Northampton Neighbor Article: Flower Child

This article first appeared in the Northampton Neighbor May 2019 edition:

Flower Child is a new and fast-growing restaurant chain.  It has 23 locations, mostly in very trendy cities like Boulder CO, Washington D.C., and Austin.  The franchise has now expanded to the Houston area, including one close to home in The Woodlands.

The name “Flower Child” evokes a very consciously hip, healthy, trendy image.  And they embrace everything you might be thinking.  The interior of The Woodlands location is done in green and white, with just a little black.  The walls are decorated with casual, modern but crafty art, and the tables all have flowers and nice accents.  There’s a basket for parking your yoga mat by the door.  Avocado toast is on the menu.

I’ve eaten in many places like this, and the food tends to be more virtuous than satisfying.  Not here!  This is some of the most delicious, flavorful food I’ve ever had, healthy or otherwise.

The basic menu categories are salads, wraps, bowls, and “plates”—servings of vegetables or starches that you can pair with any protein (chicken, steak or salmon) for an entrée.  I’ve had their “Forbidden” Rice bowl (black pearl rice and vegetables with a red chili hoisin sauce) with beef, and the Mother Earth (grains, mushrooms, avocado, etc. with a red pepper miso vinaigrette) as is.  Both had a depth of flavor that I have never found in this category of restaurant before.  The tastes are so complex as to defy description.  You’ll want to take an hour to eat, savoring each bite.

The salads and bowls are designed as vegetarian dishes but are well complemented by any protein you choose.  Their simplest offerings—asparagus, mashed potatoes, salmon—are perfectly executed and very satisfying. 

The menu doesn’t just offer gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free items.  It affirms and glorifies them.  The gluten-free chocolate brownie had a wonderful tender texture—it ate perfectly, no crumbling but also not sticky, with plenty of chocolate flavor and sweetness right to the edge of good taste.

The place has definitely been discovered by The Woodlands diners.  The first time I went with a colleague to lunch, the line was out the door and stretched well down the side of the shopping center.  I know we’ll be braving the crowds again, many times.