THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Restaurant Gwendolyn Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Restaurant Gwendolyn Restaurant Review:

Michael Sohocki cut his cooking teeth in Andrew Weissman’s kitchens --- including revered Le Rêve. Due to Weissman’s departure for Pearl, Sohocki is now back in that same kitchen with his own restaurant, named after his grandmother. But the chef also honors the past when it comes to his culinary vision: no devices developed after 1850 are allegedly admitted. In addition, only (primary) products sourced within a 150-mile radius are considered. The quest hasn’t necessarily been easy; lunch has been dropped. Dinner retains its three- or five-course tasting format, however, and options have included roasted beet salad, pan-seared quail with cranberry gastrique, flounder puttanesca with hand-cut pasta, and braised leg of lamb with oyster mushrooms and a (perhaps too dominating) balsamic reduction. Small touches such as diminutive amuse-bouches and delicate sorbets complete the picture, as does a thoughtful wine selection (pairings available). True, it’s not always easy to taste South Texas on the plate, but techniques are nevertheless solid, the small plates beautifully presented, and at the end of an evening one will feel very well served indeed.