There is no shortage of experiences to be had in the great city of Houston. This is a large place, home to mom-and-pop operations as well as massive chains. With that said, it isn't always as easy as one might think to find something unique to do for an outing with friends or a date night. Enter iPic. iPic is a luxury movie and dining venue [think Studio Movie Grill but more chic] that first premiered in Boca Raton, Florida. The Houston location opened its doors just a few weeks ago and I toured the facilities [side note: the bathroom reminds me of Mariah Carey's episode of MTV Cribs...fancy] before getting a healthy sampling of the food and drinks served in The Tuck Room, which is the gourmet restaurant and bar located onsite. The restaurant and bar are referred to as "a seductively chic drinking den and gastro lounge". It is definitely a place that fulfills the novelty, local, and fresh factors I look for. The food and drinks are made with locally-sourced ingredients and tailored to the surrounding environment. For Texas, that means Deep Eddy Vodka, local Angus beef, etc. The taste.was.amazing. iPic and The Tuck Room are located in the new River Oaks District across 610 from the Galleria and although I cannot even afford to window shop around there, the ambience inside the theatre and restaurant is grown up without being intimidating. The atmosphere is, in fact, fun--so fun that I returned the next week to catch a movie and have drinks with a group of girlfriends to get the full experience and of course do my due diligence for y'all. 🙂 I fully recommend it and here's a free tip: sign up as a member before purchasing tickets. It knocks $10 off the price! Now, let's get into the food...
During both visits, I ordered Southern Decadence, which is one of iPic's bottled cocktails (and a good bang for your buck as each bottle contains four drinks!) made with three types of rum.
Liquid Nitrogen is the signature of the bottle service (yes, bottle service) available at the restaurant and even in the theaters. Drinks are fully customizable. If you've been reading for a while then you know the word customizable makes my heart flip. 🙂
While we're talkin' customizable, this is a drink I made up from the long list of available fresh juices, purees, fruits, and (of course) liquor.
Adam Seger, Master Mixologist/Advanced Sommelier, talking about his vision and passion for drinks.
Sherry Yard, who is the VP of Culinary for iPic (and worked with Wolfgang Puck for a quick twenty years (NBD, right?) ) is the Chef at the Tuck Room. So you know I'm not being overly-generous with my descriptions of the food. But in case y'all are still concerned, keep scrolling...
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Gouda and peppers - I don't eat much pork but I couldn't resist and this was SO worth it. OMG, I can't say enough about the tastiness! I convinced one of my girlfriends to order one on our outing. She was very hesitant as she doesn't typically like Gouda or peppers but texted me a few days later "I am still dreaming about that pulled pork sandwich." 🙂
Filet Sliders with caramelized onions, wild arugula, and blue cheese - Quite good. Y'all know how I feel about blue/bleu cheese but I have no qualms about these sliders. The filet was tender and the flavor mix was right.
Lobster Roll with pink chili sauce and Old Bay seasoned potato chips - I passed on the chips but the lobster roll is the stuff of dreams. Admittedly, this was my first lobster roll in life but it seems the bar has been set pretty high.
Chicken, Beef Tenderloin, and Shrimp Kabobs with White Sweet Potato Fat Fries - The shrimp kabobs were my favorite, though I really liked the basil emulsion on the chicken. The white sweet potato fries taste just like their orange counterparts and were complimented by a white vinegar aioli.
Jelly Doughnut...enough said.
Trio of desserts. L to R: Jelly Doughnut, Malted Grape, FRIED CHOCOLATE
All were delicious. The doughnut was light and doughy, just like a doughnut should be with the perfect amount of jelly. The malted grape was surprising and refreshing. The fried chocolate was...fried chocolate. No downside to that. It was topped with a sour cherry.
*I tasted many other items at the initial outing but only featured those I 100% enjoyed and would recommend.*
Have you visited iPic and/or The Tuck Room? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
-Jazz
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