CLUB • ICE HOUSE • LOUNGE
VALHALLA ! SHIP AND SHIELD DROPS ANCHOR
By Mike Cook Photography by Anthony Rathbun
A Viking Pub and Feast ! In Montrose / Midtown ( your call here , West Gray locations are tough ). This might be a first in the entire country , let alone Houston . Ship and Shield , from the group that owns Kelvin Arms in Rice Village , is pretty darn close to as advertised ; quick , everyone get on board lest ye be left in its wake .
The renovated ex-Byzantio interior is quite well done , hitting the Viking theme without going overboard or getting cheesy . Lots of hardwoods , appropriate “ art ” ( including swords , shields , spears and oars ), a wood-burning fireplace and a Viking ship for the bar ( with dragon bow ). There are apparently even furs on the bench but we were too preoccupied sitting at the bar all night to notice . The front and side patios will certainly be a hit year round with the fire pit , board games , darts and bocce court . And the staff ? Awesome ( and dressed normally ). Let ' s just say they seem like a group that can happily deal with anything ( such as 30 pirates in full garb shipwrecking into the place on a busy Saturday night ). Which brings up another of the many perks to Ship and Shield – diverse and entertaining crowds .
While the interior and theme are mythically fun , the food and drinks at Ship
and Shield are the real prize you should pillage for . Mead and Aquavit are both well-represented , as they should be in a quality Scandinavian / Viking establishment . If you don ’ t know what either of these are , get on the ship , start drinking and ask the bartender for a primer ; they would be happy to help guide you . ( As an aside , who knew there was an aquavit being produced right here in Houston – Valhalla Premium Aquavit !?) Anyway , back to pillaging food and drink . Slam some ciders and craft beer , because they are also well-represented in the full bar . Quality ones too , no doubt . As far as food goes , it ’ s mythical , but no joke . The kitchen cranks out some really good food . They found Odin ’ s other eye ( a hard-boiled egg ), wrapped it in smoked salmon and fried it , then served it on top of greens . And it ’ s good . We also recommend Viking Stew ( a thick feast of meats ) and the Wild Boar Tenderloin Sandwich .
We ’ ll end by noting Ship and Shield is not a traditional “ bar ” we would review here at LOCAL . It ’ s a tavern or pub , maybe a bar or maybe a restaurant ? You decide , but realize the folks at Ship and Shield are in the early phases and are letting it develop on its own , quality food and drinks paramount , and our high praise no matter which direction it sails .
Ship and Shield | 403 West Gray | Houston , TX 77019 346.701.0555 | www . shipandshield . com | www . facebook . com / shipandshield
26 LOCAL | february 17