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Matthew Pak draws from authentic Mexican cuisine for The Taco Stand.

Openings and Closings: Cherry Block Expands, The Taco Stand Opens

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 29, 2021

Cherry Block Craft Butcher and Kitchen, 409 Travis, will depart Bravery Chef Hall January 31 in order to open two new locations in Katy and Garden Oaks. The first, Cherry Block Craft Butcher and Market, 5305 Highway Boulevard, will open in early February. Cherry Block is a partnership between Felix...

Houston Sauce Co. Has Plans To Expand The Vegan World In Houston And Beyond

By DeVaughn Douglas

Jan 26, 2021

“I knew I had something when I won my mom over,” Courtney Lindsay smiles as he leans back in his chair. “When she was convinced it was good, I knew we were headed in the right direction.” Lindsay is the owner and founder of Houston Sauce Co., a vegan food...

10 Plant-Based Take-Out Ideas From Houston's Restaurants

By Erika Kwee

Apr 9, 2020

Looking for plant-based takeout inspiration in this quarantine era? Here are some of my top picks for vegetarian eats to-go, most of which are situated inside the Loop. Make sure to take advantage of some of the amazing specials, tip generously, and order directly from the restaurant for pickup or...

Cuc Lam and Alex Au Yeung are opening a banh mi bistro.

YELO Will Hello This Summer, Sam's Fried Chicken and Donuts Closes

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Mar 13, 2020

YELO, 231119 Colonial Parkway, will open in late summer. Cuc Lam and Alex Au-Yeung will open the collaborative banh mi restaurant in Katy Asian Town in the spot next to Au- Yeung's Malaysian restaurant, Phat Eatery. The all day concept will specialize in craft banh mi and specialty coffee and...

Flower Child is about to open in the Heights.

Openings and Closings: Flower Child Heights Soon, The Rustic Goes Uptown, Pi Pizza Closes

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 28, 2020

Flower Child, 1533 N. Shepherd, will open March 24 in the Houston Heights area. This is the third Houston-area location for the healthy eating chain that is on a "soul-satisfying mission of positively delicious vibes." Those delicious vibes include a lot of vegetables, fruits and healthy grains. There are plenty...

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...

Skipping the bird doesn't have to mean foregoing the family dinner entirely.

A Mexican Vegan and The Five Stages of Food Grief

By Nicole Valadez

Nov 6, 2019

Standing in my family’s Texas kitchen one morning, I watched as my sisters, mom and dad bustled around cooking breakfast. I was visiting for Thanksgiving from Washington, D.C. – the city I escaped to earlier that year in order to find myself. I was anxious because I had a bombshell...

First the Baller Board, now the Baller Boat.

Openings and Closings: One Fifth Gulf Coast Debut, Understory Grand Opening

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Aug 9, 2019

One Fifth Gulf Coast, 1658 Westheimer, will open August 12. This is the fourth iteration in Chris Shepherd's Five Years/Five Concepts restaurant. One Fifth Mediterranean closed out its run with a "family dinner" July 31. The James beard Award-winning chef almost didn't want to let go of the Mediterranean concept...

Tropicales translates the "toast" in avocado toast to a crunchy tortilla made from blue corn.

5 Vegetarian Dishes to Eat Right Now

By Erika Kwee

Jun 19, 2019

Looking to celebrate summer with some lighter fare? Look no further than the following! Avocado Toast from Tropicales: One could argue that avocado toast is an evergreen food, but the tropical vibes of Tropicales demand a visit right now. Their ingenious twist on avocado toast places mashed avocado on top...

Openings and Closings: Wholesome Kitchen Grand Opening, Barnaby's Fountain View is Now Open

By Lorretta Ruggiero

May 31, 2019

Wholesome Kitchen, 250 Assay, will have a grand opening celebration June 6 at Generation Park from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The new restaurant and its sister pizza concept, Wholesome Pies, also at 250 Assay, come from the Wholesome Restaurant Group, owned and operated by Michael Collins. Collins is the...

