Chef Hugo

Hugo’s Brother, Ruben,
working with chocolate

Chef Hugo with the Sante Award

Bob Chadwick, Flutist
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As spring marches into summer, you may notice our menu changing a bit here and there so that we can take advantage of seasonal goods.  Hugo has been working on lightening up some of our dishes. 

You will see a white wine version of our Coq au Vin, an Heirloom Tomato Salad, Cornmeal Crusted Catfish served with a summery salad, Flatbread with salsa verde and three cheeses, Poached Salmon with a light vegetable salad and lemon aioli, and Lamb Osso Bucco over spring risotto, just to name a few. We should be getting a reliable supply of Soft Shell Crabs soon.  Watch for them as a special.

This year, we will double the size of our parking lot.  We purchased the land next door from Sousan and she moved her shop down a few houses.  It should be ready by early May.  When the lot is finished, our valets will be a lot faster getting cars back to our customers.

Ruben, our Pastry Chef, has added a dessert sampler to the dessert menu.  It consists of three miniature desserts and will change at his whim. Ask your server what the sampler looks like today.

Did you catch Sean’s drink creation listed in Food and Wine’s “100 Things to try in 2008”?  They selected the Mango Mescal Paloma.  I’m sure we will be seeing it featured as a Drink of the Month sometime soon. 

After a “grueling” day of wine tasting, the rodeo wine judges had dinner at Backstreet in November.  Sean created a new drink to finish out their meal in honor of the occasion.  We have since put it on the dessert menu and it has been featured in the Stirred and Shaken drink column of the Houston Press.  It is a very adult milk shake made with house made mascarpone ice cream, Texas honey, Madagascar vanilla, and 1971 Don Abala Gran Reserva Pedro Ximenez Sherry and Sean named it “The Forty Year Milk Shake.” 

You may have been wondering about that big glass jar on the bar.  That jar is filled with our featured sangria of the day.  Every day we offer a different signature sangria featuring wines from around the world combined with unique brandies, spices, and lots of fresh seasonal fruit.  Try it and you won’t regret it! Ask your server about today’s selection.

The other big item on the agenda is Backstreet’s 25th Anniversary.  That rolls around in October.  There will be many events during that month, including wine dinners, tastings and a fun Garden Party. Please sign the guest book on the front table (write as legibly as you can) so we can send you an invitation. 

Mother’s Day is around the corner.  We are taking reservations for that special day right now. Click here to See the menu

Every Sunday Brunch, Sean, our Bar Manager and Sommelier, offers a list of specialty cocktails. The list changes slightly each week. If you love inventive new cocktails, drop by on Sundays to try one. Click Here to view our Brunch Menu.

Parties:
Backstreet has three rooms that can be used for holiday events or we can take our show on the road and cater events out of house.  Call Dwight at 832-465-4477.



Yahoo is featuring notable Hispanics on their webpage and Hugo has been selected from Houston. Watch for him on your Yahoo homepage mid- September of 2007!
We are excited to announce that both Chef Hugo Ortega and Sommelier Sean Beck received Certificates of Appreciation in recognition of their culinary excellence and outstanding service provided to the Houston Branch of The International Wine & Food Society on April 12, 2007.

Hugo and I recently went to Napa Valley to except 2 Sante Awards. Hugo's won an award of excellence in the Traditional Menu Category and Backstreet Cafe won an award of excellence in Innovative Menu Development. Our two restaurants were the only two Houston restaurants that won awards. Backstreet Cafe has won several Sante awards but this will be a first for Hugo’s! Our trip to Napa Valley inspired many new menu changes at Backstreet Cafe' including two great salads, the Mache Salad and the Red Romaine Salad, as well as Hugo's tasty Lamb Sausage.

Private Banquets
It is time to book space for your summer and fall showers, parties, rehearsal dinners and luncheons!  Backstreet has three rooms that can be reserved for groups or you can book the whole restaurant if you have a large group. 
Dwight Gwin is our Banquet Coordinator here at Backstreet and he will be happy to help you plan a festive and fun party.  You can reach him by calling 832-465-4477. You can download party menus from our website here or pick up a packet from the hostess.


Backstreet – Bob Chadwick Trio during Sunday Brunch
Hugo’s – Viento during Sunday Brunch
Prego – Mickey Mosely and Ray Wilson on Sunday evenings