Are you looking for traditional flavors with a Japanese twist, a great lounge with a live DJ, bowling alleys, an exotic hookah, a nightclub and bottomless J. Harden Wine prosecco , all in a practical and elegant one-stop shop? Look no further than Thirteen Houston, James Harden’s new restaurant.
As the only wine critic Bold enough to examine/ingest J. Harden’s cabin backupthere’s nothing I want more than to sit down to a tasting menu of Beard’s Far Eastern-inspired specialties.
I mean, just look at this description on the site:
“Thirteen Houston cleverly blends traditional flavors with Japanese flair, fine dining and a good time all rolled into one. From our state-of-the-art restaurant and terrace to our stunning lounge with live DJ, exotic hookah and innovative libations, Thirteen is sure to please. We also offer a one-of-a-kind nightclub, better known as ‘The Basement’, with spacious sections and a private area with a two-lane bowling alley and private bar. We took the concept of elevated dining and made it our own; #TheThirteenExperience.
Unnecessary semicolon aside, what I like to do when looking at celebrity-endorsed restaurants is guess what the namesake’s dishes are requests. In this case, it’s the Thirteen Wings, which actually come in an order of six, topped with jerk sauce, jerk seasoning and pineapple pico. (There are no other Caribbean flavors on the menu but I digress.) The other is the Millionaire’s Sando: braised beef, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, shokupam, truffle mayonnaise, caviar and grated black truffles.
The wings stuck out like a zebra in a corral full of hot apps. Dumplings, dumplings, bao buns, wings? Oh, I know this one. I’ve played “Which one’s not like the other” before.
The Millionaire’s Sando was only slightly more difficult. It’s one of those dishes that high-end restaurateurs add to the menu for the sake of excess. Think pretzel loaded with Michael Scott’s gastronomic experiments. Honestly, I’m a little shocked that lobster wasn’t shoved in there.
As much as I would like to give my opinion on the atmosphere, I can’t because I don’t know how close the live DJ and exotic hookah are to the dining room. Nothing says class like a good salmon tiradito accompanied by flavored hookah smoke and house music. I guess G/O Media will just have to send me to Houston to experience the full #ThirteenExperience.
The original nighttime celebration
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has decided to try his luck against Anthony Joshua in the squared circle after giving Tyson Fury all he could handle in his boxing debut. This time, the result was much less impressive for Francis.
Pee! If only every an aspiring boxer could be exposed like this against a trained professional.
