JW Marriott Houston Downtown hosted its grand opening this past November and with it came Main Kitchen, the hotel’s luxurious and locally-sourced restaurant. Having not yet made our rounds to this restaurant newcomer, we got a taste of executive chef Erin Smith’s food when the hotel hosted Cochon 555 last month. After that, we were eager to check out the Main menu.
Smith, a native Houstonian, graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She returned to Houston, where she acted as the culinary director for the Clumsy Butcher restaurant group and is now the chef in charge of all of the hotel’s culinary operations, including Main Kitchen.
Main Kitchen feels more like a lounge than a restaurant. It is outfitted with different styles of seating — tables, cushioned booths, high tops — all with a touch of modernity. The ceiling and bar back are accented with mirrors, and the room is filled with warm colors, from the fabric to the wood floors.
For a recent lunch we began with the roasted beet salad ($14, photo below) served with mixed lettuces, pickled fennel, herbs, candied walnuts and fried herb goat cheese. It is a fresh take on the beet salad that you see on so many menus, which we applaud. However, the mint and tarragon woven throughout the butter lettuce overpowered the beets and goat cheese. The flavors were bright and bold, it’s true; but when ordering a “roasted beet salad,” we expect more beet and less herb.
Other starters include mussels, charred green beans, butternut squash soup, Tuscan kale salad and a baby romaine salad topped with prosciutto crumbs.
The next section on the menu is devoted to thin-crust pizzas, with options such as margarita, barbecue pulled pork and a chorizo/manchego medley. We opted for the kale and sausage pizza ($16, photo below) — per our server’s suggestion — topped with crispy, charred kale, sausage ragu, mozzarella, pickled red peppers and chili flakes. Charred kale brings a depth of flavor and bitterness to the meaty pizza that you might not expect. We loved it.
From the “Mains” section, we ordered a grilled chicken sandwich ($16, photo below) topped with roasted peppers, charred onions, fontina cheese and sriracha. There’s nothing sexier than melted fontina oozing out from a bun. Add caramelized onions and a pop of bright red peppers, and you’ve got yourself one good-looking (and good-tasting) sandwich.
Other lunch-time mains include the BLT burger with a pickled green tomato, bacon, smoked gouda and avocado aioli ($16) and the guajillo short rib tacos with cotija cheese, cilantro lime crema and pickled red onions ($17).
We’ve heard good things about the sharable plates on the dinner menu — glazed heirloom carrots and fresh catch crudo — so an evening visit to Main Kitchen will be next.
Main Kitchen, 806 Main St., 713-360-3700, jwmarriotthotelhouston.com/main-kitchen