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01233 )&4" '5% 607By Eric Gerber

State of Grace is another admirableaddition to the growing roster ofrst-rate Houston restaurants that revelin their culinary diversity. Much likePax Americana, Weights & Measures,Underbelly, Roost and Bramble, thisexceedingly handsome new establish-ment in the heart of River Oaks takesgreat pride in defying any easy descrip-tion of its fare.

As our blue-jeaned, sneaker-cladserver explained with a mix of satisfac-tion and bemusement, Well, werea bit of everything Hill Country,

seafood, Asian and Southern style oh,and some killer pastas, too.

In the old days, one would be welladvised to steer clear of any place thatattempted to please so many palates,

jacking around with too many andmastering none. But for the last decade

or so, with chefs embellishing on thetapas-inspired, small-plates approach,some restaurants have turned that oldcaveat on its head. State of Grace iscertainly a prime example of that.

On one visit, I focused on seafood,starting with a grilled octopus salad($18) followed by a vaguely Asianrendering of scallops ($34). Each wasremarkable in its own way. Tat salad if we can employ that term for sucha hearty dish combined the smoky,tender slices of octopus with roasted

baby potatoes, chunks of crispy baconand just a smattering of actual greens.Add a bracing mustard-spiked dressingand you have a piquant starter thatchallenges most entrees to surpass it. Inthis case, however, it was a draw, withthe large, luscious scallops faultlesslycooked, with just the slightest seararound the edges, and cleverly concealedbeneath a blanket of Tai basil andother herbs.

While I was oohing and aahing overmy bounty, my dining companion

was enjoying a shrimp-crusted pieceof ounder ($28) that, while not theequal of my two choices, was perfectlyrespectable, though some may nd theminced-shrimp coating detracts from

the distinctively delicate avor of thatsh. In keeping with the seafood theme,I even nished with a slice of key limepie, or as close as I could come to it adeconstructed slice of lemon pie ($8),

with the custardy lling in a moundand the crust scattered in broken piecesbeneath it. Cute.

On another visit, I decided to takethe server at his word and see if thosekiller pastas were, in fact, to die for.Im still standing, but the ravioli ($21)

was the equal of what youd nd in

the citys

nest Italian eateries, pillowypackets lled with shredded Angusbrisket and awash in a brown buttersauce so rich and satisfying youll bespooning up what remains like soup.Te ambitiously eclectic menu also

includes Korean-style fried chicken,a platter-sized pork schnitzel, duckcarnitas for two, a steakhouse-worthyribeye, a ladies-who-lunch deviled crabon the half shell and even a couple

#$$%&'' 3258 Westheimer just eastof River Oaks Blvd.)&*&+,-.&832-942-5080

/&0'1)& stateofgracetx.com231'1.&American, with many accents2%&$1) 2#%$'All major

,-3%'Lunch 11 am-2:30 pmMon.-Fri., dinner 5-10 pm Sun.-Tu.,5-11 pm Fri.-Sat.%&'&%4#)1-.'Recommended.-1'& *&4&*Loud

state of gracereviews

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8+515 #' 9%30" 65"!"$

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44 Farms (back cover)

Arnaldo Richards Picos(page 63)

Berkel (page 10)

El Meson (page 9)

Giacomos Cibo e Vino(page 31)

Houston Wine Merchant(page 25)

Jake's Finer Foods (page 3)Juice Girl (page 25)

Kevin McGowan Photography(page 31)

Landrys Signature Group (page 2)

Laurenzos (page 1)Louisiana Foods (page 50)

My Tablesubscriptions(page 60)

My Tablerestaurant triviaplaying cards (page 56)

Reliant, an NRG company(inside back cover)

River Oaks Houston (page 30)Rodeo Uncorked! Houston Livestock

Show and Rodeo (page 51)

Saltillo Mexican Kitchen (page 45)Specs (page 21)Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair

(insert and page 61)Sysco Foods (page 57)

Trulucks (inside front cover)Te Ultimate Food Lovers Guide to

Houston(page 27)

Uptown Sushi (page 5)

Veg Out! (page 59)

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!"#$" &&'()*+,-.#/0'

1223. 40# 565FEBRUARY-MARCH 2016

DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 28

of wink-wink novelties like cheeseenchiladas in the style of the long-goneFelix Mexican Restaurant. You almostfeel that restaurateur Ford Fry (whooperates several restaurants in Atlanta)and head chef Bobby Matos (mostrecently at Tony Vallones restaurant,Ciao Bello) are as interested in the sheerrange of what theyre offering as theyare the quality of the food itself. Tenagain, Id be hard-pressed to pointto many dishes that are there simplyas window dressing. My gosh, even aCaesar salad ($13) made with kale wasgood, an adjective I never thought Iduse referring to kale.

