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Zimm’s Little Deck Restaurant Review

601 Richmond Ave. (Jack St.) Send to Phone
Houston, TX 77006
713-527-8328
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Zimm’s Little Deck offers “poor boys” and “rich boys.”

Cuisine

Open

Lunch & Dinner daily

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The Zimmerman clan of La Colombe d’Or fame calls this property a fancy ice house, but Zimm’s Little Deck is more than that. The shoebox-size oyster bar, with its French posters and petanque (French lawn bowling) court on the patio, is friendly and casual with down-home dishes. The kitchen turns out hearty gumbos, shrimp rémoulade and croque monsieur hushpuppies. But the stand-out dishes are the fried oyster and shrimp “poor boys” and their “rich boy” cousins like the Long Island quack: duck thigh confit with arugula and seasonal fruit preserves stuffed into a crunchy baguette. Sticky, sweet praline bourbon bread pudding may pack on the pounds, but it’s worth it. Specialty drinks include hurricanes and gin fizzes, but there’s a decent wine list and plenty of craft beers on the bar list as well.

User Ratings & Reviews for Zimm’s Little Deck
Average rating    4
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11
Zimm's Little Deck is a Neighborhood Gem
by AlainHarvey on 06/07/2011
 
Zimm’s Little Deck serves up seafood, sandwiches and gumbo in an atmosphere reflecting New Orleans charm. With its French posters, flickering gas lights, bentwood chairs, outdoor fireplace and large outdoor pétanque court, Zimm’s Little Deck offers a friendly and casual vibe with down-home dishes. The Zimmerman clan refers to this venue a fancy ice house, for my wife Penny and I, Zimm’s Little Deck is much more than that.

Based on popular Cajun cuisine from “po' boys” to “rich boys,” Zimm’s Little Deck serves up seafood, sandwiches and gumbo. But what else would you expect from a "fancy" icehouse complete with a broad selection of craft beers and "cheap, decent or good" wines. Sit inside with a group, or alone at the bar. Zimm’s Little Deck adds fun to the food with a pétanque court in front of the establishment. The vaulted ceilings and crown moldings brought an "old world" ambiance to the building. Outdoor patio seating and wide French doors means you can watch the world go by, or enjoy the game of pétanque as it is played.

What is pétanque? It is similar in nature to Italian bocce or English lawn bowling where two teams compete against each other to roll a ball closest to the "goal" both through direct rolls and those that knock the ball of the opposing team away from their goal. Brothers Mark and Dan Zimmerman admit to learning to love this sport from a young age as they first learned how to play it while visiting family in France. Zimm’s Little Deck’s ambiance makes it a favorite venue for our French-speaking group, le RDV Français, which meets there on a regular basis.

Chef Jeramie Robison draws on fresh Gulf seafood and his Louisiana roots (and some produce from his family farm) to create hearty gumbos, shrimp rémoulade and croque monsieur hushpuppies. But the stand-outs here are the fried oyster and shrimp poor boys and their “rich boy” cousins like the Long Island quack: duck thigh confit with arugula and seasonal fruit preserves stuffed into a crunchy baguette. Specialty drinks include hurricanes and gin fizzes, but there’s a decent wine list and plenty of craft beers on the bar list as well.

Gulf oysters on the half shell are cold and briny and carefully opened, their only drawback being the cost at $17 per dozen, guaranteed to produce sticker shock among Houstonians and making a dozen on the half shell a major splurge. While the restaurant's small plates (items like Croque Monsieur balls and fried calamari) are great, the po’ boys are wanting. But there's no shortcoming here that couldn't be fixed with relative ease.

Unique truly is the word to describe Zimm's Little Deck, from dining and drinking to entertainment. You can choose from icehouse/seafood bar to "home cooked" Cajun cuisine; visit with friends or dine alone there is something here for every taste and age.
 
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11



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