Fielding’s Reopens with New Menus at Both Locations

Fielding’s Wood Grill and Fielding’s Local Kitchen are both open for dining in (and takeout). We explore their new menus.

The recent mandatory shutdown of dining rooms in all Texas restaurants has been a difficult time for those in the industry. Some restaurants used the greatly reduced level of business as an opportunity to test and roll out new menus and new options for their guests. We were recently invited to both Fielding’s locations, to sample some of their new offerings.

(Both Fielding’s locations are offering their entire menu for takeout as well as dine in.)

Fielding’s Wood Grill

The original Fielding’s location has kept its focus on upscale grilled comfort food, with everything made in-house. The Chef Edel Goncalves has updated his menu to offer some interesting new options to customers who’ve been craving something different.

The star of the show was a delicious new Miso Salmon. A beautiful slab of miso-marinated grilled salmon was presented over a bed of faro, mushrooms, roasted sweet potatoes, spinach, dried cherries, and Texas pecans. The result is an incredibly complex, flavorful dish that I’d order again… and I typically avoid salmon dishes.

If you’re from the East Coast, you’ll feel right at home with the Hot Crab Dip. Lump crab meat, cheddar cheese, and a touch of Old Bay seasoning are baked into a sinfully decadent dip, and Ritz Crackers (one of the few things not made in house) are available to schmeer. The result is right out of summer in Maryland, and creates a wonderful departure from our Gulf Coast standards.

Fielding’s spin on avocado toast, their Avocado & Burrata Toast, was another crowd pleaser. A slab of house-made burrata and chunks of fresh avocado were complemented with house cured grilled bacon, tomato jam, and radish sprouts, and served atop house baked multigrain toast. This savory and hearty version of the light, healthy favorite is a prime example of how Fielding’s goes beyond what’s expected in a dish.

We were pleased to see the kitchen staff masked up. Owner Cary Attar is known as a bit of a perfectionist, and during these unsettling times, an unwavering focus on health and safety is a welcome comfort.

Fielding’s Local Kitchen

The fancier member of the Fielding’s family has reopened as well, and they’ve made subtle changes in their focus. The new focus is on upscale comfort, with craft cocktails and a curated wine list available to create an impressively upscale experience while still maintaining the comfort that these times demand.

We were presented with the spectacular Hickory Smoked Rye Old Fashioned, the dramatic take on the classic cocktail. Fielding’s knows how to wow a customer, and the cocktail is presented under a transparent glass dome that’s filled with hickory smoke. Upon its removal, the aroma wafts over the table and the cocktail retains the lush aroma of hickory and vanilla.

Continuing the trend of impressive presentation and smoke, the Smoked Lamb Shank made its appearance. The smoked and grilled shank was served over a mound of flawless stone ground grits, drizzled with Ivory barbecue sauce, and served beside sweet cane glazed carrots. The lamb was superbly tender and boldly flavored; this upscale take on barbecue is a must-try for any meat lover.

Continuing in the meaty vein, we auditioned the Rosewood Ranch A3 Wagyu New York Strip. This lovely 12oz slab of decadently lush wagyu beef was presented perfectly rare, as requested. Salt and pepper were the only seasoning required for the remarkably tender and incredibly flavorful beef. Steak lovers should put Fielding’s Local on their short list for best steaks in the Woodlands.

One of the sides made a very strong impression: The bold, earthy Roasted Cauliflower Arabiata. Chunks of still-crunchy cauliflower were topped with Reggiano and a complex sugo all’arrabbiata of garlic, tomatoes and a hint of heat from chilis. The result was an impressive side that could proudly serve as a vegetarian entree in any Italian restaurant in town.

Somehow, we had room for dessert. We were intrigued by the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake; we’d never seen a sheet cake presented as a dessert in an upscale restaurant. Unsurprisingly, Chef Edel had elevated the concept with an ethereally light chocolate cake, topped with an intense vanilla fudge topping and a cobblestone of cocoa pecans. Very Texas, very decadent, and a very good ending to an impressive meal.