A Saturday Evening Where We Ponder the Question: Is It Possible To Have Too Much Bacon Jam?

Liberty Kitchen and Oyster Bar
1050 Studewood, Houston

This weekend, Hubby and I had a date night. We spent the past week studying our My Table and trying to select an appropriate venue. We finally decided on Liberty Kitchen which is a popular spot in the Heights. Lest you question the popularity of said restaurant, as we were leaving Hubby heard the hostess tell a couple that there was a two hour wait and they agreed to wait. Two hours!

I digress. Liberty is a cool space in a cool part of Houston. But, in true Houstonian fashion, it's casual. The bar features fabulous cocktails -- pineapple infused vodka mixed with fresh lemonade, anyone? Additionally, Liberty has a very strong appetizer menu including, as its name suggests, oysters. I love appetizers. They are, I think, always the best part of the meal. Maybe it's because I'm most ravenous at the beginning of the meal, so everything tastes better. Maybe it's because I like getting to sample lots of little things. Maybe it's because appetizers are frequently fried or pickled. Bottom line, I am totally happy making a meal of small plates. 

Smoked salmon. A bacon-free option.

After studying the menu and discussing options with the waitress, here's an overview of what we ordered:

1. Deviled Eggs. These are one of Liberty's signature dishes. What we didn't realize is that there are multiple versions. We thought we were ordering the smoked salmon deviled eggs. We actually ordered smoked salmon AND deviled eggs. The deviled eggs we ordered were topped with a bacon jam and a fried oyster. 

2. Smoked salmon (see #1 above).

3. Crazy grilled and fried oysters with jalapenos and bacon jam.

4. Salmon burger with pimento cheese, Sriracha, and pickled cucumbers.

5. Thrashed at Maverick's Burger with pimento cheese, mustard sizzled onion-jalapeno pickle, hickory sauce, and....wait for it bacon jam.

Now, in our defense, we didn't intend to order 3/5 menu items containing bacon jam. It just sort of happened, mainly because of the great deviled egg mix up of 2015. But, bacon makes everything better, right? Isn't that what people always say?

Well folks, I've concluded that you actually CAN have too much bacon jam. I mean, I love bacon as much as the next girl. But, by the end of the meal, all I could taste was bacon. Moreover, Hubby kept mentioning how much he really enjoyed fresh, clean grilled fish with just a bit of lemon. Now, Liberty is known for their seafood, so maybe it's not surprising he had fish on the brain. But, he must have mentioned how much he loves grilled fish at least five times during our meal and twice on the way home. He was even telling childhood stories of trips to the Gulf where they would indulge in fresh, grilled fish. In retrospect, I think he was so over-baconed that he started craving something cleaner and healthier. A quick review of the Liberty menu lists approximately thirteen dishes (including breakfast items) that contain bacon and/or mapley bacon/bacon jam including two of the vegetables. That's a lot of bacon.

Over a delicious cup of Katz's coffee, which was thankfully bacon-free, Hubby and I discussed the meal. We will be back, likely often since this will soon be a neighborhood restaurant for us. It's a fabulous place for appetizers and drinks. I'm certain that we will return and explore the seafood options, after all much like Ina's Jeffery "just loves chicken," Hubby, "just loves fresh fish." But, next time, we'll leave the bacon on the side.

Texas forever.