BAR REVIEW: Lee's

Rice Village is an area of Houston that I don't think about that often these days when it comes to dining, even though I used to spend a ton of time there when I lived nearby. But it's surprisingly loaded for a small neighborhood, including the excellent Navy Blue (one of my Essential 33 restaurants), a strong Israeli outfit in Hamsa, and the quirky Sushi By Hidden, not to mention a stable of local and national chains. I actually never made it to Benjy's, a stalwart in the area for years, before it closed, but that has since morphed into Milton's, an acclaimed Italian eatery, and Lee's, their sister bar upstairs.

The latter was actually named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Bar in America this year, which unsurprisingly piqued my curiosity. I don't do a ton of Italian food or drink normally, so this was a good way to change things up. It's something of a semi-speakeasy, as you enter through an inconspicuous door on the side of the building, though there is a helpful large neon arrow running from the front to assist in wayfinding. Be warned: the parking lot features the narrowest spaces I've ever seen, so be ready to suck in and squeeze out of your car door if it's crowded and you are driving, which, let's face it, you are, this is Houston.

I was surprised at how busy it was on a late Thursday night, and even more stunned at how diverse the clientele was, perhaps the most I've witnessed at any Houston cocktail bar. We were wedged between a table of three late-middle-aged Indian men and another of similarly-seasoned white women, and there was some sort of bizarre courtship ritual going on, as they started sharing each other's wine, with the men shouting about how they ordered the most expensive option on the menu, and the women claiming their $61 vino (very specific) was superior. This would have been quite entertaining if they weren't so loud. But there's good people-watching, to be sure. An eclectic chill playlist adds to the ambiance, with tracks as disparate as Lovefool, Slide, Band On The Run, and Redbone filtering through the space.

The cocktail menu here leans towards the aperitivo style, featuring Italian amaro liqueurs with low gravity and high bitterness. This isn't necessarily my go-to beverage profile, as I tend to favor brown wine and mezcal when available. However, these can still be done well, as exemplified by the Corner Store, with limoncello, grapefruit, vanilla, and honey. Reminiscent of a cream soda with the added benefit of some acidity from the citrus components, this was delicious and refreshing. Extremely crushable on a summer evening. Really, really satisfying, and not quite like anything I've had before. I'm giving this the coveted "must-order" designation.

A bit more temperance is required with the Cynar Mojito, with the addition of the artichoke spirit to the usual rum. This was good but rather bitter, overpowering the balance of the lime, mint, and soda, and I'm not sure it was an improvement on the classic mojito recipe. I've yet to find a Cynar drink that I've truly loved, so maybe it's just a me thing. Though it did have one of those cocktail umbrella garnish things which I wasn't really expecting here, so that was fun.

Another selection that didn't totally meet expectations was the Godfather Pt. II, a play on the standard cocktail with "whisk(e)ys", amaretto, and bitters. Consisting solely of ingredients that I normally enjoy, somehow this ended up being both a bit too sweet and also overly bitter. There was also a sliced cherry garnish which oddly still had a pit, something I can't stand (why I prefer maraschinos). Hey, how about a trademarked AR tangent? Some of you may know that my other job is professional tweet-length film critic (follow me @asubrt on Letterboxd!), and that I absolutely detest almost all old movies. The Godfather Part II, while widely hailed as one of the all-time greats, is actually among a very few flicks ever that I actually DNF'ed. I just can't deal with the way most stuff from pre-1990 looks (like garbage, imo), and did not connect with this one at all; I know that this perhaps undermines my credibility in the review space, but alternatively maybe it's refreshing to have a contradictory take? Either way, it's unlikely that I'm going to be invited to the Critics' Choice Awards anytime soon. For what it's worth, I did finish The Godfather (Part I), but it was on a flight on a tiny IFE screen with poor audio, so I didn't exactly love that one either. No offense to my paisans. Anyway, let's talk go back to talking about other stuff that I'm not really qualified to critique but do anyway.

