AlainHarvey
| Houston, TX | 20 Reviews
Gorgeous Organic Food in a Beautiful Space
Haven offers beautiful airy spaces featuring wood and natural materials, natural lighting and a spacious covered terrace featuring soothing fountains. If you like healthy food and organic ingredients, then drop everything and come to Haven. Both Haven's exciting Jim Herd design and the nicely varied menu invite diners to use the restaurant in a variety of ways.
The epitome of local, seasonal, organic dining, Haven performs magic with the very foods that poke up through our local soil. Chef Randy Evans produces ever-changing menus based on a modern American “New Texas” style cuisine showcasing all organic ingredients. Chef Evans shifts his menu with the seasons, fashioning the farm-fresh ingredients into culinary flights of fancy. Evans is inspired by the relationship of the food grown on local farms, freshly caught seafood from Gulf and the opportunity to create a farm to table dining experience. Each course draws its inspiration from the seasons and harmony with the earth. Evans takes deep and competitive pride in sourcing the highest quality, fresh-from-the-earth product from local farmers and purveyors, Evans showcases these ingredients in his strikingly refined and creative recipes. Some dishes from the constantly changing menu also show casual Asian touches originating directly from our melting-pot Houston restaurant culture.
I recently enjoyed the pleasure of chatting with Randy Evans. I found the chef to be a very personable, intelligent, thoughtful man who is an articulate and passionate advocate of locally-sourced organic produce and the cultural food ways that comprise our local culinary history. He hopes that after dining at Haven guests will view dining out in a different light. For Randy Evans dining out is not just a means of satisfying your hunger, but also an approach to living. He hopes that the experience will plant the seed of change in the the way you think about food and where it originates. Haven is an oasis for fresh, farm-to-market; high quality, locally-sourced ingredients served in a beautiful venue in an eco-friendly manner using elegantly re-purposed materials. -- everything that Evans embraces.
One of the best ways Randy Evans showcases this commitment is with his cooking style which he calls "New Texas" cuisine along with an ever-changing menu. His passion for all things Texas has led to his new style that focuses on the food ways of Texas settlers . Chef Evans highlights cooking styles from the many areas of Texas including the Gulf Coast, East Texas, the Hill Country, South Texas and the cowboy cuisine of Northwest Texas.. To Evans, a sense of place is important.
Chef Evans also gives much of his time and energy to a number of philanthropic organizations and events in the Houston area, such as: Share Our Strength; Urban Harvest; Houston Public Television; Recipe for Success; and many more. He has also participated in several annual Texas food and wine festivals such as The Grand Food & Wine Affair, Wine & Food Week in the Woodlands and Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. Randy Evans was a 2012 Houston Culinary Awards winner as Chef of the Year. In November 2006, Chef Evans' cookbook, The Kitchen Table (Bright Sky Press, $29.95) arrived in bookstores throughout the country. Bringing the culture of Southern hospitality and outstanding Texas-Creole cuisine to new kitchens, his cookbook features a plethora of recipes served over the past 15 years at Brennan's unique Kitchen Table, situated in the middle of its bustling kitchen. In June 2007, The Kitchen Table received the gold medal in the cookbook category at the 11th Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards during the annual BookExpo America convention in New York City. Randy Evans was also recently awarded the Chef of the Year by 2012 Houston Culinary Awards.
It is readily apparent that Randy Evan’s commitment and passion to organic, seasonal cuisine and a sustainable and ecologically sound environment infuses and are the driving force of the entire staff at Haven. A modern American style paired with the use of farm fresh certified naturally grown and organic produce, organic, wild and natural meats and sustainable seafood inspires the changing menu. Evans’ passionate drive and undeniable focus on technique and flavor along with a clear presentation of the ingredients, with artistic flourish, allows guests to experience flavors that harmonize and balance.
Following his philosophy of fresh, organic ingredients, Randy Evans has installed a raised-bed garden for herbs and vegetables behind his restaurant with its own composting system for kitchen scraps. At Haven they are curing their own meats, filtering their own table water and making their own delicious ice creams and sorbets from an antique scratch-and-dent machine fetched back from Central Texas by the chef in his pickup truck. The restaurant is sourcing many of their fruits and vegetables — plus some of their meats and most of their seafood — locally or at least regionally. Randy Evans indicates these Texas products by italicizing them on the menu.
The level of detail and thought evident throughout the restaurant bodes well for its and Randy Evans continued success. Details are important to Evans, from the fine, subtle white-on-white ridging of the wide-rimmed soup plates; the table candle holders created from cut wine bottles, the advanced air ventilation system that keeps guests at the perfect temperature while dining, the gleam of the tall French-press coffee pots and the strong, aromatic coffee they dispense; to the careful interior lighting, artfully illuminating menus and food.
Haven’s à la carte, prix fixe, and brunch menus gives guests the opportunity to dine on local, organic cuisine that is reflective of the seasons. The constantly evolving menu and innovative cuisine serves inspired and sophisticated food that will nourish your soul and excite your palate. Add the wine pairing to the prix fixe menu and experience the balance between food and wine.
Enjoy an elegant dining experience in an inspiring environment!
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