Le Jardinier means the gardener, and the name is the philosophy. The restaurant lives in the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and belongs to The Bastion Collection, which runs sister locations in New York, Miami and Geneva. Culinary director Alain Verzeroli trained under Joël Robuchon and cooked in Japan for 18 years, and that discipline shows in precise, lightly sauced plates built on peak-season produce, fresh herbs and sustainable seafood. Executive chef Felipe Botero runs the kitchen day to day, and pastry chef Tiffani Ann Gkaris sends out desserts as composed as anything on the museum walls. The room is calm and bright, and the menus rotate with the seasons, so no two visits read quite the same.
What to expect
- Tall windows face the Cullen Sculpture Garden, and there is terrace seating.
- Order a la carte or the seasonal tasting menu; Michelin calls lunch the best value.
- Valet is at the Kinder Building's main entrance, 5500 Main Street.
- Dress is business casual, neat rather than formal.
What to order
- The seasonal lunch menu after a gallery visit
- Whatever vegetable course leads the current season
- Desserts from pastry chef Tiffani Ann Gkaris
- Alain VerzeroliCulinary director
- Felipe BoteroExecutive chef
- Tiffani Ann GkarisPastry chef
- The Bastion CollectionGroup