Inside My Table #85 | Excerpt
Noteworthy Openings
AMÉRICAS, 21 Waterway Ave., next to the Marriott and convention center,The Woodlands, 281- 367-1492. Long-awaited and much anticipated, this is Michael Cordúa’s second edition of Américas. This time, he hired the New York architectural firm of Studio Gaia to do the design, and the sophisticated minimal setting couldn’t be more different from Jordan Moser’s swirling hallucinogenic jungle at Américas’ original Post Oak Blvd. location. “This is a modern Latin restaurant — without the ‘folkloric’ themes that some have gotten used to when thinking about Latin food,” explained Cordúa. The menu, as executed by Jonathan Jones (one of Houston’s hottest chefs, previously at Max’s Wine Dive), includes tamales made with Berkshire pork, pepitas and Swiss chard; Cordúa’s now-classic churrasco (both beef and lamb versions); corn-stuffed ravioli; softshell crawfish taquito and crisp roasted salmon. David Cordúa is running Américas with his father.
ANDREA RISTORANTE ITALIANO, 12513 Westheimer at Dairy Ashford, 281-496-9444. Chef Andrea Pintus, a native of Sardinia, has been cooking in Houston for the past 20 years, most notably 13 years at Patrenella’s. His partner Luigi Campioni recently arrived from Europe with a background in restaurant management. Together they’ve created this little Italian outpost on far-west Westheimer. Choose from among sautéed clams, insalata di tonno e fagioli, gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce blushed with a hint of tomato, some 19 distinct pastas, risotto or grilled meat or fish. Daily specials keep things interesting. Andrea serves wine and beer, and the menu offers many suggestions for pairing wine with the kitchen’s output. Closed Monday.
CULLEN’S, 11500 Space Center Blvd., bet. Genoa Red Bluff and Hwy. 3, 713-481-3463. Everything’s bigger in Texas, and this is the biggest new kid on the block, racking up 37,000 square feet. Inside, though, the rooms are designed to a human scale and can feel almost intimate. Cullen’s menu, designed by executive chef Paul Lewis, is American with an upscale twist. The Frito pie-style starter, for example, boasts Berkshire pork in the chili, toasted tortilla chips, Texas goat cheese, two kinds of cheddar and crème fraîche. You’ll also find prime rib, steaks and chops, seafood, chicken, duck, homemade pizzas and sandwiches. A 21st-century computerized wine tablet allows diners to search wines by type, vintage, region and price. Named after owner Kevin Munz’s son, Cullen’s is also very kid friendly — video games on flat screen televisions in the sports bar/waiting area, a children’s menu, children’s dessert menu and a nice selection of non-alcoholic specialty drinks. Cullen’s Live, the two-story main bar, will feature various genres of live music. As we go to press, Cullen’s is not yet entirely open; it’s opening section by section. Call before you drive.
FEAST, 219 Westheimer bet. Bagby & Taft, 713-5297788. Opened in late March, this is a new place from Meagan and James Silk and Richard Knight, who were at Taverna in Conroe. The two guys are Brits. They describe the food as French-Italian-English, but it seemed all English to us, with a British sensibility. The daily-changing menu (the menu depends on what kind of odd cuts of meat are delivered, quips Silk, a butcher by training) includes ham and parsley terrine, fish pie with cod, shrimp, eggs and leeks, oxtail-stuffed cabbage, braised pigeon with cherries, shepherd’s pie topped with Gloucester cheese and leeks. On a recent visit, the starters included “A Bowl of Necks,” featuring chicken, quail and duck necks. A lovely rear garden (no street hubbub!) feels like a pub in Sussex. This is the location that once was Aldo’s and more recently Chez Georges. As we go to press, the restaurant is working to secure a full liquor license and plans to have an array of gins. Open Monday for “industry night”; closed Tuesday.
FUEGOVIVO CHURRASCARIA, 11681 Westheimer bet. Wilcrest & Royal Oaks Club Dr., 281-597-8108. This Miami-based chain (they have three other locations in Florida) opened in late April in a former Champps location. “Fuegovivo” means “roaring fire” in Portuguese and is meant to conjure up the gauchos’ roaring fire: Service is rodizio style, with roving waiters bearing swords of beef, chicken, pork, linguiça and lamb. In addition to the grilled meats, a 20-foot two-tiered bar is stocked with some 50 side selections, including feijoada (black beans), salads, cured meats, carpaccio, boiled shrimp and traditional Brazilian dishes. Fried polenta and our favorite little cheese buns are on the table. It’s a fun way to eat, but come hungry. The restaurant is open for lunch weekdays, Sunday brunch and nightly dinner. Executive chef and GM is Karlo Solyom.
