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    First Taste

    Who needs Tex-Mex? Laurenzo's Grille is (almost) all-American

    Carol Rust
    Jan 19, 2010 | 7:00 am
    Don't forget dessert, especially the key lime pie.

    From its plush, blue-curtained portico to its swaggering wall display of autographed jerseys bearing names like “Olajuwon,” “Namath” and “Staubach,” Laurenzo’s Grille is a study in, well, something different.

    The newest incarnation in the Laurenzo family’s long tradition of filling Houston’s well-nourished bellies, the dining spot at 4412 Washington Ave., doesn’t serve the clan’s typical Tex-Mex fare. Sure, the menu touts tacos—stuffed with rosy prime rib—but there’s not a refried bean in sight.

    Is Mama Ninfa rolling over in her grave?

    Hardly. The savvy businesswoman, who died in 2001, would probably give her 39-year-old proprietor grandson, Domenic, a high-five if she could have seen the restaurant’s crowded parking lot just two weeks after it opened last month —before Domenic and his business partner father Roland had done any advertising to speak of. After all, she didn’t open Ninfa’s on Navigation out of a passion for food, she did so in 1973 after her husband died of a heart attack and she had to find a way to feed her five children. Necessity, sometimes, is the grandmother of invention.

    And Domenic’s got kitchen cred. He toddled about in Ninfa’s kitchens from the time he was 3. He washed dishes and prepared food there growing up. He attended Houston’s acclaimed Allain and Marie Lenotre Institute from 2000 to 2001 before diving into the restaurant business full-time at El Tiempo Cantina’s three locations, which he owns with Roland and mom Blanca.

    Aside from the cooking school, all Domenic’s experience has been Tex-Mex. So what’s with this all-American eatery?

    “We’ve always loved this kind of food. We eat it at home, and we have it when we dine out,” Domenic says, recalling mouth-watering memories of The Palm, Brennan’s and Houston’s, his favorite. “After all this time in Tex-Mex, I wanted to break out of the family tradition.”

    His Web site touts the prime rib and margaritas, both exceptional. The all-Angus beef comes from farms that eschew hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, and the margaritas are made after customers order them, using fresh lime, lemon and orange juice, top-brand triple sec and a smooth, high-octane tequila. Besides American standards like the burgers, chili and steaks, the menu pays homage to his Italian grandfather, Domenic T. Laurenzo, with its Chicken Napoli and Spicy Shrimp fra Diavolo, and, of course, Mama Ninfa, with stellar guacamole, white chili con queso and (prime rib) quesadillas.

    Some entrees resemble cultural collisions, such as the Chicken Salad Speciale, with its greens, avocado, mango, feta, honey-dijon dressing and Thai peanut sauce. It’s also a customer favorite. The sashimi-style ahi tuna steak tops out the price range at $28; the side orders of fries, white poblano cheese rice and jicama cole slaw hit the low notes at $4. Items might seem a little pricey until the huge portions actually arrive.

    OK, has anyone remarked about Domenic’s departure from the family’s culinary tradition?

    “Just about everybody has,” he says. “But just about everybody likes the food once they have it.”

    Almost everybody.

    Domenic admits he and his dad initially goofed when they came up with the restaurant’s original name, Laurenzo’s Grille dello Sport, in an effort to tout the family’s love of all things athletic — and the fact they have vintage, autographed jerseys for sale in the name of charity. Sports fans saw the sign and flocked to the place like so many moths to a Bud Light, expecting a wall of televisions blaring football and basketball. And insult to injury: the menu didn’t have inexpensive buffalo wings.

    Domenic hastily yanked any reference to sports, from the sign out front to the menu items. Since he had quite a few sports-related entrée names on the menu, (the large cut of prime rib used to be “the Heisman”), the menu looks a bit naked now without them.

    Menu nudity notwithstanding, what’s with the jerseys? A family friend and philanthropically minded attorney offered Domenic his private collection as the restaurant was taking shape, with the understanding that customers wishing to buy one, which range from $200 to $2,500, would write their check to their favorite charity. The friend handles the donations, making sure they get to their appointed causes.

