Openings
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News
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Picasso Black & White Month Now until Memorial Day, May 27, you’ll find a sweet treat at Kenny & Ziggy’s, a very New York cookie --- the big black and white cookie. But more than an homage to Ziggy Gruber’s birthplace, the black and white food theme is to celebrate the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s final month of Picasso Black and White, the acclaimed exhibition of the artist’s paintings, sculptures and works on paper done in black and white. But Kenny & Ziggy’s isn’t the only restaurant to partner with the museum on this exhibit. Nine local eateries in all are offering “black and white” special menu items to promote the exhibit. Backstreet Café has Picasso’s Passionate Pursuit, a custom twist on a brandy milk punch; Cove Cold Bar, inside Haven, has Poisson Cru, a citrus-marinated blue marlin on a black handmade pottery plate: Eatsie Boys has black-and-white tarts from Fluff Bake Bar; Prego is offering a cappuccino cheesecake; Quattro has a squid-ink seafood risotto and a black-and-white cocktail with vanilla vodka and Godiva liqueur; Sparrow Bar + Cookshop has a black-and-white mac n’ cheese item; Tony’s executive chef Grant Gordon serves up spaghetti alla chitarra, with black trumpet mushrooms and pecorino romano; while Trevisio has pan-seared black-and-white sesame-crusted ahi tuna, riso nero, broccolini and bianco. Indulge with any of these menu items and you’ll receive a pass for $5 off the admission price to the Picasso exhibit. Kenny & Ziggy's, 2327 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, TX 77006, 713-871-8883.
Crawdad Boil Supports Make-A-Wish Foundation Goode’s Armadillo Palace, home of the 16-foot metal armadillo, served 2,000 pounds of crawfish on May 11 to hundreds of hungry folks, all in support of a good cause. Levi Goode, a longtime board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana Chapter, hosted the Craw-Wish Boil to raise funds for the nonprofit that helps grant wishes to ill children. Goode says they raised thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish, and volunteers were on hand to spread the word about all the good work the foundation is involved in. Goode’s Armadillo Palace, 5015 Kirby Dr., Houston, TX 77098, 713-526-9700.
Chef Shuffle
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Closings
May was not a good month for longtime Tex-Mex spots inside the loop: Bocados closed after Cinco de Mayo, then the 32-year-old Café Adobe shuttered after Mother’s Day, and the 15-year-old Taco Milagro locked its doors on May 26. In a press release, the Schiller Del Grande restaurant group announced that the rents in the Kirby Drive-Westhiemer Road area have become too pricey for the causal concept. The company, which also operates RDG + Bar Annie and the Café Express chain, says it plans to open another Taco Milagro in another location. No word yet on what will replace the restaurant whose patio was always a popular people-watching spot. Taco Milagro, 2555 Kirby Dr., Houston, TX 77019, no phone.
Like most Houston restaurants, Café Adobe was packed for Mother’s Day. But besides honoring Mom, many patrons where reliving old times and savoring their last margaritas and cheese enchiladas at the institution. May 12 was the final day of operation for the original Café Adobe on Westheimer Road. After three decades as the reigning Tex-Mex palace in River Oaks, the eatery shut down. Owner Bob Borochoff, who also owns three other Café Adobe locations outside the loop, sold the site to a developer who's considering building luxury apartments on the land. Borochoff says he’s looking for another potential location, possibly in the nearby Galleria area to reopen an inner loop store. Café Adobe, 2111 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77098, no phone.
Owners Teresa Flores and Lily Hernandez surprised regulars at the neighborhood Bocados when they announced they were closing the Mexican restaurant and night club after more than 15 years at the West Alabama location in Montrose. The pair felt the concept had run its course, although they are leaving open the possibility of recreating it in the Heights area sometime in the future. In the meantime, they'll open the Red Ox downtown late summer or early fall. As for the old house that housed Bocados, it will be the first Texas location of the Louisiana concept called Brick & Spoon. True to form, Bocados went out in style with a Cinco de Mayo blowout May 5 that was packed as folks said goodbye while drinking margaritas, eating free appetizers and listening to tunes. Adios, Bocados. Bocados, 1312 W. Alabama St., Houston, TX 77006, no phone.
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