Augustine’s, 2615 Riverside, is shooting to open in fall 2024 on the ground floor of the Hotel King David and the chef leading the concept is one familiar to many Houstonians. Chef Dominick Lee, former executive chef at the now-shuttered Poitin, is returning to Houston after a two-year culinary journey in Europe and his 2023 opening of the NYC restaurant Alligator Pear.
Lee’s stint in Europe was spent studying the food derivatives of Creole cuisine and his new venture, Augustine’s, is a reflection of what he learned. The name Augustine’s pays tribute to the surname of an African American family who landed in Cannes, France before being transported to Louisiana, migrating to Texas, then returning back. Though the family’s journey is the inspiration for the culinary narrative, it’s meant to capture the stories of many African American families in the South.
Lee, who is a native of New Orleans, got his Bachelor’s degree at the Art Institute of Houston in Culinary Management.
He said in a press release, “Creole cuisine developed from the true blending of European cultures (Spanish, Italian, French, German). African slaves and Indigenous Peoples. The nuances of the cuisine eventually began to plateau and the typical food New Orleans is known for is all we kept creating.” Lee wants to create a new history and new recipes that celebrate the idea of the original melting pot, terming it “Progressive Creole.”
The chef will give a preview of Augustine’s with two dinner series on the grounds of Hotel King David. The first will explore “The Story of Mardi Gras” with a five-course tasting menu February 10 and February 11. He will follow that with a collaborative Black History Month dinner with Chef Martin Draluck who appeared on Netflix’s High on the Hog and is the founder of Black Pot Supper Club. The BPSC series will be February 16 and February 17.
Eculent, 709 Harris, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this March by changing its name and concept. According to a press release, there are only 8 more weeks for diners who have eculent on their foodie bucket list to secure a reservation for what has been described by Texas Country Reporter as “The Most Fantastical Restaurant You’ve Never Heard Of”. The last day of service at eculent is March 30.
Chef/owner David Skinner is transforming the space into ISHTIA, a word which means ‘beginning’ in the Choctaw language. Skinner, who is Choctaw, says that now that the eculent brand is expanding globally, “it’s my vision to bring the actual restaurant experience here in Houston back to modern, American heritage and indigenous ingredients with ISHTIA as the central concept.”
The new concept, which is slated to open in early April, will be a live fire experience with a newly-installed wood-burning hearth being the site of much of the cooking. The transformed space will also feature a bar for the first time, allowing for solo diners to enjoy the experience as well. The 12 to 15-course tasting menu will have ingredients that draw on North and South American cultures and culinary heritages, bringing Skinner’s native Choctaw food into the forefront.
As for the eculent brand, Skinner is thinking even further outside of the box with plans to make it an internationally-recognized brand by creating concepts and catering for large-scale events. One example is a private event for an oil and gas company in which every course will contain one or both of the oil and gas elements. He also plans to curate gourmand trips for small groups that will include experiences with Michelin-starred chefs and restaurant owners around the world.
Skinner’s collaboration with Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, T_Prsrv at eculent, will continue.
Chicken N Pickle, 210 Blue Heron, will celebrate its grand opening in Webster February 20. It’s the fourth Texas location for the sports bar and restaurant which also features pickleball courts and yard games. It was founded in North Kansas City, Missouri in 2016 and has already opened nine locations in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arizona and Texas with the Webster spot being number ten. Six more are planned by the first quarter of 2025.
Though it boasts both indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, it also caters to the neighborhood with a casual chef-driven restaurant and a bar featuring craft cocktails and local beer. The food menu offers shareables like deviled eggs, quesadillas, wings and fried pickles while there are a number of entree salads and bowls. There’s a smashburger plus a selection of chicken sandwiches such as the Pickled Chicken and the NKC Hot Chicken, a North Kansas City take on the Nashville favorite. There’s also a kids menu.
Cocktails include drinks like the Muddy Mary, CNP Guava Paloma and Spicy Blackberry Margarita. When it opens, the bar will offer local brews.
Chicken N Pickle Webster will offer sports wheelchairs for pickleball in its effort to make it accessible to all with more “all abilities” programming planned for the future.
MARCH, 1624 Westheimer, reopened and launched its Paisos Catalans transformation January 30. It’s the sixth theme menu for the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant which changes its concept semi-annually. It closed temporarily January 1 to prepare for the new menu. Its previous theme had been the island of Sicily.
The metamorphosis into La Cucina Catalana showcases the cuisine and culture of Catalan-speaking areas such as Catalonia and the Balearic Islands which include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza (Ibitha!) and Formentera plus Valencia, Alicante and Castello in eastern Spain. It also includes the French province of Roussillon, the principality of Andorra and the city of Alghero in Sardinia, Italy.
Catalan cuisine often blends elements of the sea and mountains along with sweet and savory flavors in one dish or pot. Condiments that have become commonplace in restaurants across the world such as aioli, Romesco and sofrito have roots in Catalan food culture.
