Upscale Barbecue. Sounds like an oxymoron, right? BBQ, the real sport that precedes major sporting events, 
the Five Elements (Brisket, Link, Beans, Tater Salad, Sauce), the food group that evolved out of the simple necessity of cattle drives: surely it can't be froofy without ceasing to be bbq. Monica Pope, proprietor and mastermind behind the beloved t'afia, decided to see if she could make the two words fit together in a converted icehouse in the Sixth Ward. The result was Beaver's. But does Beaver's live up to its founder's reputation and its own surprising goal?
In a word, yes. Starting with the opening of t'afia, Pope has been one of the city's early champions of locally grown and raised foods, and the inclusion of local ingredients on the menu at Beaver's is certainly one of the keys to its success. Beef, chicken, pork sausage, and quail are all local, as are many of the sides. The bar also features a Texan emphasis, with plenty of beers from St. Arnold's, Real Ale, Live Oak Brewery, and Shiner among 70+ brews and several imaginative cocktails featuring Tito's vodka.
On to the Five Elements:
-The sausage, from Jolie Vue Farms in Brenham, is particularly well-fashioned, with plenty of vibrant pork flavor missing from many over-processed, over-preserved sausages.- The brisket is very lean, but not dry. There's a slight caramelized crust on the outside, and a solid smoke ring on the meat. Not ground-breaking, but certainly better than passable.
- Beans come from two schools: baked and tex-mex charro style. Beaver's subscribes to the former school, with a sweet, molasses-based sauce with plenty of fresh kale and onion complimenting the big red beans.
- The potato salad is where we started to see the finer tastes at work in the kitchen. Not content with a simple mustard tater salad, roasted red peppers bring a tangy spice that makes this the best example of the form in all of Houston.
- If beans have two schools, then bbq sauce has an entire NCAA. The Beaver's sauce is sweet, with a generous helping of black pepper and garlic. The secret ingredient is a helping of apricot, for a distinctive flavor that takes you beyond the repetitive tomato-based norm. It's a good compliment to the meats that are available.
But what if you want something else? The burger, made with a touch of ground pork along with the regular chuck is incredibly juicy without falling apart, and has what may be the freshest, highest quality veggies that any burger has ever seen hiding under the jalapeño sweet bread bun. Quail is one of our weakness, so we had to try: stuffed with jalapeño cream cheese, and wrapped in bacon, the quail itself is one of the best that we've tasted; the rub could stand to be spicier, though. The fresh greens and mac and cheese (with a dollop of tomato sauce on top) round out a well-balanced sides menu. The appetizers fit the icehouse aesthetic, and are well-suited as a first course or finger food while knocking back a Lawnmower.
For dessert, the banana pudding is made with fresh vanilla bean and is accompanied by a homeade vanilla wafer. The fudge pie, while slightly pedestrian, is packed with enough chocolate to put you in a diabetic coma. But no review would be complete without mentioning that the dessert menu also features round devil's food doughnuts called Beaver Balls. Try and see if you can order them without cracking up. We couldn't.
Atmospherically, Beaver's attempts to replicate the icehouse that previously occupied its building, but everything is far too new to really feel gritty enough be a good facsimile. The crowd was diverse, including downtown workers extending their happy hour, Heights and Rice Military residents, and foodies of all stripes. The service was attentive even on a night when they were admittedly understaffed. The word has started to get around town about Beaver's since its late November soft open, and it can be packed at times; come ready to wait on the weekends. If popularity is any indication, then the upscale bbq concept seems like a winner at Beaver's. It'll be interesting to see if any imitators follow suit.
Beaver's
2310 Decatur St. (near Sawyer, just south of Washington Ave.)
Houston, TX 77007
www.beavershouston.com
Closed Mondays; open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday
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photo compliments of Flickr user deneyterrio
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Ribs Rob, you forgot the ribs.....the horror!!!
Actually, I did try the ribs, and they're fantastic. Very meaty, with a dry Memphis-style rub. It's part of the BBQ combo plate, with the brisket, chopped pork, and sausage.
As any BBQ-head knows, go combo or go home.
I feel like I'm the only person left in Houston who hasn't been to Beaver's yet! Oh, the horror! I promise to make a trip out soon so I can check out the meaty goods for myself.
Okay, then I HAVE to go for the ribs, well, for the combo. "I'll have the lot."
The dessert to which you refer, was it salty, too?
... so I can check out the meaty goods for myself.
If only I could find something funny to say about that.
MJ,
Now that you mention it, there was a certain sweaty tang to the dessert.
Hot damn, Rob! You packed a huge crowd into the Beaver last night!
There was a huge crowd last night. Good for you and Beaver's.
I just wanted to mention that they have the best bartender in town -in my opinion. It's nice to see a place that cares about their food and their drinks.
On your rec. we stopped by for a snack and beverages early Saturday. It was fantastic. Our bartender Bobby was top-notch. The Mac and Cheese as good as and a heckuva lot cheaper than Max's. Real Ale Coffee Porter on tap! What else do you need to know?
I will be visiting a lot before this place gets Onion Creeked and then I'll have to stop going.
Am I the only person not bedazzled by this latest Pope venture? I had to ask for a KNIFE (they brought a steak knife but admittedly I think a butter knife would've done) to cut my brisket. The horror. Growing up in Texas I learned quickly that reputations are easily codified on BBQ savvy... and after hacking into mine with a serrated edge I'd say that my militant Monica's is tarnished. I did appreciate the kale avec beans. Tasty. I plead, however, for brisket a-la fall-apart. I want to like this so much ...