Canopy
This entry was posted on 5/9/2010 9:02 AM and is filed under New American Casual, Breakfast - Brunch.
It took some courage for the folks from Shade to open in this space on Montrose that has housed a number of restaurants. In all fairness, the openings and closings have spanned a 20 year or more period. We're beyond predicting the longevity of any new restaurant, but we have certainly enjoyed Canopy on a couple of recent occasions. Open for lunch, brunch and dinner, Canopy is both casual and sophisticated. There's a light, open feel to the space, benefitting from high ceilings and lots of windows. This isn't a white tablecloth venue. And it's not particularly romantic. You can hear yourself talk, and there's no need to dress up. On the flip side, the food is upscale, and it's a little pricier than a neighborhood joint (at dinner, appetizers, $10-15; entrees $20-30). Reservations are taken, and there's valet parking. We've had great service on both occasions.
We dropped by for Sunday brunch and quickly decided Canopy was right up there for a favorite brunch spot. We had the Croque Madame -- grilled ham and cheese, topped with bechamel sauce and fried eggs. (The addition of the latter rendering the dish a "Madame" rather than a "Monsieur.") The sandwich was sided by a wonderfully fresh spinach salad. The Challah French toast, eggs, and bacon were also quite good. One of the pluses of Canopy is that there are a lot of choices and variety on the menu at every meal. The menu included a number of breakfast-type options, salads, sandwiches, and more substantial entrees.
For a recent dinner, we started with the calamari (a favorite of ours as you know if you read this blog). It was beautifully fried and quite tasty, although the serving size was smaller than you might typically see. One of us really liked the harissa lime mayo, not so much the taste of the other. We opted for appetizers for our main courses -- Green Eggs and Ham (a seared scallop, on country ham grits, topped with a sunny side up quail egg), Crab Cake and fried green tomatos, and Mac and Cheese. Our friend had the Garlic-Rosemary Sauteed Scallops entree. Every dish was delicious, made with fresh ingredients, and well executed.
We hope this place endures. We suspect brunch and lunch will see good numbers. The restaurant may not be as big a draw for the evening out crowd.
3939 Montrose
713/528-6848
http://www.canopyhouston.com/index.html
