Trill Burgers, 6810 Louetta, is expected to open in Spring in 2025 and it’s not the only new location of the cult-burger joint to open next year. There is also a location in Missouri City at Fort Bend Town Center on the horizon. The two new restaurants will join the Shepherd location, which opened in June 2023.
The smashburger concept was founded in Houston by rap artist Bun B (Bernard Freeman), entrepreneur Andy Nguyen, PR pro Nick Scurfield and executive chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares. With Bun B as the face of the Trill Burgers enterprise, it teased Houstonians with numerous pop-ups before finally opening its brick and mortar in June 2023. With long lines snaking around the building, it became a must-try hit with locals but also gained national attention when its team competed on Good Morning America for the Best Burger in America in 2022. It took home the title that year and followed up with a Gold Buckle Foodie Award for Best Classic Fair Food at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where it now operates a food stand each year. Trill Burgers also serves its smashburgers at NRG Stadium, Shell Energy Stadium and TDECU Stadium for home games.
Its popularity is part cultural and part culinary. The hype around the business is in part due to celebrity visits and Bun B himself who has become somewhat of a Houston ambassador. Famous faces that have been seen trilling at the burger hotspot include Shaquille O’Neal, Ludacris, Mike Tyson, Drake and Ken Griffey Jr. plus local professional athletes such as former Texans player Andre Johnson and Houston Astros Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker.
Its most popular menu item, the OG Burger features two smashed beef patties, caramelized onions, pickles, American cheese and its signature Trill Sauce. If two patties is not enough, guests can order the Triple OG which offers an extra patty. There’s also the Vegan OG Burger. French fries, kids meals and fountain drinks round out the brief menu.
Emma Jane, 1226 W. Clay, opens November 8 in the Harlow District. Located in two former residences, the newest concept from The Kirby Group, is an elegant and refined gathering space for breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner and weekend brunch. It’s somewhat of a new venture for The Kirby Group known for its more casual hangouts such as Heights Bier Garten, Wooster’s Garden and Pitch 25 Beer Park.
While the brunch and tea trend have produced over-the-top explosions of florals and pinks at some local hotspots, Emma Jane is less ostentatious with a balance of classic decor and feminine touches. Guests can still enjoy tea service from pretty, flower-patterned china but the background colors are more muted with neutral colors and a restrained use of floral patterns. Two former homes make up the space along with a lush 6,000 square-foot patio out back.
Emma Jane offers a variety of services during the day including a weekday breakfast with omelettes, crepes and fluffy souffle pancakes and a dinner menu featuring Pappardelle Duck Ragu and Eggplant a la Presse. There’s also a weekend brunch. However, its classic afternoon tea service may be the highlight. Served Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the service is $65 per person and includes a tiered tray of house-made pastries, sweet and savory scones and tea sandwiches. Afternoon tea also includes a choice of up to three teas from its curated organic tea menu plus a glass of sparkling wine.
It also offers a thoughtful wine and champagne list along with specially-crafted cocktails like the Distant Lover, made with tequila blanco, pear cordial and yellow chartreuse. Its version of a margarita, Culture Exchange, takes the tequila-based cocktail to another level with pineapple, lime and a touch of kimchi pepper.
Medium Rare, 3201 Louisiana, opens in Midtown November 18. It’s the first Houston location for the Steak Frites concept which was founded in Washington, D.C. in 2011. It opened its first Texas location in Dallas this past May. The new Houston restaurant is number 8 for the brand.
It puts the fixe in prix-fixe, meaning that the menu is a pre-set offering. The original meal is its signature Culotte Steak drizzled with its secret sauce plus fresh-cut French fries, a mixed green salad and artisan bread for $30.95. There is a vegetarian/vegan option of portobello mushroom with roasted red pepper sauce. There are complimentary seconds on main course items for those who have heartier appetites.
Diners can add on one of its desserts for an extra $12. The selection includes homemade chocolate or carrot cake, key lime or apple pie or a classic hot fudge sundae. There are five signature cocktails available including Pineapple Mule, Hibiscus Margarita, Lavender 75, Gold Rush and Blackberry Sangria.
It also offers a weekend brunch with unlimited cocktails, coffee, juice and soda for $34.95. Guests can choose the Steak Frites, Medium Rare’s Famous Benedict, Steak & Eggs, French Toast or the Ultimate American Breakfast.
