Houston Chef Aaron Bludorn’s New Restaurant Perseid Opens in Hotel Saint Augustine | Eater Houston

"Opened inside Hotel Saint Augustine on January 16 by chef Aaron Bludorn (whose Houston restaurants include Navy Blue, Bludorn and Bar Bludorn), this 118-seat modern French bistro references the annual meteor shower and Houston’s space-exploration heritage but takes a decidedly modern, Houston-forward approach; Bludorn — who once worked at New York’s French restaurant Cafe Boulud in the Surrey hotel — says the hotel’s operator, Bunkhouse, tapped him after dining at Bludorn, and the team (including director of operations Cherif Mbodji and pastry chef Marie Riddle) landed on a menu that brims with familiar dishes presented anew. Standouts include escargot dripping in a garlic-butter-parsley sauce served vol au vent style with crisp puff pastry; crawfish sausage with Creole sauce reminiscent of étouffée; duck frites paired with mango; liver pâté served with flaky biscuits; buttery ruby‑red sea trout prepared with an almondine sauce and a burst of sweetness from plump yellow raisins; a pasta of potato gnocchi with broccoli rabe and pecorino tartufo; and a St. Augustine burger served with duck liver mousse, a Maggi glaze, Kewpie mayo, pickled carrots, and sliced cucumber on a brioche bun. Pastry offerings make dessert essential: beignets are plump with warmly spiced berry coulis, the crème brûlée gets a fresh zing of pineapple, and an éclair is brightened with raspberry ganache and pistachio crème. As with most hotel restaurants, service extends beyond dinner: breakfast (listed as 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays) includes pancakes, parfaits, bacon-and-egg sandwiches, and a duck-confit quiche with collard greens, while weekend brunch (from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) features items such as short rib and eggs with pomme Anna, sautéed mushrooms, and chimichurri; lunch is served weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner runs 5–10 p.m. Monday–Thursday and Sundays, and 5–11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bistro sits within a sensory-forward, 71-room boutique hotel on Museum Row adjacent to the Menil Collection—rooms feature surrealist wings in bright color schemes, are described as being void of artwork to focus on rich colors and furniture, and are rated roughly $300 to $1,300 a night—and the hotel’s all-day lounge, which boasts a listening room with a record player and reel-to-reel tape deck, offers a full bar and a menu of snacks, sandwiches, and desserts served alongside drinks provided by the bistro. “We want these spaces to be public spaces where anybody feels comfortable walking in,” Bludorn says. “Honestly, our success has always been tied to understanding where our restaurant is located,” he says." - Brittany Britto Garley