Michelin-Starred Chefs Announce Plans for New Restaurants at MFAH’s Kinder Building

Michelin-Starred Chefs Announce Plans for New Restaurants at MFAH’s Kinder Building

Salvatore Martone, Jonathan Benno and Alain Verzeroli, photo by Shannon O'Hara

THE MFAH'S NANCY and Rich Kinder Building, which first opened in November, will soon be home to two concepts by two different Michelin-starred chefs, both with the New York-based group Bastion Restaurants.


The first, Cafe Leonelli, is scheduled to open in mid-March, with traditional Italian cuisine by Jonathan Benno. Expect friendly environs and an accessible price-point, with items like house-baked focaccia, polenta and more, served buffet-style. Within, there will be an outpost of famous pastry chef Salvatore Martone's Miami-based ice cream shop Frohzen; the creations are almost as artful as the masterpieces on display throughout the rest of the building. (And, for what it's worth, in the restaurant itself: Trenton Doyle-Hancock's wall-size mural, "Color Flash for Chat and Chew, Paris Texas in Seventy-Two," depicts an abstracted forest. And Spencer Finch's Moon Dust (Apollo 17) hangs overhead.)

The second concept, Le Jardinier, a full-service restaurant from chef Alain Verzeroli, will open about a month later, with a menu inspired by "the rhythm of nature," as portrayed through seasonal, vegetable-forward plates. Al fresco dining will take place amid the Sculpture Garden.

Bastion, which is behind the successful La Table on Post Oak, sought out Houston as a destination for additional locations, citing the city's friendly culinary climate. "We have seen firsthand how this city is such a great incubator of culinary talent," said Antonio Begonja, chief operating officer. "To that end, we wanted to bring the brands we developed in New York and Miami to this culturally-diverse community so they can continue to grow."

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Food
Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

You’ve eaten at Nancy’s Hustle, Tiny Champions, Better Luck Tomorrow, Milton’s and Lee’s Den. Now, you can explore the private warehouse of the design firm that created those spaces!

Keep Reading Show less

UPON ARRIVAL AT Maroma resort on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, a beautifully dressed attendant, briefcase and tablet in hand, ushers guests to their respective rooms. “Here’s your welcome amenity,” she says, gesturing to ceramic vessels on the coffee table with one hand as she completes the check-in process with the other. “It is tequila.”

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places