RESTAURANT REVIEW: Winnie's

Things have been skewing fairly bougie in the first few months around here, but we don't only do fine dining at Adrian Reviews (remind me to come back and edit this if I ever actually come up with a proper site name). A recent rare Saturday night where I didn't have restaurant reservations was a nice opportunity for a spur-of-the-moment journey to Midtown to check out this spot that's been near the top of my list of places to try for quite some time. You'd be hard-pressed to decide whether this is more of a cajun-leaning sandwich spot that has a killer cocktail menu, or a bar with pretty solid eats. But since this did feature on the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Houston Chronicle Top 100 Restaurants list, I opted for the former category.

Right off the light rail line in Midtown (I know some friends have eaten here before taking the train to Toyota Center for a Rockets game), this is a casual spot with some neighborhood charm. It's from the same proprietors as noted Heights favorite Johnny's Gold Brick, and the vibe is definitely comparable. There's a long bar on the left with some basic tables and chairs to the right when you enter, as well as a pretty decent-sized outdoor patio, though this was completely deserted on a steamy summer evening. We opted for bar seating, and a jovial bartender handled the service. Unfortunately the Astros were on TV, which, while certainly not the fault of Winnie's, put a slight damper on the evening because they are SO bad.

The food menu can best be described as pub grub with a cajun bias. They claimed to have Houston's Best Gumbo, and while it wasn't quite that (y'all know where my favorite gumbo is), it was certainly delicious. They opt for the chicken and sausage combination, with a generously spiced roux and some white rice to help absorb the flavors. If you prefer some texture there are saltine crackers on the side, though they weren't totally necessary in my opinion. Obviously the key to a great gumbo is the roux, and this classic New Orleans dark exemplar did not disappoint. Add in a dash of the auxiliary Krystal hot sauce, and you have a mouth-watering start to your meal.

The Winnie's Trinity Appetizer Sampler is a nice way to bounce around the menu, with your choice of three of six starter options. I can't speak for the Mini Winnie Burgers, Fried Pickles (barf), or Buffalo Cauliflower Nuggets, but I did get the other three options...

Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders were solid, though not especially hot (spicy). On a soft potato mini bun went a swipe of tangy buttermilk ranch dressing and the fried chicken cutlet, well-tossed in the tasty but unfortunately mild sauce. I obviously avoided pickles, but they are there as a default for some acidity.

The most peculiar-sounding item on the entire menu were the "Boudin Spring Rolls Vietnamese Style", which were actually egg rolls (which don't actually contain eggs, so who knows where words come from)... aka a mash-up borne out of my dreams. An aromatic rice-sausage soft interior somehow held up as the perfect textural contrast to the crispy fried wheat flour wrapper. Served with a faux-nuoc cham for dipping to cut through the richness, this was far and away my favorite bite of the night.

Completing my triumvirate were the Chicken Wings, which one random chron.com article I read ordained the best in Houston (lots of zealous superlatives here apparently). I'm not sure that was the case, but they were still great wings: cured, slow-cooked in fat, and then flash fried and tossed in your choice of sauce ("Nashville Seoul" for me). That sweet, spicy, sticky glaze was a winner; hopefully I get a chance to try the other wet and dry flavors at some point in the future.

There's also a serviceable burger and some very nice crisp fries on the menu, as well as some other cajun options I didn't get to try: a shrimp po-boy, gumbo poutine fries, and a crispy catfish sandwich. The presentation here isn't exactly museum-worthy, but it doesn't have to be.

Drinks here also slap, with some frozens, some classics, and a few interesting house creations. Summer is the perfect season for a frozen cocktail, and the Peach Bourbon Iced Tea, which was a nice blend of the tart sweetness of the drupe and the bite of the bourbon. As is custom, I got a brain freeze while sipping this one. There's also the option to get a flight, which includes all four frozen selections in a treasure chest with a sparkler, which I obviously very much regret not ordering, as I am widely known to have a penchant for panache.

Silk Road Sour was another whiskey based drink of the non-frozen variety, complete with clarified taro milk tea, jasmine, lemon, and turbinado sugar. We talked about milk-washing recently, and clarification is a pretty similar process to create a smooth texture and silky mouthfeel. This one came out a gorgeous bright yellow hue, with a light acidity from the lemon. Unfortunately, the Smoke Show, a tequila/mezcal concoction with hibiscus tea and cinnamon was not available, which is a shame because it sounded right up my alley.

If this place was closer to me I'd be here all the time, as the marriage of the food, drinks, and atmosphere are really great for a laid-back evening. Unfortunately I don't spend too much time in Midtown these days, but I'll surely be back at some point to sample more of those cajun dishes, and atone for the sin of not ordering the frozen treasure chest.

NEXT UP: My second visit to a neighborhood top 20 cocktail bar at the border of Midtown and Montrose.