KP’s Kitchen Bellaire, 5427 Bissonnet, is having its grand opening April 5. from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s the second location of the modern American eatery from chef/owner Kerry Pauly. The 3,800 square-foot space will feature a full-service bar, a spacious dining area with both a front and side patio. There will also be a dedicated private event space.
Pauly opened the first location of KP’s Kitchen in May 2021 off the Katy Freeway. His love of the culinary industry began with his exposure to the business due to his father’s operation of concepts like Blue Ribbon Meat Packing Company and Club Metropol. His own professional culinary journey began by working with restaurateur Benjy Levit of Benjy’s and Local Foods.
Chef Rich Popovic has been appointed as general manager. Popovic, a Pittsburgh native, has more than 30 years of hospitality experience in everything from fine dining and country clubs to high-volume chains and luxury hotels across the country. He earned his Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Food Services Management.
The menu at the new location will still offer favorites such as the KP Burger, Crispy Cauliflower, 12 Hour Baby Back Ribs and Southern Fried Chicken Fingers. However, there may be a few new items added in the future.
The Sylvie, 845 Texas, is coming to Texas Tower this summer. The new French-European restaurant from Berg Hospitality will occupy 3,267 square feet of space within the the Class AA office tower in downtown Houston’s north end. The announcement was made by Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge, two global real estate firms. Benjamin Berg, owner and CEO of Berg Hospitality said in the press release, “The Sylvie marks the beginning of a dynamic partnership with Hines that will bring two unique restaurants to Downtown…Together we’re set to elevate the culinary landscape and invigorate the vibrant heartbeat of our city that is Downtown.”
The second Berg concept at Texas Tower, Dune Road, will follow shortly after the opening of The Sylvie. Dune Road will be a New England-inspired seafood restaurant.
The Sylvie will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner offering bistro cuisine. The morning menu includes grab and go pastries, sandwiches and artisanal coffee drinks. For lunch, guests will find salads, sandwiches and gourmet pizzas. The dinner menu will feature protein-forward entrees with an array of sides. With its downtown location, theatregoers can stop in for a pre-show snack and cocktail.
Haywire, 947 Gessner, is planning to make its Houston debut May 20. It’s the third location for the Texas-inspired brand which has two locations in Dallas and Plano. It comes from FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group that operates well-known brands like Whiskey Cake, The Ranch, Mexican Sugar and Sixty Vines.
The new Houston location takes over the former home of Vallone’s, the steakhouse from the late Tony Vallone which closed in July 2018. Haywire will be a multi-level restaurant with a massive 20,000 square feet of space. There will be distinct dining areas and multiple private event spaces including the 2,000 square-foot party barn which can accommodate more than 100 seated guests. The barn will also feature its own bar.
The menu at Haywire is a farm-to-fork journey across the Lone Star State. The Gulf Coast is represented by The Lump Crab Dip and Elk Tacos and Queso Blanco draw on Southern and West Texas for Tex-Mex flavors. The Chicken Fried Steak is made with Texas wagyu. And for those who don’t want their meat battered and fried, there are selections of steaks ranging from a 6-ounce Angus filet to a 33-ounce Tomahawk ribeye.
Kolache Shoppe, 10321 Katy Freeway, is shooting to open in Memorial in January 2025. The newest location of the longtime kolache and klobasnek shop is a collaboration between owners Lucy and Randy Hines and Director of Operations Michael Horne. It will be the fourth location in the Greater Houston area. The franchise also opened a location in Celina, Texas, near Dallas, in February 2024.
The Kolache Shoppe was founded in 1970 as a bakery serving both sweet and savory versions of the Czechoslovakian pastry. Kolaches are made with fruit or cream cheese while the savory versions (klobasniky) often have sausage and cheese. However, Kolache Shoppe has built a reputation around its creative monthly rotations of pastries such as crawfish or brisket kolaches, often done in collaboration with local chefs and restaurants. In 2014, Randy and Lucy Hines bought the brand from founder Erwin Ahrens, keeping the same dough recipe and techniques while expanding the Kolache Shoppe footprint with franchising.
Horne has been with Kolache Shoppe since 2018 when he took a job as cashier while pursuing his master’s degree in counseling. Eventually, he stepped back from his studies and began overseeing operations at the Greenway location and now is joint owner of the upcoming Memorial shop. He calls it a happy accident but perhaps it’s genetic memory. Horne’s great-grandfather grew up in Czechoslovakia and kolaches were part of family road trips and special occasions.
Horne said in a press release, “I’ve found my niche with Kolache Shoppe. I feel a sense of ownership when I help open a new franchise and always try to have that mentality, but to be an owner and to work with Randy, my mentor, feels special. Owning a bakery has its challenges but I have so much confidence in our brand. I’m excited to forge future success.”
Leaf & Grain, 5779 San Felipe, opens April 6 beginning at noon. The grand opening celebration will have fun raffle prizes for the first 50 guests including items and gift cards from H.E.B. Underground Creamery, Burger Bodega, Street to Kitchen, Balboa Surf Club, Lululemon, Motiv Fitness, Hiatus Spa, Omni Hotels, Rambler Sparkling Water plus tickets for Astros, Rockets and Dynamo games.
