What used to be Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub in the River Oaks Shopping Center, famous for $1 drinks and, ultimately, a 2011 parking lot double shooting, has undergone a transformative rebranding. Its ownership – the Houston-based HUSA Management, Inc. – remains the same, but the newly minted Local Pour has emerged as a sleeker, more polished, more sophisticated and a much more eye-catching establishment. Think Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman.
The expansive and completely remodeled space includes an outdoor patio, an indoor patio of sorts, a massive bar with an impressive 48 taps, a cask engine for beer lovers, plenty of bar seating and tables, cozy high-backed banquettes in an appealing sage green, an open kitchen and a quieter, more subdued dining room (when there are no live bands) with a stage at one end.
Almost as expansive as the interior is the menu of “Shareables,” which make up 51 percent of the menu due to a non-compete agreement, presumably, to differentiate Local Pour from neighboring restaurants Brasserie 19 and Cafe Ginger. Also a requirement in the non-compete: Local Pour may open no earlier than 3 pm.
With those restrictions in place, however, chef Josh Maher’s list of appetizer-y plates, salads, sandwiches and entrees are right at home in the upscale pub atmosphere. Happily there are plenty of options that don’t include grease, red meat, melted cheese or hot wings (though there is always a place for such decadent deliciousness).
The Strawberry Fields salad caught my interest because, well, it’s a salad served in a pub. How good could be? My inner cynic was silenced as every piece of spring mix and spinach was perfectly but lightly coated with a Tank 7 (one of my favorite beers) mustard vinaigrette, accented with the sweetness of diced mangos, yellow bell peppers and strawberries along with a crunch from the toasted almonds. Simple and well done.
Less healthful, but still tasty were the shrimp and crab nachos with a spicy and sweet topping of honey chipotle sauce, cheese and fresh serrano chiles. Served with a charred corn salsa, it’s definitely a dish best paired with a hoppy beer from one of Local Pour’s many taps.
Lastly, an entree of short ribs braised in the rich and roasty Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout and finished with bitter chocolate stole my I-almost-made-it-through-this-meal-without-eating-too-bad heart. Worth every calorie, the fork-tender short ribs were sweet, rich and hearty and balanced by the savory and texturally pleasing white cheddar mashed potatoes.
Salmon and shrimp ceviche provided a kickstart to the tasting, with its small chunks of salmon and shrimp marinated in fresh lime juice with red peppers, thinly sliced onions and cilantro and accompanied by tortilla chips. Light and fresh, my criticisms are mild at most: Add more shrimp, add some heat. There was far less shrimp than salmon, and just a dash of hot sauce could create a needed punch of spice.
An exciting and well-crafted cocktail list is also part of Local Pour’s profile, but the Texas Indian Summer Sour lacked a little je ne sais quoi. A mix of Texas blended whiskey, lemon juice, hibiscus pomegranate syrup and quail egg whites looked enticing and had a great mouthfeel, but never delivered on the flavor.
I’ve no doubt the management will continue to tweak and that the drinks and dishes will eventually all find their footing. After all, extreme transformations like Vivian Ward’s in Pretty Woman are purely fictional. The rest of us take a little more time moving from thigh-high patent leather boots to designer gowns, though Local Pour is already most of the way there.
*Disclaimer: I was a guest of Local Pour for this tasting.
LOCAL POUR, 1952 West Gray at Driscoll, 713-521-1881, localpourhouston.com