Houston’s Most Anticipated New Restaurants, Fall 2018

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As has been true for years now, restaurants continue to open in Houston at a dizzying pace. Throughout the end of the year, the city will become home to a bounty of new eateries, including multiple food halls, award-winning barbecue, and a steakhouse from one of Houston’s most celebrated chefs.

There’s a ton to look forward to, but these exciting new establishments should be at the top of any diner’s list this fall. Browse through this guide below, then stay tuned for more intel on when each of these spots will officially open the doors.

Truth BBQ

  • Who: Leonard Botello IV, the pitmaster behind the original Truth BBQ in Brenham, Texas.
  • What: One of the state’s most-lauded new smokehouses, Truth will expand in a major way when it arrives in Houston. Botello tells Eater that the new restaurant will occupy 6,000 square feet, and he’s building a kitchen big enough to produce a broader menu. Expect top-quality smoked meats, including brisket and beef ribs, sides like corn pudding and tater tot casserole, and the famous cakes in flavors like red velvet and banana caramel, inspired by Botello’s mother Janel’s own recipes.
  • Where: 110 South Heights Boulevard
  • When: October 2018. No official opening date has been announced yet.

Agricole Hospitality’s EaDo Takeover

Who: Chef Ryan Pera, Morgan Weber, and Vincent Huynh, the minds behind Houston restaurants Coltivare, Night Heron, Eight Row Flint, and Revival Market.
What: A gigantic EaDo project that will involve three distinct restaurants — Indianola, Miss Carousel, and Vinny’s.

Scope out details on each individual restaurant below:

  • Indianola — A restaurant named for the Texas town where Weber’s ancestors first arrived in Texas in the 1870s. Indianola will feature classic American dishes, made with painstakingly-sourced, heirloom ingredients. Chef Paul Lewis will helm the kitchen.
  • Miss Carousel — A sprawling 5,000 square foot bar named for a Townes Van Zandt song that will be attached to Indianola. Up to 30 different classic cocktails will be on offer, along with new libations crafted by beverage director Marie-Louise Friedland.
  • Vinny’s — A by-the-slice pizza joint with fast-casual service. Vinny’s will deliver locally, and keep the doors open well into the late night hours.

Where: 1201 St. Emanuel in East Downtown

When: Mid-September

Bravery Chef Hall

Who: Restaurateur Shepard Ross, partnered with Anh Mai and Lian Nguyen, the minds behind Conservatory, Houston’s first food hall.
What: A chef-focused food hall with a seriously impressive line-up of chefs. Scope out the major restaurant players below:

  • The Blind Goat — A Vietnamese restaurant from Masterchef winner Christine Ha, popularly known as “The Blind Chef.” Ha will focus her menu on nhau dishes, or Vietnamese shared plates like banh gio (pyramid-shaped dumplings) made with brisket from Pinkerton’s BBQ.
  • Nuna Nikkei Bar — A Peruvian restaurant from Andes Cafe owner David Guerrero. Guerrero will serve a menu of cevches and other Japanese-Peruvian fusion dishes.
  • BOH Pasta — A new pasta spot from Ben McPherson, who’s been previewing dishes like taleggio and artichoke ravioli served with chanterelles and aged balsamic.
  • Cherry Block Craft Butcher & Kitchen — A steakhouse from sommelier, chef, and rancher Felix Florez.

Where: 409 Travis Street

Georgia James

  • Who: Restaurateur and chef Chris Shepherd and the rest of his crack team at Underbelly Hospitality.
  • What: A steakhouse born of the first iteration of Shepherd’s shape-shifting restaurant One Fifth. Expect steaks cooked in cast iron, and a representative for Shepherd tells Eater that a martini cart is in the works. A number of popular dishes from that temporary restaurant will return, including the beloved uni panna cotta and 1-and-a-half-pound apple pie.
  • Where: 1100 Westheimer Road, in the space formerly occupied by now-shuttered restaurant Underbelly.
  • When: Mid-September

