Michelin Star Chef Alain Verzeroli Brings Unique and Refined Concept to Houston
The Bastion Collection recently announced that Le Jardinier at MFAH, a restaurant serving exquisitely refined food in a unique museum setting, is set to open on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 within the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Led by Michelin Star Chef Alain Verzeroli, the concept is rooted in French culinary technique and inspired by seasonal ingredients used at the peak of their potential.
“At Le Jardinier (French for “the gardener”), we operate in harmony with the rhythms of nature to artfully craft dishes inspired by seasonal vegetables and rich nutrients,” said Alain Verzeroli, Le Jardinier Culinary Director and Bastion Partner. “As we’ve been preparing to open in Houston, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about what Houstonians crave and developing a menu that incorporates the unique terroir of the city.”
Plants play a prominent role on the Le Jardinier menu. Similar to the restaurant’s sister locations in New York and Miami, the Houston location sources the highest quality seasonal fruits and vegetables; fresh herbs and greens; and sustainable seafood, poultry and meats driven by close relationships with local suppliers, fishermen and breeders. Chef Verzeroli delicately balances well-being and indulgence without compromise in each dish, including Burrata with tomatoes, stone fruit, bee pollen and basil seeds; Ora King Salmon with courgettes and lemongrass emulsion; and Grilled Bavette Au Jus with broccolini and eggplant mousse.
Bastion’s Executive Pastry Chef and Michelin Star recipient Salvatore Martone has curated a delicious selection of gluten-free bakery and pastry items. Diners can delight in desserts such as Salty Caramel Sabayon on white chocolate ice cream and cocoa nib tuile, Passion Fruit and Lime Vacherin with floral gelée and an incredible vegan ice cream.
Le Jardinier is beautifully situated on the west side of the Kinder Building, where its floor-to-ceiling windows provide a breathtaking view of the lush and shaded Isamu Noguchi-designed Cullen Sculpture Garden. Trenton Doyle Hancock’s commission Color Flash for Chat and Chew, Paris Texas in Seventy-Two (2020), a vibrant, 10 x 14-foot arboreal tapestry composed of wool and silk fibers, anchors the dining room. Steven Harris and Lucien Rees-Roberts of Steven Harris Architects have echoed the natural theme with plush, sage carpet; veneer walls of vintage limba wood; and a ceiling installation of Noguchi’s Akari lanterns, which cast a warm glow during dinner service and express a direct link to the legendary designer’s sculpture garden. A fractal mirror hung above the wrap-around bar emphasizes the geometric aesthetic of the adjacent Glassell School of Art.
“Chef Verzeroli’s artistic approach to simple, fresh ingredients combined with the natural elegance of the interiors forms an unrivaled dining experience in the Museum District,” said Gary Tinterow, Director, the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “We are delighted to welcome visitors and Houstonians to a serene environment that effortlessly exemplifies our vision for the Sarofim Campus.”
Le Jardinier at MFAH will be open for dinner service, offering intimate interior and al fresco seating by reservation. The fine-dining concept is adjacent to and shares a kitchen with Bastion’s Italian-inspired eatery, Cafe Leonelli at MFAH, which opened in April 2021.
About Le Jardinier:
Operated by The Bastion Collection, Le Jardinier is a modern restaurant focused on cuisine utilizing the highest-quality, seasonal ingredients and fresh herbs. Led by Culinary Director and Michelin Star Chef Alain Verzeroli, Le Jardiner has locations in New York, Miami and Houston. The concept offers a unique culinary experience that balances wellbeing and indulgence without compromise. French for “the gardener,” Le Jardinier’s cuisine reflects the seasonality and rhythm of nature. The vegetable-rich menu offers various protein options, including sustainable seafood, poultry and meat sourced from local partners, creating a well-balanced meal, rich in nutrients and flavor.
About The Bastion Collection
With a team of culinary experts and operations leaders dedicated to the highest of standards, The Bastion Collection has conceptualized, opened and currently operates 10 restaurants across New York, Miami and Houston, including Benno, Leonelli Restaurant & Bar, Leonelli Bakery, Frohzen, Le Jardinier, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and La Table. The group’s efforts and commitment to food and service excellence have been awarded with a total of 4 Michelin stars in the 2020 Michelin guide New York. For more information, visit thebastioncollection.com.
About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Established in 1900, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is among the 10 largest art museums in the United States, with an encyclopedic collection of nearly 70,000 works dating from antiquity to the present. The Museum’s Susan and Fayez S. Sarofim main campus comprises the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, designed by Steven Holl Architects and opened in 2020; the Audrey Jones Beck Building, designed by Rafael Moneo and opened in 2000; the Caroline Wiess Law Building, originally designed by William Ward Watkin, with extensions by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe completed in 1958 and 1974; the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, designed by Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1986; the Glassell School of Art, designed by Steven Holl Architects and opened in 2018; and The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza, designed by Deborah Nevins & Associates and opened in 2018. Additional spaces include a repertory cinema, two libraries, public archives, and facilities for conservation and storage. Nearby, two house museums—Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, and Rienzi—present American and European decorative arts. The MFAH is also home to the International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA), a leading research institute for 20th-century Latin American and Latino art. mfah.org