The tasting menu at MARCH, which can be ordered as a 6 or 9 courses, includes Remolde Riu, a cured fluke crudo and Paella Valenciana with lamb chorizo and sweetbreads. Fricando, a Catalan beef stew, gets a creative transfiguration with apolonia-spiced wagyu short rib that’s fried in A5 wagyu fat, then topped with picada. Duck confit is transformed into Anec Confita, a duck presse with cherries, white asparagus, pickled grapes and candied lavender almond. For more decadence, it’s topped with a crumble of crispy duck skin and grains of paradise.
The Catalan beverage program offers cocktails such as Fent el Vermut, its take on Marianato, a popular aperitif, and 3 Centuries, a drink inspired by Crema Catalana, a creme brulee-style dessert that made its debut three hundred years before the French dessert. The wine program is led by Master Sommelier June Rodil who has drawn selections from the Penedes wine region as well as regional examples from France’s Roussillon in southern France.
Dinette, 1018 N. Shepherd, will have its last day of service February 4. The Vietnamese-inspired kitchen and bar opened in July 2022 from the crew behind Hando and Kanpai Club. Its bakery will close February 4 as well. However, the team may be planning something new in the same space.
Co-owner Raymond Chan said in a press release, “Despite today’s announcement and the closing of this chapter, we are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished with Dinette and we look forward to developing a new concept to open in the current space.” He also hopes everyone comes in to enjoy a favorite meal one last time.
The owners still operate Hando on 11th in the Heights and very recently opened a second Hando in Spring Branch.
Off the Record Vinyl, 416 Main, is having an official opening celebration February 3 which will also launch its partnership with Maven Coffee Co. The speakeasy’s Coffee & Doughnuts event is open to the public and will showcase the vinyl shop which is operated by local record store Cool Heads Prevail. Attendees will be able to enjoy the vast music collection from Off the Record while enjoying complimentary coffee cocktails from Maven Coffee Co. and doughnuts from Shipley Do-Nuts. There’s also a chance for one lucky person to win free Shipley doughnuts for a year.
Off the Record first opened in November 2023, as we reported here in the Press. It’s inspired by music icon George Daniels, a native of Houston’s Fifth Ward who opened George’s Music Room in Chicago in 1969.
Maven Coffee Co. was co-founded by Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. in partnership with local entrepreneurs Blake Fertitta and Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa as part of Rex Hospitality Group. Maven’s cold brew is featured in the Brown Sugar Brew, Off the record’s signature cocktail, as well as its Espresso Martini.
The Coffee & Doughnuts event runs from noon to 3 p.m.
Snooze A.M. Eatery, 12333 Southwest Freeway, will open February 14 instead of February 7, as we originally reported here in the Houston Press. No reason was given for the slight delay in opening. They just pushed the snooze button for a week.
Joe’s Italian Restaurant and Pizza, 13203 Jones, seems to have closed this past week. Its online listing says it is temporarily closed. It opened in early December 2023, as we reported here in the Press.
The online reviews from Yelp and Nextdoor.com were very positive so many recent customers were left wondering why it would close less than two months after opening. We have tried reaching out but have not had any response. Its phone is still in service but there has been no answer.
Simon Cacheton, 10130 Grant, closed in January. This is another family-owned business that has shuttered in the area in the past month. It opened in March 2023 offering California-style burritos and tacos. The food got excellent reviews but it seems that it wasn’t quite enough to keep it going.
Wild Sol, the Southwest food brand from Houston Astros baseball player Alex Bregman and wife Reagan, is launching four different 12-ounce jarred salsas in February 2024. The salsas get a jolt of flavor from spirits such as tequila or mezcal, with the alcohol being cooked out in the process. The two-time World Series Champion already has a line of ‘Breggy Bomb BBQ’ sauces which will remain the same.
The couple privately launched the salsas at Houston businessman and Astros owner Jim Crane’s Floridian National Golf Club this past weekend for Reggie Jackson’s Mr. October Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic. In attendance were some of Bregman’s fellow teammates including Jeremy Pena, Kyle Tucker and Mauricio Dubon along with former Houston Astros legend Jeff Bagwell. Houston was also represented by rap artists Travis Scott, Slim Thug and Bun B plus performers such as 50 Cent, Ne-Yo and Dave Chappelle.
Our invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.
Restaurants Reported Open January 2024:
The Brass Tap, 4635 Kingwood, opened January 22
Chick Houz, 20326 Tomball Parkway, opened December 29
Costa Fina, 26543 Kuykendahl, opened January 16
Golden Chick, 4805 Galveston Road, opened January 9
Grace Pizza and Shakes, opened mid-January
The Grove Wine & Whiskey, 3921 Woodson’s Reserve Parkway, opened early January
Hando Spring Branch, 8211 Long Point, opened early January
Hero’s Bar & Grill, 3301 Louetta, opened December 1
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, 2359 S. Shepherd, opened January 17
Salata, 21856 Market Place, opened January 11
Slowpokes, 13210 Memorial, opened January 18
Thirteen, 1911 Bagby, reopened February 1
Vine Memorial, 7951 Katy Freeway, opened January 9
Restaurants Reported Closed January 2024:
Dak & Bop, W. 18th, closed December 31
Killen’s TMX, 9330 Broadway, closed December 23
Picnik, 888 Westheimer, closed January 21
Urban Eats, 3414 Washington, closed January 28
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
