Bar Bludorn Shakes Up The Memorial Restaurant Scene With Upscale Tavern Power — A Hedwig Village Retreat

Fans of chef and restauranteur Aaron Bludorn have a new haunt to frequent, albeit outside the loop. The creator of the restaurant Bludorn and the seafood-focused Navy Blue, has opened Bar Bludorn, a new tavern in Hedwig Village, along with his wife Victoria Pappas Bludorn and partner Cherif Mbodji. Situated in a Memorial area neighborhood scattered with strikingly ubiquitous chain restaurants, where chef-driven dining options are few and far between, Bar Bludorn is an exciting anomaly.

The 5,000-square-foot space, warmed with walnut wood paneling, was designed by Gensler, which was given the mandate to create an intimate restaurant with an airy openness and approachable level of sophistication. Channeled forest green banquettes line the perimeter of Bar Bludorn with vintage terrazzo flooring underfoot, while overhead, a slatted wood ceiling buffers the cacophony of chatter below.

One side of the room is anchored by the bustling bar, while on the opposite side, the gleaming stainless steel kitchen gives diners seated in the center of the action a view of what chef Alexandra “Allie” Peña and her team are cooking up.

Bar Bludorn general manager Cole Parry, a front-of-the-house alum of the original Bludorn, describes the company’s latest endeavor as the “spiritual successor to Bludorn, where the food is fun, seasonal and technique driven.” Like Aaron Bludorn’s other restaurants, Bar Bludorn pays a respectful nod to Houston’s place along the Gulf Coast, rife with the riches from its waters, along with a wink to America’s own culinary classics.

The Bar Bludorn Menu

To start, oysters ($4 each) can be fried, baked, or enjoyed raw. A bright English pea hummus ($17) is ringed with watercress and mint, dotted with chermoula and served with warm za’atar spiced laffa flatbread. Fluffy, savory ricotta filled beignets ($19) are topped with thin slices of Lady Edison country ham. Don’t miss the velvety carrot ginger soup, a vivid puree topped with cilantro-tinged crème fraiche ($14).

To go with the starters (and Bar Bludorn’s delightful Parker House rolls), try a tincture from the barman Fabio Pontes, like “delusions of grandeur” ($14), made with mezcal, coconut, lime and chai with the spice of ginger beer. Or, instead of a trendy espresso martini, try Bar Bludorn’s classic old fashioned ($15), this one spiked with coffee liqueur.

Meanwhile, sommelier Molly Austad has curated a list featuring wines from around the globe with an emphasis on the famed terroirs of Napa and Bordeaux.

There are three pasta options, and they come in two portion sizes. Seldom do I see rabbit on the menu, so I had to try Bar Bludorn’s rabbit pappardelle ($23/$39). It doesn’t disappoint. The roasted meat is tangled in a nest of wide, flat noodles in a Dijon cream sauce studded with Castelvetrano olives and topped with herb-rubbed toasted breadcrumbs.

Entrees include fried chicken with peanut butter gravy, mashed potatoes and collard greens ($37) a dish with a cult following that was offered monthly at Bar Bludorn’s sibling restaurant Bludorn. You can also dig into a cornmeal-crusted snapper ($41) served in a potlikker broth, the seasoned liquid left behind after greens or beans are cooked (like its accompaniment kale and black-eyed peas).

And what’s a tavern without beef? There are plenty of options at Bar Bludorn, from steak frites ($41) to a juicy cheeseburger made with dry-aged beef ($17) to four cuts of steak.

Pastry chef Marie Riddle offers a half-dozen sweet ways to end your meal, but the most unique (and delectable) is her upscale take on the quotidian candy bar. This one ($15) is made with layers of marshmallow, candied peanuts and a caramel-like foie gras filling, all enrobed in bittersweet couverture chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. Sentimental diners can even take home the branded cigar box it is presented in as a keepsake.

Bar Bludorn is located at 9061 Gaylord Drive in Houston. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 pm to 10 pm. Bar Bludorn is closed Sundays and Mondays.