HOUSTON – It’s an excellent time to try new food in Houston. Plenty of exciting new restaurant concepts recently opened in our area.
Here’s where to go when you’re craving something new.
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Albi
An upscale Mediterranean restaurant made its debut in Houston’s River Oaks Shopping Center in early May.
Touted as a “harmonious blend between traditional and modern,” Albi’s menu offers a mix of Lebanese, Turkish, and Greek cuisines with dishes like a shrimp falafel with tarator sauce and heirloom tomatoes; Beets bil tahini, salt-baked beets blended with yogurt and topped with a tahini powder and pickled berries; bluefin tuna tartar with Aleppo pepper and an apricot coulis; King trumpet mushroom shawarma with tzatziki and charred lemon; Jidori chicken roulade, stuffed with house-made turmeric and chicken sausage and served alongside a rice bowl with caramelized onion puree and golden raisins inspired by Lebanese biryani.
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit albihouston.com.
Andiron
Houston-based Sambrooks Management Company expanded its restaurant business with a new eatery opened April 19.
Located at 3201 Allen Parkway, Andiron’s menu “honors the classic steakhouse while also offering a modern small plate progressive dining experience,” a release read. “The concept revolves around sourcing the world’s finest ingredients, treating them simply, and preparing them with live-fire techniques.”
The menu features selections from Niman Ranch Prime, small-production Australian Wagyu, and a rotating selection of small-farm Japanese Wagyus.
Complementing the menu, the cocktail program offers “classics with a twist.”
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit andironhtx.com.
Dante’s River Oaks
Dante’s River Oaks will open its door on May 16 at 4340 Westheimer Road, Suite 150, the space formerly occupied by the recently shuttered Italian restaurant Concura. The new concept will channel “the ‘la dolce vita’ lifestyle with laidback fare and coastal ambiance,” a release read.
Composed of authentic and approachable Italian dishes, the menu features starters such as charcuterie and cheese boards, tartare, olive all’ascolana and Mediterranean-style octopus. Six pastas, including rigatoni cacio e pepe, bucatini amatriciana, and pappardelle bolognese, will join entrees such as roasted salmon with dill dressing, ribeye steak with mustard vinaigrette, and duck breast with carrot cream and cherry wine sauce.
To learn more, visit dantesriveroaks.com.
Hongdae 33
Named after one of Seoul’s most vibrant nightlife districts, Hongdae 33 is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and “aims to differentiate itself by offering late-night revelers an inviting, neon-washed party atmosphere to gather for great food, creative drinks and after-hours fun,” a release reads.
In line with the traditional Korean barbecue format, Hongdae 33 offers all-you-can-eat pricing. Guests select meats, seafood and other specialties to cook themselves over tabletop gas grills. For grilling, the restaurant has sourced exclusively USDA Prime meats, including galbi, brisket, beef or pork bulgogi, garlic- or miso-marinated flat iron steak, pork belly, pork jowl and chicken in choice of soy, garlic, or spicy marinade as well as seafood options, such as garlic-butter shrimp, spicy baby octopus and spicy ika squid. Premium selections include American wagyu beef from R-C Ranch, short rib, New York strip and ribeye. Vegetables and tofu are also included.
The all-you-can-eat menu is priced at $33 per person for 90 minutes. There is a five item per order limit.
Picnik
A popular Austin restaurant opened an outpost in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood on April 24.
The health-conscious concept caters to specialty diets and serves a sugar-free, gluten-free, and peanut-free menu.
Menu offerings include the Bacon Jam Burger (grass-fed beef patty, organic raw cheddar, housemade bacon jam, mustard, pickles on a scratch sesame bun), the Spring Hash (corn, asparagus, kale, sweet potato, scratch made grass-fed beef and heritage pork sausage), and the Picnik Benedict (bacon, organic cream cheese and Vital Farms eggs on top of a scratch biscuit and topped with hollandaise).
Signature cocktails on the drink menu include the Pitaya Margarita (tequila, dragon fruit, raw honey, and lime) and the Southern Charm (bourbon, citrus, banana and spice). Also on offer are sustainable wines, gluten-free beer, zero-proofs, local cider, and hard kombucha.
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit picnikrestaurants.com.
Postino WineCafé
Postino WineCafé, an Arizona-born restaurant concept, uncorked a new location in The Woodlands.
Situated at 2025 Hughes Landing Boulevard in the Hughes Landing mixed-use district, the new 4,000-square-foot space with an umbrella-lined patio debuted on April 24.
“The Woodlands has been on our radar since we first opened at Heights Mercantile five years ago,” Postino Co-founder Lauren Bailey said in a statement. “It’s definitely been worth the wait to find the perfect space to open within the community. The Woodlands embodies everything that excites us – a relaxed vibe connected to the beauty of the outdoors, the familial energy, its burgeoning food scene and the cultural vibrancy of an international population.”
The all-day wine bar and café offers a “sophisticated, yet approachable menu” composed of shareables like bruschetta and charcuterie boards.
Complementing the menu, the restaurant’s expansive wine program features “a lineup of both familiar and exploratory, seasonal bottle and by-the-glass wine offerings,” a release read.
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit postinowinecafe.com.
PS-21
PS-21, a project from Chef Philippe Schmit and partner Sébastien Laval, opened in March and debuted a new lunch menu in late April.
Starters include the Salmon Tart (thin bread dough, salmon gravlax, dill crème fraîche, pickled onions, arugula); Lobster bisque (topped with flaky puff pastry, Burrata salad marinated cherry tomatoes, broccoli purée, truffle vinaigrette); and Trio of Dips (green tapenade, harissa pepper, pickled mushrooms, toasted bread).
The menu offers a bevy of salad options, including Lobster Salad (asparagus, lobster vinaigrette, mixed greens); Chicken Thai Salad (shiitake, peppers, snow peas, cilantro, Boston lettuce); and Salade Niçoise (Tuna, fennel, olives, egg, string beans, peppers, mixed greens).
Entrees include dishes such as Le Burger (wagyu patty, Brie cheese, caramelized onions, BLT, BBQ sauce, fries); Moules Frites (P.E.I mussels, saffron-chorizo sauce, house-made fries); Steak Frites (grilled hanger steak, house-made fries, whiskey peppercorn sauce); and Cheese Soufflé, (Swiss cheese, Parmesan, truffle oil, side salad).
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit ps21htx.com.
Verde Garden
Verde Garden opened on April 25, at 1011 La Rue Street. It’s the first eatery to open at the new Montrose mixed-use development dubbed the Harlow District.
With 8,900 square feet of interior space and an expansive, 10,000-square-foot patio, Verde Green offers “Tex-Mex options with a twist.”
The beverage program, curated by Kirby Group beverage director Joel Ramirez, features frozen, made-to-order margaritas, beer, wine, cider, and an extensive list of Mexican spirits, including mezcal, tequila, raicilla, sotol and rum. The cocktail menu will offer 12 specialty frozen margaritas as well as 20 house cocktails and 60 classic cocktails.
To learn more or to make a reservation, visit verdegardenhtx.com.
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