    The jerseys do seem a wee bit incongruous with the elegant Brazilian oak booths that fill the dining area and its green faux marble pillars supporting stained-glass lamp fixtures. “We were going for a homey look,” Roland says. “And we like sports.”

    The 4,800-square-foot building, in separate lives both a piano bar and a laundry, has a comfortable ambiance that starts to blur warmly around the edges after one of the Laurenzos’ margaritas — just as the Ninfa’s on Navigation began to look a tad palatial after a margarita there.

    (In the years after her Navigation restaurant’s near-overnight success, Mama Ninfa and her family opened 50 more in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Germany. But their business plan proved overly ambitious, and in 1998, they sold their restaurants and the Ninfa’s name.)

    At Laurenzo’s Grille, there’s a happy buzz of conversation rising from the semi-compartmental privacy of the dark oak booths along with the clink of silverware against plates. Waiters dart into the kitchen, emerging with well-presented entrees I cannot keep my eyes from, curious if someone may have ordered something better than my food.

    But after two visits, I can report more than a few sightings of UFOs (ultimate food options): the guacamole, the French Dip, the prime rib, the queso and the (pucker up!) key lime pie.

    Oh, that key lime pie. Whatever you do, save room for it.

    The word "Sports" was removed from the Laurenzo's Grille name after patrons came in expecting rows of TVs and chicken wings.

      
    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    where to drink now

    16 Houston establishments churning out refreshing frozen cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 10, 2025 | 3:06 pm
    Solarium Frozen Cocktails
    Photo by Swiggard Creative
    The newly opened Solarium serves up racketball games and four frozen cocktails to sip on.

    If we’re going to endure another scorching Houston summer, we might as well do it with a frozen cocktail in hand. Fortunately, the city’s bartenders know how to keep us cool, serving up an impressive array of boozy adult slushies. Go ahead and bookmark this list—you’re going to need it.

    Brennan’s
    The most elaborate drink on this list, the Bananas Faster at Brennan’s is an ode to the original bananas Foster at Mr. B’s Bistro in NOLA. Bartenders sauté bananas in butter and sugar, then flambé them with rum and cinnamon before blending with Bacardi rum and soft serve. It’s topped with a banana slice, cinnamon, and an optional Mount Gay Dark Rum floater.

    Confessions
    Pair a bowl of hookah with Sweet Surrender, an adults-only take on the Dreamsicle, at Confessions. The new South American-inspired spot in Upper Kirby swirls vanilla and whipped vodka with oranges, evoking the childhood treat.

    Grand Prize
    Ease up to the downstairs bar of this Montrose haunt for the 20th Century, a frosty concoction of gin, lemon, Lillet, and crème de cacao. Upstairs, the Frozen Miami Vice is on tap: a half-strawberry daiquiri and half-pina colada, which can also be served separately if desired.

    Happy Go Lucky
    The team behind The Burger Joint opened its new shaved ice and frozen cocktail concept just as Houstonians begin to melt. Here, patrons can find more than 20 frozens, from tart palomas to zesty mules. Order the Espresso and Cream — an espresso martini meets a scoop of vanilla ice cream — for a decadent treat.

    Hudson House
    It may claim to serve the “World’s Coldest Martini,” but for a truly shivering experience, order the frozen Bellini. This East Coast-esque establishment blends up “copious amounts of” vodka with fresh peach puree, before topping it with a Grand Marnier floater.

    Il Bracco
    The Post Oak Italian eatery is blending up The Bracco, a frozen greyhound of Aperol, New Amsterdam, and fresh grapefruit. Best of all, it's available to-go in half-gallon bottles.

    Johnny’s Gold Brick
    The Tastemaker Awards’ 2025 Bar of the Year winner offers a savory slushy sipper this summer with the Garden Party. Inspired by watermelon gazpacho, bartenders Ryan Suhl and Trent Lee created a refreshing gin-based blend of juniper-forward genever, watermelon, bell pepper, herbal liqueur, lime, salt, and lemon olive oil. Or, opt for the frozen margarita, a staple on the menu.