Sing

  • Who: Food writer and chef Cuc Lam and Jerry Lasco, a restaurateur known for popular eateries like Max’s Wine Dive and Boiler House.
  • What: An Asian fusion restaurant that will highlight Malaysian, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Szechuan, Thai, and Indian cuisines. Diners can look forward to dishes like chicken tikka masala, mango-shrimp spring rolls, and char kway teow, a stir-fry made with flat rice noodles.
  • Where: 718 West 18th Street, in the Lowell Street Market development
  • When: October 2018

Finn Hall

  • Who: Operator David Goronkin, plus 10 independently-owned restaurants.
  • What: A food hall featuring Houston favorites like Dish Society and Mala Sichuan Bistro, and newcomers like pizza spot Mr. Nice Pie and Vietnamese street food destination Sit Lo. Popular food truck Craft Burger will also make a home at Finn Hall, along with Goode Co. Taqueria, a seafood restaurant called Low Tide from the owner of Harold’s in the Heights, and Yong, a Korean comfort food spot.
  • Where: 712 Main Street
  • When: Opening date still TBD.

MAD (BCN Taste & Tradition)

  • Who: BCN Taste & Tradition owner Ignacio Torres, chef-owner Luis Roger, and general manager Sebastien Laval
  • What: A Spanish restaurant named for the airport code for Madrid. Look forward to pinxtos, small snacks served on toothpicks, and shareable plates, all inspired by MAD’s owners’ travels through Spain. MAD will be open for lunch, brunch, dinner, and late-night service.
  • Where: 4444 Westheimer Road
  • When: Late 2018

Source: Houston Eater

J.J Watt and Kealia Ohai: Couple’s Rehab and Recovery

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On the eve of his eighth NFL training camp, J.J. Watt opened a text message and got emotional. Inside was a cell-phone video filmed in a hospital corridor 10 months earlier. Watt was on crutches, still wearing his surgery socks and a giant bandage wrapped around his left knee. A physical therapist was showing the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year how to take a single step forward.

“It’s crazy when you look back at it,” Watt said after a late July practice at the Texans’ training camp site in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. “That day, you are thinking to yourself, How the hell am I ever going to get back to who I am?”

The scar left behind from the complicated surgery to repair the fracture of his tibial plateau, which snakes up from his shin to the side of his kneecap, is lighter now, and even a source of pride. On the practice field, Watt has been back in his usual spots, leading the defensive linemen through position drills and slicing past blockers in 11-on-11 team reps. And on Sept. 9, when the Texans open their season against the Patriots, Watt fully expects to be starting at right defensive end.

But last October, with a second straight season officially cut short by injury, Watt couldn’t be sure about any of those things. If there was anyone who could understand what it’s like to traverse the long and uncertain road back, though, it was the person who recorded the video.

Kealia Ohai was at NRG Stadium on the night of Oct. 8, for the Texans’ Sunday night game against the Chiefs. She was sitting in the stands with her sister, Megan, when she saw her boyfriend run a third-down pass-rush stunt and then crumple to the turf. Ohai rushed downstairs to the locker room, and when she heard the team doctors say Watt definitely hadn’t torn his ACL, she was relieved. She had good reason to be.

In June 2017, Ohai, captain of the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League, was racing for the ball during a road game in Orlando. When she stepped to cut, she felt a pop in her leg. The diagnosis was what she’d feared—a torn ACL and meniscus. She had surgery 10 days later. A month after that, she needed a second procedure to clean out an infection that developed when one of the stitches didn’t heal. By early October, she still hadn’t been able to start running again. That night, she thought Watt avoiding ACL rehab was a win.

Then they got the diagnosis. Watt had shattered the top part of his lower leg, breaking bone and tearing cartilage, the sort of injury doctors said they usually saw in car accidents. He needed to be operated on within hours of the injury. Ohai waited at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, a setting she knew well. The orthopedic surgeon who had repaired Ohai’s knee months earlier was part of the team working to put Watt’s leg back together with a metal plate and screws.“They weren’t even sure if the surgery would work and if he would be able to run anymore. That’s what was so scary for us,” Ohai says. “An ACL is difficult, but it’s pretty straightforward. With J.J.’s, because of the type of injury, I remember the doctors were not exactly sure how his leg and his knee would react to [the surgery]. From the beginning, he wanted to work hard and come back. But for a while, [the question] was, would he be able to come back and play at the same level, and support that much weight? Will his leg ever be the same again?”

