HOUSTON — Brennan’s, the iconic Houston restaurant with its famous sister restaurants in New Orleans, has a new Courtyard Bar that promises to entice guests with the past charms denoting the history of Brennan’s of New Orleans and Commander's Palace. Brennan’s of Houston, located at 3300 Smith Street, opened its doors in 1967 and quickly became the city’s prime destination for fine dining, creating memories for a lifetime to what true Southern hospitality stands for. The new bar has been in the making for several years now, and marks the completion of the renovation and expansion project over the past year; all designed to impress diners new and seasoned, with the history and elegance of the storied Creole house. Besides the revamped bar, which Brennan’s unveiled in a launch party this past Monday, they have also rolled out new bar items dedicated to featuring New Orleans inspired style dishes and cocktails for the more fine casual crowd.
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Ruben Borjas
The Brennan’s ‘Antoine Durenne Gas Lamps’ posted outside the restaurant act as pickets to the fine tastes the restaurant offers, and are the inspiration of the new ‘The Parisian Gas Lamp’ cocktail
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Brennan’s of Houston regulars, Jeff and Susan Dood, take in the new Courtyard Bar at the rear of the restaurant this past Monday
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Photo Courtesy of Ruben Borjas Jr.
Bartender Haley Travis shows what it takes to make ‘The Parisian Gas Lamp,’ the new cocktail by Alex Brennan Martin to his mother Ella’s recommendation to install the Antoine Durenne Gas Lamps in front of the restaurant
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A perfect ending to a fine meal, a small sip of Rémy Martin XO, matched with a chocolate. Perfection to the end
The Courtyard Bar is designed with the small details in mind, going above and beyond the call of duty to make less formal patrons, those not in jackets, feel more at ease. It’s soaked with historical influences and bespoke decor to create a relaxed atmosphere for pleasant conversation over family or business meetings. Proprietors and cousins Alex Brennan Martin and Brad Brennan consulted with Studio Red for the project, and have worked with them on previous projects.
Brennan’s has suffered mightily in the past with Hurricane Ike in 2008, and the resulting fire and water damage that the restaurant endured was heartbreaking, yet they rose from the ashes. It’s a testament to the spirit of Alex, Brad, and their Team, in rising like a Phoenix, with their family of customers in mind. The damage was so devastating back then, everything had to be stripped back to the original brick, and after safety concerns over the health of the structure were eliminated, Studio Red went straight to work recreating a masterpiece that had taken Brennan’s of Houston off-line for nearly two years. The restaurant continues to remain as strong as ever, and with the new bar menu upgrade, it offers customers more choices than ever to dine and enjoy their experience in a more casual or formal setting.
The Courtyard Bar, which Alex Brennan Martin relayed, “has been moving southwest over the years,” has grown from its 1967 birth under the stairs, an homage to Commander’s in New Orleans, to its Terms of Endearment room, to its present location in a closed portion of former courtyard. It maintains hints of Alex’s old haunts, from New York cocktail bars, Parisian bistros, to even the memories of the Gatherings of Legend that his beloved mother Ella Brennan, and Aunt Adelaide held for their A-List guests of the past.
To commemorate the occasion, Alex Brennan Martin, wanted to create a new signature cocktail in remembrance of the family’s love of Paris, and his Mother’s suggestion to incorporate the use of Antoine Durenne Gas Lamps to add a touch of the French Quarter to the restaurant’s exterior. After all, they have been standing in place since 1967, acting as pickets to the fine tastes that the restaurant offers. Brennan Martin remembered the famous painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec famous cocktail ‘Tremblement de Terre,’ (The Earthquake). It inspired him to craft a cocktail that emulated the drink’s golden hue, but without the original inclusion of absinthe, yielding to its name with its tendency to cause convulsions, giving the sense of an earthquake.
