Credence and Sidebar, 9757 Katy Freeway, will open August 20 in The McKinley at Memorial City. The highly anticipated dual concepts from Levi Goode are stand-alone ventures for the chef and restaurateur who heads the family business, Goode Company Restaurants. A fifth generation Texan and a two-time James Beard Award nominee, Goode grew up in the restaurant business, learning his work ethic and love of Texas food and culture from his father and barbecue pit master Jim Goode.
Goode’s new hospitality journey begins with the restaurant Credence and its adjacent speakeasy Sidebar. The two concepts were designed in partnership with Gensler, a Houston-based architecture and design firm. Both are filled with furnishings and materials sourced from around the globe with Goode’s own travels influencing the architecture and decor. Classical European touches such as arches and a double barrel-vaulted ceiling add to the wow factor while earthy and warm hues allow the details of the tilework, locally-crafted tabletops, wood floors and brass inlays to shine.
Within both the restaurant and the speakeasy, art curated by Weingarten Art Group adds to the cultural charm. Photographs of Southwest Texas and its remote highways and ghost towns adorn the walls. The photos, done by Ontario-born photographer Kourtney Roy, are cinematic scenes of the oftentimes surreal Texas landscape. Sidebar’s interior is enhanced by artwork from Patty Carroll, known for her intensely saturated photographs including her series “Anonymous Women”, photographic tableaus that highlight the complexities of women and domesticity.
For the menu at Credence, Goode has continued with the regional American fare and ranch-inspired cuisine that he is known for, with an elevated approach to Texas culinary traditions utilizing both live-fire cooking and classic techniques. While seafood towers are all the rage currently, Goode’s is a fire roasted version. There’s also a Sweetwater Whole Duck and Wild Gulf Snapper cooked on the custom-made hearth.
Next door, Sidebar is reservation only. Taking its cue from the 1900s Texas oil boom, it offers an exclusive space in which to eat and drink like an oil baron with dry-aged steaks and caviar-topped oysters accompanied by classic martinis or reimagined whiskey drinks.
Goode is thrilled to see the vision come to life in the Memorial area which he says “has been so good to us.” He added, “Years of work, heart and creativity have aligned to bring us to this moment. My hope is that both Credence and Sidebar serve as local havens where people can come together and enjoy a thoughtful meal, a handmade cocktail and a good time.”
Mi Luna, 888 Westheimer, will open this fall at Montrose Collective. It’s a revival of sorts of the Spanish tapas restaurant which operated in Rice Village from 1998 to 2004. Its owner and founder Youssef Nafaa is resurrecting the restaurant after realizing that the tapas concept is not “authentically represented in Houston”. He said in a press release, “I missed Mi Luna and the environment it represented. My feelings for Mi Luna never died and I had dreamed of bringing it back to life. ” He added that the opportunity presented itself with a prefect location for his company Bella Restaurants Group (Mia Bella, CoCo Crepes, Zoa Moroccan) to bring it back to the restaurant scene.
With its return, Mi Luna will still offer a lively atmosphere and Spanish-inspired cuisine but with a more updated and polished presentation. Special events and entertainment such as live music, flamenco dancing and late-night specials will be part of its new programming with a raised platform stage for performances.
Its location in the Montrose Collective means a lively selection of upscale bars and restaurants will be part of its surrounding environment. It will offer 3,805 square-feet of space including a 1,216 square-foot patio facing the breezeway and Crocker Street. Construction is currently underway for the restaurant which will be designed with authentic Spanish decor and architectural elements.
While some of its previous signature tapas will be on the new menu such as Gambas al Ajillo, Pulpa Con Papatas and Bastilla, there will also be seafood, meats and vegetarian main dishes. Some of the new items include Roasted Moorish Lamb Shoulder, Braised Oxtail and Roasted Whole Branzino. Guests will also find its Paella Valenciana returning to the menu.
There will be an extensive wine list, craft cocktails and pitchers of sangria.
Hearsay Levy Park, 3728 Wakeforest, opened July 19 to the public. It’s the fifth iteration for the gastropub concept and its new location takes over the former space of Tim Love’s Woodshed Smokehouse. Its parent company, Landmark Houston Hospitality Group also operates 51fifteen.
Known for its American cuisine and craft cocktails, it also boasts a mix of 19th century charm with its crystal chandeliers and hardwood decor set in a modern space. Park views are visible through the floor-to ceiling glass garage doors which open to the large patio. The new Levy Park spot also offers private dining rooms and an expanded food menu.