INKA SOUTH AMERICAN CUISINE, 12225 Westheimer bet. Kirkwood & Dairy Ashford, 832-279-1717. Literally a bright spot in west Houston, Inka is painted in vibrant oranges and yellows and showcases South American folk art. The menu is just as bright, with seven tingling-fresh ceviches and four choices for mussels or clams. Beef, chicken and pork are featured in tortas, empanadas and entrees. There’s a covered patio for outdoor dining, a full bar and an extensive coffee menu, thanks to Cafe Inka next door serving South American coffees, sandwiches and pastries. Inka is from chef/owner David Sanchez, who once worked for the Cordúa restaurant group and was an opening chef at Julia’s Bistro.
JIMMY WILSON’S SEAFOOD & CHOP HOUSE, 5161 San Felipe just east of Sage, 713-960-0333. In the soaring space that La Strada once occupied, Denis Wilson and Jim Jard have set up shop. The new digs seem more upscale than the old Westheimer location (which has been sold), but this is not a fancy spot. It wants to be the area’s easy-to-fall-into regular seafood house. We recently spent a pleasant spring evening on the patio and found our dinner to be everything we hoped for: intense flavors, fresh seafood, a lush and naughty richness to the sauces. The accent is Cajun-Creole, and most seafood choices can be ordered broiled, deep-fried or blackened. Ellen Gonzalez is in the kitchen, along with Wilson. And, yes, the ever-popular fried green tomatoes made the move.
KENZO SUSHI BISTRO, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in La Centerra Mall, Katy, 281-371-8200. Since opening in December, Kenzo has been one of the area’s most-talked-about newcomers. Executive chef Juna Rorimpandey previously worked with the Miyako group, Uptown Sushi, Noé and The Oceanaire Seafood Room. Owner Charlie Cho was mentored by Donald Chang (Nara, Uptown Sushi), perhaps Houston’s most influential Japanese-restaurant owner. The result is a fine-dining restaurant fronted by a full sushi bar. There are many non-Asian specials and menu offerings, and the food presentation is beautiful. It reminds us a bit of Soma on Washington Avenue, but much less intense and noisy.
THE LAKE HOUSE WATERSIDE CAFE, 1611 Lamar in Discovery Green Park, 713-337-7320. This casual burger bar is the second phase of the Schiller Del Grande restaurant plan — the first phase was The Grove, which opened in December — for the new Discovery Green Park in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Designed by noted architect Larry Speck (former dean of architecture at UT, who also did The Grove), The Lake House has been designed for family fun. There are burgers, Kobe beef hot dogs, sweet potato fries and grilled chicken salad. In addition to its all-American menu, The Lake House sits on the southern edge of Kinder Lake, which features model sailboat racing and will be frozen over November through February, converting it into Houston’s first-ever outdoor ice rink. You can literally skate off the deck of The Lake House come winter time (and skates are for rent adjacent to the restaurant).
PONTE VECCHIO, 500 Dallas at Brazos, 713-659-9400. On the west edge of downtown, this new fast-casual spot dishes up Italian food, such as spaghetti Bolognese, chicken parmesan and pork chops in a spicy tomato sauce with oregano, capers, onions, anchovies and garlic. The meat and seafood entrees change daily, and you can check their website (http://alpontevecchio.com/dailymenu.html) for a preview. Dante Calzini, who hails from Florence, is chef. Free WiFi.
SAGE, 2221 W. Alabama just west of Greenbriar, 713-526-6242. We’ve been watching this place incubate for months and are delighted it’s finally open. The restaurant is set in an overhauled house —it might remind you of Au Petit Paris in this regard. We were especially charmed by the European-style, old-fashioned bar area that looks so seductive and inviting. There’s outdoor garden seating, too. Sage’s executive chef, Paolo Mascio, started his career at Pino’s, the home-style Italian place that once was at the corner of Hillcroft and Westheimer. His menu here is pan-European. Weak link: Sweet but under-informed service. Our waiter couldn’t describe the evening’s foie gras special to us and didn’t know the regular menu very well, either. Live piano music on Saturday evening. Dinner only Tuesday through Sunday; closed Monday. David Wildbur is owner.
SUPER H MART, 1302 Blalock at Westview, 713-468-0606. Long anticipated, this South Korean-owned supermarket chain finally opened early May, settling in Spring Branch, an area already known for its Korean restaurants, churches, bookstores and bakeries. This crummy former Randall’s had a complete makeover. There’s an amazing seafood counter (including many kinds of live fish), excellent meat counter where you can order marinated bulgogi and super-thin-sliced beef for shabushabu, kimchee of every kind, well-priced produce, fresh noodles and tofu, and much more — not to mention the dumpling counter, sushi bar and fast-casual cafe for hot stone bowl bibimbap, Korean short ribs and spicy soft tofu stews. In other cities, H Mart has been likened to a Whole Foods for Asian foodstuffs — and we agree with the comparison. The chain began as a Korean grocery store, but the concept has expanded to cover all Asian groceries.