One more twist on a vintage beverage is the Harvey's Banger, with gin instead of vodka, as well orange liqueur and, of course, Galliano. This had notable citrus flavors, anise, and just a hint of bitterness, more measured than some of the others already described. I always thought Harvey Wallbanger was a peculiar name... apparently it was created as a marketing ploy for promoting Galliano, and HW was supposed to be the moniker of an actual (fictional) guy who was... a surfer? Strange.

The food here is nothing to slouch about. Sharing a kitchen Milton's, they crank out solid riffs on classic Italian dishes. Not so authentic, though (unless maybe you are straddling the French border in the Aosta Valley), are the Duck Fat Fries. These massive potato wedges were fried to a golden crisp and served piping hot alongside a calabrian aioli. The frying liquid of choice elevated these beyond the conventional side dish you'd find anywhere, and the dipping sauce added a nice hint of spice. However, you'd need three or four people to finish the entire cone they are presented in, as they were very filling.

So to keep things healthy(ish), why not a salad? The Chopped Caesar was a serviceable take on the typical recipe, with the provocative inclusion of radicchio as well as the expected romaine, plus boquerones, house croutons and a mountain of parmesan (a good thing, but it reminded me of that Geico commercial where they had to bring in a second relief waiter to grate more cheese atop a salad because the first guy got tired). I'm not sure the radicchio added a ton flavor-wise, but I must admit the purple color was quite striking amongst the customary green.

Perhaps the most interesting item on the menu is the Sicilian Tar Tar (sic?): raw chunks of tuna, salmon, and scallops with capers and sliced onion, plated with large crostinis. An eclectic but mostly successful collection of seafood, the nicely acidic broth tied everything together, and the salty capers provided some balance and pop. The toasted bread had a good crunch, but was slightly maddening with its multi-sized holes, some of which would cause the ingredients to fall through if lined up correctly. I had a couple of bite mishaps, but managed to get it down eventually.

The pizza here has gotten a lot of hype, so obviously I had to investigate. We went with the simple Pepperoni option with mozzarella, which was zhuzhed up with some red pepperoncini and topped with some more grated parmesan (not as much as the salad). I know you are all wondering where this falls on the Adrian Reviews Proprietary Crust Thickness Scale, and the answer is a 4, but it was a bit more charred and crunchy than a traditional Neapolitan pizza (I would have preferred it a bit softer and chewier). Flavor was on point though, with great saltiness from the pork and cheese and a little kick from the peppers, as well as the perfect amount of grease pooling in the center. Side note: I never understood people that take a napkin and press it on the top of a slice of pizza to soak up the grease: first of all it's just gross to look at, and second, that's why it tastes good in the first place! If you're eating something unhealthy you might as well commit and get the full experience. Just psychotic behavior, in my opinion.

There was still room for dessert, and the Chocolate Budino (Italian for pudding) sounded pretty appealing: a chocolate torta topped with the eponymous creamy mousse and candied hazelnuts. Lots of nice textural components here, and the rich cocoa flavors were accented splendidly by a lightly citrusy cream. The actual slice was quite long and skinny, and it had me wondering how many of these they can get out of one large cake. #justmythoughtscomingfromafoodjunkieregardlessmyowndessertieat

While there were some minor hiccups in a couple of the beverages, the food was scrumptious, the vibes were great, and the Corner Store was so excellent that this was still an overall positive experience. I've seen photos of some really unique drinks (like a blue old fashioned!) that were not on the menu when I visited, so things might fluctuate and make it an even better experience in a few months.

RANKING UPDATE: I apologize for the subterfuge, but to balance my lists I am moving the recently-reviewed Donna's to the Best Casual Cocktail Bars section of my Houston Drinking Guide to replace the already-shuttered Good God, Nadine's (we hardly knew ye and your terrible name), and replacing it on the Best Mid-Range list with Lee's at #9. Forgive me.

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