Dinner at Revival Market

Have you guys seen Jurassic World yet?

Jon and I saw it this week, and I seriously loved it. I mean, really loved it. Don't go off of what I say though because I historically, admittedly, have terrible taste in movies.

But but BUT it has dinosaurs! And Chris Pratt! And the original Jurassic Park theme song! I mean, what's not to love?

So while I'll own up to the fact that I *occasionally* have bad taste in movies, I like to think that I have pretty good taste in food.

I recently met up with my friends Kate and Jessica one day after work at Revival Market for dinner prior to seeing a show put on by the Stark Naked Theatre Company (which, theatre-lovers, I definitely recommend seeing a show there. And I went to school for theatre once upon a time, so hopefully I have decent taste in it?).

Shockingly, this devout Coltivare Enthusiast had never been to Revival Market before!

(I KNOW).

So I was pumped to try out their new dinner menu!

(which, let's be honest, it was going to be new to me regardless of whether it began a month ago or ten years ago.)

To start we ordered the hummus, served with fluffy fresh bread and pickled sour carrots.

Oh Y'ALL.

The hummus was delightful and wonderfully textured with peanuts. On its own it was outstanding, but paired with the carrots it was pure magic. I'm usually a carb on carb on carb on carb on carb kind of gal, so I expected to sop it all up with the bread. However, the pickled carrots were tart, earthy, and wonderfully acidic in all the right ways. I've never loved dipping a raw vegetable in hummus so much. The contrast was explosively fantastic.

Oh and you see the glass of wine up there? Revival Market is BYOB, at least for now, my lovers.

Okay, if we are being honest with each other here, as a herbosaurus (get it, LIKE THE DINOSAURS?) I have to say there weren't a whole lot of veg options for me. But this is relative because the menu is small, and Revival Market is typically known for it's thoughtfully crafted meat offerings. Since my options were a little limited, we got creative, aka ordered dessert for an appetizer (which is a cheese plate, so it wasn't too wild and crazy of a decision).

While I certainly enjoyed the cheese, particularly the one coated in coffee grounds, the plate as a whole left me wanting more. The accompanying berries, olive, marmalade, etc. didn't particularly floor me, and I would have preferred a larger quantity of cheese. This is, however, technically a dessert, so the portion size is understandable. And there is an appetizer-sounding cured plate on the menu, but it's basically a bunch of meats with cucumber and ricotta. I would love to see a larger portioned cheese plate as an appetizer, as I know coming from these folks it would be outstanding.

But I was able to get a side of local lettuces?

These were pretty unremarkable. The menu gives full disclosure in its description that what you're getting is lettuce topped with lemon and olive oil, but a more exciting vegetarian salad would have been nice to see.

Because I ordered the summer squash salad, which I thought was vegetarian, but I (stupidly) missed the word HAM in the description.

The effects of BYOB on the brain, y'all.

Kate and Jessica seemed to enjoy this beautiful, vibrant salad. Kate - who is also a devout Coltivare Enthusiast - did say though that she thought the ham did not really add anything to it, flavor-wise.

Okay, but here's where things take a turn for the awesome.

If you want to have a blow-your-mind broccoli experience (which of course you do), you've got to try their broccoli. Delicately charred and topped with what I can only describe as a fresh, beautiful, sweet and sour sauce, every bite was beyond enjoyable and utterly sensational. I seriously was thinking about this dish for days after. And now I'm drooling, #ThanksRevivalMarket.

For dessert we split a slice of buttermilk pie and bread pudding. The nutty, lightly crunchy topping on the thick, cinnamon-y bread pudding gave it almost a coffee cake-like texture/taste. The buttermilk pie was beautiful and creamy, with a wonderfully flaky crust. Of the two, I preferred the bread pudding, while Kate preferred the pie, and Jessica alternated between the two. I thought the pie could use a little more flavor, but I did appreciate how both desserts were not insanely sweet. They were earthy, comforting, and approachable, with just a hint of sweetness!

While I did have some trouble finding veg-friendly options at Revival Market, I totally understand that this is a place that is applauded for its next-level meat dishes. And my experiences with the fresh hummus, unique broccoli, and satisfying bread pudding made the whole visit worthwhile. That, and the good company! And the great service.

And, um, the BYOB. Everyone loves a BYOB.

Even the T-Rex.

2 comments byob, dinner, food, houston

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