Relish Restaurant & Bar, 12850 Memorial, debuted its second location December 2 in Town & Country Village. Owners Addie and Dustin Teague opened the first location in 2016 after the couple outgrew their shop, Relish Fine Foods. With executive chef Dustin leading the culinary program, the restaurant earned a reputation in River Oaks as a neighborhood go-to for business lunches, dates and family dinners. Its approachable menu offers American cuisine with touches of the Mediterranean.
For the build-out of its new 4,855 square-foot location, the Teagues worked with contractor Armando Bueno of Adan Ellis Construction plus architects Schuster Inc. and interior designer Meg Lonergan, all based in Houston. Upon entering, guests will see a beautiful full service bar made with natural wood materials. Burgundy-colored barstools and lamps add a clubby feel to the area and custom ceramic floor tiles echo the designs of older, historic buildings. The dining room seats 190 guests with blue leather booths and marble tables along with several cozy nooks that feel intimate due to the cafe curtains. The use of exposed brick, brass and wood create a brasserie feel that is both sophisticated and comfortable.
The culinary experience at Relish Town & Country gets a leg up on the original location with the addition of an oyster bar that seats 7 guests. The menu will offer raw, wood-fired and grilled oysters plus shrimp cocktail, tuna tartare, crudo and lobster tartine. There is also a Chef’s Table seating 10 that offers a view into the open kitchen.
While Chef Dustin will be overseeing the kitchens at both locations, Jack Humphrey will offer assistance as the chef de cuisine. He has even added a few touches of his own to the menu including Roasted Harissa Chicken served with apricot tomato couscous and a drizzle of pomegranate. There’s also a Vegetable Lasagna with fresh-made pasta. Fans of the River Oaks location will still find Mediterranean-inspired dishes like Seasonal Burrata and Lamb Meatballs. Other favorites like Fried Chicken, its popular Cheeseburger and the Lobster Roll make their way onto the Town & Country menu as does an exclusive Tuna Tartare.
The Bourbon Caramel Carrot Cake will be available at the new location and homemade soft-serve ice cream is on its way soon. There are craft cocktails, beer and wine plus a happy hour menu as well.
Osha Thai Kitchen, 12230 Westheimer, opens December 10 on the Westside. The modern Thai restaurant will serve Thai street market cuisine in an atmosphere that mimics the hustle and bustle of night markets with brightly lit signs and even two tuk-tuks against the wall. It comes from Saranya Danvetnukroh, known for her Houston restaurant, Nua Thai. Born in Thailand, Danvetnukroh also studied gastronomy in her native country before setting down roots here in Houston.
The word osha means ‘delicious’ in Thai and that’s just the kind of culinary experience Danvetnukroh plans for guests at the new restaurant. She has brought in sous chef Afridi Zaman to lead the kitchen. Zaman has experience in both front and back of house operations with hospitality groups like Pappas Restaurants and has worked with Chef Finn Walters at The Nicolette in Lubbock.
The menu at Osha Thai begins with starters such as Thai Chicken Wings ( a favorite at Nua’s), Crab Cream Cheese Wontons and Shrimp Donut. Noodles are made fresh at Osha for dishes like Glass Noodle Salad, Pink Noodle Soup and a variety of Pad Thai. The house-made curries are available in varying degrees of heat and there is a selection of fried rice dishes as well as Osha Favorites like Tiger Cry Steak.
In keeping with the nightlife vibe, there are creative cocktails like the Cheeky Monkey, made with Monkey Shoulder Scotch, ginger, honey simple syrup, lemon and banana liqueur. The Royal Butterfly gets its striking color from butterfly pea-infused lychee while The Mekhong Old Fashioned is a Thai take on the well-known drink using Mekhong spirit, karrir lime simple syrup and coconut cubes.
Fogo de Chao, 19820 Northwest Freeway, opens December 9 in the Crossroads neighborhood. It’s the fourth location for the Brazilian restaurant in the Greater Houston area. Its claim to fame is its prix fixe Full Churrasco Experience which immerses diners in a world of premium, high-quality meats that are butchered daily by gaucho chefs then roasted or grilled over open flames. Guests become part of the show as the cuts are carved tableside.
There is a variety of options to choose from including the Full Churrasco Experience which includes a dizzying array of meats, trips to the seasonal Market Table & Feijoda Bar and Brazilian sides. For lighter appetites, there’s the One Churrasco Cut Experience in which guests receive continuous service of one fire-roasted cut plus the Market Table and side dishes. There’s also a Weekday Lunch, Weekend Brazilian Brunch and an All Day Happy Hour with $10 Brazilian-inspired cocktails, $8 glasses of South American wines and $5 beer.
Children 6 and under dine for free with a paying adult while kids 7 to 12 get the Full Churrasco Experience half-price at the new Cypress location.
For its first week of business, Fogo de Chao Cypress will donate 10 percent of sales to Houston Food Bank.