It was during those anxious days that Ohai filmed the video of Watt trying to master the delicate art of moving his nearly 300-pound frame on crutches without putting any of his weight on his injured leg. The physical therapist helping him down that hospital corridor knew what awaited the couple in the months ahead—a lot of time on the couch—so he made a recommendation: Peaky Blinders, a British crime drama, available on Netflix.

Unable to walk for nearly two months after the surgery, Watt leaned on Ohai to help with almost everything. She’d bring him his toothbrush and a bowl of water, so he could brush his teeth while sitting down. “So I didn’t have to stand there,” Watt explains, “with my leg throbbing.” She mastered the art of sponge baths and took over the critical household duty of making the chocolate-chip pancakes. At the same time, she was in the most intense portion of her own rehab, strengthening her injured leg and getting her range of motion back. Before she’d leave the house they share for her four-to-five hour physical therapy sessions, she’d make sure Watt had his phone, food, water and anything he might need within arm’s reach. When she’d come back, he’d be sitting in the same spot where she’d left him—it was too painful for him move.

In so many ways, this was old hat. For most of the two-plus years that Watt and Ohai have been dating, he’s been rehabbing one serious injury or another. When Watt needed back surgery for a herniated disc in the summer of 2016, Ohai would carry his urine bottles from the bed to the toilet, where she’d dump them out for him. (And this after they’d been dating for only two months.) But this time was different: Now the heartbeats of two franchises were confronting the feelings of anxiety, frustration and uncertainty together.“Neither of us could feel too sorry for ourselves,” Ohai says, “because the other one was going through the exact same thing.”

For instant pick-me-ups, the couple relied on yellowtail-, tuna- and truffle vinaigrette sushi rolls from Kata Robata or Neapolitan pizza from Pizaro’s. To conquer the boredom, they watched The Office for the fourth or fifth time through, and soon found themselves devouring episodes of Peaky Blinders. (They learned an important lesson: Why had it taken them so long to start watching the BBC?)

Watt resumed walking on Dec. 1, ahead of his doctors’ schedule; in January, he and Ohai vacationed in Italy and visited the Coliseum, rediscovering the feeling of stepping into an arena of competition. Toward the end of the winter, Watt started playing backyard goalie for Ohai—as long as she kicked from at least 20 yards away, to soften the sting.

“Having somebody to go through it with makes the bad days so much better,” Watt says. “Back when you are by yourself, you have nobody at all to talk you through it; nobody at all, if you are having a dark day, to really pick you up. I had my family, but they don’t live here, so you are sitting in an empty house all by yourself as opposed to when you have a girlfriend who can help lift you up.”

Ohai returned to the field first, in April, at the very same arena where she’d felt her knee pop. Playing in Orlando again in June, one year and one day after her injury, she booted a distance goal to tie the game. Last month, the forward got called up to the U.S. women’s national team training camp, an opportunity she was worried might disappear for good after her injury. “That was cool for J.J. to see,” she says. “I think that gives him hope and confidence in himself that he’s going to [come back strong], too. I truly believe he’s going to have the best season of his career.”

Watt isn’t willing to make any such predictions. Such is the toll of the past two seasons, during which he played a total of eight games. But, as he talks about his road back from this most recent injury, he references the end point, when you feel like the player you used to be. When did that happen? “Over the summer,” he says. Before training camp began, he felt the shift, being able to make the cuts he used make and feeling like he had full use of his lungs and legs for his entire workout. “It’s more of a feel than anything,” he says. “You can feel that you got in a proper workout; you are doing the things you know how to do, and you are also not completely gassed at the end.”

