That wasn't the only closure caused by fire last week. Food truck Lulu Blues: A Creperie was put out of business after the truck's engine caught on fire during its first official day of service, September 28. CultureMap's Eric Sandler reports that Laura Duffey and her husband realized the truck's engine was smoking and immediately pulled over to the shoulder of 610. Duffey says flames consumed the truck shortly thereafter. The engine was reportedly brand-new, and the cause of the fire is unknown. The couple are trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Sweet Lola Yogurt Bar officially closed two weekends ago. After selling its frozen yogurt for half the original price during its final week of service, the Midtown yogurt bar has shut its doors. We will just have to wait to see what Lola's next plans will be.
Now let's take a look at which restaurants opened their doors last week and which ones you can expect to begin service in the coming weeks. The list is large.
The Dosa Factory, an Indian creperie, opened at 5959 Richmond last week. Eater reports that the restaurant serves traditional Indian dishes, American meals and the namesake dosas, which are fermented crepes made from black lentils and rice batter.
The Refuge Bar and Bistro opened along The Woodlands Waterway on October 2. The new Woodlands bar serves handcrafted cocktails; microbrewed beers; wine; and a variety of flatbreads, sliders, charcuterie and other shareable appetizers, such as curry-spiced mix nuts, blue crab cakes, and blue cheese and smoked-chicken artichoke dip.
Both Fellini Caffè and Cloud 10 Creamery have finished their soft openings and are open for regular business hours. Fellini Caffè held its grand opening on September 30; the cafe serves espresso, cocktails and small dishes — it also has a custom bar imported from Italy to enhance the authentic Italian lifestyle the owners want to showcase.
Cloud 10 Creamery opened for regular business hours on October 2; the Rice Village creamery has finally unveiled the complete menu of frozen treats and ice cream flavors. Even though it is technically the fall season, we know it won't be cold anytime soon, so a scoop (or two) of ice cream is perfectly acceptable.
In coming-soon news, the Hughes Hangar team announced that they're working on a new concept, The de Gaulle. The new restaurant will pay homage to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. CultureMap reports that The de Gaulle will be next door to Hughes Hangar and will make guests feel as though they've stepped into a Parisian restaurant from yesteryear. It will be a cafe and bistro during the day and a bar at night; the owners are hoping for a Halloween grand opening with a VIP soft opening the week before.
MAM'S House of Ice Snoballs is going brick-and-mortar. The snoball stand announced on Facebook that they have signed a lease and will begin construction on the new storefront as soon as possible. The new Heights location should open in about four to six weeks. Expect new winter menu items and longer hours, too. MAM's House of Ice Snoballs will be open year-round.
Swamplot reports that Big Eyed Fish will join the bar and club scene of Washington Avenue soon. The restaurant posted pictures on Facebook the weekend of September 29 showing the amount of construction that is going on at the location. The upscale Southern restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, as well as brunch on Sundays.
D'Amico's Italian Market Café opened on October 1 in Katy. Work on the new location had been going on for months.
Thanks to commenter Chic_Chick-Eats in the Openings & Closings report two weeks ago, we know that the original China-based Chuan's Chinese Restaurant opened three weeks ago. This is the first U.S. location for the restaurant. American Deli on Bissonnet and Pho LN Sushi Bar & Grill, located off of the Katy Freeway, joined the Houston restaurant scene two weeks ago as well.
In ramen news, Carl Rosa of the Sushi Club of Houston and the only ramen group in Houston, Ramen in Common, gave us insight into the first ramen-only restaurant in Houston, Ramen Jin. The restaurant is located at 18111 Westheimer and according to owner Brian Chen will serve five ramens: tonkotsu, shoyu, shio, curry-flavor and vegetarian. Chen tells CultureMap that he will not treat ramen merely as a side dish, as other area restaurants do; ramen will be the main focus, and he will make stock for it every day.
Openings:
Conroe Coffee, 206 N. Main, Conroe, 932-266-7632
Coppa Osteria, 5210 Morningside, 713-522-3535
Cork Cafe Wine & Beer, 12810 Telge, Cypress, 281-746-3005