While Houstonians are no strangers to cowboys of all kinds, locals experienced a new level of excitement this past weekend as Beyonce, Jay-Z, and company descended upon Houston for two sold-out shows of the Cowboy Carter tour at NRG Park. The visit was particularly thrilling for Houston chef Don Bowie of Taste Kitchen + Bar, who was called upon to prepare a Southern spread of epic proportions for the superstar couple and their entourage, which was delivered to an undisclosed location on Friday night.
Bowie is well known in Houston for his big personality and indulgent Southern fare and all-day brunch dishes served at Taste, located on Main Street in the heart of Downtown. In a press release, the chef divulged that his longtime friend and business associate, JR Martins of Houston-based Alife Hospitality proposed Taste to Beyonce’s team when they expressed a desire to experience some local restaurants while in town.
The team placed a special order of off-the-menu items, with the full spread including jerk lamb chops and deep-fried lobster, chicken and waffles, lobster mac and cheese, and a Taste of New Orleans platter, which pairs together catfish and shrimp. Sides and desserts were hardly overlooked, as the group enjoyed yams, garlic mashed potatoes, and braised collard greens, plus over-the-top sweets like whiskey butter cake, cheesecake, and deep-fried waffle bread pudding.
The welcome recommendation proved to be a great success. A moment captured between Jay-Z and Bowie backstage at the Cowboy Carter show on Sunday, June 29 was posted to Instagram revealing the rapper paying the chef compliment after compliment. In the reel, shared by both Bowie and Taste, Jay-Z enthusiastically tells the chef of the meal he provided, “Man, that shit was fire!”
During the exchange, Jay-Z confessed he had not eaten pork in 50 years, and swiftly looked at the camera, pointed at Bowie, and exclaimed, “Man had me eating pork!” As Bowie humbly accepted the rapper’s praises, Jay-Z declared, “I wasn’t even mad, that’s how good that shit was.”
In the caption of the Instagram post, Bowie wrote, “We’ve received a lot of compliments over the years, but this may be one of the best ones yet.”
Jay-Z wasn’t the only member of the family that was fanning out over the food. Angie Beyince, a cousin of Beyonce, took to her own Instagram page to rave about the meal to her 320,000 followers. Along with a video showing off the food playing to Beyonce’s “Sweet Honey Buckiin”, she shouted out Bowie and Taste in her caption, noting “This food tastes like home!”
Houstonians far and wide can eat like the Carters did by visiting Taste, which is open daily from 8 a.m. And, while an ardent show of emotions over Houston food from one of the world’s most iconic rappers is a big score for the city, it’s safe to say, it’s likely it won’t be the last.
