RESTAURANT REVIEW: Credence
Pretty much everyone in Houston has eaten at, or at least heard of Goode Company restaurants. From their old-school barbecue joint (personally not my favorite entry in the genre, but many people swear by it, and the pecan pie is admittedly excellent) to solid seafood to Tex-Mex, their family-friendly eateries are a part of life growing up in the city. And who hasn't marveled at the giant armadillo statue outside their event hall on Kirby? After years presiding over the group established by his father Jim, Levi Goode ventured out for a The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill of sorts, opening the more upscale Credence solo project in 2024, bringing South Texas ranch-style fare to the Memorial area.
Residing on the ground floor of the McKinley high-rise apartment building, one immediately notices the soaring vaulted ceilings upon entering, revealing a cavernous yet well-appointed space. Deep greens adorn the walls, and a huge live fire hearth at the back, where most of the items on the menu are cooked, is impossible to ignore. An antique butcher rack with old meat cleavers covers one wall, and the handmade wooden tables provide a touch of intimacy in the large chamber. It can be a bit loud at times, making it difficult to hear our waiter giving a rundown of the menu and describing his favorites in great, time-consuming detail, which ended up being nearly all of the items on offer. Hospitality is otherwise excellent, and in fact, general manager Elliot Wood won the Outstanding Service Award at the Texas Michelin Guide ceremony last fall. He can be seen working the room sporting a sick gold Michelin lapel pin, which I desperately want to get my hands on, but unfortunately I don't think these are bestowed upon mediocre amateur food critics.
To start, some Monkey Bread, a soft, fluffy pull-apart brioche served in a skillet, brushed with smoked tallow and sprinkled with salt flakes. On the side was a ramekin of green garlic herb butter with optional orbs of smoked trout roe on top. A nearly perfect bread course (though, #spoileralert, a similar offering coming in next week's review was even better), I enjoyed the basil-y spread and the delicate briny addition of the fish eggs.
Easily the best item on the menu is the Deviled Crab: a heaping portion of jumbo lump dressed with smoked tomato butter and presented in a hollowed-out half shell. This sounded suspiciously like the vomit-inducing egg preparation with a similar moniker, but I was assured by the waiter on my first visit that there were no ova to be found. And thank goodness, because this dish is phenomenal: sweet, tender meat accentuated by the fatty, smoky sauce. You'll want to dig out every last bit, but just be careful, because those shells are quite spiky! I'm awarding this the highly coveted AR Must-Order™ designation. As that is perhaps Houston's highest culinary honor, it will most likely be noted on the menu if Mr. Goode reads this review before you go.
There are a few pasta options, like the Tagliolini with king crab and burnt chile butter. This flat, ribbon-like noodle was yet another new one for me in the seemingly never-ending world of pasta shapes (supposedly there are over five hundred... not all at this restaurant though, that would be a record). It held the simple sauce credibly, which was a bit spicy and smoky, and the crustacean added some sweetness as well. Herb breadcrumbs provided some texture, and chopped chives a pop of color.
I was also able to sample a bit of the Akaushi Flat Iron steak, exquisitely seasoned and seared to a perfect medium rare, dancing seductively on the edge of rare with its slightly warm red center. A bright green chimichurri provided some acidity and slight heat, but I did not dare touch the accompanying mushroom-kale monstrosity, as the fungi are one of my main oh-no-no foods. Perhaps it's a bit immature for a man of self-proclaimed great palate such as myself to be so close-minded, but much like the scorpion in a Navajo fable, I cannot change my nature.
For my entree I went a bit off-script: Jägerschnitzel, which was a breaded and fried bone-in pork rib chop with pickled onions, spring chicories, and caper brown butter. This was technically more of a Weiner schnitzel I think, as it was not smothered in mushroom gravy like Jägerschnitzel by definition should be, but I was certainly not complaining, as we have just covered my views on toadstools in the previous paragraph. Whatever schnitzel this was, it was quite crispy, and a grilled lemon half provided copious tart juices when squeezed over the top. I was actually not familiar with the term "chicories" before, but these are bitter, leafy vegetables like radicchio and frisée, members of a rather confusing taxonomy in the genus Cichorium, which also includes endive, though the latter is apparently not a chicory. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
One selection I did not get to savor this time was the Dry Aged Rohan Duck (previously called the Sweetwater Duck Experience For Two, if memory serves), which was truly tremendous at a prior dinner last year. At that time this included a tableside preparation of sliced, seared Hudson Valley duck breast, confit duck leg, duck fried rice, salad dressed in duck fat, and a duck jus (I just gave up on my rule of trying not to use the same word more than once there). I'm not sure if they still bring out the cart for this, as I didn't spy any of the nearby parties receiving this treatment, though I did not exactly have panopticon-level visibility of the dining room from my position. Either way, if this is anywhere near as tasty as it was back then, it's worth trying.
A couple of quick hitter desserts. The Persian Lime Crème Brûlèe with assorted seasonal citrus had a nice creamy custard, even if the timely grapefruit was a tad too bitter for my liking (there was also kumquat involved). It's always so fun to crack the glassy, blowtorched surface with a spoon though, and I of course volunteered for that duty. Because it was a birthday celebration, we were also treated to a complimentary Ice Cream Sundae, complete with toasted pecans, hot fudge, caramel, and lit candle. This was as decadent as you would hope, and, in a neat bit of synergy with the prior sweet, was enveloped by a dollop of charred whipped cream.
The beverage program is nothing to slouch about either. As far as cocktails go, the St. James Quarter, with tarragon and loquat (I think we've covered all existing fruits ending in -quat in the last two paragraphs) infused whiskey, hay, and mandarin soda was light and bubbly, with a bit of a grassy note, though not super bold overall. I guess I'm not really a hay guy? (Side note: remember when teachers etc.. used to respond "hay is for horses" if you greeted them with "hey"? That was weird.) Much more full-flavored was the Banana Old Fashioned, with High Wire Jimmy Red and Old Forester bourbons, banana, and aromatic bitters. Extremely my jam, this had the sweet, fruity complement to a boozy backing that I crave. There's also a sizable wine list, including, I'm told, some interesting Texas Hill Country selections, if you want to open up some grape.
Speaking of drinks, there's also a sister speakeasy next door called Sidebar (#10 in the Best Fancy/Sophisticated Cocktail Bars section of my Houston Drinking Guide). They have live jazz music, which is not for me (jazz is, as it were, the last refuge of the untalented), but if you can get past that, the cocktails and food are tremendous. I think you can technically do a post-Credence nightcap if it's not too crowded, but you're better served by booking a standalone reservation there, as you can easily have a proper dinner and fully explore their marvelous libations.
Credence is another in a string of relatively new, high-profile restaurant openings in the Memorial area, and absolutely does not disappoint. Even if it's not the most convenient location for my inner loop readers, it's worth the journey to get some of the best Texas cuisine in the city. A full-throated recommendation from me!
RANKING UPDATE: I was tempted to move this up to #3 on the Best New American section of my Houston Restaurant Guide, ahead of Nancy's Hustle, but in respect to that great establishment which I haven't had the chance to revisit in quite some time, I'm going to leave Credence at #4 for now. Hopefully I can make it back to EaDo and see which one is truly superior sometime soon.
NEXT UP: Few things get me more excited than exotic meats