The Woodland Resort’s Back Table Kitchen & Bar Welcomes Chef De Cuisine, Debuts Seasonally-inspired Dinner Offerings And Launches Weekend Brunch

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Perfectly timed for the start of a new year, The Woodlands Resort’s waterfront Back Table Kitchen & Bar has reimagined its menu of refined Southern-inspired cuisine for the season. The fresh offerings not only introduce an array of delectable flavors for dinner, but also a new weekend brunch – both orchestrated by recently hired chef de cuisine of note, Jonathan Lestingi.

An accoladed industry veteran, Lestingi brings national experience to Back Table Kitchen & Bar, including a chef de partie position under Patrick O’Connell at famed The Inn at Little Washington, the only 3 Star Michelin restaurant in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and the longest tenured Forbes 5 Star and AAA Five Diamond restaurant in the world. For the past decade, he has been based in New Orleans, where he held sought-after culinary positions at destination dining spots such as Brennan’s, Red Fish Grill and James Beard Award-winning Willa Jean, before opening his well-received solo venture Oxalis – a stylish gastropub and whiskey bar in the hip Bywater neighborhood – as executive chef and owner.

While a number of fan favorites like Beer Can Brick Chicken with bourbon-brown sugar sweet potato puree, ataku rayu chili and garlic confit; Voodoo Beer Batter Fish Sticks with dill weed buttermilk tartar sauce and charred lemon; Cane Syrup Braised Pork Belly with short grain sticky rice, parsley sauce and white balsamic mustard seeds and Gumbo with green chili sausage, smoked yard bird and Carolina gold rice remain, guest can now choose from tasty starters such as Truffle and Crab Deviled Eggs or Pickled Shrimp & Deviled Eggs and entrees including Steak Frites, a juicy hangar served with charred shallot, duck fat fries and smoked onion bearnaise, Six Hour Bordeaux Braised Chuck Short Ribs with black eyed peas, pecan gremolata and fresh horseradish, Blackened Redfish with Creole cream cheese tzatziki, crispy fingerling potato leek ash and shaved cucumber, plus Vegetables & Polenta featuring homestead gristmill polenta, preserved lemon butter and cast iron sweet potato.

Create a new weekend routine or escape to something special on the picturesque 18th hole of the Panther Trail course with brunch at Back Table. The expansive menu now served every Saturday and Sunday boasts a robust assortment of crafted snacks, handhelds, artisanal cheese selections plus heartier fare. Highlights include Shakshuka, a traditional Middle-Eastern brunch staple encompassing poached eggs, fire-roasted spicy tomato sauce, merguez sausage, feta cheese and avocado, Old Charleston Shrimp & Sweet Corn Cakes with low country pico de gallo, house made griddle cakes and sauce américaine, Fried Chicken and Waffle featuring buttermilk thigh and bourbon can syrup, Kale Caesar Salad with spicy anchovy dressing, aged pecorino hazelnuts and roasted garlic aioli, Ham and Pimento Cheese Board and Ricotta Pancakes, served piping hot with fresh fruit and house-made honeycomb butter.

No matter what you order, the beverage program at Back Table Kitchen & Bar offers the perfect pairing with creative cocktails beautiful in presentation and brimming with flavor. Get away from the every day with signatures like the ambrosial Pineapple Lavender Martini and savory Acapulco Sunset, or settle in with the B.T. Boulevardier, made with orange-thyme-rosemary-vanilla house infused bourbon.

Located at 2301 N. Millbend Drive, Back Table Kitchen & Bar is open daily for happy hour from 4-6 pm and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5–9pm, plus Friday and Saturday from 5–10 pm. Brunch is now served Saturday and Sunday from 11 am until 2 pm. For more information, visit backtabletx.com or call 281.364.6400.