In the nearly two years since Watt last sacked an NFL quarterback, his frame of reference has changed. He impacted the city of Houston well beyond anything he could have done on the football field, raising more than $37 million in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and for two years in a row he had to confront not being able to play the game he loves for an indefinite amount of time. “I feel like he has a confidence now,” Ohai says. “I know he’s always been confident, but I think he saw himself lose [the ability to do] everything, and possibly not play, and then work his [butt] off to get back to where he is now. That gives you a sense of confidence; it makes you not really afraid of anything anymore.”

Before Watt left for Texans training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, he handwrote Ohai a letter thanking her for helping him get to the other side. In return, she sent him the video of him taking those literal first few steps of the long road back. The clip wasn’t more than 20 seconds long, but watching it was like rewinding through the past 10 months.

“People say you’re going to come out on the other side of an injury better,” Watt says. “I always questioned that. I always wondered about it. But this one, I really do feel, when I look back at it all, I did come out better. She helped me through the struggle, so I could see the beauty at the end.”

Source: Sports Illustrated

 

Union Kitchen's owner dishes on sweet success, plus the hottest Houston openings

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On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Gr8 Plate Hospitalityowner Paul Miller joins CultureMap food editor to discuss his growing business. Miller traces his rise in the restaurant business from its roots in the Pappas organization to its current point, which includes five locations of The Union Kitchen, two locations of Jax Grill, a food truck, and a thriving catering business. 

The Union Kitchen has thrived based on two primary strategies. The first is a broad menu that truly offers something for everyone, and the second is finding opportunities in underserved neighborhoods like Bellaire, where Miller opened his first restaurant almost 10 years ago, Memorial, Kingwood, and Garden Oaks. Gr8 Plate has also grown through acquisitions, as Miller did when he purchased the burger-oriented Jax Grill concept a few years ago. Miller explains why he might be interested in acquiring other restaurants in the future.

There's a lot of stuff that is, I don't want to say in peril, but there's a lot of question marks around town. People are looking to make some moves. If somebody came to me and said, 'I've got these three restaurants that are doing just ok. I would sell them to you for X number of dollars.' I would buy them and bring them under our umbrella. Use our buying power from our broadline distributors and liquor distributors to take costs down. Fortunately, in that situation, we could be making money within a month, whereas the other restaurateur doesn't have that buying power . . . That's really what we're talking about with some of these other concepts that we're looking at. Can I take their P-and-L and bring it into our system and put more money to towards the bottom line? If the answer is yes, we'll talk about it. If it's a no, let move on down the road. 

Prior to Miller's interview, local bartender and beverage consultant Linda Salinasjoins Sandler to discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the sale of State Fare to the owner of Star Cinema Grill; the prospects for Savoir, the wine-driven new restaurant coming to the Heights later this year; L'Olivier's plans to reconcept as Avondale Food & Wine; and the imminent opening of State of Grace owner Ford Fry's two new restaurants, La Lucha and Superica. In the restaurants of the week segment, the duo share some first impressions of Saint Arnold Brewing Company's new restaurant and beer garden and Kau Ba Kitchen, the new Vietnamese restaurant in Montrose.  

Source: Houston Culture Map

Retail wrap: Fortress BeerWorks heading to Spring; Flying Biscuit Café to make Houston debut

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Fortress BeerWorks has leased a 6,620-square-foot space at 2606 Spring Cypress Road in Spring for a craft brewery to open this fall. The brewery, co-owned by head brewer Dion Billard, expects to be open Thursday through Sunday at the outset, and will partner with local food trucks. Chris Caudill of NAI Partners represented the brewery. Thomas Leger and Chase Cribbs of Lee & Associates represented landlords Blake Vincent and Richard Werner.

Flying Biscuit Café has leased 3,087 square feet in The Shops at Memorial City, 12389 Kingsride Drive, for its first Houston location. Brett Levinson with Weitzman represented the landlord. David J. Littwitz with Littwitz Investments represented the restaurant, which will open later this year. A second Houston location is set for 2019. Founded in Atlanta in 1993, there are 17 Flying Biscuit locations.

