Full of Zest
THIS LEMON-INFUSED TEXAS
GIN TAKES THE STING OUT OF THE
SUMMER HEAT.dwelling: steelhead trout, an as-
tonishing rosy-fleshed, steak-y
fi sh that had been cooked over em-
bers, rendering its skin so crisp it
crackled. It was every bit the match
for a sybaritic brown-butter hol-
landaise (“Aerated!” our server
exclaimed). The most satisfying
among the land critters I tried was
the oak-smoked Hereford pork
loin with toasted-peanut jus. This
brown-and-white hybrid pig is
named for the cattle breed it re-
sembles, and its fl esh is a delicate
pink. I wished it had been more
tender, but that didn’t detract from
its absolutely superb accompani-
ment: hominy. Made in-house, the
kernels were silky and smooth in-
stead of gnarly and granular. They
actually tasted like—drumroll,
please—corn!
By the end of the night, you may
be fl agging, but hang on, because
McCallister’s longtime pastry chef,
Maggie Huff , is a singular talent. If
you’re a cake person, get the torte,
a meticulous composition of al-
mond sponge cake, two types of
chocolate ganache, and passion-fruit buttercream arranged in so
many slender layers it looks like an
edible bar code. If you’re a pie per-
son, consider the rustic rhubarb
galette, its superb crust punched
up by a sweet, crumbly topping
and a tart scoop of crème fraîche
ice cream.
On my way out the door after my
second visit, I kept thinking about
the two restaurants that bookend
McCallister’s career to date. When
he launched FT33, some seven
years ago, he dazzled diners with
the likes of sea urchin pancakes
with yuzu and bonito fl akes. These
days, at Homewood, he comforts
them with Parker House rolls and
chicken drippings. Another chef
might have swung further into
the comfort zone. But McCallis-
ter isn’t ready to abandon all his
magic tricks. Instead, he’s find-
ing a distinctive middle ground.
“What we’re doing at Homewood
now is playful and creative,” he
says, “just not as showy.” This new
path works for him. And judging
by the response, it’s working for a
lot of people, including me. Please
pass the aerated Parmesan dip-
ping sauce. TThe interior of Homewood.Spirit: Seersucker Southern Style
Lemonade Gin
Distillery Locale: San Antonio
Price: $22/750 ml
The Story: Trey and Kim Azar,
who launched Cinco Vodka in
2010, entered the gin game in
2017 with Seersucker Southern
Style Gin. Their concept: high-
light the citrus note, balance
the juniper, and mix traditional
botanicals (coriander, cardamom)
with Southern accents like honey
and mint. They soon found that
bartenders were often using it to
make Tom Collins and Southside
cocktails, which require lemon and
lime juice, respectively. The Azars
decided to do some “reverse-
engineering [to get] those cocktails
back into the bottle,” Trey recalls.
In 2018 Seersucker introduced
two flavored varieties: lemonade
and limeade, the added fresh juice
countered by herbs (lemon with
lavender; lime with mint).
Parting Shot: Try the lemonade
gin in the aforementioned Tom
Collins or a White Lady, or keep
it simple with ice and sparkling
water. —TOM THORNTONFor three lemonade-gin recipes,
go to texasmonthly.com/food
-home.40 TEXAS MONTHLY
PAT’S PICK LIBATIONSILLUSTRATION BY LEONIE BOS