Summer in Houston is as steamy as ever. Our first-ever Sexy Issue hits the streets soon, featuring the hottest swimwear and the coolest restaurants. Plus: inside the vegan and microbrew scenes, and our special reporting on the state of romance in H-Town. Smart. Sexy. All local. Welcome to CityBook.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
We feel that our locations are ideally positioned so that residents can take advantage of familiar retail and restaurants, healthcare providers, private clubs, cultural activities, places of worship and the many walking trails, parks and green spaces that make our city so vibrant. Footsteps from the newly renovated River Oaks Theatre, elevated dining at Autry Park and minutes from downtown and the Theatre District and the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park at The Village of River Oaks. Nestled in gracious, shaded tree-lined residential neighborhoods close to Uptown and Memorial Park and popular shopping and dining at The Village of Tanglewood. To sweeping views across the treetops towards Rice University to the Museum District and the Medical Center at The Village of Southampton.
WELLNESS & CARE
All of our communities provide access to outdoor activities and connectivity to the area. So vital for wellness. We also offer a wide variety of group exercise and fitness activities daily from Tai Chi, Aerobics and Water Aquatics. Activities are plentiful – and you can take in as many or few as you wish. Including speaker events, book club, card games, Mahjong and lively happy hours. The Village communities have partnered with a premier home health company to provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, and palliative care, onsite in the building. Members whether Independent Living, Assisted Living or Memory Care are welcome to use their services for as little or as much as they may require. The Village of River Oaks is also unique in providing Optimized Care, our focused, extra needs Assisted Living which enables our members to recover onsite or receive care that might otherwise require a hospital-like setting. Our Memory Care program, SOAR® by Aspenwood, was developed in consultation with industry experts and neuroscientists at Rice University to ensure our residents live purposefully while still retaining activities of comfort and stimulation in a safe and secure environment. The SOAR® program is offered at River Oaks and Southampton.
DINE IN OUR RESTAURANTS AND ENJOY CHEF-INSPIRED MEALS. FROM FRESH SALADS, FISH, PASTA, COMFORT FOOD TO SEASONAL SPECIALS AND HEALTHY OPTIONS – YOU WILL FIND AN ABUNDANCE OF CHOICES DAILY.
NATURAL GAS GENERATORS – Uninterrupted Power
A unique feature of The Village communities is our Enchanted Rock Natural Gas Generators that provide full, uninterrupted electrical service to the building during a power outage. All building electrical systems including lights, air conditioning, elevators, communications, and the kitchen are served by the generators.
THE VILLAGE LIFE
When you visit our communities, you will see first-hand what makes them so appealing. From locations that allow you to live in the most desirable neighborhoods in the area to services and well-planned social activities – there is much to contribute to your way of living.
Explore The Village of River Oaks here or call 713-952-7600.
The brunch bread basket at Rumi's Kitchen beckons.
Traveler's Cart
Traveler's Cart (photo by Jenn Duncan)
Traveler’s Cart is now open on Montrose at West Gray, a counter-service-style outfit from the owners of popular Traveler’s Table nearby. The food menu includes street snacks — think falafel bites and butter chicken samosas, and small plates like Thai fried chicken wings and pan-fried lamb dumplings — and main dishes that are sure to fill you up, like an American roadside burger and the more adventurous Peri Peri chicken and Jamaican jerk pork ribs.
Rumi's Kitchen
Boreka at Rumi's Kitchen
Having recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, Rumi’s Kitchen is unveiling a new brunch menu highlighting its signature Persian flavors in unique new dishes. Chef Ali Mesghali is serving a bread basket with Jerusalem bagels, za’atar biscuits and more, plus a stellar take on Shakshuka — and the Iranish Coffee, a spice-sprinkled beverage of Bruichladdich unpeated scotch, nocino, coffee and cream. Sweet tooth? Don’t skip the Dutch Baby Pancake with sour-cherry jam, cream and powdered sugar. Brunch is available on weekends between 11am and 2:30pm.
Kira
Destination sushi spot Kira — a sister restaurant to popular Neo in Montrose — has rolled out a new Sunday-night experience dubbed Bar Kira, a high-energy, music-fueled take on its intimate sushi counter. The menu on Sunday nights (7pm-midnight) includes a lobster roll on housemade milk bread; smoked-fish onigiri with yuzu aioli; and a Spanish-style iberico ham sandwich. The exclusive cocktail list is fun — try the seasonal In Limbo, with brown-butter bourbon, pear, kelp syrup, and lemon and lime.
Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera
Chef Akifumi Sakagami
A shopping center on Westheimer near Dairy Ashford has been dubbed West On West (WOW), and is home to several exciting and delicious concepts already beloved in Chinatown and Katy Asiatown, like SomiSomi ice cream and Paris Baguette. The latest restaurant to bow is Kaiten, from Michelin-starred group Sushi Ginza Onodera, who delivers their traditional Japanese fare via conveyor belt. The new Houston location marks Ginza Onodera’s first opening in the U.S. mainland and second international Kaiten Sushi restaurant outside Japan.
il Bracco
il Bracco happy hour
A pair of Post Oak hot spots have debuted new deals, just in time for the holidays! Available daily from 3-6pm, il Bracco and Balboa Surf Club’s new happy-hour menus have yummy bites, cocktails and wines by the glass. Balboa’s seafood-savvy offerings include tostadas with ahi tuna and macadamia nuts, and crispy fish tacos with jalapeno slaw. Meanwhile, il Bracco touts bar snacks — marinated olives, spiced Marcona almonds, housemade chips — for just $3, plus fritto misto, arancini, and more.
Alora
The sadly shuttered Kau Ba, which apparently garnered a Michelin star posthumously, will soon be Alora. Expect preview pop-ups of the new Vietnamese-Peruvian restaurant throughout the holiday season. An example of the fusion fare includes the Shaking Lomo Saltado, a marriage of Vietnamese shaking beef and a popular Peruvian dish.
Medium Rare
Opening any day in Midtown: Medium Rare, offering a single pre-fixe meal of steak frites with artisan bread and a green salad ($31 per person). The concept, born in Washington D.C. in 2011, has expanded all over the U.S., perhaps best known for its secret sauce — and more extensive dessert menu with a specialty sundae and tastily tart key-lime pie and more, which can be tacked on for an additional $12. Vegetarians and vegans can opt for a portobello mushroom entrée.
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Chef Ope Amosu addresses foodies
Two months prior to each gathering, the nearest major city to the event is revealed. Just 24 hours before the meal, guests are sent the precise coordinates. The menu and all other details remain a closely guarded secret until guests arrive.
In Houston, many might expect traditional Tex-Mex or barbecue, but this time, the menu took an unexpected turn, showcasing the vibrant flavors of West Africa — a fitting tribute to the city’s rich diversity. The evening’s secret chef was Ope Amosu, the culinary mastermind behind ChòpnBlọk, which recently opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Montrose. “Houston is emerging as one of the top culinary destinations in the U.S., known for its eclectic food scene that spans the globe,” said Isaac Farias, Brugal Rum Brand Ambassador and sponsor of the event. “The city’s culinary landscape is now even recognized by the Michelin Guide.”
Sixty-four guests from eight different states gathered al fresco for the five-course feast. Standout dishes included the Colonial Scotch Egg, filled with spiced turkey, and the Black Star — a bowl brimming with fried rice, shrimp, yassa curry, and crowned with sweet plantains.
For the adventurous foodie, Secret Supper is hosting dinners in Italy and France in 2025. Bon voyage!
Plantain Chips
Cocktails with Brugal Rum
Colonial Scotch Egg
The table