Houston Chronicle - October 18, 1996

If you long to while away the hours writing in your journal while nursing a cappuccino and nibbling on a piece of Viennese apple strudel or to spend a leisurely afternoon catching up with an old friend over salad and a glass of wine, the Epicure Bakery and Tea Room may be just the place.

Something of a neighborhood secret, this 7-year-old establishment and 2005-C W. Gray is tucked just between a travel agency and a resale shop. Just two doors east of the River Oaks Theater, it attracts a loyal contingent of regulars who appreciate its comfortable, serene environment.

When you enter the Epicure, your soul will be soothed by classical music. The tables are well-spaced, and you will be encouraged to linger.

If all of this makes the Epicure sound like a European café, that's no accident.

When they opened in May 1990, Iranian brothers Amir and Khan Esmailkhanloo had in mind " a real Europe-style bakery - just pastries and coffee," according to the latter.

Khan Esmailkhanloo says 90 percent of the Epicure's customers are regulars, many of whom hail from Europe or South America and are "real café people."

"They love the type of Viennese cage atmosphere and they like the pastries," he says. "In Europe, they never rush. They sit; they enjoy their coffee.

The Esmailkhanloo came to Houston from Vienna, where they had lived for 15 years and attend the Vienna Culinary School, both earning the title of Konditormeister or master baker.

The Epicure started as a bakery. Then customers began asking for other treats, especially ice cream. The brothers obliged by making their own, and it is fabulous: light fruity sorbets of mango and fresh raspberry share the bill with unconscionable rich vanilla and chocolate and a superior pistachio. Next came salads and soups.

"Within six months, people began asking what we had for lunch so we thought, 'Why not prepare a few simple things'" Khan Esmailkhanloo recalls.

Chicken Salad, one of Amir's recipes, was the first salad the Epicure served, and it is sublime. Shimmering slabs of tender barely poached chicken breast are mixed with toasted slivered almonds, chopped scallions, and a light creamy sauce that is 80 percent yogurt and 20 percent mayonnaise. The dish is seasoned with salt and a little white pepper.

Khan Esmailkhanloo says the chicken salad "is something I eat every day and I never get tired of it," although the Epicure menu now offers 10 salads, all above reproach. They range from a garlicky Caesar salad made with three kinds of mustard and offered plain or topped with grilled chicken breast (or grilled salmon as a special) to a heaping mound of freshly made tabouli served with a slab of briny Feta cheese, sliced onions and tomatoes. The Epicure's 13 sandwiches are served on freshly made whole-wheat baguettes, but my favorite was a special grilled eggplant and goat cheese. Due to popular demand, this sandwich is slated to become a regular menu item. Sandwiches are served with a flawless coleslaw made of white and red cabbage, shredded carrots, vinegar, yogurt, mayonnaise, salt and white pepper. Khan Esmailkhanloo says this is a recipe from a Hungarian partner he once had.

In fact, any Epicure recipes that aren't his brother's, Khan Esmailkhanloo say, were garnered from years of extensive travel through Europe.

"Many of these recipes are very popular in Europe," hey says. "I travel to Italy, Switzerland or Germany, where I have many friends in the restaurant and hotel business, and when I try something new that I like, I always ask for the recipe."

This explains the Epicure's internationally eclectic menu.

Try the tomato basil soup, fragrant with basil and thickened with almost dissolved pieces of potatoes and onions. The past with basil sauce is one of the most satisfying pasta dishes I've eaten outside an Italian restaurant. For the latter a simple reduction of fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic is thickened with a litter cream, ladled over penne pasta - "or any kind that holds the sauce well," - and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for color.

Entrees are served with a basked of fresh potato-wheat focaccia bread and creamery butter.

If your taste runs to something simpler, try the scrambled eggs with ham and cheese and a buttery croissant, or consider one of the Epicure's handsomely composed omelettes.

Breakfast is served during all business hours, and all egg dishes share a platter with fresh seasonal fruit and a nontraditional preparation of rosti potatoes, a Swiss standard.

Two other entrees are not to be missed the Salzburger beef goulash, one of Khan Esmailkhanloo's favorites, is from an old recipe a Hungarian family shared with him. It is a rich tomato-based stew seasoned intensely with garlic, onions caraway marjoram and, of course, a generous measure of sweet Hungarian paprika. He says the chicken curry is equally popular; its yogurt-laced, chicken broth-based sauce is wonderful.

As good as all these selections are, the Epicure's specialties are its original pastries.

Consider the croquembouche, an elaborate French concoction whose name literally translates to "cracks in the mouth." Just one of many classic desserts made to order at the Epicure, the croquembouche is an impressive conical tower of small cream puffs cloaked in caramel, laced and finished with a fine netting of spun sugar. This is a bargain at $20 for a minimum of 25 pieces.

Other classics are gateau St. Honore, named for the patron saint of French pastry chefs, perfect éclairs, both mocha and chocolate, and an authentic Viennese apple strudel.

Khan Esmailkhanloo says the Epicure's strawberry Napoleon - alternating layers of puff pastry and créme patisserie studded with strawberries -- is his most popular individual pastry, but I could write a sonnet or two about the dense ambrosial chocolate mousse or what I think might be the best tiramisu in town.

Custom-made cakes for special occasions make up a large part of the Epicure's business. Judging from photos of past creation, customers are limited only by their imagination. Khan Esmailkhanloo notes that everything is hand-done, so at least a week's notice is required for special orders.