El Bolillo Bakery, 6766 S. Texas 6, is open with plans for a grand opening “Days of Deals” January 2, 2024 through January 6, 2024. The Latin bakery has been serving Houston for more than 25 years and the new Westside location is now the largest with 12,000 square feet of space. Like its predecessors, it has the iconic brightly colored facade and Spanish architecture, featuring a bell tower. It will also be the first location to offer an outdoor patio where guests can relax over a cup of cafe de olla and a freshly baked concha.
The interior is adorned with hand-painted murals plus a light blue ceiling that reflects the styles of the muralist movement across Mexico. It’s the perfect setting for wandering through the selection of more than 100 traditional Latin American pastries, cookies and breads that are made fresh daily with no preservatives. And, as a nod to its location, El Bolillo Mission Bend will start its Asian pastry program very soon.
Xin Chao, 2310 Decatur, is losing one of its star chefs December 1, as first reported by the Houston Chronicle. Christine Ha, known as The Blind Cook, and husband John Suh are leaving their culinary collaboration with Chef Tony Nguyen to focus on their other concepts, The Blind Goat and Stuffed Belly. Chef Nguyen will be taking over the restaurant, continuing with the name but adding some of his personal stamp to the menu including more seafood options. Nguyen also owns Saigon House in Spring which has earned him a reputation for his Viet-Cajun cuisine.
Ha received her first James Beard Award semi-finalist: Best New Restaurant in 2020 for her debut eatery The Blind Goat . Ha, Suh and Nguyen opened Xin Chao in September 2020 as a modern take on Vietnamese cuisine with both Ha and Nguyen showcasing their Vietnamese-American culinary heritage. Dishes like Not Our Ma’s Eggrolls and Braised Pork and Crispy Rice were homey comfort food elevated to a level that helped earn the chefs James Beard Award finalist nominations together in 2021 for Best Chef: Texas, followed the next year with a finalist nod for Outstanding Chef.
Xin Chao was recently named Best Vietnamese Restaurant in Houston 2023 here in the Houston Press.
Albi Houston, 1947 W. Gray, has closed temporarily, according to its Facebook post. It was reported by CultureMap Houston that Albi had closed unexpectedly because of a post on Houston Foodie Friends regarding a canceled reservation. CultureMap reported that through a text message from Cle Group partner Zack Truesdell, that Cle was in negotiations to bring a new concept to the space, though Truesdell noted that it was not a done deal. CultureMap received an update from Albi co-owner Nano Fakoury saying that the restaurant was only temporarily closed due to the dismissal of its executive chef Christian Hernandez and subsequently, the departure of its sous chefs.
The Albi Facebook posts states that “Albi Houston was not sold despite recent reports/rumors.” It goes on to say that it is temporarily closed while it undergoes a chef change and is prepping the kitchen to reopen soon.
Albi opened this past May serving a highly elevated mix of Lebanese and Turkish cuisine. Owned by siblings Nano and Jimy Fakoury and business partner Aladdin Nimri, the trio had powerhouse chef/consultant Mark Cox at the helm of the opening, working with Hernandez who had previously served as chef de cuisine at the much-lauded Montrose restaurant, March.
Bumpy Pickle, 554 Lockwood, is having its grand opening December 2. The new outdoor pickleball and sand volleyball facility comes from former professional soccer player Roberto Escalera and former Astros first rounder and Phillies Major Leaguer Mark Appel in partnership with a group of investors that includes professional pickleball players. It’s pet and kid friendly so it’s fun for the whole family.
In addition to its recreation activities, it features a food menu of shareables such as carne asada fries, chicken wings, nachos and, of course, fried pickles. There are sandwiches such as the Nashville Chicken plus a selection of half-pound burgers. There’s also a Portobello mushroom burger for vegans plus several salads, bowls and tacos.
The beverage menu includes an array of craft cocktails, beers, wine and seltzers. For the grand opening, it will launch its Vendor Village which will showcase local products including Mixit Kombucha Vodka Seltzer,, Hummy Soju Seltzer, Buena Fe Tequila Cocktails, Suntide Sparkling Wine, Coco Vodka and C4 Smart Energy Drink.
