PostScript HTX, 2800 Kirby, opened February 12 at Shops at Arrive River Oaks. The new wining and dining destination has a glamorous interior, done by local designer Erin Hicks, with pinks and florals and velvets creating a decidedly feminine interior. It's the creation of GAP Concepts owners Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, the two fellows behind Dallas hotspots such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla and the soon-to-open Drai's Dallas, a Las Vegas dinner club import.

The outside of the restaurant is painted pink, with a multitude of hand-painted butterflies springing from its exterior wall. Internationally-known artist Romain Lefebre, also known as Punk Me Tender, is the creator of the artistic embellishments both exterior and interior, including the custom-painted piano and wall art of such notable women as Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, aka Princess Grace of Monaco. A corner table in the lounge has been dubbed "The Princess Table".
The main dining room has booths with handy Press for Champagne buttons for those in quick need of bubbles while a private dining area has its own bar and patio that can accommodate 42 guests for a sit-down meal or 60 for a reception. A second private space has room for 16.

While it's the first venture into the Houston restaurant world for GAP Concepts, the hospitality group has wisely brought in a familiar face to lead the kitchen as executive chef. Bryan Caswell, known for his restaurants such as Reef and El Real Tex-Mex Cafe, returns to the splashy dining scene with a decadent menu that echoes the restaurant's luxurious setting.
Guests can begin their culinary adventure with Caviar Donuts, served with white chocolate creme fraiche, or a shellfish tower of seafood indulgences. Steakhouse favorites such as an Akaushi tomahawk ribeye and filet mignon harken back to the days when the space housed Del Frisco's Grille. Retro desserts such as Baked Alaska and 11 Layer Chocolate Cake are whimsical finales to a lush dining experience.
Conservatory Galleria, 5353 W. Alabama, opens February 19. The dining hall will feature 11 vendors offering a diverse range of dining options plus two bar areas serving wine, beer and cocktails. Located in the former home of The Roxy, it offers more than 12,000 square feet of space with a mezzanine lounge plus various seating options for guests on each level. The main bar is located on the first floor along with Thrive, a vendor selling fresh juices, and Luv'em Leches, a dessert shop offering a variety of tres leches flavors plus pie, cakes and chocolate mousse.

The majority of food vendors are located on the second level while the third level is occupied by The Roxy Room, a cocktail lounge that pays tribute to the days when the building was home to The Roxy, a Houston nightclub that operated at the address for three decades.
One of the culinary vendors is Bird Haus, a hot chicken concept that first opened at the original  Conservatory Downtown. It's famous for its off-the-menu ReaperX which requires a waiver before consumption. Another chicken vendor is SeoulSide Wings & Rice which specializes in Korean Fried Chicken Wings while offering other tasty items such as Kimchi Fries, Bulgogi and Katsu. For burger buffs, Clutch City Grill will offer award-winning burgers along with grilled items like chicken and steak.
International flavors are evident in stands such as Cvche Kitchen, with its menu of Peruvian delights, and Rollin Phatties, which began as a Pakistani food truck, eventually becoming a Houston favorite for its Paratha rolls, or Phatties. It also operates a food stand at POST HTX. There's also Pita-Ria with handcrafted flatbread pizzas and Wokker, a modern cuisine concept that takes the flavors and ingredients of traditional Asian dishes and combines them with Texas BBQ inspiration and Southern cooking techniques. And it wouldn't be Houston without taco choices. At Conservatory Galleria, there will be Laquiza Street Tacos and Blk Mkt Birria.

The founding managing partners behind the new venture are Roveen Abante and Chase LoVullo. The duo, along with investment partner Dr. Abdulla Kudrath, are also partners in Reset Rooftop Lounge. The design of the new food hall and The Roxy Room was led by John Tsai of JT ARC Studios.
Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria, 5110 Buffalo Speedway, opened February 13. The new trattoria comes from chef/owner Nicolas Nikic whose previous hospitality experience includes stints as general manager and sommelier for Houston powerhouse restaurants such as Da Marco and Dolce Vita. He also has Luis Silva, formerly of Vic and Anthony's, as executive chef and Maribel Zarate as pastry chef.
Nikic, who grew up in Vienna, has based much of the menu on his mother's recipes. The restaurant is named for her and Nikic said in a press release that he is thrilled to share his family's authentic Italian recipes with the Houston community and to give guests a true Italian dining experience.

The menu begins with antipasti such as Flash Fried Artichoke, Burrata and Celery Salad. It also includes dishes such as Sweet Corn Ravioli with Lobster, Veal Osso Buco, Baked Quail with polenta and Potato Gnocchi. There are pizzas like Vongole (clams), Margherita and Prosciutto and Arugula plus fresh made pastas and traditional desserts.
Nikic, who earned a GAJA Award of Excellence for Best Sommelier, has curated a wine list of domestic, French and Italian wines to pair with the culinary offerings. There's both dining room and bar seating and a patio area will open later this spring.

