It’s hard to miss the Big Red Cock off Shepherd as you pass over Allen Parkway into the Rice Military District. And that rooster is the harbinger of good eating: BRC Gastropub has a knack for everything you didn’t know you wanted.
Lance Fegen, Culinary Director and Executive Chef, started the restaurant with the intention of having a neighborhood feel and a great selection of beer and wine. The posh term “Gastropub” is meant to conjure a particularly British pub-type atmosphere (a neighborhood bar, for those who are not hip to the lingo), but while a traditional pub places have little emphasis on food, a Gastropub places quite a bit of emphasis on it, usually turning to traditional cuisine of the neighborhood and experimenting with it. A new take on old favorites—and that’s just what BRC does.
That fact is exactly what led me into a foray with their signature Bacon Jam. It’s Jam as you’ve never seen it before. I have to admit, I was intrigued, and the adventurous eater in me had to indulge, but do not fear: it is for the adventuresome and the finicky alike. Especially, if your favorite meal is breakfast. Envision that perfect bite of buttery, syrupy waffle with a nibble of bacon. It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s an invention that makes me break my pseudo-pescetarianism. Don’t even worry about what that means, just order yourself some cheddar biscuits with Bacon Jam and prepare to be thoroughly addicted.
Which brings me to their ethical sourcing practices—if you want to know where your food is coming from, they are able to tell you. Not such a novelty with refined eating establishments, but certainly indicative of one: Pork, Beef, Fish & Chickens are all ethically raised or sourced wild and can be traced if you’re curious. Be sure to peruse the website, it has plenty of great information about their ethical philosophies towards food that are truly inspired. Basically nothing on this menu is boring, though at first glance it seems fairly tame: fried chicken sliders, mac n’ cheese, Brussels sprouts. And yet, this is the stuff dreams are made of, if dreams were edible.
In keeping with the pub-like atmosphere, this place just looks cool. From the slightly Roschach Fleur-de-Lis wallpaper that is (wait for it) fuzzy, to the rich, textured dark wood that adorns both outside and in, right down to the vintage-nautical fixtures and vintage-inspired and modern art hanging above chesterfield-tufted booths.
No less emphasis can be placed on the beer and wine selection—it is a pub after all—which includes a constantly changing, ‘specifically-curated’ selection of rare beers and ales. They have 28 different craft beers and in and around 25 assorted bottles at all times and their wait-staff are well educated if you need a little direction.
In all, BRC is the whole package. The parking is limited, so be sure to plan in advance (there is a little parking on the street and in a side lot, but if you’re going on a weekend or for Sunday brunch, plan ahead), and the seating is decadent but also limited, so be sure to make reservations.
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