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Openings and Closings: Heights and Co. Opens Soon, Sonoma Heights Will Depart

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Apr 29, 2022

Heights & Co., 1343 Yale, will debut May 5. This will be the third concept for Brian Doke, owner of Savoir and the recently opened and adjacent speakeasy-style steakhouse, Patton's. The new neighborhood bar, located at the corner of Yale and 14th, will be located directly across the street from...

Goode Co. Barbeque brings back its brisket.

Openings and Closings: Goode Co. Barbeque NW Reopens, Benjy's Upstairs Transforms

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Apr 1, 2022

Goode Co. Barbeque, 20102 Northwest Freeway, reopens April 1. For the past two years, the location has been on hiatus due to the pandemic. Now, the restaurant is firing up the smokers once again to serve Houstonians its famous barbecue and from-scratch sides and desserts. The Goode family has been...

Houston Rodeo Gold Buckle Foodie Awards 2022

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Mar 2, 2022

Houstonians are thrilled by the return of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This year marks its 90th anniversary and celebrations have been in full force with the Rodeo Uncorked Best Bites, the Bar-B-Cue Contest and Tuesday, the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards. We had the opportunity to sit with a...

The Smoked Brisket Sandwich delivers a smoky Thai kick.

Openings and Closings: Loro Houston Soon, Wild Oats to Sow Now

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 11, 2022

Loro, 1001 W. 11th, opens February 23 in the Heights. This is the third location for the Asian smokehouse and bar, a culinary partnership between James Beard Award-winning chef and pitmaster Aaron Franklin and James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole. Its other two locations are in Austin and Dallas. Loro...

The Wonderburger was on the forefront of the smashburger craze in Houston.

Openings and Closings: Eatsie Boys' Final Week, Temporary Omicron Closures

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Dec 24, 2021

Eatsie Boys, 2202 Dallas, will close at the end of December. The "Intergalactic" food truck was founded in 2010 by executive chef Matt Marcus, Ryan Soroka and Alex Vassilakidis. Its menu items often paid tribute to 1980s hip hop group, the Beastie Boys, with items like the Sabotage sandwich made...

Aaron Franklin and Chris Shepherd have a look at the new smokers.

Loro Houston: A Sneak Peek

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Dec 15, 2021

Pitmaster Aaron Franklin has a lot of fan boys. We apologize if that's a sexist trope and we realize there are plenty of people who adore the famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin. Still, there's something about young guys meeting their smoke hero that makes their eyes light up and give...

Brennan's can put the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving celebration.

Thanksgiving Dining and Deals in Houston

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Nov 23, 2021

With Thanksgiving only weeks away and many families gathering for the first time this holiday since the pandemic began, we are all craving the hugs and smiling faces of our loved ones even more than Maw-maw's ambrosia salad. Some of us love the chaos and the clutter that comes with...

Torta di Cioccolate al Pistacchio is a simple but rich dessert.

Openings and Closings: J-Bar-M Opens for Lunch, Trattoria Sofia Debuts Next Week

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Nov 19, 2021

Trattoria Sofia, 911 W. 11th, opens its doors November 26 for both lunch and dinner service. Originally, it was planned for November 19 but a gas line issue has delayed the opening. CenterPoint will not be able to replace the pipe until next week. In a press release regarding the...

A bourbon-filled cocktail gets the party started.

Feeding the Soul: Houston Black Bloggers and Fainmous Barbecue

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Oct 27, 2021

Houston Hosts Black Bloggers held its inaugural event over the weekend. Highlights included a lunch at Mico's Hot Chicken October 22 and a media preview at Fainmous Barbecue October 23. In addition to local Black bloggers like KeAndre' Jordan from My Southern Brand, there was a select group of Black bloggers...

The parillada platters allow diners to go hog wild with choices.

Openings and Closings: Burro & Bull Coming to Cypress, Arabella Expands to Houston

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Oct 22, 2021

Burro & Bull, 25618 Northwest Freeway, will softly open sometime in November, according to a press release. The new Cypress restaurant is a partnership between the husband and wife team of John and Veronica Avila and Bruce Gingrich and Andria Cain. For the past year, John Avila has been consulting...

There are lots of pizzas with fresh ingredients at d'Alba.

