Study Abroad

At Agricole Hospitality’s new Indianola diner, America’s melting pot has never tasted so delicious.

Julie Soefer
img_1102
img_1102

For immigrants looking to start a new life, the port through which they pass to reach a final destination is never forgotten. For Morgan Weber’s family, that port was Indianola, near Matagorda Bay, and is now the namesake of his new restaurant.


“We knew we did not want to repeat a Coltivare,” explains Weber, referring to Agricole Hospitality’s Heights restaurant he owns with chef-partner Ryan Pera. He and Pera pondered the American notion of the melting pot; their team members find their roots in Italy via Ellis Island, San Francisco by way of Vietnam, and beyond. Paul Lewis, exec chef of Agricole’s three EaDo concepts — Indianola, Vinny’s pizza joint and Miss Carousel cocktail bar — hails from the U.K. They decided to “do immigrant food in America, presented in a fresh way.”

Weber reimagined the space — a 1940s warehouse with exposed brick — as a light, bright diner, another departure from Coltivare’s rustic aesthetic. Find neat rows of blush banquettes, high ceilings bedecked with greenery, and a long bar that faces an open kitchen.

Lewis’ slow-cooked pork ribs are a house fave: They’re rubbed down with green-chili paste, marinated overnight, baked, fried, tossed with Korean BBQ sauce, and topped with pickled daikon radish.

His new weekend brunch menu is just as distinct, with a pecan-sprinkled warm chocolate-and-cinnamon babka (Seinfeld fans rejoice!), and Moroccan-style fried eggs, presented in a spicy tomato ragu alongside toasted sourdough. And it isn’t brunch without a cocktail; the carrot-juice bloody Mary, garnished with pickled veggies, sounds guilt-free ... ish.

Breakfast service is soon to follow — and Weber’s own American dream of achieving an all-day diner will be realized.

AT TOP: The passion fruit pot de crème at Indianola

Uncategorized
Wellness Pro LeBrina Jackson on Gratitude at the Holidays: It’s a ‘Reset Button for my Mind’

LeBrina Jackson

AS WE GET into the holiday season, we’re reminded of what we have, what we want and what might be lacking. As Sheryl Crow says in her song, Soak up the Sun, “It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you've got.” We caught up with LeBrina Jackson, owner of Escape Spa in Cypress, Texas, and learned how she tackles the holiday season with hope, love and most importantly, gratitude.

Keep Reading Show less

Ally Shell and Martijn van Koolwijk

BLAME IT ON the Moon! Mercury Chamber Orchestra’s 2025 gala at the Thompson hotel — themed “Moonlight Serenade and chaired by Ally Shell and Martijn Van Koolwijk — was a night of glamour and big band vibes, raising more than $350,000 for the company.

Keep Reading Show less
Art+Culture

Glenda and Russell Gordy and Alicia and Garrett Gordy (photo by Wilson Parish)

EVEN AS RODEO season winds down, the party people at the Stage Houston theater company were still donning boots and shouting yahoo — and taking in a record haul of $1.4 million!

Keep Reading Show less