The opening day events begin with the Volleyball King of the Court Tournament at 9 a.m. There will be Pickleball Open Play from 10 a.m. through noon along with live music from Gabe Montoya followed by Katie Katy Texas at 1 p.m. For a full list of the grand opening fun, check out its website.
Flower & Cream, 3515 W. Dallas, celebrated its grand opening November 11 with free ice cream scoops. The artisanal ice cream shop, with its motto of Lick, Laugh, Love, first opened at 2617 W. Holcombe in June 2019. It opened a second location at The Post, 401 Franklin, in 2021.
It offers a rotating array of small batch ice creams in flavors such as French Vanilla Bean, with a custard base and Chocolate Brownie. For those with an extra-sweet tooth, the Unicorn Tracks has a cotton candy base with Lucky Charms marshmallows. Other tasty temptations (if you’re lucky) include Raspberry Tres Leches, Toffee Coffee Cake, Biscoff Cookie Butter and Nutella Banana.
Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, 318 Gray, launched its weekend brunch this past week. The brunch service on Saturday and Sunday will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Executive chef Lucas McKinney says that he, sous chef Sven Baldwin and pastry chef Emily Rivas had a lot of fun making the menu. “I really gave Sven the reins on brunch. He came to me with ideas, we worked through all the recipes together and Emily came up with the pastries. We wanted to check all the boxes with something for everyone, from Southern-style pastries to items that felt reminiscent of our childhood.”
Using locally-sourced ingredients, the brunch offerings include an array of cold bar favorites plus sandwiches, sides and shareable entrees that can feed the whole table. Some of the sweet highlights are the Creamsicle Short Stack with orange marmalade ganache Montee and Pecan Praline Sticky Bun with cream cheese frosting. There’s also the Chef’s Breakfast Sandwich of the Week, Sittin’ Sidewayz Cheeseburger with 44 Farms Angus beef and the Loaded Hashbrown Skillet. For a taste of Louisiana, there’s the decadent Creole Crab Toast or the Crispy Rice Jambalaya Bowl. More Southern flavors are showcased in dishes such as Honey Butter Chicken Benedict, Shrimp and Grits plus Chilaquiles con Camaron.
Salad and Go, 18830 Noble Seven Lane, is opening December 14 In Sugar Land. It will be followed by another new location at 3000 N. Durham in mid-January 2024 as part of the expansion of the brand in Houston, which already has 12 locations.
It offers drive-thru service for pick-ups of made-to-order salads for $6.42, including a choice of protein. The quality ingredients combined with executive chef Daniel Patino’s Michelin star-training is a recipe for success and CEO Charlie Morrison, former CEO of Wingstop is on a mission to make healthy food at an affordable price. And its online ordering makes it convenient to eat a nutritious meal without grocery shopping or vegetable chopping.
There’s a variety of salads like Cobb, Caesar, Greek, BBQ Ranch, Thai and Roasted Autumn Salad, all of which can be ordered as a wrap as well. Chicken or tofu is included in the base price of $6.42. Steak is an option for an additional $2.39. Customers can also order minestrone or a protein box for $3.99. The kids salad is a mere $3.
Beverages include hot coffee, cold brew and its house-made lemonades including the Blueberry Basil. For $1.49, Salad and Go may have the least expensive drinks in town.
Cyclone Anaya’s, 3736 Westheimer, is now shooting to open in January. First announced this past summer, it was expected to open in Fall 2023. Taking over the former home of Frank’s Americana Revival, it will be the 7th location for the longtime Houston Tex-Mex concept, which was founded in 1966 by Jesus and Carolina Valencia. Jesus was a professional Mexican wrestler known as Cyclone Anaya while wife Carolina was a former Miss Houston pageant queen. Their children, Richard Valencia and Vienna Valencia Bement, sold the brand to the Dhanani Group in 2017.
Trill Burgers, 3607 S. Shepherd, will host a tailgate November 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of its Dynamo Day festivities. Dynamo defender Tate Schmitt ( 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.) and mascot Dynamo Diesel (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) will be on hand to surprise fans with giveaways prior to the Houston Dynamo’s last home game of the season. The face of Trill Burgers, rap artist Bun B, will also be joining the fun.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
