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    Sneak Peek at Toulouse

    The French Cowboy rides again at River Oaks District's first restaurant

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 30, 2016 | 10:02 am

    After months of feverish anticipation, the first of eight restaurants at the luxurious mixed-use development River Oaks District is getting ready to make its debut. Toulouse Café and Bar, a French brasserie concept from Dallas-based restaurant group Lombardi Family Concepts, will open for dinner April 4. It's the first of two Lombardi Family restaurants to come to ROD; Italian restaurant Taverna will open in May.

     

    While the restaurant may be from out of town, diners will find familiar faces in the dining room and the kitchen. Owner Alberto Lombardi has hired Philippe Schmit as executive chef and former Smith & Wollensky general manager Giorgio Ferrero to run the dining room.

     

    "I asked around which one was the best chef in Houston, because we like to hire local people. They told me there was a famous chef, Philippe; they call him the 'French Cowboy,'" Lombardi tells CultureMap. "I call him. We have a meeting. I took him out to talk about philosophy. We say, 'Let’s do it. Let’s try.' As an Italian, we say, we make him an offer he couldn’t refuse."

     

    Working at Toulouse marks Schmit's return to full-time restaurant cooking for the first time since his abrupt departure from the Galleria-area restaurant that once bore his name (now La Table). Of course, he's remained busy. After splitting with Philippe in 2013, the chef organized a Houston visit by the Master Chefs of France, consulted on the menu for Highland Village restaurant Drexel House, and helped bakery/cafe Flo Paris turn into one of 2015's most pleasant surprises.

     

    "I’m happy to go back to real life as a chef," Schmit says. "I still have my hands full, but at least it’s in one kitchen."

     

    Expect that one kitchen to be very busy. Toulouse has what may be River Oaks District's most desirable location: right in the middle of the complex, adjacent to Dior. A climate-controlled patio looks out onto a courtyard, which should become an excellent place for people watching. Inside, both the large bar area and expansive dining room look into the open kitchen. The room itself recalls Thomas Keller's casual Bouchon Bistro with a pressed-tin ceiling, wood-paneled walls, marble table tops, and a tile floor.

     

    To fit its location, Lombardi says that Houston's Toulouse will be a little fancier than its Dallas counterpart. "In Dallas, it’s much more bistro, easygoing. This is more brasserie, meaning the layout (with the larger bar area). Even the menu is a little bit different. We emphasis a little more on steak, seafood, besides the classic things you expect to find in a French restaurant: escargot, beef bourguignon, duck confit, steak frites, le moules."

     

    Schmit and corporate chef Renato Di Pirro are working to finalize the menu, which will blend dishes that have worked at Toulouse with some of Schmit's classics like bouillabaisse and escargot. Specifically, Lombardi notes that the restaurant has become known for its "mussels on steroids" (due to their size), which will come in three varieties with or without pommes frites.

     

    Entree prices at dinner start in the mid-20s and run up to $44 for lamb chops, but most items are clustered from $28 to $34.

     

    In addition to lunch, dinner, and brunch, Toulouse will serve breakfast during the week. Lombardi says he expects breakfast to appeal to businesspeople who want something a little more elegant than what they might find at a hotel or coffee shop. Look for omelets and other egg dishes, pastries such as croissants, coffee, and fresh-squeezed juices.

     

    Taken together, Toulouse looks to be a combination of a number of successful Houston restaurants. The French-inspired menu (including cold seafood options), lively bar scene, and expansive patio have all been components of Brasserie 19's success. All-day utility is something recently introduced as part of La Table's transformation.

     

    Both Schmit and Ferrero are veterans at giving Houstonians what they want, and their experience should help Toulouse get off to a strong start. If everything comes together, Toulouse will both kick start River Oaks District as a dining destination and earn the title of Houston's first significant restaurant opening of 2016. No pressure.

    The bar will be part of Toulouse's lively atmosphere.

    Toulouse River Oaks District
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    The bar will be part of Toulouse's lively atmosphere.
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    one night only

    Award-winning NYC chefs join Houston rising star for pop-up dinner

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 10, 2025 | 4:45 pm
    Barbacana restaurant interior
    Courtesy of Barbacana
    Barbacana will host the special dinner on July 22.

    One of Houston’s rising star chefs is teaming up with two of his mentors for a one-night-only experience. New York chefs Fabián von Hauske-Valtierra and Jeremiah Stone are coming to downtown restaurant Barbacana on Tuesday, July 22 for a collaboration dinner with chef-owner Christian Hernandez.


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Barbacana Restaurant (@barbacanahtx)


    Stone and von Hauske-Valtierra earned a Michelin star and a Food & Wine Best New Chef award for their New York City restaurant Contra. First opened in 2013, Contra served an affordable tasting menu of dishes that could change from night to night based on available ingredients. It closed in 2023. The chefs opened a new concept called Bar Contra in 2024.

    Hernandez worked at Contra as a line cook in 2016 and 2017, which is when it first earned a Michelin star. He tells CultureMap that he turned down an offer from Eleven Madison Park, then considered one of the best restaurants in America, to cook at the smaller, more innovative Contra.

    “It really shaped everything I did afterwards,” Hernandez tells CultureMap. “Their level of creativity, their confidence and comfort with what they do — we’d change the menu every couple of days. It showed me a lot of what it takes to perform on that level consistently.”

    For the collaboration dinner, Stone and von Hauske-Valtierra will prepare three dishes alongside three dishes from Hernandez and the Barbacana team. Even though the dinner is only a couple of weeks away, Hernandez hasn’t finalized the menu yet. The plan is to shop for ingredients the day before and let them dictate what’s served.

    One possibility is a dish Hernandez is testing that’s inspired by his time at Contra. It’s a tuna crudo with seasonal melson and lacto-fermented blackberry consomme.

    “Two or three elements, simple plating — as I’ve been working on this tuna dish, I’ve been thinking about them,” he says.

    Hernandez opened Barbacana in late 2024. Located near Market Square in downtown Houston, it takes inspiration from Houston’s immigrant traditions, filtered through the chef’s work at fine dining restaurants such as Oxheart, March, and Contra.

    The six-course dinner is priced at $200 with an optional, $100 wine pairings. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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