The Pass and Provisions is a duo restaurant concept – two restaurants share one kitchen but offer two distinctly different dining experiences. The Pass, soon to open, will be fine dining and offer only one seating a night to less than 40 diners.
Provisions, now open, is the more casual space and has been on my to do list for weeks. A friend of mine who’ s the pastry chef at the Houstonian was at their soft opening some weeks back. Her words, ‘They’re the real deal.’ After dinner there this weekend, I agree!
Provisions interior reminds me of first grade (a good thing!) – the walls resemble shiny hard wood floors with primary color blocks scattered throughout. Simple but pleasing. Your menu lines the tabletops, and you’ll find yourself referring to it often because there are some really great choices to be found there.
For starters, the house-cured prosciutto made with Berkshire pork is rich and delicious and comes with a tasty deconstructed mustard. The serving is quite generous, and you’ll be tempted to gobble it all. But, save room because there’s plenty of great food here.
From our table we could see lots of pizzas coming from the wood burning oven. They smelled amazing, but we opted for an incredible pasta dish – a ‘coffee’ cassarecci with lamb, brussels sprouts and gjetost, a sweet Norwegian cheese.
For our entrée — the suckling pig for two–a dish that if not prepared properly can be too fatty. Our server assured us we’d be satisfied. He was right. It was prepared perfectly. The skin was nice and crispy and coated in a delicious elderflower honey and thyme glaze. The meat was tender and juicy. The giant helping of pork sat on a bed of sweet fideo with sausage and radicchio. It may say ‘suckling pig for two’ on the menu, but ‘suckling pig for four’ might be a better name. Love leftovers like this!
The service was outstanding…a very friendly, welcoming place. BTW, the wine guy, Fred, is great fun. His colorful descriptions of the wines on the list will make you want to try them all. All the more reason for a return visit!
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