Genevieve has something very special planned for you.  Start your day off with a bloody mary from our massive bloody mary bar.  You can make over 100,000 combinations of bloody marys (yes we actually caculated that because we are that smart)  Experience 4 different custom flavors of zing zang including our most popular “Wasabi Zing Zang”.  Add a few of the dozen or so of our house made pickled veggies and olives… throw a few dash of our 20 or so hot sauces, spices galore, and then maybe a few final touches to make it extra savory like bacon or pepper jack cheese cubes.

Sounds fantastic right?  Well that is only the beginning, we also offer a multitude of mimosa flavors depart from the same old OJ, such as kiwi-basil, blackberry-lavender, mango-ginger, rosemary grapefruit, prickly pear and many others.  They change each week so you can always expect something new and interesting.   Pair these dynamic flavorings with our special food menu and you got a food and drink sensory overload to get your sunday started right.  DJ Jason Hilbert keeps the music up and sunny to keep your sunday spirits high for a truly divine sunday at Saint Genevieve.

Drink Menu (PDF)

Brunch Menu (PDF)

Happy Hour Menu (PDF)

 

My first visit to West Ave’s new St. Genevieve unfortunately didn’t include a stop at the establishment’s build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.

But it did include an amazingly coiffed-yet-bro-like bouncer, a self-entitled socialite sighting, a horrendous dirty martini and a much better replacement watermelon mojito. And a lot of fun.

I knew I wasn’t in Midtown (where owners Jeff and Darren Van Delden also own Wonder Bar and Red Door) anymore when our all-female birthday dinner group, having just dined at Alto, had to wait in a thick crowd at the entrance while the above-mentioned bouncer — in the skinniest of jeans, the most pressed of shirts and the most impeccably mussed hair — hand picked entrants.

We made it through after three humiliating rejection rounds, but not before spotting a certain store-owning socialite chide the young man for not knowing who her friends were. They were ready to spend some serious money on those martinis.

We made it through after three humiliating rejection rounds, but not before spotting a certain store-owning socialite chide the young man for not knowing who her friends were.

Once inside, we were impressed by the elegant interiors — all-white boat house-inspired ladies’ rooms; crisp, pleated back-lit wall treatments above a white marble bar, dark wood accents and rich velvet draperies — and overcome by the people-watching.

The age of the crowd varied wildly from barely twentysomethings to guys who could have fathered this twentysomething in a second family. It all made for a more interesting night, and if you were ever considering an augmentation of any kind, this would be the weekend spot to check out the latest models.

Perhaps sensing the preferred pastime of guests, the bar includes two patios from which patrons can stare down at the comings and goings downstairs at Eddie V’s, across the way at Cru or just across the bar at each other. St. Genevieve is named for the patron saint of Paris, after all — a city so preoccupied with watching people that all the café chairs face the sidewalk.

The bar service was slow, but it was packed and there were waitresses available if you preferred to post up and stay put. Less understandable was the bartender (perhaps hired for his good looks) taking three shakers and close to 10 minutes to pour four dirty martinis. When your barman forgets the vodka and has to pour it on top at the end, it’s not a good sign.

Far, far better were the Cubanos — a classic, well-done mojito augmented with crushed watermelon. They were so refreshing, we saw an admirable number of men with the pink drinks in their hands.

I’m resolved to return when there’s more shoulder room to try out that BM bar and sample the happy hour — $6 prosecco and cheese fries, $7 Titos drinks and reuben empanadas, $8 mojitos and flatbread pizza, among other apps and bevs in the $6, $7 and $8 format. The small plates were put together by Haven’s Kevin Naderi, too, so count on some after-work noshing.

St. Genevieve’s website is still under construction; check out the Facebook page for more info.

Sarah Tressler at 2:21 pm on September 19, 2011

David Chisolm pours two Titos Vodka. Photo by Thomas B. SheaWell, they’ve done it again. The Van Delden brothers, the duo behind Wonderbar, Red Door and Sawyer Park, opened another spot in late August — but instead of Midtown or Washington, they’ve taken up shop in the tony West Ave complex.

Saint Genevieve is their latest addition, and it’s a nice way to round out the owners’ nightclub collection: one behemoth of a sports bar, a couple of club destinations that have withstood the capriciousness of nightclub culture and now an upscale gastro-lounge overlooking Upper Kirby.

The split-level second-story space is sweetly appointed in robin’s-egg blue and chocolate brown with velvet drapes, distressed mirrors and dark wood accents surrounding the round white-marble bar.