A private investor purchased a 3,850-square-foot building leased by Mercantil Bank at 3200 S. Shepherd Drive. JLL’s Pierce Owens, Donna Kolius and Kaylie Walker represented the seller. Ethan Offenbecher with TREK Investment Group represented the buyer.

Sozo Japanese Steakhouse has leased 2,625 square feet at the Crossing at Telfair at Texas 6 and U.S. 90 in Sugar Land. Hampton Inn Hotel and three more retail buildings are being built in the center, which will house Wingstop, Decadent Dessert and Coffee Bar, 20/20 & Beyond Eyecare, Nails of America, Lash Studio and other tenants. Eddie Lang of Quenby Commercial represented the tenant. Inna Gallagher of Rubicon Realty represented the landlord.

Shaka Power Yoga has leased 2,396 square feet at 10611 Fry Road, Cypress. Feysal Edris of Lee & Associates represented the tenant. Grant Gold with Howard Hughes Corp. represented the landlord.

Wingstop has leased 2,235 square feet at 11092 Fondren for a store to open this fall. Jason Gaines of NAI Partners represented the tenant. Austen Baldridge of New Quest Properties represented the landlord.

Hummingbird Montessori has leased 10,000 square feet at the Shops in Riverstone on the northeast corner of University Boulevard and W. Avalon Drive, Sugar Land. Jesse Hernandez represented the landlord, Hunington Properties.

Honeybee Foods has subleased 4,087 square feet at 6127 Texas 6, Missouri City. Benny Nguyen of Retail Solutions represented the sublessor. Hal Colbert of Colliers International represented the subtenant.

Full story: Houston Chronicle

Local restaurant group to expand 2 concepts to Katy lifestyle center

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Gr8 Plate Hospitality is heading west — west Houston, that is. 

The locally based restaurant group inked leases for two of its concepts at Houston-based NewQuest Properties’ Stableside at Falcon Landing in Katy in the Cinco Ranch area, according to a press release. The Union Kitchen will open its sixth location in a 5,000-square-foot space with seating for 450 guests, while the third storefront of Jax Grill will be 4,000 square feet with seating for 350. 

The restaurants are scheduled to break ground this summer, and the construction is expected to finish by early 2019, per the release. Both locations will feature large patios with outdoor seating and views of a shared green space. Click through the gallery above to see renderings of the concepts and the lifestyle retail center.

Total investment costs for the new storefronts are estimated to be $2.2 million, a spokesperson said. The Union Kitchen, at 9920 Gaston Road, suite 100, will hire about 60 employees, while Jax Grill, at 9910 Gaston Road, suite 200, will need about 40 people to work in the restaurant. 

Owners Paul and Doris Miller tapped two Houston-based firms as the designer and general contractor: Mark Boucher of Houston-based Boucher Design Groupis doing the design, while Charles Chapman of Corinthian Contracting is overseeing the build-out. Chapman also constructed The Union Kitchen’s Ella Boulevard and Washington Avenue locations, per the release.

David Littwitz of Littwitz Investments Inc. represented Gr8 Plate in the lease negotiations, a spokesperson said.  

Stableside is on 34.4 acres at the intersection of Gaston Road and Falcon Landing Boulevard in the Cinco Ranch area. The restaurants’ neighbors at the lifestyle retail center will be the 121,000-square-foot VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa, whose lease kicked off phase II of Stableside, and the 102,473-square-foot Kroger Signature store, which anchored the first phase of Stableside. That first phase was announced in September 2015 and completed in late 2016.

Across Gr8 Plate's three concepts — The Union Kitchen, Jax Grill and The Rollin’ Kitchen, which is an events and catering concept — the company has more than 400 employees, per the release. The Union Kitchen has locations in Bellaire, the Memorial area, Kingwood, Ella Plaza and on the ground floor of a new luxury apartment complex, Elan Memorial Park, off Washington Avenue. Jax Grill has stores in Bellaire and on Shepherd Drive just south of Katy Freeway. 

The Millers recently won the Texas Restaurant Association's Outstanding Restaurateur award, per the release. In January, they were recognized as the Greater Houston Restaurant Association Restaurateur of the Year.

Full story: Houston Business Journal