Large order of pork dumplings with won ton soup combo at Doozo Dumplings and Noodles

Stuffed: Doozo Dumplings & Noodles

By Carlos Brandon

Mar 12, 2019

We set out to find and devour stuffed food from every possible culture right here in the Bayou City. From empanadas to dumplings, kolaches to samosas, we're getting stuffed. Every now and then this city can still surprise us. Even those of us who make it our job to know...

After the Freeze: Get Your Veggies Growing

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Mar 12, 2019

Houston has had a record wet winter and an unusually late freeze this year. We Space City residents aren't usually susceptible to cabin fever. There are usually a few sunny and mild winter days for margarita sipping and park bench lounging. This year has been more like living in the...

Openings and Closings: True Anomaly Brewing Opens, Veegos Mexican Vegan Debuts

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Mar 8, 2019

True Anomaly Brewing Company, 2012 Dallas, opened its doors to the public February 20. The new brewery has one of the largest barrel rooms in Houston which is adjacent to the tap room. What started out as four guys in a garage, albeit rocket scientist, space suit-developing, mission-managing type of...

Awesome Bites Co. is known for its vegan, refined-sugar, dairy, egg and soy-free muffins and more.

Awesome, Allergy-Friendly Treats Await the Heights

By Erika Kwee

Feb 25, 2019

Awesome Bites Co. is bringing healthy, allergy-friendly baked goods and ice cream to the Heights in April. I've been waiting for this day for several years after first tasting the squishy-soft, sweet and positively addicting mini muffins that founder Jennifer Thai assured me were completely sugar-free. But not only were...

Openings and Closings: Mademoiselle Louise, Rustika and The Roastery Open

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Feb 1, 2019

Mademoiselle Louise, 1725 Main, opened les portes January 7 on the bottom floor of the Sky House apartments. Frederick Fortin, from Normandy, France, left his career in telecommunications to study the art of patisserie at prestigious schools such as Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Patisserie in Yssingeaux and Ecole de...

The Impossible Burger at Hopdoddy can be ordered on a vegan bun with vegan cheese.

5 Vegetarian Dishes to Eat Right Now

By Erika Kwee

Jan 28, 2019

The new year is ripe for resolutions and new goals; if one of your resolutions happens to focus on reducing your meat consumption, congratulations! Not only are you doing a great service to the environment, but you're also opening up your palate and imagination to a variety of truly delicious...

El Diablo for all you spicy little devils out there.

Openings and Closings: The Pit Room is Bringing Tex-Mex to Montrose, Hopdoddy Heights

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Jan 11, 2019

The Pit Room, is bringing Tex-Mex to 4306 Yoakum, replacing the former Cane Rosso, which closed December 30 and is just down the road from The Pit Room itself. Sambrooks Management, which also operates Star Fish, Sam's Fried Chicken and Donuts and Pi Pizza, will will integrate smoke and fire...

Openings and Closings: Joy Love Expands, Krab Queenz Opens

By Lorretta Ruggiero

Nov 23, 2018

Joy Love Burgers, 13150 FM 529 opened October 26. This is the fourth location for the family-owned small burger chain and a drive down Barker-Cypress near Highway 290 shows an upcoming fifth location. I know this, because my son and I excitedly drove into the strip center to find it...

Mediterranean salad with raw falafel at Natural Living

Hidden Spots Around the Bay That Will Help You Keep Your Fitness Goals

By Jennifer Fuller

Oct 22, 2018

The cooler weather has reached Houston and people are already daydreaming about the delicious holiday treats to come. This time of year is one of the toughest times to stay on-track with a healthy diet. But with a little assistance from passionate health enthusiasts who love helping people reach their...

At Kata Robata, vegans can enjoy the gyoza and soba worry-free.

5 Vegetarian Dishes to Eat Right Now Houston

By Erika Kwee

Sep 18, 2018

From a dish prominently featuring mock meat at a high-brow Galleria restaurant to a creative sandwich that combines avocado toast, burrata and a croissant, here is your irregularly scheduled reminder that vegetarian food is delicious too. Vegetarian chicken from Yauatcha: More than one eyebrow at the table was raised when...

Vegetarian

Pho Binh Now at Finn Hall, Trash Panda Next Week

Openings and Closings: Paul Friedman's Chef's Table

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