Openings and Closings: d'Alba Opens, NY Eatery Arrives, Pastry War Will Shuttter

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Oct 8, 2021

d'Alba, 3715 Alba, opened September 18 in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area. Owner Daut Elshani spotted the property where the new restaurant is located while on a bike ride through the area in 2020. Despite the grim outlook for the pandemic and the restaurant business, Elshani decided to lease the...

Harlem Road's beef ribs, with the all-important, telltale smoke ring

Best Of Houston® 2021: Best Barbecue Ribs

By Houston Press

Sep 20, 2021

Best Barbecue Ribs: Harlem Road Texas BBQ Beef Ribs Harlem Road Texas BBQ is a destination spot for Houston ‘cue enthusiasts even though, for all intents and purposes here, we consider Richmond near enough to be Houston. The corrugated tin and wood joint, with 10 indoor tables, is just rustic...

The opening dishes at ReikiNa are stunning.

Openings and Closings: ReikiNa Debuts, Concura and Shoot the Moon Open Soon

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jul 16, 2021

ReikiNa, 799 Town and Country Boulevard, will open at CityCentre July 15. The new tasting menu concept comes from Thomas Stacy, a former prep cook at the high-end sushi restaurant Uchi. The idea began as a series of private home dinners which Stacy hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic. While working...

The young guns of Howdy Homemade are ready to serve.

Openings and Closings: Howdy Homemade Heroes in Houston, Flight Club This Fall

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jul 2, 2021

Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, 20920 Katy Freeway, will open July 22. The opening of the ice cream shop just so happens to coincide with Trae Day and local Houston rapper Trae Da Truth just happens to be a partner in the franchise, along with Roderick Batson, a longtime friend of...

Summertime in Spring Branch is smokin' hot.

Openings and Closings: Feges BBQ Spring Branch, Mo' Better Brews

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jun 25, 2021

Feges BBQ Spring Branch, 8217 Long Point, opened June 20. This will be the second location of the barbecue restaurant from husband and wife Patrick Feges and Erin Smith. The first opened in the food court of the Greenway Plaza office complex in 2018. Feges is a Purple Heart recipient...

The chicken saltimbocca will "jump in your mouth".

Openings and Closings: Fegen's Debuts, Acme Oyster House Opens

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Apr 9, 2021

Fegen's, 1050 Studewood, opened April 6. The new restaurant comes from F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group and will focus on classic American fare and cocktails. It takes over the space formerly occupied by Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar. The group (Lance Fegen, Carl Eaves, Will Davis and Jiim Jard) sold the...

Openings and Closings: Berg Hospitality's New Concepts, Down House Closes, Midway BBQ Burns

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 26, 2021

Berg Hospitality is uniting with Ancorian to bring two new restaurants to W. 11th in the Heights. Owner and founder Benjamin Berg is teaming up with the Houston-based Ancorian, a regional investment and development company, to open Trattoria Sofia, an Italian restaurant at 911 W. 11th in the space formerly...

Openings and Closings: Local Foods Market Opens Next Week, Messina Hof Lands in Richmond

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 12, 2021

Local Foods Market, 2424 Dunstan, opens February 16 in the former benjy's restaurant. Benjy's closed in March 2020 to make way for the new concept. It was the last remaining location for owner Benjy Levit's namesake restaurant. Now, Levit's focus has turned to his Local Foods empire which currently has...

Smoked Out: Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue

By Carlos Brandon

Mar 4, 2020

Increasingly, the landscape of Texas barbecue has become one of new versus old. 12-hour low-and-slow pits versus three-hour high heat smokers. Dinosaur-sized beef ribs versus sauce-slathered pork ribs. Ethnic fusions and hipster beards versus old school pit bosses smoking the classics. In Houston, the nouveau trends of Central Texas have...

Openings and Closings: The Burger Joint Heights Finally Opens, One Fifth Makes a Change

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 21, 2020

The Burger Joint, 2002 N. Shepherd, opens February 21, after several years of anticipation. The first location opened in Montrose in 2015 and has been a hot spot for lunch, dinner and late night burger fixes. Owners Matthew Pak and Shawn Bermudez (Present Company) have had to jump over a...

Barbecue

Openings and Closings: Greg Gatlin's New Resto, Brisket Bar-BQ Closing

Openings and Closings: Bosscat Kitchen Woodlands, Loro Rice Village

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