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The Cajun Fire Sandwich at Willie's has kick in its breading.

Checking It Out: Willie's New Sandwiches

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Dec 1, 2021

It was a warm, sunny day in Houston and not very conducive to Christmas tree shopping. What was even less appealing was having to convince a 17-year-old boy, in this case my son, to accompany me. After his tough day at school, I pulled out the big guns and lured...

Chef Maurizio Ferrarese shaves truffles over risotto with Barolo wine.

Openings and Closings: Alba at Granduca, The Palm Downtown

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Oct 1, 2021

Alba Ristorante, 1080 Uptown Park Boulevard, opens October 2 for dinner at the Hotel Granduca, in time for the hotel's 15th anniversary celebrations. The hotel's owner and developer, Giorgio Borlenghi, brought in designer Kara Childress to redesign the restaurant space, creating an intimate dining room and cozy champagne bar that...

Hidden Gem: Hangar Kitchen

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Sep 22, 2021

I don't often find myself on the south side of our city so many of its dining establishments are unknown to me. With my daughter attending the University of Houston, I have begun to explore the restaurants within a 15-minute drive from the campus. One of those restaurants was Maria...

Suck the marrow out of life and bones at Casa Nomad.

Openings and Closings: Casa Nomad Heights, Rosalie Returns

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Sep 17, 2021

Casa Nomad, 600 N. Shepherd, will open September 23 at M-K-T in the Heights. The Tulum-inspired lounge and restaurant will bring coastal Mexican flavors and a tropical oasis to an area that is teeming with new dining, bar and retail businesses despite the pandemic. It comes from the team behind...

Hay Merchant Will Close, Georgia James Will Relocate

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Aug 31, 2021

Chris Shepherd is always throwing big news at our city and today's announcement is no different. In a press release it was reported that the James Beard Award-winning chef is moving his restaurant group Underbelly Hospitality from the 1100 Westheimer location where it has been located for the past ten...

Cinnamon and cardamom add some spicy sweetness to cake.

Openings and Closings: Agnes Cafe Debuts, Soto Opens Quietly

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jun 4, 2021

Agnes Cafe & Provisions, 2132 Bissonet, will open June 8 for breakfast and lunch with dinner service to come later in the month. The Mediterranean-inspired concept comes from Molly Voorhees, President of Beck's Prime and The Chocolate Bar, and longtime friend, Carolyn Dorros, Executive Vice-President of Wolff Companies. The two...

Dig in to a juicy, cheesy burger at Underbelly Burger.

Chris Shepherd: Cheeseburgers and CBD

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jun 2, 2021

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superchef! Yes, Chris Shepherd is making news again with not only a new burger concept but also a CBD cocktail collaboration with Bayou City Hemp Co. Underbelly Burger was announced May 28 after much speculation about what the new casual...

Burger meets Philly cheesesteak in the Turbo Burger.

Openings and Closings: Flappy Opens in Katy, Bistro 555 Departs This Month

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 22, 2021

Flappy Wings and Burgers, 1315 W. Grand Parkway, began its soft opening December 29. A grand opening is planned within the next couple of weeks. The business began originally in Katy Mills Mall by Huma and Riaz Ahmad who were school clothes shopping when they came across a kiosk for...

Openings and Closings: Good Vibes Burgers Pearland, Lefty's Cheesesteaks

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 8, 2021

Good Vibes Burgers and Brews, 1329 E. Broadway, opens January 9 in Pearland. The new tiki joint and burger restaurant takes over the spacer formerly occupied by the original King's Biergarten, a move that surprised and disappointed many of the loyal patrons of Hans Sitter's Bavarian bar and restaurant, as...

Don't save it for the morning after, have it now.

Openings and Closings: Craft Burger Katy, Bagel Shop Bakery Bellaire

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 1, 2021

Craft Burger, 21945 Katy Freeway, opened December 26. This is the first brick and mortar for Shannen Tune, who began the business as a highly successful food truck in 2015. Craft Burger then took up residence as one of the vendors at Finn Hall in December 2018, a downtown food...

This Kracken is more interesting than Sidney Powell's version.

