Three major clues that a restaurant is cutting edge: tasting menus that change according to a chef’s whim; being “secret” or “underground”; and having limited open hours.
The first time I heard about Cafe TH, I was driving through the warehouse district when my date pointed off into the distance after finishing a story about guns and said, “There’s this restaurant over there that’s usually only open for lunch, but the chef does these special tasting dinners on Friday and Saturday nights.” This sounded very mysterious and exciting.
It turns out that the petite restaurant and its owner Minh Nguyen are modest and welcoming even while the above qualities are true as well. The restaurant has only 10 or so tables, and Nguyen washes the tablecloths at home every night after service. That is a combination that must only be possible in Houston. Since Nguyen bought Thiem Hung a few years ago, he’s been expanding the menu, supplementing superlative pho and delicious chargrilled pork sandwiches with items such as vegan curry and bánh bôt chiên, an egg and turnip pancake.
As for the tasting menu, a different three-course menu is available every weekend evening. The offerings range from nouveau to traditional. The appetizer a few weeks ago was a pork slider; last weekend it was steamed ground pork in a rice paper crêpe. The crêpe was delicate and subtle, best dressed up with a little of the chopped cucumber and dipping sauce that came alongside it.
For the main course, the kitchen was serving sliced filet on jasmine rice and chicken curry with a baguette or rice. I opted for the curry, which came practically overflowing with carrots, onions, potatoes and chicken. The flavor was developed and quite spicy, and I wished there had been more sauce to sop up with the rice. For dessert, there was a choice to be made between fried bananas a la mode and a cafe du monde cake. Before the large, coffee-tinged, chocolate-frosted slice arrived, I had complained about being too full. But I still managed to clean the entire plate.
Most people bring in bottles of wine to Cafe TH, but the few times I’ve dined there, I’ve also seen entire bottles of whiskey and rum on tables as well. I guess the word is out that dinners at Cafe TH are an occasion to celebrate.
CAFE TH, 2108 Pease at St. Emanuel, 713-225-4766, cafeth.com