BoomerJack's Grill, 20961 Gulf Freeway, opens softly February 17 and February 18 with a grand opening celebration planned for February 19. The new sports bar in Webster, south of Houston, comes from On Deck Concepts, a Texas-based hospitality company that operates more than 19 restaurants across North Texas including, Bedford Ice House and Sidecar Social in addition to its 15 BoomerJack's Grill locations. The new Webster restaurant is the first outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The massive new venue can accommodate 497 guests in its 11,000 square-foot space, along with 52 televisions lining the walls. There are cornhole lanes as well as a pet-friendly covered patio. While it caters to sports fans and beer drinkers, it also offers plenty of reason for local residents and visitors to hang out for food and cocktails. The menu is loaded with American favorites such as fried pickles, mozzarella bites, wings and loaded cheese fries. The Jack's Skillet Queso is a best seller and there are plenty of burgers and sandwiches for easy-to-eat pub fare.
The Houston menu has some exclusive new items including Blackened Catfish, Buffalo Shrimp Appetizer and The Texan Flatbread loaded with smoked brisket, barbecue sauce, mozzarella, red onions and cilantro. Also new for Houston is the $10.99 lunch special from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. which include a soft drink. The neighborhood hangout also features a number of daily drink and snack specials.

Federal American Grill,1221 McKinney, is shooting to open March 15 at Houston Center. It will be the fifth Houston area location for the modern American bistro, founded by Matt Brice in 2013 in Hedwig Village. Brice also expanded the brand out of state for the first time with a location in Scottsdale, Arizona. It opened in January 2023.

Known for its extensive list of 500+ whiskeys and hand-crafted cocktails, its culinary offerings are also top notch. The appetizer menu offers bites like Fried Cheeseburger Egg Rolls, Bang Bang Shrimp and Sticky Ribs. There's a good variety of salads and bowls plus burgers, chicken sandwiches and a French Dip served with Guinness au jus. For seafood lovers, there are dishes like Blackened Ahi Tuna, Pecan Crusted Snapper and Diver Scallops. Its Federal Features include Braised Short Rib, Chicken Fried Steak, Janice's Meatloaf and Black Angus Ribeye.

The new location will occupy 7,000 square feet with an added 1,550 square feet on the patio which fronts the central plaza green space at Houston Center. It also offers three private dining and event spaces. For the first time, the new location will offer a grab-and-go coffee bar with pastries, sandwiches and salads plus coffee drinks from locally-owned 4WD Coffee.
Urban Bird Hot Chicken, 25250 Northwest Freeway, opened last week in the Cypress area. Located at the intersection of Highway 290 and Skinner, it's the 12th store for the Nashville hot chicken concept with a location planned for 10001 Westheimer soon. Owner Brandon Gawthorp opened the first location in Katy in 2020 and its rapid expansion is a resounding reply to all those who question if Houston needs another hot chicken concept.

Urban Bird makes its sandos (sandwiches) with jumbo tenders on a toasted brioche bun with a topping of creamy kale slaw, Bird Sauce and pickles. The tenders are also available in baskets and with waffles. There are six heat levels including Country (no heat), Nashville Hot (beautiful burn) and Fire in the Hole, with the cheeky caption of "will burn you twice."

Its Urban Fries are a best seller featuring its crinkle fries topped with mac & cheese, chopped chicken tenders, Bird Sauce and pickles. There is a kids menu along with sides like Hot Cheeto Mac & Cheese and Seasoned Street Corn. There are soft drinks and tasty milkshakes on the beverage side.


Round Table Pizza, 8323 FM 723, is celebrating its grand opening February 17 in Richmond. The West Coast pizza brand finally landed in Houston in December 2023. Since its founding in Menlo Park, California over 60 years ago, it has grown its "Pizza Royalty" brand to over 400 restaurants. It was acquired by FAT Brands in 2019.

Its staying power is owed to the homemade dough and quality ingredients that are topped to the edge. It signature three-cheese blend uses mostly mozzarella with a little aged cheddar and provolone added as well. Its pizzas come in sizes like personal (7.5 inches) to extra large (16 inches).
Some of the pizzas have names befitting the Round Table theme including King Arthur's Supreme, Montague's Meat Marvel and Guinevere's Garden Delight. Others, like the Maui Zaui, combine ingredients  like ham, bacon, pineapple, tomato, green and red peppers with a choice of red sauce or its sweet and spicy Polynesian. There are wings, Garlic-Parmesan Twists and a garden salad as well.

For its grand opening day only, the first 50 customers will receive free personal one-topping pizzas. Children 12 and under will get a free cookie on February 17. Other specials extend to February 29 and include $3 off any large or extra-large specialty pizza or guests can opt for 6 free boneless wings or three free twists with any large or extra-large specialty pizza.

Sorrento, 415 Westheimer, has new owners. Robert and Melissa Salim have been longtime patrons of the Italian restaurant and have decided to dip their toes into the restaurant business with the recent acquisition of the local favorite. Melissa Salim owned and operated Medical Elite for 23 years before becoming a full-time mom. Robert Salim, founder of law firm Salim Beasley in Natchitoches, Louisiana, is not only a successful trial attorney but also an active investor in Austin businesses such as Tumble 22, J Carver Steakhouse and Boulevard plus Houston's Eddie V's.

The couple plan to preserve the essence of the restaurant which has made it successful for 20 years, However, they also have fresh ideas to enhance the dining experience at Sorrento by putting their own innovations in place.
Via 313 Pizza, 10201 Katy Freeway, is expected to open March 8. Last week, we reported that it would open sometime in March. Now, we have a definite date for the Detroit-style pizza restaurant.