First Taste of New Hawthorn

When Cory Graff called me to talk about his new restaurant Hawthorn on the edge of Houston’s River Oaks, I figured the wines had to be terrific. After all, every time Graff has turned up in my life - or more specifically, my radio show - the guy has been packing bottles, glasses and a serious corkscrew. Thanks to an Italian-American chef colorfully named Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio, the food at Hawthorn may soon be recognized as the equal of the wines.

Yes, Hawthorn is brand new - open only nine weeks, I think Graff told me, though I was sipping something red from the Italian region of Campagna near Naples at the time. So any of its momentary failings are those of a new restaurant. But its principals’ resumes (Graff with years as managing partner of Capital Grille, for instance, and still more years as F&B director for posh properties run by the likes of Ritz Carlton) tell me that appetizers like the tartare pictured above are, literally, only the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Hawthorn accurately, I think, reflects the taste of the River Oaks crowd it hopes to lure in for its dinner-only experience. It’s an upscale steak-and-seafood house on par with most of the biggies (yes, including Capital Grille) that weaves in bits of the chef’s Italian heritage whenever possible. Here, for instance, is the dish called as rosa ravioli, the name a reference to the creamy tomato sauce that caresses the housemade pasta.

Even better, and even more likely to be hailed as a Hawthorn signature, is this lobster lasagna. Come on, everybody loves lasagna, as a food or, in this case, as a delivery system. The sheets of pasta are colored black with squid ink - but everything after that is likely to make anybody on earth happy. The lobster meat is tender and pleasantly chewy, as Maine lobster is meant to be. Look for this dish on “Best of Houston” lists in the months and years ahead.

And just when I thought it was safe to never order scallops again (only because I’ve ordered them way too many times already)… along comes this entree at Hawthorn. The extra-large scallops are properly pan-seared and super-juicy, with just the right amount of seasoning and, as though in honor of my obsession, caramelization. Still, the big deal here (believe it or not) is that puree of green peas. Graff admitted, under tough questioning on the witness stand, that there is some bacon involved.

A word or three needs to be said here about wine, particularly as it relates to technology. I’m not exactly what they call an early adapter of such “progress,” but the iPad Hawthorn presents as its wine list is pretty impressive. Of course, you can ask Graff himself for a recommendation, or request the traditional list on paper. But we had a good time pairing various wines at various prices from various regions with various Hawthorn menu items. It was an impressive performance.

For dessert, Hawthorn offers a luscious panna cotta - which, despite its goodness, looks photographically like its name, “cooked cream.” Or maybe, on its large white plate, the old “polar bear in a snowstorm” analogy applies. We were even more pleased with the cheesecake, which had the excellent fashion sense to show up in the company of fresh berries. It’s another of those lessons that Hawthorn is learning as it goes. Based on a very busy Saturday night, I say the new place knows most of the good stuff that matters already.

Photo Note: The picture of that steak up top is actually Hawthorn’s New York strip, medium rare, served with the cheese-crazed potato gratin or galette or whatever that comes with the filet mignon. It’s called the “set-up” for the filet, and Cory Graff says he orders it swapped out this way all the time. You can bet that, from now on, I will too!