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The menu at Underbelly is constantly changing, but its sister restaurant The Hay Merchant is a bit more static. Still, Chef Chris Shepherd is never one to leave things as he found them, and he's introduced a brand new menu at The Hay Merchant that features some pretty epic new dishes.
"This menu change has been in the works for many months," said Shepherd. "I want to feature food that’s from our area, items that are shareable. Drinking beer is communal, and eating at Hay Merchant should be, too." A massive silver platter of nachos, topped with taco meat, pickled jalapeno and hominy, is enough to feed an army. Or three really drunk people.
Shepherd also removed dishes that didn't have a "regional sense of place" for Houston, like poutine-style fries and a salmon dish the ever-opinionated chef wasn't too fond of.
He's replaced those plates with dishes like family-style lasagna, pork cracklings and French onion dip, and a newly-refined take on his fish sauce chicken wings. Scope out the full menu below, and try not to drool.