The monopoly tycoons of the 19th century traditionally did their wheeling and dealing at exclusive restaurants, cleverly concealing the fact that they still lived with their moms. Feel as pampered as a railroad baron with today's deal: for $35, you get an upscale American cuisine tasting menu for two at Judges' Hill Restaurant & Bar (a $70 value), located within the historic Goodall Wooten House at Mansion at Judges' Hill boutique hotel.
Although a part of Judges' Hill hotel, the restaurant is its own affair, featuring Chef Rob Snow's knockout tasting menu of four delectable courses. Amuse your bouche with course number one, the chef's daily selection of local cheeses from Brazos Valley. The second course invites diners to aim their appetite at fried gulf shrimp with a chipotle cocktail sauce, savory hot smoked-gouda-and-poblano soup, or the house salad with champagne-poached apples and blue cheese. Wind away from appetizer fare and into the nexus of the meal with the third course, peppered with selections from land and sea. Pecan-crusted trout basks in a sunny sweet-corn purée and poblano texas caviar atop wild rice and sautéed spinach, and tangy antelope ranges over its territory of green-chili gravy, tortilla mash, and spinach. For dessert, a trio of miniatures allows sweet teeth to enjoy a sampling of confectionaries more dulcet than Édith Piaf's answering machine. Fully restored and reopened in 2003, Judges' Hill Restaurant & Bar is beautifully appointed with heavy chandeliers and warm drapes that hang over ceiling-high windows.
