Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, 1111 Shepherd, officially opened August 7 in Washington Heights. this is the first outpost outside of its home base in Atlanta, Georgia, where it has operated for 20 years. There are currently 11 locations in the Atlanta area.
Founder and CEO Steven Chan was inspired by the folk tale of the Tin Drummer who walked the streets each morning beating on his drum to call the community to come together and eat at the local cafe. The playlist at Tin Drum restaurants pay tribute to the drummer with music from Asian artists that is heavy on drum and bass. Chan was raised in urban Hong Kong which inspired the Pan-Asian concept and its colorful, neon-lit interior adorned with graffiti art that adds to the city vibe.
The cuisine at Tin Drum is an amalgamation of foods from across continental Asia with dishes influenced by food stalls, markets and small neighborhood restaurants. Everything from stir-fries to street snacks to ramen is on the menu. For starters, guests can munch on street snacks such as Crab n Cheese Roll, Pork Wonton, Crab Rangoon and Crunchy Chicken Potsticker which are available singly or in multiples. For a group, there are Bo Bo Platters in three sizes.
The Wok Wings come in a choice of 9 flavors including Pad That, Mango Chili, Tikka Masala and Orange Pepper. There are even vegetarian options such as Tempura Cauliflower and Wok Tossed Tofu. Ramen dishes can be made with ramen noodles or soba and there are protein choices like chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp or pork belly. For folks looking for bold flavors, there are dishes such as Banging Miso Ramen and Fragrant Thai Ramen. There is a variety of stir-fries that begin the journey in a 1,000-degree wok.
A prominent feature of Tin Drum is its Boba Bar and the choices are staggering with fruit teas, milk teas and slushies that can be customized with up to three toppings and different sweetness levels. Some of its best sellers are the Strawberry ‘N Cream Slushee, Vietnamese Coffee and Mango Passion Fruit Tea.
Tin Drum also hosts its Asia Mart, a mini mart within the restaurant offering purchases such as candy, sauces and snacks from a number of Asian countries.
Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern, 1613 Richmond, opened August 4. The nostalgic pizza joint comes from Sara and Martin Stayer, the duo behind local bar and dining establishments Nobie’s and Toasted Coconut. The married couple first met in Chicago and they are sharing that history by delivering to Houstonians their passion for tavern pizza, a thin-crust, square-cut pizza that originated in the Windy City during the Great Depression. Meant to lure in customers to the bars, the pizza’s unique cut, also called the ‘party cut’, was easily doled out to patrons on square napkins.
At Nonno’s, the tavern pizza is available as BYO or diners can opt for the Traditional Cheese, the Meat Head, Broccoli Garlic, Green N Mean or the Maui Wowee, topped with SPAM, pineapple and smoked jalapeno. In addition to the tavern pizza, Nonno’s has focaccia-style pan pizza by the slice. Munchies like mozzarella sticks, Verde Fennel Crisp Wings or charcuterie get the party started while greenies have several salads from which to choose.
Sara Stayer is in charge of the bar program that includes cocktails, beer and a curated wine list of natural and classic wines focused on Italian and New World varietals. There’s a spritz menu with four refreshing and light summery sips.
The family-friendly tavern also features a carpet-clad mini arcade and vintage furniture, transporting Gen Xers to a time when pizza parlors were dimly lit by faux Tiffany pendant lights and offered Pac-Man video games for passing the time.
Two reel-to-reel machines provide the soundtrack with “remember when?” mix tapes curated by the Uncanned music team. There’s a patio for outdoor seating when, and if, the weather cools down.
For now, the pizza paradise is open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Rumi’s Kitchen, 1801 Post Oak Boulevard, is coming to Houston in October 2023. The nationally acclaimed Persian restaurant will join the upscale retail and dining development that also houses Uchiko and Zadok Jewelers. It will be the fifth U.S. location for the brand. Founded by Ali Mesghali in 2006, it’s known for its modern take on traditional Middle Eastern cuisine with dishes divided into Taste and Feast on its menu.
The Taste side offers smaller plates such as Rumi’s Wings with spicy lemon saffron and Kashk Badenjoon, a dish of fried eggplant, cream of whey, crispy onion and mint. More familiar appetizers such as falafel, hummus and fattoush salad are also on the Taste menu.
For the Feast portion of the menu, there is a large selection of beef, chicken, vegetable and lamb kabobs with a variety of flavor choices. Other dishes include Lamb Rack, Roasted Salmon and Ghormeh Sabzi, a beef stew with red kidney beans and saffron basmati rice.
