The Nash
The Star apartment building in the historical former Texaco Building downtown gets a restaurant with wildly varied menu developed by Omar Pereney of A La Carte Consulting Group. Pereney was formerly chef at Peska Seafood Culture.
THE SPACE
The restaurant, with a floor-to-ceiling bar and open kitchen, is set in a corner of the building that offers patio seating under the building’s beautiful arched colonnade.
THE FOOD
International flavors work their way into a menu that begins with tater tots with roasted corn and jalapeño; Venezuelan cheese tequeños; wild mushroom toast with goat cheese and asiago foam; yellowfin tuna crudo with puffed wild rice and black garlic vinaigrette; Korean bacon with gochujang barbecue sauce and bao buns; and mussels with chorizo, blistered tomato and herbed butter. There are soups, pizzas and pastas including short-rib pappardelle and lemon shrimp bucatini. Entrees include steaks, a house burger, cauliflower paneer curry and pan-seared snapper with vadouvan roasted baby carrots. Desserts include an indulgent four-cheese cheesecake with Chantilly cream.
THE DRINKS
A small but choice selection of wines by glass and bottle, as well as craft cocktails such as Red Book Journal (vodka, lime, prickly pear syrup and marigold liqueur), Tropical Veranda (Pimm’s, blueberry syrup, yuzu, Licor 43 and smoked ginger ale) and the Nash (Texas whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters).
ONE MORE THING
Happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, offers $5 appetizers, $10 larger plates (including pizza and beef sliders), and special drink prices include $5 wine, $7 select cocktails and $3 draft beer.
THE DETAILS
1111 Rusk, 713-222-6274; thenashhouston.com. Open 4-9 p.m. daily. Lunch and brunch coming soon. Parking is available in the Star garage on Fannin and Rusk.