Houston’s Warm Five Nut Brownie Sundae: Making Crumbs of an Old Standard
January 10, 2008
Few things are worse than an unsatisfied sweet tooth, especially after a delicious meal. Combine that with the monotony of most restaurant dessert menus and a Snickers from the corner store seems like a better option than a generic brownie sundae.
Fear not if you’re eating at Houston’s, because once you finish your cheesy spinach & artichoke dip, buttery cheeseburger, crispy fries, and fall off the bone BBQ pork ribs, the Warm Five Nut Brownie Sundae which awaits you is a decadent, chocolatey achievement of palatal perfection.
It’s also one of NYC Food Guys all-time favorite desserts.
I know what you’re thinking: “Houston’s is a chain restaurant.” Yes, it is, but it’s more of a high-end chain and respect is due when great food is consistently produced. Let me stop you before you attack the NYC Food Guy for praising a chain when there are so many creative chefs creating unique desserts all over the city. Like Ed Levine, I feel that Houston’s is a great place that deserves a lot of credit for some well executed and delicious food.
Onto the brownie:
A perfectly spherical scoop of Sedutto Vanilla Ice Cream crowns the top of a warm, chocolate brownie with chopped walnuts, pecans, peanuts, macadamia nuts, and one more mystery nut ensconced within its fudgy interior. Ed Levine claims he tastes espresso somewhere in there, but it was subtle enough that I didn’t detect it. It all rests seductively on a pool of champagne custard, which Mr. Levine calls “superfluous”, but NYC Food Guy calls it just plain decadent. The sundae crumbles into the pool of custard as you spoon away at it, each bite soaking up the deliciousness until you find yourself scraping the plate clean.
It’s good to have reliable dining options and Houston’s is NYC Food Guy’s go to. It’s great for a date, a meal with the family, or a stop in just for coffee and dessert. It’s a little on the pricey side ($13 for a cheeseburger, $12 for a salad, $28 for a rack of ribs with fries and slaw) but it’s well worth it for the top notch service, the ambiance, and most of all the consistently delicious food.
Houston’s – 3 locations in New York
378 Park Ave S. Btwn 26th & 27th St
Phone: 212-689-1090
153 E 53rd St At 3rd Ave
Phone: 212-888-3828
Roosevelt Field Mall
Garden City, NY 11530
Phone: 516-873-1454
***Check out more great desserts here***
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January 11th, 2008 at 10:38 am
How can you not profile the ribs…..not that this review wasn’t mouth watering as well but show me some Knife & Fork Ribs also and my jaw would have hit the keyboard
The burger is good as well but there are so many other places I’d rather go for a burger, whereas there aren’t many places I’d rather go for some saucy delicious baby back rips…then again I’ve never had ribs outside of New York
January 11th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Disappointed Fan-
First off, dry your tears. The ribs are coming one of these days. I’m fully aware of their deliciousness but I only had my phone camera last time I ate them and the pics didn’t do justice to the ribs. Stay tuned, lets make that disappointment into happiness.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
[…] little bits, they’re that good. Houston’s Burger, Ribs, Artichoke dip appetizer, and Warm 5-Nut Brownie Sundae are also amazing, each one good enough to warrant a spot on the plate of my last […]
December 7th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I found myself at Houston’s on Thursday night with two friends. I had already eaten so was only there for the company, but then felt like ordering dessert. I remembered reading here about the brownie, but I was not in a chocolate mood, so I went for the apple walnut cobbler instead. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! It was so sweet and not in a good way. Apples topped with a huge amount of walnuts and then drenched in a overly sweet caramel sauce. I couldn’t eat more than two bites. I wish I had gone for the brownie instead.
June 3rd, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Great blog.. I had the sundae here at the Boston Houston’s.. the mystery nut according to my waitress is almonds. I also did detect the espresso as well. The vanilla bean caramel sauce was to die for..
IF you haven’t done so check out the Palm’s Carrot cake!
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:28 am
Every saturday I eat at Houston, taking ribs or sashimi tuna salad (seared salad in the one on 3rd Ave) and of course the brownie !
Sorry for my english but I’m french.
I would like to have a recipe like this brownie please.
I never found it on line.
Thanks a lot.
D
February 7th, 2014 at 7:41 pm
Can you tell me the calories in the brownie??
Thank you
Angela
March 6th, 2014 at 9:52 pm
We went to Houstons with freinds and all our meals and drinks were fabulous. We all thought the brownie dessert was a piece of heaven, 5 stars
November 21st, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Houston’s started in Nashville, Tn and I ate there since the 1970s. The five nut brownie originally was topped with Kahlua for years. That version of the brownie was much better than the sauce they put on it now.
December 1st, 2014 at 2:27 pm
Dr,
Wow. Good to know. Love this restaurant. What else do you remember about their menu from the old days? Thanks for the comment.