In keeping with its French theme, waiters write the orders on the paper-covered tables like they do at Le Bouillon Chartier in Paris and diners can learn flirty pick-up lines (en francais) from its cocktail napkins. The check arrives with a piece of Bazooka chewing gum, complete with comic strip inside.
Post Oak Grill, 1415 S. Post Oak, has closed. It stopped its dining service at the end of September but remained open for deliveries and to-go orders through most of October. As with many restaurants, the pandemic affected its business but a major factor in its closure was the passing of its owner, Chef Leopoldo “Polo” Becerra, from cancer in January 2023, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Once a favorite of the late President George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara, who lived nearby, it was known for its power lunches and celebrity sightings. The location at 1111 Louisiana remains open as does the Post Oak Grill Cafe & Catering which executive chef Marcelo Cardenas, who has been part of the culinary team for over thirty years, opened at 5177 Richmond earlier this year.
Herand’s Kichen, 2601 Baylor, opened this week in the Heights in a building which once housed the local post office. It’s the realization of a decades-long dream from owner and chef Herand Tahmasian. Born in Iran of Armenian heritage, Tahmasian left London for California in 2019 and opened Herand’s Kitchen in Glendale in 2021. However, he made the decision earlier this year to relocate to Houston to be near his son and grandchildren.
The inspiration for the menu comes from the 63-year-old Tahmasian’s family roots. Guests will find both Persian and Greek dishes on the menu including appetizers such as hummus, falafel and kashk badmejan plus a shareable feta cheese platter with fresh vegetables and herbs called sabzi khordan. There are mains like beef koubideh kabobs, souvlaki wraps, salmon and chicken-on-the-bone. There are sweet delights too with an array of Persian-style desserts including bastani, a Persian ice cream made with rosewater, saffron and pistachio and faloudeh, rosewater sorbet with vermicelli and lemon. There’s also baklava.
The beverage options include soft drinks, beer and wine.
While diners enjoy the cuisine, they can also be part of the action as Tahmasian prepares the dishes in an open kitchen, allowing him to also engage with guests. The interior is bright and airy with both natural light from the numerous windows and pendant lighting overhead. The black and white decor is softened by rustic wood floors and indoor plants.
Herand’s Kitchen is planning a grand opening soon.
11 Below Brewing, 2606 Spring Cypress, moved into its new digs September 3. It first opened at 6820 Bourgeois in 2015 in the northern reaches of Houston near Willowbrook Mall. It has consistently turned out quality beers and its amber Oso Bueno is offered widely around town and at many local festivals. Now, it has taken over the former Fortress Beerworks space and (yay!) there’s air conditioning.
This weekend the brewery is debuting a special limited-edition beer with a keg tapping November 9 at 1 p.m. The Raise the Woof is a New Zealand-style pale ale and will be offered in cans to-go that pay tribute to the brewery’s collaboration with a local pet rescue, Santo’s Sanctuary & Rescue. It will also be available on draft at the taproom. Portions of the beer’s sales will go to the non-profit which was formed in 2021 as an all-breed foster. It also assists low-income families with spay and neuter services for their pets to help remedy the stray dog population.
In addition to the keg tapping, there will be a curated vendor market, information about dog rescue, pet merch and Santo’s catalog of adoptable pups. There will be food trucks on site for nosh.
11 Below is also releasing a seasonal Texas Bock called Goat Getter.
Neil’s Bahr, 2006 Walker, will relocate to 3409 McKinney according to a post on its Instagram page. Owner Neil Fernandez wrote, “We’ve known about the TXDOT 45 expansion project for nearly a decade now and we’ve enjoyed the delays that have blessed us with a magical 10+ years at the 2006 Walker location.”
He went on to say that the search for a new Neil’s was grueling as the area has changed. “I felt that the McKinney location was our best shot at maintaining our staff and regulars going forward.”
Fish Company Taco, 1914 23rd, began its new hours for lunch and dinner November 7. It will now be open until 8 p.m. There is also a new food menu for happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with $6 bites like vietnamese Wings, Smoked Fish Dip, Fish Co. Double Burger Sliders and Chilled Oysters. During happy hour, beers are $3, cocktails are $5, wines by the glass or bottle are half-priced and frescas are just a buck.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
