I’m no food critic but I know good food and Dean Fearing’s restaurant at The Ritz Carlton is where it’s at! Like seriously I woke up with a food hangover and had to hit up the Crooked Tree Coffeehouse in Uptown for a toasted marshmallow latte and vegan cinnamon roll. I can’t say enough good things about that place either. But that’s a whole nother’ entry… I even got to meet him a few times he came by our table and seemed to do the same throughout the restaurant, which was very personably. He was completely adorable and so lively. His advice for his favorite menu item was “close your eyes and point”. Love it!
Now Fearing’s has got the southern southwest flavor down, yep completely got it. I would skip the usual salad and go straight for the tortilla soup or better yet fried oyster Rockefeller, yeah you heard me fried. Now this is no cheap Monday night joint know that. I’d save it for a special date night or hell talk someone into taking you out and paying the bill. Yeah free food always makes things taste off the chain! I had a few whiskey and cokes, I know classy. They seemed to have been missing the sweet coke part but I’m not complaining. See I had a pretty eventful day with my children at their elementary school having lunch and Christmas parties. Not sure if you have ever spent a few hours at an elementary school before. But the volume of say 300 kids under the age of 12 was pretty wild. Especially the day before Christmas break, seemed the whole school was levitating with excitement.
Compliments of the chef were music to my ears for sure. We were brought two tastings i.e. shots sans alcohol of some sort of mint eggnog and butternut squash soup I think. My taste buds yearned for more, my picky man said the eggnog was more like Maalox for him. But what does he know he prefers Coors Light beer.
My main course was the Maple-Black Peppercorn Soaked Buffalo Tenderloin on Brazos Valley Jalapeño Grits, Tangle of Greens and Butternut Squash Taquito. The Buffalo was cooked to a medium perfection, and I quite possibly could have licked my plate clean. Well maybe if I was alone and not in a dining room full of people. Now I’m a big fan of grits I’ve grown up eating them. So I’m very happy that it seems the latest food trend for the past few years. I mean they are good and well kinda hard to screw up. Grits make me happy especially jalapeño flavored ones. My date had the Bone-In Rib Eye Grilled Over Live Mesquite with West Texas ‘Mop’ Sauce, Creamy Corn Bread Pudding and Tempura Asparagus. I’m afraid I didn’t try the asparagus but it looked great. And that corn bread pudding, well if I could only have one last food for the rest of my entire life that would be it!
Now off to dessert. We fought over the Chocolate, Cajeta and Salted Peanut Ice Cream Cake with Mallow Fluff and Fried Peanut Butter Pies. And I even dabbled a little in the Caramelized Apple ‘Short Stack’ Oatmeal Shortdough Cookies with Pecan Pie Ice Cream and Blackberry Port Jam. The pecan pie ice cream was fabulous and we fought over the fried peanut butter pies. Can’t get any better than fried PB, seriously. Oh and the coffee was well FREAKING AWESOME. It was strong, had that "kick" I LOVE, smelled amazing and it's the little things that made it the absolute best cup of coffee I have ever had at a resturaunt. I mean who has little sugar cubes that are large and mishapen and wonderful along with a small stainless steel creamer pitcher filled of perfectly sweet steamed milk. Fearing's does. I was in fact in coffee heaven, for real.
Sadly this is the only photo I took and it doesn’t do it justice. I didn’t want to look like a total douche, ha!
Can’t wait to go back.
And I’m so thankful I work for such a fabulous company and people who really go the extra step to make me feel appreciated. Seriously thankful!
Oh and before I forget, the restrooms are unisex and there are no signs, so don’t freak out. Just go in.
