forward to my next visit.
i love the idea of seasonal food but Houston weather lacks autumn, you would think chef would account for that
Chili's Review "So we started off with the Skillet Queso. It was amazing, my guest and I kept wondering how they consistently crank out this amazing product and it taste the same every time. We kept trying to detect if it was Wolf or Hormel chili they used in the cheese sauce (side note that the chips were overly salty). Then we move on to the Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip, which of course was the same as always. It again is amazing how well this defrost and still comes across as fresh (side note that the chips were overly salty, not a good day for the tortillas). " is this what you want to see? I am not hating on Chilis, I actually love it and go there when I am up for something quick. I think you are missing the point here. It is Alison's job to review resturants, and I think she does a good job of spreading it around from the low end to the high end. Not every one she reviews is $$$. I could care less to see the price, if I want to know I will go look at the menu at their web site. Also want to point out that if these guys opened up and never got any notice (which she supplies) Houston would not have grown into the foodie town that it now is. Not that some people care about this, but to me it is nice when I want to go out and have my mouth rocked by some up and coming chef, that it is possible. And trust me, it is easy to discount all of this as foofy, but when you have had a meal that totally changes how you look at an ingredient you will be thankful. Keep up the good work Alison
Etoile Cuisine et Bar offers traditional as well as modern interpretations of French and Mediterranean cuisine in its beautiful farmhouse-inspired space in Uptown Park.
With their recent move to Houston, Owner/Chef Philippe Verpiand and wife Monica Bui brings culinary experience earned at the French Culinary Institute in Avignon and some of the world’s most famous restaurants. Having made the conscious decision to sell their restaurant, Cavaillon, in San Diego (Rancho Santa Fe Hills), they chose to bring a menu to Houston that would appease both those interested in traditional French offerings and those who prefer a more modern and seasonal approach.
The menu offers up the classics of French cuisine such as duck leg confit, beef bordelaise and braised short ribs. Definitely try the escargot Bourguignonne for an appetizer and the cassoulet made in traditional fashion with pork, sausage and duck. The wild boar Bolognese is a popular selection from the lunch menu.
If the goal was to replicate an "elegant French farmhouse", then it is definitely a sexy one. Etoile Cuisine et Bar is not a large place by any means, but the set up plays kindly to the available space and does evoke an immediate sense of comfort. With a large bar and seating that allows you to get an up close and personal kitchen view, you will find that Etoile Cuisine et Bar fits quite well into its surroundings. The lighting was dim, but bright enough to enjoy the beautiful presentation of your meal.
The scene seemed mixed and included socialites, those on first dates and regulars. The waiters are very knowledgeable. Our server, Waylon was extremely helpful and was great in providing recommendations on both our wine and menu selections for the evening.
Moving on to the food, the menu is two-sided and represents the two styles of Chef Verpiand. On the "La Tradition" side of the menu, you will find those well-known favorites like Escargots Bourguignonne (Snails baked in Garlic and Herb Butter) or the Coq au Vin (Chicken braised in Red Wine, Purple Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables). If you flip your menu to the other side, "La Saison", you will find items such as the Plat de Côtes de Boeuf Braisés (Braised Beef Short Ribs, Butternut Squash, Mousseline, and Seasonal Vegetables) or the Risotto de Champignons (Mushroom Risotto with Aged Parmesan).
We are fortunate that Chef Verpiand decided to make Houston his home and share his culinary talent with us. Having served as a personal chef for a brief period before opening Etoile, he truly prefers cooking for larger groups and we are the fortunate recipients.