The Pappas Restaurants chain brings a new barbecue concept to the Clear Lake area, Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse making it the first of its kind.
The family-owned restaurant chain has been working for years on the new hybrid concept for the smokehouse, which opened Nov. 1 in Webster.
The Pappas Restaurants has already created a culinary empire and household name for themselves with other restaurants such as Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappasito’s Cantina, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and many others with locations in several other states.
The menu features Southern comfort foods including barbecue and steak. What makes Delta Blues Smokehouse different from Pappas Bar-B-Q? The smokehouse has a more formal setting, unlike the casual environment of Pappas Bar-B-Q, where orders are placed at the counter.
Patrons of Delta Blues will experience a traditional table-side service. Their menu is elaborate and upscale, featuring craft cocktails and sophisticated twists to Southern classic dishes. The prices definitely reflect a difference from the Pappas Bar-B-Q menu as well. The restaurant’s menu is moderately priced with dinner entrees in the $13-47 range.
Upon entering Delta Blues, I was one out of thirty people anxiously waiting to try out the new place in town. A little over a month after its opening, the restaurant was booming with business as there was a 40-minute wait time to be seated for a table.
The restaurant is cozy and inviting with dim lighting, warm tones and pops of color throughout. The dining room has a retro vibe with modern day touches. Saxophones and art pieces honoring jazz musicians line the walls, giving it a “New Orleans” feel. The look of Delta reminds me of an upscale diner with their open-air kitchen and furnishings. The ceiling is hung with large scale old-school fans and contemporary light fixtures. Overall, the ambiance is family friendly and loaded with Southern charm.
Delta Blues has an extensive drink menu. Two pages of the menu is dedicated to American-made whiskeys. They have quite an array of cocktail options, but of course I had to opt for their signature drink, a whiskey-based cocktail called Smokin’ Ace.
The drink is made with Rittenhouse 100 bonded rye whiskey, cinnamon smoke, Luxardo cherry liqueur, Tempus Fegit Vino Chinato and Amaro Meletti. When the beverage is delivered, there is a tableside presentation: the server pours the drink into a brandy glass, creating a fog of smoke that rises with a heavenly aroma of cinnamon.
This cocktail is so strong that one is all you need. I made it through half the cocktail before admitting defeat. There is also a smoothness to this sophisticated concoction, making it very well balanced with the sweetness of the cherry cutting the bitterness from the whiskey. The server let me in on a little tip too — its ingredients have digestive properties that won’t leave you feeling overly full.
As an appetizer, I tried the Sunday’s Deviled Eggs. These were delicious and not your average deviled egg. They were topped with smoked pork belly, Crystal Hot Sauce and paired with pickled onions, which complimented it very well. It would be difficult to have just one of these.
For the main course, I ordered their USDA Prime Beef Brisket with a side of buttery mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Overall, this dish did not disappoint. It was cooked at the perfect temperature of medium, making it so easy to cut into that it just fell apart. The brisket was so juicy and tender that it just melted in my mouth. Perfect flavors of savory and peppercorn gave this dish a lasting impression.
The mashed potatoes were creamily whipped, buttery and seasoned to perfection. However, I was not as impressed with the mac and cheese. The side dish featured large spiral noodles topped with a cracker crust and cheese, but was a little too watery for my taste.
Of course, I had to save room for dessert, so I ordered the warm pecan cobbler. It was nicely presented as a layered confection with ice cream, bourbon-spiked chocolate, sweet and salty pecans and topped with fresh strawberries. The cobbler was very sweet and underwhelming. The dessert was average at best and not something I would order again, but I did love the sweet and saltiness of the pecans.
As a former server myself, I had not planned on reviewing this part because everyone has off days, but I feel I must in this case. Although the restaurant was extremely busy, the waitstaff was very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. The restaurant has a team environment as tables were approached by different employees attending to the needs of the customers. I never had to wait for a refill of water because other servers noticed and took the initiative to do so. I was overly impressed when another server came over to ask if they could box up my leftovers for me. This is the kind of customer service that will bring diners back in.
The smokehouse is a nice addition to the collection of restaurants for Pappas. Delta Blues is making a name for itself, and I suspect we will see other locations pop up around the greater Houston area. They have definitely secured a returning customer in me. To view their menu, visit www.pappasdeltablues.com.
