LOCAL Houston | The City Guide AUGUST 2015 | Page 18

Local August 2015_FINAL.qxp_002houston 7/27/15 12:18 PM Page 18

DINE WRITE

HOUSTON

fall/winter restaurant preview

SPRING AND SUMMER 2015 SAW SOME REALLY COOL AND FUN
NEW RESTAURANTS OPEN, AMONG THEM PESKA SEAFOOD
CULTURE, B & B BUTCHERS AND RESTAURANT, MEIN RESTAURANT
AND MOST RECENTLY, RANDY RUCKER’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED
BRAMBLE RESTAURANT.
SO, WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE RESTAURANT WORLD THIS FALL
AND WINTER?
Let’s start with the openings that are going down even as this issue goes to print.
We’ve got HELEN GREEK FOOD & WINE in Rice Village, the Greek taverna by beverage guru Evan Turner, whose wine list will be made entirely of Greek wine in
the sub-$100 range, and whose chef, William Wright, promises traditional
Greek cuisine made with local ingredients – think moussaka made with crawfish
or gyro made with marinated pork shoulder.
Right up on its heels is IZAKAYA, the Midtown Japanese tapas and drinking concept by The Azuma Group (Kata Robata, Soma Sushi and Azuma). We can
already tell by the wall-sized murals that this place is going to be wild and wonderful. Menu creation will be overseen by Kata Robata’s Manabu Horiuchi, with
Philippe Gaston as Executive Chef. Expect small Japanese plates that you can
share with friends, lots of great beer and fantastic cocktails, to include Japanese
whiskey highballs, just like they drink in Japan.

Piada

Speaking of Japanese, we’re going to have two new sushi concepts soon. MF
SUSHI, the temple to blow-your-mind omakase by Chris Kinjo, is expected to
open in the Museum District anytime now. KA SUSHI, by the owners of Fat Bao,
will also open in The Heights, right next to Fat Cat Creamery.
The donut craze will meet the fried chicken craze with the opening of LEE’S FRIED
CHICKEN AND DONUTS in The Heights. The casual spot will have a drive-thru and
feature the same delectable three-day fried chicken recipe that’s only available
once a week at Liberty Kitchen, along with eight daily gourmet donuts. To add
to the excitement, we’ve got an insider tip: There will be bacon jam!
Other casual spots to look forward to include EADO’S, located, of course, in East
Downtown, for Tex-Mex meets barbecue fare such as street tacos and a queso
with barbecue influence. PIADA ITALIAN STREET FOOD is set to open in October in
the Park Pl X