As the group-designated Restaurant Reservation Maker, I’m always tasked with finding the perfect restaurant for whatever occasion brings our group of friends together. This time it was my dear friend Dyamond’s 30th birthday and a champagne toast was in order to commemorate a weekend of shenanigans. Someone told me that A’Bouzy was the sparkling wine promised land. So I, a bubbles connoisseur, decided this was the perfect time to give A’Bouzy a chance. The River Oaks restaurant is celebrated for its “French-inspired” American food and extensive wine offerings.
How lucky were we that our Sunday Brunch coincided with Easter Sunday and breathtakingly beautiful weather forecasted? I had to grab our reservations on OpenTable before they hit me with the “Ha! You thought!” If you’ve ever made a reservation on a holiday weekend, you know what I mean.
A’Bouzy Drinks:
This is a safe space (because it’s my blog) so I’ll let you in on a secret: I’m not a fan of mimosas. In my brunching experience, the best mimosas are 95+% sparkling wine and 5% juice. I’m a no-middle-man kinda gal, so just give me the good bubbles and I’m content.
I’ve never been to a casual dining restaurant with a wine list as extensive as the digital wine list at A’Bouzy. Housed on a convenient tableside tablet includes simple sommelier descriptions if you’re into reading. We opted for a bottle of Biutiful ($24) and I originally
A’Bouzy Eats:
It’s no secret that I love communal dining because it allows me to try a lot of a menu’s offering without much effort. Everyone order a different item, share the appetizers and – boom – a tasting menu without the VIP requests.
Warm Roasted Truffled Mushrooms ($10)
The A’Bouzy menu describes this appetizer as “Indian creek mushrooms with black truffle oil.” I love mushrooms and I love truffle flavor profiles, but these felt like they should have been cooked with something and not a standalone dish.
Baked Oysters ($16)
Due to food sensitivities, I didn’t indulge in the oysters, but they looked and smelled divine. Baked with onions, tomatoes, pesto, parmesan, AND bacon and served on a bed of rock salt, these were a table favorite.
King Crab & Shrimp Cocktail ($18)
Straightforward seafood cocktail. Nothing to write home about, but I will mention that the “remoulade” tasted just like the chipotle aioli.
Steak Sandwich ($18)
I could eat this every weekend! Warm toasted bread stuffed with marinated beef strip steak, melty cheese, grilled peppers, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli and mushrooms (pretty sure they’re the same ones I ordered as an appetizer.)
Strawberry & Waffles ($11) with Fried Chicken Strips (+$9)
I consider myself a chicken and waffles purist. If you’re going to offer them on your menu, commit to it. A’Bouzy’s waffles are delicious, especially with the strawberry compote and strawberry butter! They were light and fluffy without being cloyingly sweet. I could eat these during any brunch; I’ll probably order them next time… without the chicken tenders. The chicken tenders weren’t memorable. I’d go as far as to say these belong on A’Bouzy’s kid’s menu, but I don’t think they have one.
A’Bouzy Service:
The staff at A’Bouzy were friendly and accommodating. They even let us borrow their bunny ears for pictures!
They have a tradition of emphatically yelling, “A’bouzy!” whenever they open a new bottle of champagne. It’s a wonderful spectacle and now I wish all bottle girls and boys at clubs across the world would do this.
Would I revisit A’Bouzy?
Absolutely! The ambiance and wine list (and prices) make this a strong contender for a return brunch visit. I’m also confident enough to attribute most of the food missteps to an off day (except for those chicken tenders.) All in all, they hit 3.5 out of 5 on Black Girl Meets World Restaurant Review Rating.