On any given evening, the mostly white-collar crowd includes a healthy sprinkling of blondes with shiny hair and nice purses gossiping over martinis and small plates. If you need something a little more substantive to lure you in, the bartenders are mixing up some interesting things — how about a Quiet Slap in the Face? That’s Corzo Coffee Vanilla Infused Tequila, Bailey’s, espresso and cream. Or try the Ambien of bar drinks: Adult Cookies and Milk — whole milk spiked with Kahlua and three fat, warm chocolate-chip cookies on the side. If you’re lactose intolerant or on a diet, opt for the Chingon, a low-calorie concoction of tequila, lime, agave, jalapeño and fresh ginger.

Foodwise, you’re in good hands. Chef Kevin Naderi came over from Haven to put together Saint Genevieve’s menu of small plates and pizzas, including Mumbai Fried Chicken served with tamarind chutney and pickled watermelon — delicious and addicting.

Yes, you should probably dress well if Saint Genevieve is your after-8 p.m. destination. And no, we don’t want to hear you whine about it (Just kidding. Leave us your comments.)

But don’t fret too much if you’re stopping in before the sun sets; the after-work crowd isn’t quite so fashion-forward and, quite frankly, this is a great spot for drinks and a light dinner.

CROSS STREETS
Kirby at Westheimer, in the same spot as Tootsie’s, Pondicheri, Ava, Alto and Eddie V’s. … West Ave is filling out nicely.

FEELS LIKE
Named for the patron saint of Paris, Saint Genevieve has a hip Parisian cafe vibe cut with Texan hospitality.

LOOK & LISTEN
A DJ spins nightly, the crowd is usually filled with pretty girls, and the smoking patio is a good vantage point if you want to get SLS-envy.

MEET YOUR MAKER
David Chisolm — formerly of Mo’s … A Place for Steaks, Hotel Icon’s Voice and Eddie V’s — is friendly without being overbearing. He’s just one of the many people staffing the bar with unflagging attention to detail.

QUAFFABLES
Sweet sophisticates should try the I Dream of Genevieve — a floral gin martini garnished with a rose petal.
If you like it fruity, go with a Cubano: rum, crushed watermelon, mint and lime.

DETAILS
2800 Kirby at Westheimer
Second floor of the West Ave complex.
713-524-2441.
www.saintgen.com

Greg Morago at 2:29 pm on October 31, 2011

St. Genevieve owner Darren Van Delden. Photo by Nick de la TorreIf you ask Saint Genevieve owner Darren Van Delden about the name of his super swank bar you’ll get a mysterious answer about a woman.

There is a Genevieve, he says — a woman he met a year ago on holiday in Italy. She must have made quite an impression: Van Delden and his partners (who are behind Red Door, Sawyer Park and Wonder Bar) liked the name so much they lent it to their hot new cocktail lair on the second level of West Ave above Eddie V’s.

“We always wanted to do a place named after a woman,” Van Delden said. “With a woman’s name, there’s more depth.”

The lounge is a big sophisticated step beyond the partners’ other properties. The room is a looker — a crisp Deco-inspired space with metallic silver walls, Tiffany-blue drapes, distressed mirrors and bar chairs upholstered in navy and robin’s egg blue velvet. The décor has a supper-club feeling, which calls to mind a period Hollywood set piece or the Beekman Place rumpus room of Auntie Mame.

It’s delicious. So is the menu. Van Delden said he envisioned Saint Genevieve to be an “environment based on social cocktails and social plates.” They’ve certainly got the cocktails covered with a list of signature drinks including the I Dream of Genevieve, a beguiling merger of Bombay Sapphire Gin, rose water and elderflower liqueur garnished with a rose petal.

The food offerings are clever: Madras curry popcorn; crispy brussels sprout chips with green goddess dip; chickpea-dusted calamari; fried green tomatoes with crab remoulade; Mumbai fried chicken with chutney and watermelon pickle; Reuben empanadas; Spanish meatballs with manchego cheese; and peach and prosciutto flatbread.

“Our direction on food is to take familiar items and give them a little twist,” Van Delden said. “We’re not reinventing the wheel, but giving you something unique that matches the environment.”

That environment is already something of a scene with a deejay Thursdays through Saturdays and a hot Sunday brunch featuring a Bloody Mary bar and flavored mimosas.

We think Genevieve would approve.

Saint Genevieve
2800 Kirby, Suite A206
713-524-2441
saintgen.com