First Look at Nosh, Which Hosted Its Grand Opening Last Week

By Mai Pham Mon., Dec. 3 2012 at 12:00 PM

Photos by Mai Pham

Nosh lamb meatballs, just one of the mouthwatering appetizers served at their Grand Opening party.

If you haven't yet heard of Nosh Bistro -- the new restaurant offering South and Southeast Asian-style shared plates in Upper Kirby -- prepare yourself. Last week's grand opening party will undoubtedly have tongues wagging.

Located next to Taco Cabana just north of the Southwest Freeway on Kirby, Nosh was the place to be seen last Thursday night as socialites, families, foodies and beglittered fashionistas packed into the small eatery for the official celebration of the restaurant's launch.

At the height of the party, standing room only.

With free-flowing wine, beer and champagne, attendees eagerly "noshed" on finger foods while a DJ blasted music that turned the restaurant into a happening bar scene for several hours. So many people were packed into the small space that it was barely standing-room-only, but no one seemed to mind. The spirit was festive, the food kept coming and everyone was having a good time.

Chef Carlos Gonzales

Executive Chef Carlos Gonzales, who was raised in Chicago and is of Latin American descent, was enthusiastic about the turnout and his new menu, which he developed with owner and restaurateur Neera Patidar.

"I worked at a restaurant specializing in Indo-Latin fusion for some time," he explained when asked about his admirable grasp of South Indian flavors.

Appetizers disappeared almost as soon as they came out of the kitchen.

The evening's menu included lamb meatballs, chickpea tostadas, tamarind-marinated chicken, spicy flatbreads and more. Food disappeared almost as soon as the kitchen sent it out as guests snacked on the flavor-packed offerings. The food was anything but boring, and I left thinking: What an exciting new addition to the Houston culinary scene.

See more photos from Nosh's grand opening on the following page...

Location Info

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Nosh Bistro

3983 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX

Category: Restaurant

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Taco Cabana

3905 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX

Category: Restaurant

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Carlos Gonzales, grand opening, Neera Patidar, Nosh Bistro, South Asian Cuisine, Upper Kirby

We Recommend

ShitThrowingMonkey

Great addition that I hope to check out soon. Forget the name of the place, but DC has an Asian/Latin fusion restaurant that was hip and tasty.

succulent

@ShitThrowingMonkey It's really not all that fusiony. There's some overlap in Indian & SE Asian, but there's also some pretty straight-up Euro/French stuff that's just separate.

PamelaBrown

Nosh has some of the best spicy meat dishes in town. They are very tasty. The meatballs are succulent. But if you need to lose some pounds they are probably not for you. The holidays offerings are great http://easy10.notlong.com

Helena28

1 Like

I was impressed with Carlos and the menu when I stopped in; less so with the wines and the staff's knowledge of wine. I thought the decor was sorta gauche and over the top, but that's just my taste. I'm looking forward to it evolve from a vanity project into a good place to drink and nibble. So far, it's much better than it has to be for a wine bar.

jimbo1126

1 Like

Wow - this does look exciting! Last week in NYC I ate at a place called Chinese Mirch which also I believe has a location in Austin that fuses Asian and Indian flavors. So this is top of my list to try.

Mai Pham topcommenter

@jimbo1126 I loved the combinations of flavors -- think turmeric with curry, coconut with tamarind or lemongrass. Hope you enjoy it!

gstefani

@Mai Pham @jimbo1126 tumeric doesn't have any flavor really, does it?

succulent

@Mai Pham @Helena28 @gstefani How does something have a "strong color"? Many say that Wikipedia is the last refuge of a scoundrel, or something like that.

Mai Pham topcommenter

@Helena28 @gstefani @Mai Pham quick search on "turmeric flavor" yielded this description:

"Turmeric has a strong flavor, aroma, and color.Turmeric's flavor is somewhat earthy, like horseradish and mustard, but with a slight hint of bitterness. Turmeric powder's flavor could also be described as peppery, or even warm in the mouth.Because Turmeric, which is sometimes misspelled as Tumeric, has such a strong flavor it should be added to dishes sparingly towards the end of the cooking process."

Helena28

@gstefani @Mai Pham Tumeric has about a much flavor as sumac, which is to say not much. But it is very good for you as an anti-inflammatory.

gstefani

@Mai Pham my tumeric must be old then or something. there's abundant flavor in cumin, coriander, cardomom, peppercorns, and lemongrass, ginger, garlic, citrus leaves etc. but tumeric is not something that springs to mind as having a distinctive flavor. guess I'll experiment more with it as a flavor....now i use it for health and color mainly

Mai Pham topcommenter

@gstefani turmeric can be a component of curry, yes. When you buy it as a powder and use it on its own, it lends a distinctive flavor/aroma, the same way that ground coriander adds flavor/aroma. I use it in a Vietnamese soup, and without it, the soup doesn't taste the same.

gstefani

@Mai Pham @gstefani @jimbo1126 really? even when combined with lemongrass, coconut and curry? color me doubtful. "this curry has elegant notes of cardommon and tumeric"....nah.