There is a wine list, a selection of beers and a cocktail program inspired by Persian ingredients and flavors.
Underbelly Burger, 1222 Witte, is shooting to open in October. It will be the second location for the burger restaurant which first opened at Houston Farmers Market in January 2022. Underbelly Burgers uses locally-raised, high quality meats such as Wagyu from R-C Ranch and Angus beef from 44 Farms. There’s also a house-made veggie burger and a chicken sandwich. Its Sidewinder Fries are seasoned with Ranch powder and the milkshakes come in four flavors including chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and cookies and cream. There is also a small selection of beer.
Dave & Buster’s, 704 Baybrook Mall, will have its grand re-opening August 11 in Friendswood. For the very first person in line, there’s a prize of free social bay play for a year. The next 199 folks in line for the grand opening will receive social bay play for a month. Door open at noon.
The location has been completely reimagined though some of the favorites are still there like the Interactive Social Bays with darts and shuffleboard. There are suites for two to six players and the digital interactivity takes the games up a a notch. The Watch area has been revamped with a 40-foot WOW wall, top-notch surround sound and dozens of oversized HDTVs around the bar. The VIP Watch Room offers the bottle-service vibe for high rollers and their entourage.
A new addition to the D&B Friendswood is its self-service beer wall with over 20 taps. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. with $5 specials like its Tres Tequila Rita, 22-ounce domestic drafts and the D&B Long Island Iced Tea. There’s also a late night happy hour Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to close.
The food menu has been updated with shareables coming from its craft kitchen. Dave & Buster’s also provides U.S. military members and first responders with a discount of 15 percent off food and non-alcoholic drinks with valid I.D.
The Brass Tap Kingwood, 4550 Kingwood, is shooting to open in early November. The Tampa-based craft beer bar first opened a Houston location at 922 Holman in December 2018. It unfortunately shuttered this past April. A second Houston area location opened on Katy-Gaston Road in Richmond in September 2022.
The company is looking to further expand into the Houston market with an additional 5 to 10 locations across the Houston area within the next five years.
Fiora’s Bottle Shop, 888 Westheimer, opened at the Montrose Collective, located right across from Picnik, the health-focused restaurant out of Austin that opened in April of this year. The new wine bar is bright and airy inside thanks to the abundance of floor to ceiling windows. In addition to its extensive wine list, there is a food menu of gourmet sandwiches and snacks such as Beet Labneh, House Made Hummus and its Cold Cuts “N Company, a charcuterie board with two meats, two cheeses, cornichons, olives and local bread.
The global wine list at Fiora offers unique and boutique varietals that come from regions outside the normal winemaking regions that dominate most lists. Wines by the bottle can be found from Greece, Lebanon, Austria and Corsica along with France, Spain and Italy. Wines from the Americas include Argentina, Chile, California, Oregon and Texas and there are a decent amount of offerings from New Zealand and Australia.
There are also sakes from Japan and an array of aperitifs such as vermouth, sherry and port. The bar program also offers beer, cider and a few non-alcoholic wines.
iEats Rice Noodles, 23119 Colonial Parkway, softly opened in late July in Katy Asian Town. This follows on the heels of its first Chinatown location that opened at 9889 Bellaire Boulevard in late June. It serves a variety of Chinese and Asian-fusion rice noodle dishes including dry, losifen (luosifen), bone broth and lauyofen.
There are also appetizers such as deep-fried peanuts, fried spring rolls, Taiwanese popcorn chicken and fried chicken wings.
Bluestone Lane, 1900 Lake Woodlands, opened July 26 in The Woodlands. It’s the second Houston area location for the Aussie-inspired coffee shop and cafe which opened its first Houston shop in the Heights in March 2022. Beginning with its Brekkie All Day menu, guests will find healthy plates such as the Avocado Smash and the Athlete’s Burrito. Hearty breakfast items like the Big Brekkie can also be ordered vegetarian. There are quick bites for those on the go as well as lunch entrees including the Classic Chicken & Bacon Club Roll, Bayside Beef Burger, Fried Chicken Sandwich or the nutritious Rainbow Bowl, a spinach salad topped with a colorful array of vegetables, farro, feta and a poached egg.
Coffee drinks are available hot or cold and there are also smoothies, organic teas and fresh cold-pressed juices.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
