Inside Houston’s Marigold Club — This Montrose Restaurant With an Exclusive Feel Brings a Taste of London

The British are coming, the British are coming. But this is an anglophile invasion of a whole different sort. Stylish couple Bailey and Pete McCarthy and their colleagues at Goodnight Hospitality recently expanded their restaurant empire by opening The Marigold Club in the stead of their shuttered honky-tonk Goodnight Charlie’s in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. This is a project that’s been years in the making.

The McCarthys crossed the pond and brought a bit of London’s posh Mayfair district, along with the exclusivity of the city’s storied member-only clubs, back to Houston. After all, the top restaurants in London have rivaled the best in Paris for several years now. CIA classically trained executive chef and partner Austin Waiter (formerly the executive chef at Tony’s spent nearly three months staging in Michelin-lauded haunts in London, bringing to Marigold a beautiful blend of England’s most famous dishes, built on a foundation of French culinary classics.

The opulent space, lit by a pair of custom Murano glass chandeliers dripping with hand-blown pink tulip and marigold blossoms, feels like you’re strolling into an enchanted English garden, with a glorious bouquet at its entry arranged by The Petaler, the English-trained florist aka Elizabeth Miller. Designed in part by the Texas-based architecture group FoxFox Studios, the Marigold Club’s intimate dining room is appointed with plush moss and marigold-colored velvet upholstery that cosset each diner’s seat in comfort.

The playful hand-painted mural by artist Pauline de Roussy de Sales was inspired by Bemelmans Bar (and the art of lauded children’s author Ludwig Bemelmans), Annabel’s and Sketch London, telegraphing a celebration of partygoers clinking champagne glasses, table-hopping and presumably air-kissing friends. Illuminating each crisp white-cloaked table are brass lamps capped with white silk shades painted with cheeky cowboys and cocktails, an homage to the space’s former tenant, where now a sleek black Steinway & Sons player piano tickles the ivories. Those who make a trip to the elegant marble-lined loo find themselves in arguably the prettiest power room in all of Houston, lined with handcrafted de Gournay wallpaper.

Helmed by partners June Rodil, CEO and master sommelier, and James Beard-nominated chef Felipe Riccio (who oversees the kitchens here and at March and Rosie Cannonball), the grand Marigold Club aspires to make you feel like you’re part of a club only a few can join. With the restaurant open to all, the 160 seats (counting the light-filled Atrium and private-room areas) are filled with pretty young things, as well as diners their parents’ age.

Cocktails (even those free of spirits) are twists on the classics, from martinis ($18 to $20) to gin and tonics made with marigold-infused gin ($18) and a Victorian punch stirred up with brandy, bonato and clarified milk punch ($18). Rodil and wine director Ryan Cooper (Montrose Cheese & Wine) have brought us a wine list dominated by French varietals that highlight the best grape-growing regions of France. Of course, there’s a smattering of bottles from Italy and elsewhere on the expansive list, where you can find a Domaine Ambroise pinot noir from burgundy by the glass ($25) or skip that mortgage payment and pop the cork on a bottle of 1976 Krug brut for $3,762.

The Marigold Club Menu

The Marigold Club menu created with chef/partner Austin Waiter is a fun romp melding the best of British and Gallic food. Take the English gougère, airy little pâté à choux bites filled with creamy aged Membrillo cheddar in lieu of gruyere ($12), and Kaluga caviar toast built on Melba toast topped with chive-scented crème fraiche and a dollop of caviar ($16 each).

Waiter, raised in Connecticut, procures sustainable seafood on the raw bar mostly from the chilly waters of the Northeast to create scallop crudo bathed in a broth of cucumber and vermouth with Meyer lemon chutney and juniper oil ($26) and tuna tartar touched with a bit of Earl Grey tea on delicate house-made Melba toast ($29).

Shareable starters include the Fish “Not” Chips, an array of delicately fried scallops, oysters and shrimp with green beans, all dipped in a gin-spiked tempura-like batter with a light citrus yogurt dip ($29). The Marigold salad features spears of crisp little gem lettuce coated with a honey crème fraiche dressing and topped with a sprinkling of roasted almond crumbs ($17). On a future visit, this New England-reared writer will partake in Waiter’s rendition of chowder, made with mussels and littleneck clams flavored with bacon lardons in a rich velouté ($24). On the night of this visit, I was sated by the comforting pillow-soft orbs of ricotta gnudi, the gnocchi-like dumpling accented with squash, pepperonata and parm ($19).

Entrees include duck Wellington, inspired by the British beef version but in this case, Waiter dry-cures the magret (breast) and cooks it via sous-vide before it’s wrapped in a puff pastry and baked to serve ($55). Alas, the Dover sole doesn’t hail from the coastal waters of Dover, England. Instead, it comes from Spain and is topped with a caper raisin butter sauce and braised pearl onions ($75), while the seared striped bass is napped with a mild Vadouvan curry with braised leeks and fennel ($39).

Most of the dishes are quite subtle in taste, like the less gamey Colorado-raised lamb loin that’s seared on point to medium rare and built on a Romesco purée with Kalamata olives and caraway jus ($58).

Come dessert, one can’t help but be tempted by the rolling sundae carts making their way through the dining room, where chai tea, clotted cream and chocolate ice creams are scooped and topped with candied hazelnuts, vanilla-scented marshmallows and treacle brownie bits ($22). Or, select a summer trifle layered in a dainty trifle dish with bergamot curd, cassis jam and almond shortbread topped with Chantilly whipped cream ($12)

The Marigold Club is located at 2531 Kuester Street. It is open Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 5 pm to 10 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm to 10 pm. Closed Mondays.