RESTAURANT REVIEW: Nobie's
In lieu of a traditional introduction, I'd like to give my overdue feelings on this year's Houston Chronicle Top 100 Restaurants list. It was unveiled a few weeks ago, but I thought that my recent New York reviews were an inappropriate venue to comment.
This year is the inaugural edition without the inclusion of the GOAT Alison Cook, as she retired shortly after the debut of the 2024 version, so there's a bit more turnover than usual. The Chronicle's new food critic, Bao Ong, now leads the charge, and while he is entitled to his own opinions of course, I think some things were done just for the sake of change. Let's examine, shall we?
Aga's was a pretty stunning choice for the top spot, though if I'm being totally honest I've only had their takeaway, so I can't really knock it until I've tried it properly (expect that coming soon, probably January-ish). However, this seems to have come at the expense of Kiran's, Musaafer, and Pondicheri, all in last year's top 25 and all relegated to the alphabetical 26-100 tier this time around. I have a hard time believing that Aga's is really that much better than these three absolute bangers, and it's not like their quality has gotten worse. On top of that, Da Gama, Verandah, and Himalaya were all dropped completely. It's just bizarre to crown an Indian restaurant first overall, yet seemingly penalize the rest of the genre for it.
Speaking of demotions, I'll excuse leaving Neo off the list due to its temporary closure (even if it is my personal #1), but not having Street To Kitchen in the top 25 is insane. Not only is it one of the ten best restaurants in Houston in my opinion, it is basically the only truly great Thai place in the city. And dropping Tim Ho Wan entirely? Come on. I get trying to spread the love amongst different cuisines, price points, and neighborhoods, but there's just no way that Turan Uyghur Kitchen is better than the world-renowned dim sum specialists (no offense, I stand with the people of Xinjiang and denounce any human rights violations or "re-education").
Anyway, the list under my queen's reign was an extremely reliable source of information and dining suggestions, and while this is only one year, I am a bit concerned they may be straying from that ever so slightly. But at least one essential Montrose restaurant maintains its perpetual spot among the elites (see, I can get my rambling under control and bring things back on topic).
Nobie's is something of a hidden gem, tucked away on an otherwise residential street in far west Montrose. The building is a repurposed 1930's bungalow, so the layout is rather quirky. You enter past a large patio and immediately face the double-sided bar (look up to see a second floor balcony with hundreds of LPs, one of which is always playing through the speakers)... dining areas wrap around this bar through several small rooms, giving it a very intimate feel. Dim lighting matches that romantic ambiance, yet with a distinctly casual, non-pretentious vibe. The music is loud and can be almost anything: on this occasion they were spinning some P-Funk.
This was my third or fourth (who remembers?) career appearance here, but I never grow tired of the amazing dish names. Some of the most clever ones we didn't order this time around were Feta! I Just Meta, I Don't Think You're Ready For This S'Ghetti, and Meatballin' Is A Habit. There are some permanent fixtures, but there's also a lot of seasonal variation. In fact, our first dish had only been added to the menu a few days earlier.
Puff, Puff, Pass is a fun take on Nigerian puff puff, a nutmeg-rich fried bread that puffs up as it cooks, resulting in a fluffy interior and a crisp golden exterior. Here it was paired with plantains three ways: fried tostones-style, slow-cooked confit (similar to Churrascos', if you're familiar), and in a vadouvan curry (a spice blend known as "French curry", though derived from Indian flavors due to France's colonial presence in the region). Finished with pickled green tomatoes and a scotch bonnet aioli, the tastes and textures here really ran the gamut... the bread had a lovely starchy chew, the plantain preparations were all quite different and interesting, and the tomatoes lent a nice bright acidity to the plate. My only wish was that the scotch bonnet aioli was a bit more fiery, as this chile is always advertised to pack a ton of heat.
One thing that never leaves the menu is the Texas Tartare. Despite having the least amusing name, this staple is handled admirably, with tenderloin steak accentuated by smoked jalapeños, parsley, and capers, topped with a whipped deviled egg mouse, and served alongside some toast for construction of the perfect bite. I've talked about my love for steak tartare before, and I was certainly not disappointed here. The peppers brought a nice smoky flavor to the usual saltiness from the capers, and a splendid house harissa hot sauce was provided to allow one to make it as spicy as they like.
Pastas here are always excellent (I recall some sort of rabbit bolognese from years ago, if I'm not mistaken), and the What's Quackalackin? was no exception. Trofie pasta – those fun short twisty noodles that are among my favorite shapes – was paired with confit duck (obviously, quack quack), giardiniera, peas, parmesan, and tellicherry pepper. This dish ate really well, with the toothsome noodle holding up beautifully to the silky, rich duck, the slightly sour pickled vegetables, and the mushy peas. Part of the fun of dining here is the intrigue of never knowing exactly what will be on offer, and being surprised by what new pasta the chef has cooked up.
Last but not least amongst the savory selections, Jamón With Your Bad Self (big time lol) was an Ibérico Secreto pork steak with shaved Brussels, egg, tonnato (an Italian condiment of tuna, anchovies, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and olive oil), salsa verde, parmesan, and marcona almonds. This cut of the famous Spanish acorn-fed pig is reminiscent of a skirt steak, with exquisite juicy marbling and big-time flavor. Only two of these steaks can be extracted from each hog, so it is apparently considered a rather exclusive and selective cut. Clearly the meat was the star here, but the sprouts and cheese provided excellent balance, and the nuts a good crunch. I've only ever had Ibérico ham in cured form before, so the opportunity to taste it as a pure grilled slab of pork was quite the treat.
Before afters, I must mention one of the cocktails. The drink menu is surprisingly slim, with only three "classics" and three "daily libations". But from the latter I excitedly found the Lady Grinning Soul, named after my all-time favorite David Bowie song (who happens to be my all-time favorite solo artist), so I was ordering this regardless of the ingredients. Fortunately it was right up my alley, with rye, lillet rouge (a rich, fruity wine-based aperitif), pacharán (a Basque sloe-flavored liqueur), manzanilla en rama (a type of sherry, "en rama" meaning unfiltered), falernum, and bitters. Apologies for so many brackets there, but this ended up being a wonderfully boozy cocktail with that leaned wine-forward, though not enough to keep me from enjoying it. I could just about hear the booming, Liszt-ian piano notes in my head while I sipped. Also, I may just be imagining it, but I swear the shape of the lemon rind garnish was somehow referencing the Aladdin Sane cover, even if I can't quite make out how that might be true when looking at the photo below.
The desserts here change even more frequently than the rest of the menu, with a handful of daily specials complementing the always-there olive oil cake (which is great! I just didn't have it this time). It was impossible to resist the brownie pie, with a gooey, decadent filling atop a chocolate crust, topped with a generous dollop of cream. This was a simple yet crowd-pleasing slice that ended the meal with a satisfying cocoa flourish.
This was simply one visit... if you go next month you might enjoy a completely different experience, but one thing's for sure: it will be tremendous. One last word of wisdom: if going for the first time, you absolutely must try the Dilly Bread. No spoilers, just trust me.
RANKING UPDATE: Perhaps a bit of recency bias, but I am officially promoting Nobie's from Honorable Mention into the Essential 33 of my Houston Restaurant Guide, and raising it from #3 to the #1 best New American restaurant in the city (sorry Nancy's Hustle, I'm sure when I make it back to EaDo you'll reclaim your throne). It's really good!!
NEXT UP: A very special limited-time offering brought me back to my #1 ranked burger spot in Houston (not that I needed much convincing).