Brennan's of Houston calls its cuisine "Texas Creole," and seldom do you find a cooking style and a restaurant atmosphere so perfectly in sync. When people walk into the old mansion on Smith Street, they look at the dark wooden bar and the magnificent brick courtyard outside and remark, "It looks just like New Orleans." The Brennan's building was constructed in 1930 as the headquarters of the Junior League of Houston. John F. Staub's L-shaped building with its garden patio was an adaptation of French Quarter architecture to the Houston site. It's a building style that might also be called "Texas Creole." The atmosphere of Midtown would be greatly improved if there were more buildings like it. After experiencing the gospel brunch at a courtyard table at Brennan's, your view of Houston will never be the same.