Asian with a TwistGigi’s puts a stylish spin on modern Asian drinking and diningBefore opening Gigi’s Asian Bistro and Dumpling Bar (713.629.8889; gigisasianbistro.com) earlier this year in Houston, Gigi Huang sipped her way around the world on a research mission. In New York she slipped into Tao, with its 16-foot Buddha statue and exotic drink menu, and also dined at the venerable restaurants Nobu and Jean Georges. A trip to San Francisco led her to Yank Sing, the acclaimed dim sum house, and Slanted Door, the always-busy waterfront Vietnamese joint. In Paris, she bellied up to Harry’s New York Bar, purported birthplace of the Bloody Mary. The experience inspired Huang to create what she calls a “friendly neighborhood place” in the Galleria II shopping center. “It’s like a big party with people running into all their friends, shoppers relaxing, and businesspeople hanging out with clients and colleagues after work,” says Huang, a co-owner of Gigi’s. The restaurant is also a magnet for celebrities: former president George Bush and NBA star Clyde Drexler are among the locals who’ve been spotted there. With her impeccable style and welcoming smile, Huang has a touch of star power herself. Sporting a tailored red leather jacket, white slacks, and Chanel ballerina flats, she says, “I can dress up and have fun. Who can have a better job than this one?” Cocktails at Gigi’s are served from two bars, both topped with 200-year-old Brazilian rainforest hardwood. Eighteen blue velvet chairs surround the U-shaped Dumpling Bar, where a kitchen window frames cooks making dumplings, while the eight-stool Singapore Room bar offers a more intimate feel. Both are classics with a modern twist. Huang knows the fine art of arousing the taste buds with imaginative cocktailing. “We want to bring back the Singapore Sling, but our own, tastier version,” she says. The ingredients: Hendrick’s Gin, Benedictine liqueur, pineapple juice, and a float of cherry brandy and lemon, garnished with a cherry and orange and served in a tall pilsner glass. Gigi’s signature drink is a subtly sweet lychee martini — Stoli vodka infused with lychee (a red berry with white flesh originally grown in South China) and Soho Lychee liqueur, chilled and served straight up. Perfect for the Sex and the City crowd is the Marilyn Monr-“O”-tini, a concoction of Grey Goose L’Orange, cranberry juice, Cointreau, and skewered cranberries whose DNA is actually more cosmo than martini. More traditional drinkers will find no shortage of choices at Gigi’s. It’s safe to say that Houstonians love their beer, and Huang obliges with a wide selection of domestics and an ample selection of theme-fitting Asian labels, including such little-known brands as Hue, from Vietnam, and Tiger, from Singapore. While it’s a fine watering hole, to be sure, Gigi’s also serves up excellent food, with the full menu available at both bars. The array of “modern Asian cuisine” starter plates — all priced between $6 and $11 — includes curry chicken puff pastry, shrimp wrapped in bacon, sliced sea bass wrapped in napa cabbage, chicken pot stickers, shu mai, and tuna tartare, among other selections. Huang is determined not to let her patrons leave thirsty — or hungry. Huang’s sense of style exerts its influence throughout Gigi’s. The bartenders and servers wear black shirts and black jackets with embroidered dragons on the back, and the hostesses don form-fitting black dresses. “Success is all about style and taste, and not just what’s on the plate,” Huang says.
— Chris Barnett
The Wine ShopThis month, Continental Sommelier Martin Korson, beer and wine manager for Houston’s Central Market, recommends three great fall wines. Le Paradou Côtes du Luberon Rouge $11.99 Hahn Monterey Pinot Noir $20.22 L’Arco Pario 2001 $48.99  Photograph: Felix Sanchez |
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