IT’S ONLY MID-March, and new restaurants are in full bloom. Here are the latest picks!
Eau Tour
Eau Tour burger (photo by Jenn Duncan)
Benjy Levit, owner of Local Foods and Lees Den, has transformed the adjacent Thai Spice space into a community bistro scheduled to bow March 21. Eau Tour, or “water journey,” features a creative, relaxing vibe and chef-driven, shareable feasts. Expect a playful but focused approach to contemporary French cuisine by chef Kent Domas with a menu centered around the wood-burning Josper oven and seafood gems. Think Caviar for the People; scallop crudo with blood oranges and leek vinaigrette; and tuna tartare Romesco. Also look for a double cheeseburger with house-ground meats and pork Milanese, along with a boisterous wine selection and heavy-pour cocktail program. The intimate dinner and drinks spot outfitted by Garnish Design features Art Deco bravado with pops of color, flirty vintage light fixtures, and custom stained-glass second-story windows.
Oheya by Uchi
Hai Hospitality, the team behind Uchi, is opening Oheya by Uchi, a 12-seat, reservations-only omakase restaurant today. Taking the petite space neighboring Uchi on Westheimer, Oheya will offer two sushi-bar seatings per night with a 15-course menu that changes monthly, led by a different Hai Hospitality chefs each time. “This initiative will allow guests to engage with Hai chefs from all over the country, introducing new flavor combos while experiencing an entirely new menu each month,” says founder Tyson Cole. The chic surroundings boast custom millwork with place settings made from handmade ceramics, which perfectly showcase the colorful and always surprising courses.
Rockhouse Southern Kitchen
Rockhouse cocktail (photo by Raydon Creative)
March 20 brings yet another opening, this one on the Richmond Strip by the team behind The Warwick. Rockhouse Southern Kitchen is located in the former Billy Blues building, where some of the most classic artist performances have been held for more than 25 years. The expansive, 14,000-square-foot space has been transformed into Houston’s go-to spot for live music and all things southern-inspired. Rockhouse taps into its history with an outdoor stage that will regularly host live music, while the interior features velvet booths and copper tabletops. The daily dinner menu stars southern classics like fried chicken and fried catfish served with smoked collard greens and, of course, mac and cheese. Signature items include lobster sliders, oxtail egg rolls, and a Cajun ribeye.
Se7en
Se7en handroll
Dubbed “Houston's first true service-oriented entertainment restaurant,” splashy Se7en has swung opened its doors in Upper Kirby. “Our primary focus is to create a mixture of wonder and intrigue while making our guests feel at home,” said Frank Edosomwan, co-founder of Seven Hospitality Group. Headed by executive chef Erhan Özkaya, dishes focus on Asian-Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on using quality ingredients found in the Mediterranean basin. Begin with a selection of handrolls, or a starter such as labneh and cucumber or prime beef kabobs. A 42-ounce, 45-day- aged Tomahawk finished with demi-glace is a standout entrée. To drink, Se7en has an extensive wine list and a discerning mixology program served in a sophisticated supper-club setting. Expect dinner Tuesday through Saturday, with a late-night weekend menu and bottle service available alongside nightly DJs and entertainment acts.
Layne's Chicken Fingers
Layne's Chicken Fingers
Aggie cult-favorite fried chicken fingers spot has opened its first Houston location in Garden Oaks. Franchisee Masroor Fatany, a Texas A&M grad who also owns seven Halal Guys restaurants, plans to open five more locations in Houston in the near future. Located adjacent to the Halal Guys on Ella Blvd., the eatery is open for to-go service only, so guests have the option of walk-in counter ordering or the drive-thru. Expect a concise menu of chicken tenders, chicken tender sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, potato salad, and milkshakes. Quell those late night cravings!
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Isaac Mizrahi Speaks Out on Creativity and Mental Health: Meet the Fashion Icon at Jung Center Benefit
Mar. 20, 2023
YOU MIGHT BE forgiven if you never considered a connection between fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and The Jung Center, an institution offering hundreds of public classes rooted in analytical psychology, the expressive arts, and the humanities, as well as programs designed to support those who work directly with suffering and trauma.
But in conversation with Mizrahi, whose wicked sense of humor speaks to a deep intellect matched with the street smarts of a Brooklyn-born New Yorker, it’s clear how much he values living a transformative, creative life while taking care of one’s mental health.
“Isaac knows who he is, and that knowledge was hard-won,” says Jung Center Executive Director Sean Fitzpatrick. “His story reflects the power of creativity and being rigorously honest about what is most difficult in our lives.” On Mar. 28, at the River Oaks Country Club, Mizrahi will share his story and more as the featured speaker at The Jung Center’s Spring Benefit.
Born in 1961, Mizrahi grew up Jewish, chubby, and gay in a Syrian Orthodox community — a culture that was more than a little suspicious of his burgeoning artistic interests, which included singing along to Barbara Streisand records (until his voice changed) and producing elaborately staged puppet shows in his family’s garage. As a child, Mizrahi attended Yeshivah of Flatbush, a repressive, fear-inducing environment, where he experienced panic attacks that had him writhing on the floor, screaming his lungs out. Not long after the 6-year-old Mizrahi plunged a steak knife into the tire of a school bus, the powers that be at the yeshiva told his mother to take her son to a psychiatrist, or he would be suspended permanently. Thankfully, for Mizrahi, therapy turned out to be a lifeline.
“I grew to love it,” says Mizrahi, who has continued with therapy ever since, and is loath to compare the process with how it is portrayed on reality TV shows. “The very essence of therapy is honesty and privacy,” says Mizrahi. “It’s not about talking about how your brand isn’t performing the way it should.”
Given the dizzying range of Mizrahi’s creative ventures, from launching his critically acclaimed fashion label in 1987 to hosting a popular TV talk show to returning to his music and acting roots as a cabaret singer and storyteller, it’s telling that he pauses a moment when asked if creating art is good for one’s mental health.
“It’s both really good, and really awful,” says Mizrahi. That said, he does believe making art provides great lessons in how to recover from one’s missteps. “As an artist, you instinctually understand how to take whatever concept we have of personal failure and make something out of it,” says Mizrahi. “And you are never bored. Even in a room under lock and key, if someone throws in a pencil and paper, you’re going to do something with it!”
Speaking of never being bored, last summer, Mizrahi was thrilled to be honored by another Houston institution, the one and only Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, who name-checks “House of Mizrahi” in the remix of her song, “Break My Soul.” “My darling, I feel seen,” says Mizrahi of the shout-out. Not surprisingly, he describes Queen Bey’s boundary-pushing artistry in very Jungian language. “There’s something about her work that speaks to this kind of inner journey,” says Mizrahi. “It’s not just a surface thing. You can plummet as deeply as you want, and there’s always something in it.”
And as the good people of The Jung Center will attest, the “House of Mizrahi” offers a similar trip for those willing to take the plunge.
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