Julep revamps bar food menu to match its popular cocktails
When Julep won the title for the country’s Outstanding Bar Program from the prestigious James Beard Foundation last year, there was no food on the menu.
After all, focusing on drinks over food is not all that unusual for many top-tier cocktail bars in Houston and other cities. But now, owner Alba Huerta’s award-winning Julep is launching its most ambitious food menu yet.
Under chef Calvin Miller, the menu at this bar along the Washington Corridor includes a green gumbo with mussels, Dr. Pepper-braised short ribs, aguachile shrimp and even a bread pudding for dessert.
“I was trying to come up with a menu with food that I personally enjoy,” Miller said. “I wanted to match the really clever drinks.”
Miller, a 36-year-old veteran of the Houston dining scene who’s cooked at restaurants such as Coltivare and Georgia James, joined Julep late last year.
Since opening 2014, Huerta has served food to customers with items ranging from hot fried chicken to a “pho” chicken pate. A combination of the pandemic and waiting for a grease trap in the kitchen paused food service for most of 2022.
Miller was tapped to revamp the food side of the menu and said he jumped at “a chance to be creative, because it’s not just your typical bar food things.”
“When I started working here, a lot of people — even my friends — didn’t know we had food,” Miller said.
Goodbye to little bowls of peanuts, stale popcorn and reheated chicken wings. Whether it’s the tuna tartare or the requisite burger on the menu, Miller wanted to offer food he and his colleagues would eat while grabbing drinks after work.
Raw oysters, which had been on Julep’s menu before, will still be served with the addition of other snacks, such as stuffed mushrooms, roasted Brussels sprouts salad, beef carpaccio and a lobster hot dip with Cajun queso blanco.
Larger plates draw on Gulf Coast influences, with dishes like maque choux (with andouille sausage, corn and vegetables), pulled pork sliders and a seasonal green gumbo with mussels.
Since winning the James Beard honor, Julep has collaborated with a number of high-profile bars around the country and world. It’s finally time, Miller said, that the food gets as much attention as the cocktails served over pebble ice or a classic dry martini.
“We want to meet the expectations with the food,” Miller said. “People should walk away thinking ‘Julep is an amazing bar with some great food.’”