Aside from one or two minor stumbles, the answer appears to be yes. And the reason is simple: Underbelly refuses to wallow in self-indulgence (at least for now) and — just as smartly — refuses to allow comparisons to be drawn between itself and Shepherd's previous restaurant. Whereas the food at Catalan was heavy and, yes, meat-driven, the food at Underbelly is relatively light and every bit as produce- and seafood-centric as it is meat-focused. Indeed, one of the best dishes I've had to date at Underbelly has been a "salad" of barely pickled root vegetables over lightly dressed lettuce served on a smooth, dark-edged, wooden barrel stave.
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That's not to say that Shepherd has entirely abandoned his Catalan roots, of course. He brought with him to Underbelly a charcuterie program that's shaping up to be one of the finest selections in the city as well as a few old favorites, such as his signature Juicy Lucy — a burger stuffed with cheese before cooking that is as blissfully messy, as its name implies.
Troy Fields
The chef's signature Juicy Lucy burger is back.
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My mother and I split the burger over lunch a few weeks ago, the cheese inside the loosely-packed meat vying with the achingly red tomatoes to see who could ooze more juices across the skinny, hand-cut french fries on the plate. It's not the kind of burger you'd eat at a nice restaurant, smears of mayonnaise across your face or meat drippings running down your hands before you cut them off at the pass with one of Underbelly's soft, dishcloth-like napkins. But here, sat at one of the simple walnut tables under a tall, steel-edged room lit only with amber-hued sunshine, it seems like the perfect lunch.
Indeed, I enjoy the dining room almost as much as I enjoy the food itself. Houston has been the happy recipient lately of some stunning restaurant interiors, including the brightly modern treatment at Oxheart, the boisteriously colorful mid-century deli design at Local Foods, and the coolly chic updated French look of L'Olivier. Underbelly is no exception, hedging its cool gunmetal grays and spartan walls against a warm kitchen that's the centerpiece of the dining room and soft, wooden tables that sport white ceramic containers filled with silverware so that you can replenish your own supply as needed.
My only quibble with that lunch with my mom was a vinegar pie that was far too heavy on the vinegar for the subtle Southern dessert, as well as a rather uninspired pork cutlet that didn't live up to the vibrant flavors of Underbelly's typical dishes and an accompaniment of red cabbage that was sorely lacking for caraway, vinegar and sugar. Being a red cabbage connoisseur (it's the German in me) and a fan of making the stuff myself at home, I didn't hesitate to tell Shepherd this when he came by the table to check on our meal later on. He looked taken aback, but when I returned a week later I noticed that the menu had changed to reflect the addition of more caraway to the dish.
Similarly, when I despaired last week of the downward turn that most restaurants' chicken-fried steaks have taken lately, Shepherd vowed to add a chicken fried steak sandwich to the menu. I was delighted, as CFS is one of the hallmarks of authentic Texan cuisine — a dish that spans generations and inspires fanaticism in its fans — yet one that I hadn't yet seen on this most Houstonian of menus. He asked for a recommendation of where to start his research, and I sent him off to Triple A on Airline. He and Lachaine started making plans that day to visit Triple A, so I expect a damned good CFS to hit the menu at Underbelly within the next few weeks.
And this is what makes Underbelly so special: Shepherd's willingness to grow, learn and adapt and his eagerness to continue incorporating Houston's best cuisines into his own, folding them in carefully as he goes as if he were baking a tribute to the city itself. Vietnamese, Thai and Korean; German, French and Mexican; Southern, Cajun and just plain Texan; seafood from the Gulf, meat from the plains and produce from our own backyard — it's all here at Underbelly. And it's all happening.
