Last weekend I served as host for my friend who was in town from Kansas City. Before arriving, she told me, “Erika I just want to eat at cool places that I cannot get at home.” And eat we did! While looking for a Saturday brunch spot to take her to, I caught a picture of Black & White’s chicken and waffle’s brunch option on Instagram and was immediately sold. Off to Black & White Restaurant we went.
The Setup: Black and white are my signature wardrobe colors because you really cannot go wrong with them! Once I learned that the Heights was home to a new Mediterranean restaurant named Black & White, I thought ohhhh this is for me. Upon further research I discovered that the name not only translated to the black and white decor, but the two different menus, the Black Menu and the White Menu.
Service: We showed up without a reservation on a Saturday afternoon. At first, the host told us we would have to wait until a table in a manned section became available. We asked to sit at the bar in the meantime and then decided to just eat there. This ended up being an excellent choice. We were waited on by the bartender/mixologist/manager, whose name I believe was Jarrett/Jared. He was THE nicest most accommodating waiter ever. One of the staffers indicated that things were busier than they expected, hence the initial wait. Everyone seemed a little flustered with the unexpected crowd, but I do not think the service suffered at all. This is a new restaurant, so they are still getting into their groove.
Food: I am on a mission to try the french toast at every Houston brunch spot, please do not judge me! I have featured the creme brulee french toast from Max’s Wine Dive and Benjy’s here before. Black & White also features a creme brulee french toast. I ordered it thinking, okay two other established restaurants kind of have that french toast version locked up, but I will see what you are guys are working with here! Once again, I was blown away by the same concept featured in a very different way. Black & White’s french toast is not cooked as crispy as your traditional french toast, so the bread is still very soft even with the creme brulee batter. It is a very sweet combination though with the syrup. I soon regretted chugging a mimosa before eating my french toast because it created a sugar high that made it difficult for me to finish my entree. Next time, I will stick to water before grabbing the french toast.
My friend ordered the shrimp cake benedict. I thought this was an excellent choice considering that Black & White is in the seafood restaurant business. I tried a piece of the shrimp cake and found it quite enjoyable as well. My friend considers herself an eggs benedict expert and counted this as one of the best ones she’s ever had!
Drinks: Here is the big draw. For the next few months Black & White will feature TWO DOLLAR mimosas during their Saturday brunch. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. Their mimosas are TWO DOLLARS. These also are not the orange juice and a sprinkle of champagne mimosas. Nope, for two dollars you are getting the real deal mimosa at an excellent price point.
Our waiter was also the mixologist who created many of Black & White’s signature cocktails. He noticed my friend envying a Blueberry Basil cocktail he created for another guest and allowed us to try it. That drink is amazing! He said it took him six months to perfect the recipe and the hard work shows! The key thing that made me love this cocktail was how fresh the juice is. It tasted as though he spent most of the morning squeezing blueberries in the back. With a good base, everything else was just an added bonus. That will be the first thing I order on my next visit.
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