The
Melange Creperie deal that would put crepes in the old
Eatsie Boys location at 4100 Montrose has fallen through,
according to Eric Sandler at CultureMap. Don't worry, though, because this isn't putting a wrench in creperie owner Sean Carroll's plan to find a solid location aside from the popular cart. In a message to supporters of his Kickstarter campaign to help fund the move, he said that he's still eyeing a few locations in Montrose and Midtown and hopes to sign a lease soon. Good luck to you, and we can't wait for the new location!
Another taco joint is coming to Houston in the form of
Velvet Taco at 4819 Washington, which will offer international-cuisine-themed tacos, such as crisp tikka chicken with basmati rice and Thai basil, Israeli cous cous with parsley-mint pesto and Cuban pig with pulled pork, shaved ham and house brined pickles. The restaurant opens on Monday, June 22, so you can finally get your fix of softshell crawfish tacos.
In early July,
Helen Greek Food and Wine at 2429 Rice will become one of the many food options in Rice Village. It's the brainchild of local sommelier Evan Turner, who spent some of his childhood in Greece. He tried to crowdfund the restaurant in March, but, when that failed, he found private funding, so the restaurant is going ahead with chef William Wright in the kitchen. The restaurant features an all-Greek wine list and ever-changing menu, which, if well-executed, will certainly be a beacon to the Houston foodie crowd.
Simone on Sunset at 2418 has reopened,
according to Emily Bond at Eater Houston, despite some funny business that closed it last year. It's got essentially the same menu, so village-dwellers can dive right back in to their old hangout spot.
According to Swamplot, the final Houston
Texadelphia at 6025 Westheimer has closed. The Austin-based sports bar chain was known for its cheesesteaks, and this location was both the first and last of a 20-year stint in H-town.
Pho Binh at 2916 White Oak in the Heights has opened its doors,
according to Alison Cook at the Houston Chronicle. It's the chain's seventh location, but the first one inside the loop, so rejoice, inner-loopers! It's in the space that formerly belonged to Sale-Sucre, which is now boasting what Cook calls "arguably Houston's premier pho." It may not be too hot outside for soup, after all.
Take a retired Church's Chicken location and give it to the team behind
Liberty Kitchen, BRC Gastropub and
Petite Sweets, and what will they give you back? A much-awaited
Lee's Fried Chicken & Donuts, and they're giving it to the Heights at the corner of 6th,
according to Swamplot. No word on when it will open, but the renovations have begun.
Throwback Thursday alert:
Crescent City Beignets, which closed its only location in River Oaks in April 2014, has reinstalled itself into the old Dickey's Barbecue Pit location at 6383 Westheimer,
says Swamplot. One of their readers gave a tip that it's set to open next week; more beignets simply can't be a bad thing.
Cara Smith at the Houston Business Journal says that
Snooze A.M. Eatery, a breakfast chain based out of Denver, has signed a lease for a Houston location at 3217 Montrose. It's got a creative menu, with offerings like chilaquiles Benedict, and it will open in early 2016 if everything goes according to plan.
Popular food truck
The Rice Box joined the growing faction of food trucks that have opened sedentary locations with a space in the Greenway Plaza food court, 5 Greenway Plaza,
says Sandler at CultureMap. It's got all of your favorite dishes from the trucks, plus pepper steak, fried rice and egg noodles. Supposedly, there's also a new orange chicken recipe that actually tastes like oranges! It's definitely a step up from traditional Asian food court fare.
Another food truck favorite,
Chocolate Wasted, opened a brick-and-mortar location at 204 Telephone. The grand opening will be in late June,
according to Eater Houston. Expect the same delicious and interesting flavors as the food truck, like lemon creme.
Eater Houston says that there's a café with a bar going into the spot beside
Café Brussels at 1720 Houston.
Cafeza will offer beer and wine as well as traditional café fare. No word yet on when it will be open.
There's another
Brooklyn Meatball Co. popping up in the Shops at Houston Center, 1200 McKinney,
according to Greg Morago at the Houston Chronicle. Joey Galluzzi's all-meatball, grab-and-go restaurant features his grandmother's own baked meatball recipe and three varieties of meatball— beef, turkey and eggplant. Don't worry— he also offers sandwiches and pasta for you to put the meatballs on.
Lou Lou's Beignets at 8000 Research Forest in the Woodlands is about to open—
a Craigslist post advertises an upcoming career fair at the restaurant on June 18, so hopefully the dessert spot will be flinging out piping hot beignets and delicious coffee drinks soon. The post says that potential baristas should be knowledgable about the premium espressos and chicory coffees that Lou Lou's will serve, so it sounds like it will be a Cafe-Du-Monde-style coffee and beignet cafe.
CultureMap's Sandler says that the new
Songkran Thai Kitchen location at 2248 Texas Drive in Sugar Land has opened its doors, with chef Jett Hurapan at the helm. The concept features traditional Thai dishes with an artistic twist, traditional drinks and a full bar. The chef's wife Jira, a pastry chef, will also be based out of the new location, so don't be surprised if some exceptional desserts make their way onto the menu.
Sharpstown has just gained
Mein Restaurant, a stylish, everyday Chinese restaurant,
according to Yelp reviews. Reviewers recommend the house wonton noodles, shrimp rolls and lava toast. It's closed between lunch and dinner hours, so check the hours listing before you head over to try it.
Menchie's is celebrating the opening of two new locations this month, one at 19824 Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land and one at 20440 Highway 59 in Humble. The Sugar Land location is open now, while the Humble location starts its grand opening fiesta on June 20 (including free yogurt on opening day) and continues it until June 26. Get ready for a rotating variety of flavors and toppings, suburbs!
That's it for this week's Openings & Closings. What did we miss? Leave a comment or email us at
[email protected].