I should’ve known better. There was a pattern, but I was still taken by surprise.
Dessert came out. Three chocolate chip cookies and a little carafe of milk, with a bowl for dipping.
I’ll tell y’all about those in a minute though.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Janice Scheve, co-owner of Red Board Tavern & Table, and adjoining P.A. Smith Hotel, to learn all about the history and the future.
The original P.A. Smith Hotel was built in 1876, it operated as a hotel for a short while then a few other businesses, and then eventually fell into ruin like so many other historic buildings.
Janice and her husband Steve retired, left Houston and moved to Washington, Texas for a slower-paced life. That’s when Steve saw the P.A. Smith Hotel building in Navasota, Texas was for sale. Knowing that Janice loved to flip older houses, he knew that she could bring this building back to life. The grout between the stones that held the building together was crumbling, there was no water or electricity to the building, and the 3rd floor had collapsed. Janice fought the idea, knowing how much work was needed, but then she started dreaming of the beautiful possibilities and conceded. It took 5 years to complete the renovations of the hotel.
But there was still more to be done. To be a full service hotel, the P.A. Smith had to have room service available. So, Red Board Tavern and Table was born. They bought the adjoining building and began renovations on it, and the Tavern opened in May of 2022.
The hotel and tavern are in the heart of Navasota’s railroad district. Janice explained that to train conductors a red board near the tracks on the outskirts of town is a signal to “stop here”, so that’s where the name comes from. It’s a sign for everyone to “stop here”.
Chef Craig, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America, moved to Texas nearly a year before Red Board opened and Janice and Steve grabbed him up as soon as they could, well before the restaurant opened. Best decision ever.
You may think of Red Board Tavern and Table as the place to go for an exquisite meal in Navasota, but I got the privilege of starting off my experience tasting some of their newest cocktails being developed. A Watermelon Lime margarita. The sweet of the watermelon and the sharpness of the lime balanced perfectly in this refreshing cocktail. Their classic Lemon Drop martini was a kiss of cool breeze on this million-degree day.
They’re expanding their expertise to the nightlife, so they’re working diligently to develop delightful new drinks. At 9 pm, the kitchen closes and when the final dinner guest leaves, they turn down the lights and turn up the music, creating an upscale nightclub experience.
To start our meal we chose one of their most popular appetizers, the Triple Play deviled eggs. These ain't your Granny’s deviled eggs; they were an impressive play on the classic appetizer. My favorite of the three separate flavor profiles was the filling made with pimento cheese, applewood smoked bacon and smoked paprika. The robust smoky flavors paired with a hint of spice made it feel like it was more than “just an egg”.
I was blown away by what came next. The precision of the Mediterranean Salad was awe-inspiring; it was plated with perfection. I’m drawn to Mediterranean flavors, and this exceeded my expectations. There were crisp microgreens, sweet tomatoes, salty cotto salami, and kalamata olives; however, the slow-poached garlic made it outstanding.
The wedge salad was a playful spin on the typical wedge. Crisp romaine sprinkled with salty cotija cheese and fresh fried onions. The grilled shrimp were cooked and seasoned to perfection, and the drizzle of pineapple vinaigrette was a whisper of sweetness.
The entrees were the Steak Trim “Sloppy Joe” and the Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. Please tell me how they keep taking these everyday foods and leveling them up!
In the Sloppy Joe, Chef Craig uses NY strip, ribeye, and tenderloin trimmings. Generously covered in their house-crafted cheese sauce and a side of house-made bread and butter pickles. Just because this says trimming, don’t think that means it is the cast-offs of their steaks. There was no gristle or fatty chunks, this was all tender steak bites in their sloppy joe sauce. By the way, those are nacho cheese-dusted chips on the side.
No, I didn’t stutter; the Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato really has 3 times the normal amount of bacon on it! Along with caramelized onion jam, pepper jack cheese, and cilantro aioli, all on grilled sourdough. Hand-cut potato wedge fries and homemade fry sauce to go along the side.
So, here we are, dessert came to the table. Those three cookies. I looked at them and thought "well, after all of this incredible food, those look a little overbaked." I should have known better.
Y’all. Y’ALL don’t know the glory of these cookies. Listen to me. That brown crust of an outer shell was pure tender crispiness. The inside was soft and gooey. Dipped in the milk the outside nearly melted like cotton candy. This was unadulterated Heaven. This was the ultimate comfort food. This is something you need in your life.
Janice told me that she believes the one thing they do better than anywhere else is experience. She was not wrong. The details of everything were phenomenal. The food, the service, the atmosphere, everything was perfection.
I don’t think that I’ve ever been able to walk away from a restaurant and not be able to pick out my favorite item of the day. I can’t say that anymore. Literally, everything was 5 stars.
But who am I, right? I don’t have a trained pallet. Just a girl from Bryan; wandering around Texas in search of the best food. But I can say that this is definitely some of the best.
I could write for days about this place, but I’ll stop here.
You need to take the backroads to Navasota, Texas, and stop in at Red Board Tavern and Table. You’ll be glad you did! Tell ‘em I said hi, then come back here and let me know what you got!
117 S. Railroad Navasota, TX 77868
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