Timpano Chop House - Houston

So, the multinational for which i work had me fly into Houston two weeks in a row. I stayed at the Magnolia Hotel and found this great restaurant, Timpano Chop House just two blocks away.

Timpano Chop House used to be known as Bossa the last time I ate there. It was a fusion of Brazilian and American cuisine. It was good, but it wasn't great. Timpano Chop House has all the standard fare you'd find at a chop house/martini bar, but there were a couple of things that made it stand out. The entrees were to die for. The deserts were innovative and delicious. The bar had a nice little jazz club feel to it with live music, but they still served a full menu. What's not to love about listening to good music and eating a good steak.

Our first visit, we arrived at about 7:30 without a reservation. They said it would be about 20-minutes for a table, so we went to the bar. They had a fine selection of wine and spirits. The bar tender was quite well versed in the wines and helped my co-worker select a nice wine. That type of service would be completely be lost on me since I wouldn't know a good wine if it hit me over the head.

After a brief wait, they seated us and showed us the menu. As I stated, the menu was what you'd expect from a chop house. They had prime steaks, chicken, seafood, and some pastas. I went for the petite filet cooked to a nice medium temperature. It took about 25-minutes for our entrees to come out. When they did, I was more than pleased with my filet. It was perfectly cooked. Once again, I must stress that there needs to be some pink left in a steak. I have learned the err of my ways when I used to eat my steaks well done. Each bite of my filet was a succulent flavor of properly cooked beef. My only regret was that I went with the petite filet.

Upon completion of our main course, the waiter brought out the desert tray. There were two options: 1. Small creamy deserts in a good sized shot glass; or 2. Cheesecake lollipops. We went for the cheese cake lollipop tree. The tree came with 10 lollipops or you can order them a l carte. I must say that the lolliops are the way to go if you just want a bite of a cheesecake. Sometimes, eating an entire slice is just too much, but this gave a nice sampling of 5 different cheese cakes. I'd rank them in this order: 1. Peanut butter crunch; 2. Toffee crunch; 3 Key lime; 4. Raspberry; and 5. Strawberry shortcake.

The following week, my co-worker and I were called back to the home office and we decided to go back to Timpano since it's down the street from the hotel. Since our flight was delayed, we didn't get into Houston until about 8 PM, but we didn't get to the restaurant until 9 PM. We were worried that they wouldn't serve us, but we found out that they will serve you even if you show up at 10:59 PM (they close at 11 PM). For that reason, Dikembe Mutumbo seems to eat there quite a bit after Rockets games.

This week, I decided to go with the New York strip steak since I'd had one the week before at another restaurant (look for a future review) and was quite displeased. I was quite elated when I bit into my steak and it was delicious. There was some sort of seasoning added to it that gave it that extra kick we all love in steaks. Once again, it was cooked to my liking and I just tore through that steak like I hadn't eaten in 3-weeks. For desert, we decided to try the smaller deserts in the shot glasses. We chose the chocolate tartuffo. It was a layered parfait type desert with chocolate and cream. YUMMY!!

So, if you are in downtown Houston, check out Timpano Chop House. They have great food, great service, and a great wine and spirits section. You won't be disappointed. Do make a reservation if you plan on going. It'll save you some time, but the bar/lounge is a good way to wait as well.

Timpano Chop House is located at:

610 Main Street

Houston, TX 77002

713-223-2622

www.timpanochophouse.net