Meduza Mediterrania, 1755 Allen Parkway, is slated to open in the Lifestyle Pavilion at The Allen in spring 2025. It’s the second location for the newest concept from Noble 33 hospitality group. The first Meduza opened in New York City’s Meatpacking District in September 2023. Led by co-founders Tosh Berman and Mikey Tanha, Noble 33 opened a location of its Mexican steakhouse, Toca Madera, in Houston earlier this year. It is located at the Lifestyle Pavilion as well.
Already buzzing with celebrity clientele like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Meduza blends fine dining with contemporary flair and high-end design. The Houston location will seat 289 guests in its 9,732 square foot space which includes not only an indoor bar, dining room and private dining, but an expansive rooftop patio with sweeping views.
The Mediterranean menu draws inspiration from a variety of cuisines within the region beginning with a selection of mezze like Whipped Smoked Aubergine, Tabbouleh and Shisho Tzatziki. There’s a raw bar, prime steaks and a variety of seafood dishes.
Goodcents Sub, 2206-D Katy Flewellen, will have its grand opening December 12. The fun begins at 11 a.m. and the first person in line will receive free subs for a year. The first 15 guests in line will get Goodcents swag bags while every attendee will be entered into a raffle for free subs and swag. The sandwich shop will also have special deals on combos and catering for its first month of business.
It’s the first Texas location for the Kansas-born brand which has been around for 35 years and now has 67 locations across 10 states. The franchisees bringing the Houston Goodcents are Jax and Chad Johnson. Both natives of Kansas City, the couple are bringing their love for the sandwiches to their new home state of Texas. Jax Johnson, who once worked at Goodcents while in high school said, “I moved away 14 years ago and I still crave Goodcents turkey sub on wheat. No one makes a sandwich like Goodcents.” She also loves the smell of its trademark bread baking.
It offers a variety of subs sandwiches including its Goodcents Original with freshly-sliced ham, bologna, salami and pepperoni plus the Penny Club, Tuna Salad, Garden Veggie and Cheese Mix. There are hot subs like Meatball and Chipotle Cheese Chicken. In addition to sandwiches, there are several menu items like Chicken Alfredo, Grilled Alaskan Salmon, Pot Roast and Pasta with Meatballs.
There are chips, cookies and soft drinks, too.
Eight Turn Crepe,18822 W. Airport Boulevard, is celebrating its grand opening December 7 and December 8 in Richmond. There’s a grand prize raffle for a 55-inch flat screen television or AirPods, free crepes (Strawberry Banana or Very Berry) for the first 200 guests and Buy One-Get One Free for both grand opening days.
Located in the Marcel Town Center at Green Harvest Plaza, the new Richmond shop will be the third for the Greater Houston area and fifth for the Japanese crepe brand. It first opened in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood in 2013.
The crepe cones are made of 100 percent gluten-free rice flour and there are numerous ways to fill them. For the savory selections, there are crepes like Grade 8 Ham and Cheese, Tokyo Pork Belly, Chicken Thai, Eight Turn Lox and even one filled with eggs, goat cheese and avocado.
On the sweet side, there are crazy and tasty concoctions such as Banana Nut Chocolate, Twinkleberry Parfait, Fuji Apple Pie, Crepe Brulee and NY Blueberry Cheesecake. For $9, customers can design their own sweet treat with a variety of creams, nuts, fruits and toppings.
Gringo’s Tex-Mex, 13055 N. Grand Parkway W., is currently under construction as viewed by this writer on a recent Christmas tree expedition. It’s expected to open in the second quarter of 2025. It will join 15 other locations of the family-owned Mexican restaurant mini-chain. Most of the locations are scattered across the Greater Houston area, both north and south.
Layne’s Chicken Fingers, 5000 Fairmont Parkway, softly opened December 3 and is having its grand opening December 7 in Pasa-get down-dena. The new location comes from franchisee Masroor Fatany who also owns locations in Katy, Houston and Beaumont. In addition to his Layne’s ventures, Fatany owns and operates seven locations of The Halal Guys.
Originating in College Station, Texas in 1994, the chicken finger concept was a hit with Texas A & M students and locals when Mike Layne began selling the crispy chicken tenders. Eventually, he sold out to A&M graduate Mike Garratt who would eventually open two more College Station locations. It was a hometown favorite with the Aggies but it eventually caught the eye of entrepreneurs who convinced Garratt of the value of franchising. Garratt himself took a step back to retire in September 2023 as reported by The Battalion. The corporate team then acquired his three College Station restaurants.
With the proliferation of new locations, the menu itself has also increased. While the Five Finger Meal was the original splurge for college students with its fried tenders, crinkle cut fries, Texas toast, drink and of course, Layne’s sauce, there are now sandwiches, grilled chicken wraps, hand-spun milkshakes and a wider variety of sauces.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
