Charm Taphouse & BBQ marries Texas and Thailand

Houston is known for being a melting pot of people from an incredibly broad variety of cultures. This is best demonstrated by its diverse food scene; among the best in the nation. Houstonians enjoy a cornucopia of restaurants from different cultures, including new fusions of cultures that take food in entirely new direction.

So what happens when the team behind the best Thai restaurant in Houston combines forces with one of the most skilled pitmasters in the state of Texas (and thus the world)?

This dream team comes together at Charm Taphouse & BBQ, a restaurant that combines the skills of a classic Texas pitmaster with traditional Thai cuisine.

The Team

Pitmaster Jonathan Rodgers perfected his chops at the Michelin- recognized Tejas BBQ, and he’s brought his formidable skills to the Charm group, owners of successful Thai restaurants Charm Thai Bistro and Charm Thai Kitchen and Bar. These Thai establishments have become the benchmarks for Thai cuisine in the Woodlands, Spring, and the entire Houston area.

Charm founders Adam and Wanalee Gorelick met when she was visiting the US as a student, and he travelled to Thailand to learn the culture from her family and to master the cuisine. (Adam later proposed to Wanalee, and that Texas-Thai marriage ultimately led to the culinary marriage between Texas and Thailand that we were here to witness.)

A Texas pitmaster. A Texas chef who mastered Thai cuisine in Thailand. A no-nonsense Thai woman who keeps them both in line. This brain trust came together to bring something entirely new to culinary scene: The merger of Thai cuisine and Central Texas BBQ.

This talented team came together to create a restaurant unlike any that we’ve seen before. The deep, luscious, rich flavor of Texas BBQ pairs artfully with the zesty, tangy, acidic twang of the best Thai dishes, and the result is something new and distinctly Houston.

The Food

We sampled a variety of dishes that Adam and Jonathan worked together to create. The skill and experience of these two culinary masters is evident; this didn’t taste at all like the typical opening-day food from a new restaurant… much less a new restaurant serving a brand new cuisine. Here are our initial impressions:

The Pork Belly Bao combines smoked pork belly with pickled papaya, fried shallots, cilantro, and a hint of chili oil. The result is a brand new flavor profile that balances the rich, sweet pork belly with the zing of the veggies. This skillful balance is something we will observe again and again.

Brisket Pad Khee Mao combines smoked brisket with stir-fried noodles, garlic, and a variety of veggies in a housemade soy-based sauce. The saltiness of the soy, the beefy luxuriance of the brisket, the crunch of the veggies and the soft noodles dance together into an extremely cohesive and delicious dish. It’s going to be tough to order a Thai noodle dish with a more pedestrian protein going forward.

A surprise winner was the craveable Massaman Potato Salad. Massman curry replaces the traditional mustard in this spicy, tangy, utterly superb potato salad, and we couldn’t stop devouring it until the charming brass Thai bowl was empty. I doubt we will ever enter this restaurant without ordering another portion.

Thai Yum Ribs elevate expertly smoked pork ribs with a classic jim jaew sauce, and combine that with a bed of Thai herbs. The result is some of the best pork ribs we’ve ever tasted; the salty, tangy blast from the herbs and jim jaew are an adroit counterpoint to the rich, soulful ribs. This is one dish you must order on your first visit; it sums up the magic of this marriage of cultures and cuisines.

Brisket Red Curry combines spicy coconut red curry and smoked fatty brisket, and this clever combination works on several levels. The rich fatty profile of the brisket tames the fiery heat of the curry, and the flavors harmonize into a whole that is greater than the sum of the ingredients.

Beef Sausage with Basil is a housemade sausage that portends great things. Jonathan has a reputation for his sausage, and the incorporation of Thai herbs and flavor profiles with traditional Texas ground meat takes this smokehouse favorite into new frontiers.

The Pit

Some places selling barbecue smoke it in electric smokers that are easy to manage but don’t produce top quality product. Jonathan doesn’t roll this way. He’s put in a huge Pit Iron Patina stick-burning offset pit with some custom modifications. Serious ‘Q requires a serious pit, and it doesn’t get more serious than this.

We’ll Be Back

To say we were impressed by the opening day food at Charm Taphouse & BBQ is an understatement. We predict that this will become a destination restaurant in the Houston area, for both barbecue and Thai food lovers who are looking for something different and delicious. We can’t wait to see what Jonathan and Adam come up with next.