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News for Restaurants in Houston
April 2009 Archive

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HOUSTON RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar added a third Houston area location in April for Westsiders. The new eatery is in the Town & Country Village shopping development near Katy and the Memorial City areas. Operating partner George Malek and chef partner Joe Gerardi bring local dining experience to the steakhouse chain's winning turf and surf menu and extensive wine list. The 7,751-square-foot restaurant has a seating capacity for approximately 250 guests, a private dining room that can accommodate up to 100 or can be divided into smaller rooms. Fleming's opened its River Oaks location in 2002 and The Woodlands in 2004. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Town & Country Village, 788 W. Sam Houston Pkwy North, Houston, TX 77024, 713-827-1120.
 
Brennan's of Houston's former executive chef Randy Evans is setting his sights on a fall opening for Haven, a farm-to-fork upscale eatery in the Upper Kirby area. Construction is just starting on the restaurant, which was designed by architect Jim Herd. "It's slowly coming along," says Evans. The eco-friendly restaurant will have its own garden irrigated with rainwater and Evans says the menu will feature seasonal haute Texas cuisine. Haven, 2502 Algerian Wy., Houston, TX 77098, 713-263-4556.
 

News Bytes

Four Houston Restaurants make the 50 Best list in Travel + Leisure magazine
Only five Texas eateries made it into Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2009 list of the 50 Best New U.S. Restaurants-- and four of them are in Houston. Reef, Brian Caswell’s fish emporium, made the list, as did Scott Tycer’s Textile. Rounding out the list is nose-to-tail foodie fave Feast and Hotel Icon’s Voice. Not surprisingly, locals have been flocking to these places since they opened. Four Houston Restaurants make Travel + Leisure magazine, 219 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77006, 713-529-7788.
 
Chefs to Team with Cathedral Health & Outreach Ministries
Four of Houston's top chefs will team with Cathedral Health & Outreach Ministries (CHOM) for a year-long series of dinner/demonstrations to raise funds for CHOM's The Beacon, which provides hot meals and more for the city's homeless. Chef Hugo Ortega, of Hugo's and Backstreet Café, will be sponsoring Fiestas Patrias, Viva Mexico, a cooking demonstration and dinner, on September 2; and chefs Claire Smith and David Luna, of Shade Cafe, will be sponsoring Party Bites For The Holidays, a cooking demonstration and dinner, on November 4. Tickets are $100 and all proceeds go to CHOM. Call 713-532-6907 or visit www.chomhouston.org for tickets. The ministry and the chefs came together last year when The Beacon offered its kitchen for a fundraiser for the Koonce family, who were badly injured during the fire that destroyed Brennan's of Houston. Now, the culinary masters are returning the favor.
 
Menu of Menus Extravaganza at Discovery Green
On Tuesday, April 21, Houston Press will host its annual Menu of Menus Extravaganza from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (Early Admission begins at 6 p.m.) at Discovery Green. The event will showcase the various culinary talents of the city, complete with food sampling from over 35 area restaurants alongside wine, beer and spirit sampling. General Admission Tickets: $35. Early Admission: $75. Guests must be 21+, with a valid I.D.  All proceeds benefit Discovery Green and The Center for Hearing and Speech. Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, Houston, TX 77010, 713-280-2478.
 

Chef Shuffle

Omni Houston Hotel has added not one, but two top chefs to its kitchen: Jacques Lolliot and Dean Sprague. Chef Lolliot comes from the Sofitel family of hotels and will serve as executive chef for the entire Omni Houston Hotel. Sprague, tapped for sous chef of the entire hotel and executive chef of the popular Noé, joins the Omni following a stint at the Crested Blue Butte Mountain Resort in Crested Butte, Colorado. NoĆ©, Omni Houston Hotel, 4 Riverway, Houston, TX 77056, 713-871-8177.
 

Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for Houston to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from yesteryear. Zula, R.I.P.

After nearly three decades, the fabled Cafe Annie, where chef Robert Del Grande made Southwestern cuisine famous, is closing. But local foodies need not panic: Del Grande and partner Lonnie Schiller will be opening a new fine dining establishment just down the street in early June. Wulfe & Co. developers are tearing down the old strip center on Post Oak and replacing it with a new multi-use complex called BLVD Place. Del Grande and Schiller are taking advantage of the rebuild to create a new venue called Restaurant RDG / Bar Annie. The umbrella concept will include three unique dining spaces. The entire first floor will be occupied by BLVD Lounge, the second floor will be home to Bar Annie---a holdover from Cafe Annie---and the RDG Grille Room featuring a selection of steaks and seafood. Cafe Annie, 1728 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, TX 77056, 713-840-1111.
 

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to
learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.


View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Houston

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