Openings and Closings: King's Biergarten Pearland Makes Way for Good Vibes

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Nov 27, 2020

Good Vibes Burgers and Brews, 1329 E. Broadway, is shooting to open by the end of 2020. In what came as a total shock to many of its loyal patrons, Hans and Philipp Sitter are passing the King's Biergarten space onto Eric Nelson, chef and owner of the new concept...

Openings and Closings: Dog Haus Opens Soon, Firehouse Saloon Closes

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Nov 13, 2020

Dog Haus Biergarten, 8422 Highway 6 North, opens November 21 in Copperfield. This makes the first location in Houston and the fifth in Texas. The gourmet hot dog restaurant was founded by longtime friends, Hagop Giragossian, Quasim Riaz and Andre Vener in Pasadena, California in 2010. The Houston store comes...

Openings and Closings: In-N-Out Willowbrook Open, Bistro 555 and Bottled Blonde Next Week

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Sep 11, 2020

In-N-Out Burger, FM 1960, Willowbrook, opened September 4. The California-based fast food chain was founded in 1948 as the state's first drive-thru hamburger joint. Its rabid fans feel an affection for its customizable burgers and fries the way Texans worship Whataburger. Perhaps it's regional pride but West Coast transplants to...

Milkshakes at Sweet Paris are Instagram-worthy.

Openings and Closings: Molina's Fulshear Opens, Sweet Paris Sugar Land Soon

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Sep 4, 2020

Molina's Cantina, 6300 FM1463, opened September 3 in Fulshear. This is the third location for the Tex-Mex empire which began with Raul Molina's first Mexican restaurant in 1941. For nearly eight decades, it has been owned and operated by the Molina family with Raul and Mary Molina's grandsons Ricardo, Raul...

Barbecue is still an important part of Killen's new restaurant.

Openings and Closings: Killen's Finally Opens, The Original Hot Dog Factory Coming Soon

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Aug 21, 2020

Killen's, 101 Heights Boulevard, opened August 19 after months of pop-ups. The Southern comfort restaurant comes from Ronnie Killen, owner and operator of Killen's Restaurant Group which he founded in 2006. Killen trained and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris where he graduated at the top of his class...

Riel has a spread of bone marrow, butter burgers and caviar tots.

Openings and Closings: Westchase Tavern Opens Soon, Barry's and Bernie's Close

By Lorretta Ruggiero

May 29, 2020

We knew this day would come. The COVID-19 crisis was predicted to take a harsh toll on the restaurant industry across the country and it has. In a city like Houston, with 7,000 restaurants and arguably the hottest culinary offerings in the nation, the dining restrictions have made a difficult...

Eugene's Burger cozies up to some onion rings.

Thursday is National Burger Day: We Got the Beef (and Lamb)

By Lorretta Ruggiero

May 27, 2020

Most everyone loves a juicy burger. However, tastes vary when it comes to toppings, temperature and even grinds of meat. In Houston, there is no shortage of burger joints, roadside shacks, fast food spots and high end steakhouses at which to satisfy the craving for a hamburger sandwich. National Burger...

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...

Healthy and colorful food will be the theme at Satisfy.

Openings and Closings: El Capitan Opens, Ibiza Closes Next Week

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 7, 2020

El Capitan Seafood and Mexican Grill, 17519 N. Gessner, opened early January. This is the second location. The original is in Hobart, Indiana. The restaurant offers traditional Mexican cuisine along with seafood boils and other dishes inspired by the Mexican coast. Expect menu prices at dinner to be a bit...

Cocktails glow in the bar at Adair Downtown.

Openings and Closings: Adair Downtown Debuts, Buff Burger Shutters Two Locations

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 31, 2020

Adair Downtown, 1000 Louisiana, opened January 27 in Wells Fargo Plaza. The new concept offers four different areas: a full service restaurant, a gourmet coffee bar, a cocktail bar and patio, plus a grab and go market. The restaurant's menu features some of the items from Eloise Nichols and Adair...

Burgers

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

Openings: Burger-Chan and Underbelly Burger

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