We gotta go

Exciting new all-day Mediterranean cafe dishes out much-anticipated opening date in East End

One of this year's most eagerly anticipated new restaurants will make its debut next week. Cafe Louie, an all-day cafe inspired by Mediterranean flavors, will open Wednesday, May 11.

Located at The Plant, the converted East End warehouse that's also home to popular wine bar How to Survive on Land and Sea, Cafe Louie will occupy a 2,300-square space with a 750-square-foot patio. In addition to a cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the space will also be home to Little Red Box Grocery, a non-profit grocer designed to appeal to area residents. Initially, the restaurant will be open daily from 7 am until 7 pm with later hours to follow.

As CultureMap first reported last year, brother-and-sister chefs Angelo and Lucianna "Louie" Emiliani will lead Cafe Louie. Angelo, a veteran of restaurants such as Uchi Houston, Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc, and Tartine in Los Angeles, made a splash in Houston beginning in the fall of 2020 with Angie's Pizza, his wood-fired pizza concept that drew upon his experiences working for James Beard Award-winning pizza master Chris Bianco. Louie started her career at Houston's popular Tiny Boxwoods before joining her brother at Tartine in Los Angeles. Together, they've created a menu of pastries and savory items that draws upon their diverse experience and includes French, Mediterranean, Italian, and Israeli flavors.

“It’s kind of like we’re pinching ourselves the whole day, to make sure this is really happening––and it is,” chef Louie said in a statement. “Because of the pandemic, we’ve been waiting and talking and planning for over a year. We are just so happy to be here.”

Angelo's savory menu begins with breakfast items such as the McLouie, a sandwich made with cheddar gougeres, a housemade maple sausage patty, cheese curds, a sunny-side-up egg, and dijonaise; gluten-free Adventure Bread is a sliced nut & seed bread topped with salted butter, comte, and soft-boiled egg. The all-day menu includes options such as a vegetable sandwich (griddled yuba, sesame dressing, herbs, roasted onions, and broccoli), the "Ham Sammich" (French ham, mustard, mayo, cornichon, and fried shallot), and more. Dinner takes a step up in refinement with options like shrimp cocktail and chicken liver parfait. Many of the dishes will utilize locally-sourced ingredients.

Cafe Louie's pastry menu starts with an extensive selection of viennoiserie (croissants and other laminated doughs), along with cinnamon rolls, morning buns, coffee cake, cookies, and more. The chef puts her spin on a classic sausage-and-cheese kolache by adding caramelized onions. Beverage options include locally roasted Amaya coffee alongside craft beer and natural wines.

“The great part of cooking professionally is the creative aspect –– to make something that’s delicious, and to work with local producers as well as nationwide artisans,” Angelo added. “It gives us such pure joy to provide hospitality to people –– and really, just means a lot to us to give people a good time. That is what we want Cafe Louie to be.”

Strawberry matcha, ginger-turmeric spritz, and rosemary caramel iced latte.

Photo by Becca Wright

Strawberry matcha, ginger-turmeric spritz, and rosemary caramel iced latte.

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ps, we're closed

Houston's most pretty-in-pink restaurant quietly closes in Upper Kirby

Photo by Jenn Duncan

You'll see a lot of pink at PostScript.

PostScript, Upper Kirby’ posh pink restaurant, has quietly closed, CultureMap has learned.

Although the restaurant is still accepting reservations on OpenTable — and is, as of this article’s publication, listed as open on both Yelp and Google — reports circulated on social media this weekend that it had abruptly canceled diners’ Mother’s Day reservations. In addition, its dining room in the Shops at Arrive mixed-use development has been emptied of furniture.

[Update: After the publication of this article, PostScript's management provided CultureMap with the following statement:

We are saddened to announce the closure of PostScript HTX.

We sincerely thank our patrons for their loyalty and support. It has been an honor to serve you and be part of your special moments. The people and culture in Houston are first class. We wish you all the best and hope our paths cross again in the future.]

PostScript opened with considerable fanfare in February 2024. Owners Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, brought their experiences as partners in the Dallas-based GAP Hospitality to the project, which operates establishments such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla, and Drai’s Dallas. Particularly inspired by XOXO Dining Room, they created an ode to pink that included pink exterior and interior walls, a pink quartz bar, and a pink grand piano. “Push for Champagne” buttons added to the lively spirit.

Chef Bryan Caswell created the menu. Best known for his pioneering Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Reef that closed in 2019, Caswell’s menu included fried chicken with hummus, oysters three ways (raw, roasted, and fried), a sushi roll, and the double smoked pork chop that was a Reef staple. A doughnut topped with caviar became a customer favorite.

Since Caswell was only consulting on the project, he left a couple of months after opening. Latuli, Caswell’s new Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant in the Memorial area, is expected to open soon.

CultureMap has reached out to PostScript via email, phone, and Instagram message for comment on the decision to close the restaurant. We will update this article if they reply.

PostScript’s closure follows that of Cru, which ended a 13-year run in December 2024. On the other hand, Kira, a sushi hand roll concept from Houston’s Comma Hospitality that’s also located in the development, is thriving, having earned the No. 4 spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants. The development is also home to beloved Indian restaurant Pondicheri, an outpost of the steakhouse chain Eddie V’s, and top tier Houston shopping destination Tootsie’s.

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