When the Dallas-based Western Addition Restaurant Group opens Balboa Surf Club in Uptown today, attention to detail will be evident.
On a recent afternoon, one cook pricked tiny holes into freshly made tortillas to let out the steam before frying the discs into tostadas. The hospitality group’s CEO Robert Quick talked about how every part of a burger — even for a seafood-centric restaurant like Balboa — is carefully dissected: the thickness of the cheese, freshness of the lettuce and tomatoes that aren’t sliced too far in advance. His COO Matt Gottlieb points to an ahi tuna burger served at lunch that’s layered like an artfully composed salad between a housemade toasted bun.
In a steakhouse-loving city like Houston, the Pacific-inspired Balboa Surf Club, 1753 Post Oak, is Western Addition’s first seafood concept among its three other restaurants. The company, which started in 2018, is building on its success with Italian-themed spots including Il Bracco, which opened almost exactly a year ago in Post Oak Plaza. This opening, however, is aiming to woo customers who want to eat less meat — a little lighter and possibly more healthy.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What do we eat every day?’” Gottlieb said. “Not everyone wants to eat a 16-ounce steak. Seafood seems to be the way diners are going.”
The open kitchen, which customers can see from nearly every seat in the dining room and bar, will offer starters like crispy fried oysters, a tostada crowned with diced halibut and shrimp cocktail.
Lighter dishes such as a tuna Nicoise salad or the El Pescador, a fried fish sandwich, are featured alongside classics including crab cakes and grilled scallops served over creamed corn.
Balboa adds another touch to its seafood menu with a sushi counter. The rice — a fresh batch is cooked every 45 minutes — is used for expected dishes like a salmon roll and nigiri plates. But the team is especially excited about a king crab roll, where a piece of crisp seaweed holds seasoned rice cradling an Alaskan king crab leg.
“I don’t think you can talk about seafood in America and leave sushi out of the conversation,” said Quick, who added that while Balboa is not a sushi restaurant, he wanted to highlight the quality of the fish.
The seafood theme has some personal ties for the Western Addition Restaurant Group. Gottlieb and Quick both grew up on the West Coast and worked at the same restaurant, although at different times, in Newport, Calif. There was a direct view of nearby Balboa Island.
The duo opened Il Bracco in Dallas before opening one here last year. The group is considering a third opening in Houston, but it won’t be another Balboa or Il Bracco because they want their restaurant to “feel special in each city,” Gottlieb added. They also own Bobbies, a classic American spot in Dallas.
“We really love this city,” Quick said. “There’s a reason we chose Houston to launch Balboa.”
For anyone that’s dined at Il Bracco, there’s no mistaking there’s a clear Hillstone — or Houston’s, as Houstonians still like to call it — influence. Quick and Gottlieb are veterans of the successful chain known for its customer service and consistent food quality.
“We’re not shy about where we came from, but we try not to make the comparison,” Quick said. “We try to use a lot of the foundation of ideas and move forward to do it our own way.”
In between the palm trees and oak finishes, the gentle lighting and elevated main dining room is reminiscent of a Hillstone.
But Western Addition added its own touch in the space, where the ceiling soars 16-feet high above the bar. It’s a mix of ’70s Pacific surfer meets Brazilian brutalist architecture softened by handmade emerald green Moroccan tiles. There isn’t a hint of blue in the space or nautical decor as a nod to the seafood menu.
Still, the team wanted to include touches of Texas. The miso caramel sundae features Blue Bell ice cream. Some artwork on the wall is by local artists.
A few circular windows could be mistaken for portholes. One from the main dining room looks through the parking lot with a direct view of Il Bracco — where Quick and Gottlieb stood when they saw the current space of their latest opening.
Source : Houston Chronicle