It’s the fourth location for the Houston-based healthy-eating brand which specializes in sandwiches, salads and smoothies. Taking over the former location of Zoe’s Kitchen, the new Leaf & Grain, designed by Gin Design Group, will be similar to the West University restaurant. It will occupy 2,850 square feet with a bright and contemporary interior with some mid-century aesthetics.
In addition to its menu of grain bowls, entree salads, soups and plates like Lemon-Caper Salmon, Leaf & Grain is adding two new sandwiches to the San Felipe menu along with continued collaborations with local chefs. In the past, the restaurant has partnered with acclaimed chefs such as Victoria Elizondo, Nick Wong, Ope Amosu, Sasha Grumman, Joseph Manglicmont and Benchawan Jabthong Painter.
Leaf & Grain founder Deets Hoffman said the new location makes him nostalgic every time he drives up to it. “I played Post Oak Little League right across the street and my grandparents were just around the block, so I spent a lot of my childhood here. This is a special restaurant for us and we cannot wait to serve the Briargrove-Tanglewood community!”
Nick the Greek, 25806 Texas 494 Loop, debuts in Porter April 9. For its grand opening, the store is offering complimentary lunch for every guest from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. During that time, each customer will receive one free entree. Opa!
The Greek street food restaurant was founded in 2014 by cousins Big Nick, Little Nick and Baby Nick Tsigaris. The trio were all named after their grandfather according to Greek tradition. The cousins drew from that heritage and trips to Greece to create the first location in San Jose, California. It now has 70 locations across five states with dozens more in the pipeline. In 2022, the brand was acquired by YTG Enterprises, founded by Anil Yadav who is a multi-brand franchisee with Jack in the Box, Denny’s and Taco Cabana in the company’s portfolio.
The Porter/Kingwood location, which is the fourth for Texas, will be the first ever to offer a drive-thru window. Customers can dine-in or take pitas to-go. The variety of pita sandwiches includes Beef/Lamb, Chicken Gyro, Pork Belly Gyro, Chicken Souvlaki, Falafel and Veggie. There are also souvlaki and gyro plates, gyro salads, and bowls with basmati rice. Guests can order the traditional Greek Salad (no lettuce) or the Prasini Salad with romaine, feta and lemon-vinaigrette. There are French Fries, Greek Fries and Nick’s Fries plus sides such as falafel and hummus. Desserts include baklava, loukoumade(Greek doughnuts) and Greek Froyo.
Concert Pub North, 2470 Cypress Creek Parkway, had its last party March 30. Located in the northern ‘burbs of Houston, it served as a restaurant, sports bar and live music venue since its opening in 2010. Many a suburban Houstonian has shucked and sucked crawfish during that time at the adjoining Concert Pub Boat, which is actually shaped like a boat.
We have reached out for more information regarding the closure.
Pinkerton’s Barbecue, 3801 Farnham, is shooting to open in April 2025, according to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Owner Grant Pinkerton then made an announcement on Instagram March 29, due to the fact that news had begun to leak about the third location.
Pinkerton will be taking over the old 59 Diner space. He said of the diner restaurant that closed in 2017, “It’s a place that I ate at as a kid and it’s killed me that it’s been closed for like the past 6 or 7 years. So what better way to revive it than to serving some awesome barbecue in it?”
Pinkerton’s first location opened in Houston’s Heights neighborhood in 2016. In 2021, the barbecue restaurant expanded to San Antonio. His restaurants have been listed on Texas Monthly‘s Best 50 BBQ Joints and Pinkerton himself made Forbes magazine’s list of “30 Under 30” in 2018 for his business acumen.
Star Cinema Grill, 822 Town and Country Boulevard, began renovations April 1 for its new location at CityCentre. The previous occupant, Studio Movie Grill, ceased operations March 24. The new Star Cinema Grill is slated to open on or around April 18.
The CityCentre location will be the 10th for the cinema chain which comes from locally-owned Culinary Khancepts which also operates dine-in theaters Hollywood Palms Cinema and Reel Luxury Cinemas. In addition to the cinemas, Culinary Khancepts owns Liberty Kitchen and State Fare Kitchen and Bar. It took over the River Oaks Theater as well which is expected to reopen later this year.
Conservatory Galleria, 5353 W. Alabama, is having a grand opening celebration April 5 through April 7. It originally opened February 19, as we reported here in the Houston Press. The three-story dining hall is open to the public and there is free parking.
The 12,000 square-foot venue will host its 713 Night Market April 5 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. with over 35 vendors participating. Attendees can expect food, fashion, culture and entertainment. The Roxy Reunion April 6 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. will feature past Roxy DJs and current DJs. The upstairs bar, The Roxy Room, is ages 21 and up after 5 p.m.
The final grand opening event, April 7, will be “Supercars” from Team Savage, showcasing incredible cars and the food vendors from Conservatory Galleria. The cars will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The list of vendors includes Rollin’ Phatties, Cvche Kitchen, Bird Haus, La Quiza Street Tacos, Clutch City Grill and more.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
