Bernadine’s ‘Stunning’ Seafood Shines; Take A Tour Of Houston’s Best Pancakes

This week, Houston Press food critic Phaedra Cook headed to Bernadine’s in The Heights, and found that the restaurant’s fresh Gulf seafood seriously shines. Cook particularly enjoyed a gorgeous red snapper ceviche, served with paper-thin slices of green tomato, blood orange, and pickled turnips. The service, however, left a bit to be desired:

When it’s very busy, Bernadine’s isn’t always a well-oiled operation. Service was slow on a Friday night. We ordered cocktails and snapper ceviche immediately, but then sat with only the drink list and raw bar menu for 20 minutes. When the server came back, we asked for the dinner menu, and he said, “You don’t want to order anything from the raw bar menu?” He seemed a little disappointed that the answer was no. Didn’t the $18 ceviche count?

Ultimately, though, Cook says that Bernadine’s, along with other Treadsack restaurants opened recently in The Heights (Foreign Correspondents, Hunky Dory) is “well on their way to earning enduring places in the hearts of diners.”

Elsewhere, Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook took a tour of the city’s best pancakes, with more than 10 excellent options on her list. Standouts include Pondicheri’s fermented lentil & rice crepe with pomegranate arils and avocado and Andes Cafe’s cachapa, a cheese-stuffed Venezuelan take on the classic breakfast dish.

Gastronaut’s Megha Tejpal highlighted Prohibition Supperclub & Bar’s excellently-named Oyster Apocalypse happy hour, declaring it your best option for cheap eats and drinks on a Monday. 50-cent raw oysters and $5 Dark & Stormy cocktails await. Go ahead and mark your calendar to stave off the inevitable case of the Mondays that’s going to crop up after this weekend is over.