Starters include Wagyu Meatballs, Buffalo Fried shrimp and Cheesesteak Eggrolls along with a variety of handmade pizzas, soups and salads. There are a number of vegetarian plates including the Hearsay Plant-based Burger and Pesto Pasta Primavera plus handhelds like the Chicken Sandwich and Blackened Redfish Tacos. There is also an array of more upscale entrees such as Texas Cut Ribeye and Espresso Rubbed Pork Chops.
Brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday and offers dishes such as Chicken Chilaquiles Verdes, Brunch Steak & Eggs, Short Rib Hash and the Breakfast Taco Trio along with sweet breakfast treats like Buttermilk Pancakes and Creme Brulee French Toast. There’s a kids menu to bribe children away from the nearby playground. And a doggie menu to entice fur babies away from the pooch park.
Melrose, 2517 Ralph, is taking over the former La Grange space and is expected to open later this year. The stylish cocktail lounge comes from a trio of experienced hospitality veterans: Army Sadeghi (Clarkwood) and Brandon Duliakas and Dan Wierck of Sundown Entertainment. The young entrepreneurs have their fingers on the pulse of Houston nightlife and their collaboration on Melrose is bringing in some other heavy hitters as well.
The spirits program for the cocktail destination has been created by an Amsterdam-based bar consultancy whose clients include W, St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton. As for the bites menu, the trio has snagged James Beard award-nominated chef Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemo to be its culinary consultant.
Melrose will take over a 1930s-era building which housed the Tex-Mex restaurant La Grange for 8 years until January 2024. The space was previously the home for EJ’s Bar, an LGBTQ dive for forty years. The structure appealed to the partners for its Montrose history and its possibilities. Sadeghi says, ” This is a special building in a special place and our goal is to create an environment and experience with longevity-something that will not only cater to the cultured diversity of Montrose, but also add to the tapestry of the neighborhood.”
The cocktail bar’s design will reimagine the former restaurant space with the help pf Davis Ink, a design firm based in Costa Mesa, California. A large three-sided bar will be surrounded by an array of mixed seating while the two-level patio will be enhanced by a large central tree and a koi pond as well as new fire features, designed to keep some of the Bohemian charm of Montrose while joining in with the elevated and upscale dining and retail offerings that have changed the face of the once quirky, eclectic and sometimes seedy neighborhood.
Fish Company Taco, 1914 23rd, was shooting to reopen earlier this summer in Galveston but street construction has caused a few delays. However, renovations are trucking along and the taco shop plans to open later this month. Originally, it opened in 2018 when Chef Dyatra “Daya” Myers-Hurt and wife Laura opened the creative seafood restaurant on the island. It shuttered in October 2023 but restaurateur and owner of Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, Raz Halili, proposed a buyout, complete with Chef Daya’s recipes, and the couple accepted it.
Meanwhile Pier 6 chefs Joe Cervantez and Lexy Garcia are working on a rotating menu of new crudos for the reopening.
Portillo’s, 12419 Southwest Freeway and 1021 Westside Parkway are shooting to open by the end of 2024 in Stafford and Katy, respectively. There are also plans for an upcoming location at Willowbrook Mall.
Founded as a small hot dog stand in Villa Park, Illinois in 1963, it has now expanded to more than 85 restaurants across 10 states. Known for its Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, it also serves char-grilled burgers and salads.
La Cocina de TJ, 9101 Sienna Crossing softly opened July 20 and is now in full swing. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The morning menu features chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos and chicken and waffles. There’s a coffee bar as well.
Birria is the name of the game for lunch and dinner. There are Birria Tacos, Birria Mac and Cheese and Birria Ramen. There’s also the XL Quesabirria, a 14-inch flour tortilla filled with birria and mozzarella cheese. Other items include tortas and quesadillas.
Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith, has added Saturday to its popular Jazz Brunch through the month of August. That means double trouble can be gotten into for the weekend. The Jazz Brunch runs Saturday from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Guests may order the Houston Restaurant Weeks brunch menu of two courses for $25, the specially-priced three-course Chef’s Package or a la carte.
Also this month, Brennan’s is bringing back its B-Line Theater Shuttle beginning August 12, just in time for Houston Theater Week. The $5 per person pick up and return service runs Tuesday through Sunday and dining reservations are required. The shuttle goes to The Hobby Center, Alley Theatre, Jones Hall and Wortham Theatre Center. Guests should make reservations for the B-Line at 713-522-9711 noting destination and show time. The service fee is added to the dining bill.
Houston Theater Week runs August 12 through August 18 offering theatergoers Buy One Get One Free tickets at a number of local venues including stage, symphony, opera, ballet, jazz and more.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
