Highly Anticipated Bar Bludorn Opens in Memorial

The Hedwig Village opening is the chef’s third restaurant in Houston

Aaron Bludorn’s anticipated Bar Bludorn opened on Friday, March 29, in Memorial’s Hedwig Village. This is the chef’s third restaurant in Houston, following Navy Blue in Rice Village, and Bludorn in the Fourth Ward. Bludorn is joined in his newest venture by his wife, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, partner Cherif Mbodji, and in the kitchen, Alexandra Peña. An alumna of the Culinary Institute Lenotre, Peña was appointed executive sous chef at Navy Blue, and is the first woman to lead a Bludorn concept.

“She’s always been the obvious choice,” Bludorn said of Peña. “My hope is that others will see her as a role model, and that her role will attract more women to come to our restaurant and seek management positions. We need to be multifaceted.”

Lauren Holub

Bludorn and the team took great strides in protecting the neighborhood, come-as-you-are essence of the 5,000 square-foot space formerly occupied by beloved neighborhood restaurant, Jonathan’s the Rub. The local favorite and surrounding Memorial community holds great significance for Bludorn, who is originally from the Northwest region of the United States. Victoria grew up in the Memorial area, and the neighborhood was the first stop for Bludorn after he arrived in Houston (Jonathan’s the Rub was also the first restaurant he visited that helped clue him into Houston’s dining scene, he told Eater Houston).

The tavern-style space is defined by deep brown wood, walnut paneling, and hunter green chairs and nooks that create a cozy neighborhood atmosphere. The chef told Eater Houston that “family-style” continues to be one of his favorite ways to cook and dine, and is eager to welcome Houstonians to the new locale that boasts shareable plates and classic Southern favorites — like fried chicken served with an eclectic group of sauces.

“One of the biggest differences between Bar Bludorn and Bludorn is that we truly want it to be a neighborhood bar,” he says. “We want this to be an approachable place for the community, and that starts with the menu.”

Clauda Casbarian

Analog to the chef’s flagship restaurant, Bar Bludorn’s menu features explorative takes on flavorful gifts from the Gulf Coast. Bludorn’s calling card — oysters served raw, fried, or roasted — have a permanent place on the menu, as do a host of pasta dishes. The menu features pappardelle with mustard-stoked rabbit ragout and carbonara constructed with poached egg yolk, nuggets of rendered bacon, and English peas — a daring reconstruction that Bludorn is proud to have at the tavern.

“I’m going to get some flack from people that are telling me it’s not traditional because I have peas on it [the carbonara], or I add a little bit of cream to it or whatnot. I think the dish is as close as we want to be, with bacon, egg, and black pepper, and represents exactly what we’re trying to do here.”

Seafood dishes also grace the menu, including a cornmeal-crusted snapper served in a potlikker broth with kale and black-eyed peas, and fried chicken served with a peanut butter gravy, mashed potatoes, collard greens, and hot honey — a nod to Bludorn’s monthly fried chicken dinners — is expected to be a crowd favorite.

Peña, who is trained in and skilled across cuisines, illustrates her Mexican heritage through some of Bludorn’s favorite dishes on the menu, including a pork chop slathered in an ancho marinade. Among a selection of lofty sandwiches, the chef is especially excited about a Reuben of Wagyu short rib pastrami layered with sauerkraut, Russian dressing, gruyere cheese and marbled rye made in-house.

“We feel like the product is better than it would have been had we sourced these ingredients from other people in town,” Bludorn said.

Lauren Holub

Executive pastry chef Chef Marie Riddle makes a sweet mark on the restaurant’s menu, contributing desserts such as a lemon ricotta ice cream sandwich served with blueberry jam and an equally decadent and indulgent foie gras candy bar, comprising of marshmallow, foie gras, and candied peanuts, and presented in a branded cigar box that guests can take home as a keepsake. Bludorn alum Fabio Pontes leads the bar program, which spotlights several Kentucky bourbon distillers, and heady cordials, such as a Negroni fortified with Jägermeister, and an Old Fashioned mollified with herbal Italian bitters.

This is the Bludorn’s first restaurant in the Memorial neighborhood. Bar Bludorn is located at 9061 Gaylord Drive, and is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.