Brennan’s reimagined cocktail ‘The Parisian Gas Lamp,’ is made with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac, Cointreau Noir, Orange Bitters, mixed with ice, and drizzled over an orange peel, and when set aflame resembles the fire in the gas lamps outside the restaurant. The cognac has a wonderfully aromatic mouthfeel and silky textures, while the Cointreau Noir elevates with its wonderful aromas of vanilla, honey, almonds and gingerbread, allowing for a smooth and mellow finish. The Orange Bitters adds just the right amount of spice, enhanced by the kiss of the flame, to make it an excellent accompaniment to conversation with your party. Bartender Haley Travis, who has been with Brennan’s for three years, and has mastered the construction of the tribute to Mama Brennan, Toulouse-Lautrec, and the grand ‘ol Parisian Gas Lamp.
"For 58 years, Brennan's has been a place where special memories are made, and our goal with this redesign was to create a space that continues to inspire," says co-proprietor Alex Brennan Martin. "The Courtyard Bar is an extension of our hospitality—fine dining, fine casual, if you will. Now we have an inviting haven to unwind, celebrate and indulge, whether on date night or coming straight from the golf course."
To lend an aurora of authenticity to the horseshoe-like shaped bar, the old building's reused bricks extend into the new construction as if grafted by an arborist. It allows for guests to find their favorite nook within an arm’s reach of the bar, or fan out to the more hidden seating just outside of whispers reach, but still be close enough to the action. The new space has many reminders of Alex and Brad’s childhood homes and the places they frequented back in the day, which include wall hangings of old family photos, as well as those of treasured guests of the past. No doubt the new Courtyard Bar will soon grow as a part of the building that you can’t imagine it being without.
Most welcomed with the new space is the bar menu, allowing guests the option to choose from the new menu or the regular dining room menus during the lunch and dinner services. Guests will be happy to find bar-only appetizers, as well as shareable small plates, and entrées, including Brennan's unique style on New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. It’s truly delicious, with some saying that they want to toss out the head-on shrimp (shame!), and instead sopping up with bread the delectable butter, garlic, and bold black pepper sauce, that’s enhanced with the juices of the shrimp, to save from dirty hands. NO! Go with the dirty digits. Someone will soon enough offer moist toilettes so you can shake hands afterwards as you depart from such a fine casual meal.
"The shrimp comes out swimming in sauce," says Brennan Martin. "We've got the bibs. We've got French bread. We'll offer them peeled and unpeeled, but half the joy is diving in, getting wrist-deep in it. Licking your fingers is encouraged and part of the experience."
During the gathering of the Brennan’s family of customers at the event, guests were offered many samplings of items on the creative bar food menu, which included red bean hummus, savory beignets served with a four-cheese fondue, Creole ceviche lettuce wraps, muffuletta sliders, pickled deviled eggs, flatbreads and the epitome of luxe-meets-low-brow—Seafood Nachos, stacked with a half-pound each of fried oysters, Gulf shrimp, crab meat and, optionally, Osetra caviar. Naturally, the restaurant's raw bar selections, including chilled oysters and seafood platters, are on offer, as well as its iconic Snapping Turtle Soup and a Gumbo du Jour.
Besides The Parisian Gas Lamp, there are also new cocktail offerings that are quaking behind the bar. Restyled classics such as a Ramos Gin Fizz, Sazerac, Vieux Carre and an Eccentric Manhattan, will add that modern touch alongside the rotation of inventive seasonal cocktails. Now, with space for frozen drink machines, they've rolled out a frozen Brandy Milk Punch and The Irish Channel, a boozy blended coffee that's a nod to the family's roots, ah yes, the famed Café Brûlot.
Vino enthusiasts, or somiellers, Guys Carter and Gausepohl, have curated a full page of wines by the glass, which they regularly update with exciting new pours. And for those who still appreciate brewskies, they are also on tap. Of course, there will be rotating specials on featured wines and cocktails throughout the year.
Brennan’s, a Houston staple for nearly 60 years, continues to reinvent itself, and remain fresh in the eyes of The City and its Family of Customers. Cousins Alex Brennan Martin and Brad Brennan, and their Team, have been through thick and thin, and remain primed and ready to continue their great quality of service to their established and new clientele. Memories of a lifetime are made there, and whether it is a love for a trusted dish with a loved one, or a wedding bringing families together, Brennan’s of Houston, will continue its tried and true method of quality service to its guests.
Find more info and updates at brennanshouston.com and by following @brennanshouston on Instagram and Facebook.