    Monkey’s Tail
    This tropical Linden Park spot features two frosty mainstays: Tommy’s Marg, built with blanco tequila, agave nectar, gomme syrup, and fresh lime, and the sweet-spicy Chile Mangonada, a rum-tequila combination with mango nectar, passion fruit, and a chamoy swirl. Current seasonal specials are the Northside (cucumber gin, tequila, mint syrup, lime, and firewater bitters) and the dessert-like combo, Banana Colada (Jamaican rums, pineapple, banana liqueur, banana pudding mix, coconut cream, and whipped cream) — but operating partner and frozen fan Lainey Collum reserves the right to switch things up at any time.

    Refuge
    The lively cocktail bar's Tropic Summer returns for 2025 with a fresh menu that includes the Blended Sling, a vibrant drink made with saffron-infused Vietnamese gin, pineapple sherbet, pomegranate, cherry liqueur, Curaçao, Benedictine, and a dash of Angostura.

    The Savoy
    This historic neighborhood bar in Third Ward features Sneaky Link, the locale’s rendition of a Branson Peach Sidecar, and the Emancipation, which blends the house frozen margarita with 818 Tequila Reposado, pineapple, and fresh strawberries.

    Solarium
    What’s a better pick-me-up after a sweltering game of pickleball than a frozen cocktail at Rex Hospitality’s latest addition to the racket sport craze? The stylish lounge offers four options worth sipping: the 820 Marg (blanco tequila, curaçao, lime, agave), El Mercado (a house take on a mangonada), Purple Drank (12-year aged rum, coconut, ube, pineapple, lime), and the Courtside Frosé, made with blood orange vodka, citrus, and rosé.

    Starduster Lounge
    The recently-opened, West Texas-inspired bar in the Heights serves an updated version of the Frozen Shandy that was a smash hit at D&T Drive-Inn. Now dubbed the Rio Red Shandy, the drink combines Lone Star beer, lemon, grapefruit, and vodka for a refreshing, citrus forward sip.

    Two Headed Dog
    This intimate Midtown dive always has four frozens on rotation. The current lineup includes the gin-based Blood of My Enemies, featuring pomegranate, hibiscus, and pineapple, and the Siren’s Drawl, a rum-based concoction with kiwi, mango, honey, and allspice, served with a flaming lime boat. Mezcal lovers will appreciate the Smoking Diablo, featuring crème de cassis, ginger, and lime, while the no-nonsense Big Ass Margarita rounds out the offerings.

    Under the Volcano
    The tiki bar offers two simple, yet delightful, frozen riffs on classics: the Screwdriver, where orange juice meets vodka, and a Cuba Libre, which is essentially a Coke Slurpee with the addition of rum and fresh lime juice.

    Voodoo Queen
    This daiquiri dive is a frozen fan’s paradise, with eight machines spinning boozy slushies at all times. Owner Brandon Young recommends the house-favorite The Bends, a banana daiquiri consisting of two rums, 151, and Everclear. Most of the bar's other creations are made with rum and 151, but the margarita keeps it classic with 100 percent blue agave tequila and orange liqueur.

    Still can’t decide? The bar will also combine its frozen creations to make over-the-top combos, such as the Caribbean Xanax, a crowd favorite that combines The Bends, Tropical Depression, Mango Larry, Pineapple Express, and a splash of Demerara 151. And don’t sleep on the hand-spun 151 daiquiris.

    Winnie's
    The Midtown bar has created a frozen version of the tiki favorite the Saturn that's made with gin, toasted almond orgeat, passion fruit, and lemon. Get it for $12 regularly, $6 during happy hour, or as part of a frozen flight with the bar's three other frozens — margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and peach bourbon iced tea.

    Happy Go Lucky frozen espresso martini
      

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Cool off with a frozen espresso martini at Happy Go Lucky.

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