Food News! Uchiko Announces Opening Date, Chef Shuffle at La Colombe d’Or & More

Food News! Uchiko Announces Opening Date, Chef Shuffle at La Colombe d’Or & More

Cacciucco at Tonight & Tomorrow

THERE'S NEVER A bland moment in the Houston restaurant world. This week's food news is piping hot, with a side of wasabi! Read on for more.


Uchiko Opens May 23

Shaun King

Hai Hospitality opened Loro in February to great acclaim, and is following up with another equally anticipated hot spot: Uchiko will open in the Zadok family's Post Oak Place development on May 23, almost exactly 10 years after the Austin-based group opened its Houston outpost of Uchi. Chef de Cuisine Shaun King is finalizing the menu, which touts similar sections to that of Uchi — Makimono, Cool Tastings, Hot Tastings, etc. — as well as staple Uchi items like Hama Chili and the P-38 roll. Uchiko will set itself apart, though, in its rich flavors and smoky profiles, as in the seared and charred beef served alongside foie au Poivre. As for libations, expect plenty of ones with shochu and Japanese whisky, and a unique Tea Smoked Martini with smoked gin concentrate, jasmine tea and, yes, more gin.

New Chef and Menus at La Colombe d'Or

Seared scallops

One year after reopening as Tonight & Tomorrow following a grand renovation and expansion, the restaurant at La Colombe d'Or has named a new chef and the hotel has a new food and beverage director. JB Babaran now helms the kitchen, adding some French techniques and flavors to the coastal-European menu. Seasonal dishes newly include a cacciucco seafood stew, lamb shank barbacoa, and grilled rabbit. Drinks at Bar No. 3 are inspired by and named after the pieces in the hotel's sculpture garden, a la RockGrowthRoot, a cocktail of dark rum and coffee liquor. Meanwhile, Newstonian Calvin Salemi oversees the day-to-day operations of the restaurant and bar.

This Week's Must-Hit Happy Hour

Sliders at NoPo (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)

Ben Berg's NoPo Café, Market & Bar just rolled out a new weekday happy hour, offered from 3-6pm. There's a new menu of plates designed for sharing — fritto misto, fried pickles and spinach dip, all under $10 — and list of seven cocktails crafted by Alba Juerta available for $4 off. There's also happy-hour pricing on pizza, sliders, beer and wine. Cheers to that!

James Beard Nom Overhauls Popular Restaurant

Curry fish balls (photo by Kim Park)

In Katy, chef Alex Au-Yeung owns and operates the Malaysian spot Phat Eatery and its newer sister resto Yelo, named for a color associated with joy. Yelo originally opened as a grab-and-go banh mi and Vietnamese street food concept , but Au-Yeung, who was a 2022 James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef: Texas, has shifted its focus. The counter-service restaurant now showcases street foods from all over Southeast Asia, with items that homage his childhood in Hong Kong and his training in Cantonese kitchens, along with his time in Houston. New plates include impossibly stretchy Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles, curry fish balls and firecracker shrimp — but the craft banh mis remain.

Food
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less

Lady Stephanie Kimbrell, Cory McGee, and Butler Studio artists, Ani Kushyan, Alissa Goretsky and Elizabeth Hanje (photo by Michelle Watson)

ALL OF THE top performing arts organizations in Houston have now officially opened their 2024-2015 seasons, now that Houston Grand Opera has bowed with a stirring performance of Verdi’s Il trovatore at The Wortham followed by a lavish al fresco dinner in a tent on the plaza out front.The Houston Ballet and the Houston Symphony held their own grand opening night festivities earlier in the fall.

Keep Reading Show less
Art+Culture

Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment