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Review content:
With all of the nouveau reinvented and popular comfort food places popping up all over Houston (eg, BRC Gastropub, Zelko Bistro, Branchwater Tavern) showing some obvious irreverence to the concept of eating healthy with offerings like fried chicken, mac n cheese, duck fat popcorn, the Ocean's menu offers a shining example of how healthy can still be hip.
Set in a charmingly renovated old house on West Alabama near the corner of Montrose, Ocean's is modern meets New England-style upscale. I was reminded of a cute place on Newbury street in Boston. Dark wooden floors were offset by soft natural light shining from large rectangular windows framing the main seating area. Lucky us, we were invited to a lunch tasting at Ocean's to sample some of their delectable food last week, and from start to finish, it was one "ooh ahhh" to the next.
Every dish we sampled was gorgeously presented. I had so many great photo ops, I couldn't take a bad picture (see uploaded pics) - and these were taken with my blackberry! The Ocean's ceviche was a big hit, beautiful to look at and served on an impossibly large rectangular plate, to be shared among friends. The lobster taco, the lobster sope, and the Ocean's taco (shrimp with parmesan), were served with a side of fries on a square plate, again, gorgeous to feast on with the eyes and palate. And the house margaritas, made with fresh juice, Jose Cuervo tequila, shaken (not iced), were smooth, strong, and definitely worth several reorders (I think most of us had at least 3...).
One of the most wonderful things about Ocean's is the excessively large patio, framed by Oak trees and foliage, with a water fountain in the middle. Probably one of the nicest patios in Houston, what a great place to just chill with friends at sunset and beyond. After seeing pics of this patio, my friends actually went there the next day and had such a good time, a 1 hour lunch turned into a relaxing 3-hour chill session.
There is a lounge upstairs setup for weekend nights, where you can drink and mingle after dinner as well.
Overall, I loved the healthy authentic Mexican (not tex-mex) menu and the cozy yet hip ambience. This would be a great date place AND a great girl's night out place. And if this was Ocean's soft opening, it tells me they are more than ready for the Grand Opening. They told me the menu isn't completely finalized and they will be introducing new items soon; I can't wait.
Pros: Fresh, gorgeously presented food and patio
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