Behind the menu - the taste of authenticity
As seen in Woodlands City Lifestyle
Staying True
To bring the real flavors of Spain to his new restaurant, Mesón Sommelier in Old Town Spring, Thomas Perez imports everything from seafood to charcuterie, down to the very bread served each day. He sources items from Spain that even restaurants there have trouble finding, like angulas (baby eels fried in olive oil), a Spanish delicacy that’s notoriously hard to come by.
“Imagine caviar or foie gras—these are ten times more difficult to find. People from Spain walk in here, and they’re shocked.”
It's no wonder that Mesón Sommelier has already earned the Restaurants from Spain certification, an official designation awarded to only a handful of restaurants worldwide based on rigorous standards for carrying on Spanish culinary traditions.
“For us,” says Perez, “this is our Michelin star right here.”
Perez says his menu draws primarily from the Basque provinces of northern Spain—croquetas de bacalao, gambas al pil pil, pan con tomate, and patatas bravas are some of the offerings. His deep list of Spanish wines (most of which can’t be found anywhere else in Texas) and a hunky leg of acorn-fed jamón Ibérico de bellota perched on the bar round out the restaurant’s bona fides.
“We go back to the ingredients,” says Perez, “that way we don’t lose the deeply-rooted history of the cuisine.”
Article by Laura L. Green
Photography by Provided
Originally published in The Woodlands City Lifestyle