As glittery as the menu is, it is notthe most noteworthy thing about State

of Grace. Located across from LamarHigh School (which Fry attended as ateenager) in the shopping center thatonce housed Andres, this restaurant isa visual knockout and easily one ofthe most striking rooms in the city.Neither Old School elegant nortrendy-hip, it successfully combineselements of both. Exposed brick and

industrial xtures here, sophisticatedwood cornices and lavishly tall ceilingsthere. Chandelier here, wall of deerantlers there. Tink Viennese ballroommeets Myrtle Beach crab shack. Along

with the dining areas, there is also along drinkers bar and even a separateoyster bar in a circular room up front.

Whoever said no one ever went to arestaurant for the dcor may want toreconsider.

I do have a couple of complaints.One, the acoustics are unforgiving and

when the place is crowded (which isoften) conversation is nigh impossible.Two, a good deal of the seating isbanquette-style and fairly inhospi-table, wedging parties into tight spaces

to squeeze in a few more customers.Helpful Note to Restaurant Industry:No one likes banquette seating, weonly tolerate it. Has anyone ever askeda hostess, Wed like a spot where wecant help bumping elbows with dinerson either side of us and overhear every

word of their awkward conversations,please?

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there baby grand to gently serenadepatrons with everything from by-the-book Chopin go a playful rendition ofAway in a Manger.

Bisteccas focus on steak isntsurprising. Northern Italy, andespecially Florence, loves the cut, andSouth Americas signature milanesaisinspired by the cotoletta alla Milanese,the breaded cutlet named for the capitalof Lombardy and a dish that Italianimmigrants brought with them to theirnew country. Baffoni was born in thenorthern town of Fano on the Adriaticcoast and is an expert when it comesto both meat (he uses certied Angusprime here) and seafood.Te $36 16-ounce ribeye I ordered

on my rst visit was medium-rare asrequested and went under the knife

with no resistance. I augmented it withtraditional American sides (excellentcreamed spinach and superb au gratinpotatoes, $10 each), but the head ofroasted garlic sharing plate space withthe hefty steak contributed some niceitalianit.

Flipping Mario Batalis famed beefcheek ravioli upside down, Baffoniputs the meat on the outside of pastapillows lled with a spinach and ricottacheese mixture ($21), bathing themin a ruddy sauce laden with bite-size,fall-apart-tender chunks of braisedjowl. If youre like me and enjoysopping, youll want to resist polishingoffthe complimentary bolillo-sizeloaf of just-crusty-enough, universal-food-worthy Slow Dough bread thatsdelivered piping hot with butter andsome outstanding tapenade.

Bisteccas menu begins with a list ofpiccoli piattior small plates designed forsharing or a light meal. Encouraged bythe kitchens way with slow stewing, Itried the braisedcaprettoor small/younggoat paired with saffron risotto ($26).

Te meat was as mild and succulent asthe nest lamb, and the risotto favoredsilky creaminess over al dentermness.Te spiciness in the spicy chicken

and sausagerollatini($22) wasmild and conned to the tomato-ybell-pepper-based bandierasauce. Telling enveloped by the paper-thinslices of bird was okay but ultimately

underwhelming.Te same goes forthe ho-hum $12 salad of roastedgolden beets and bland house-madestracciatellacheese (which too closelyresembled cottage cheese in taste andtexture) on a plate smeared with a redbeet puree and sprinkled with Sicilianpistachios.

Ironically, the kitchen was on solidground when it went to sea. A couplehunks of expertly grilled swordsh($36) were sparked by aputtanescasauce that upped the bandierasspiciness ante considerably. Andthe soft polenta alongside denitelydeserved the modier. It was as silkyand grit-free as whipped cream.

As for the afore-mentioned service,its both friendly and poised. Ask abouta dish and you get a well-schooled

description of what it is and how itsmade. Drop even one breadcrumb onthe white tablecloth and a waiter oreven one of the suits rushes over with ascraper. Superwarm serving plates keeptheir contents nice and hot. And whenreplacement silverware is brought, itsas carefully placed as it would be for anentirely new setup.

I tried only two desserts ($8 each),but in foregoing carrot cake and

whatnot I chose wisely. A pear poachedin Chablis rather than the perhaps moreusual red wine proved a nifty rejectionof custom, and another confectionfeatured house-made limoncello, thelemon-based liqueur thats a superbapritif or digestif. It also makes a greatavoring forpanna cottaor cookedcream, Italys classic lightly Jell-O-edpudding, here enhanced with freshblueberries and liqueur-soaked cherries.Only a shot of the real thing wouldhave made a more refreshing or lesslling meal-ender at this splendid neweatery.

Eric Gerber is the director of communi-cations at the University of Houston.

William Albright has reviewed localrestaurants for more than 20 years forTe Houston Post, Inside Houston,Houston Business Journaland others.

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