Where to Eat Now

Where to eat in Houston right now: 10 hot new restaurants to try in May

Summer may not officially start until next month, but the 95 degree temps certainly make it feel like every Houstonians' least favorite season has begun. Summer restaurant season has started, too, with some high profile openings that demand people's attention.

This month's crop of new restaurants includes the first of Chris Shepherd's three new restaurants, a huge step up from the owner of Balls Out Burger, and an eagerly-anticipated fried chicken joint. As always, the restaurants are ordered by the priority I would give to trying them, but all of them (almost) offer something worth consideration.

UB Preserv
Chris Shepherd’s new restaurant brings a new twist to Underbelly’s mission of telling the story of Houston food. The city’s immigrant communities still inspire the menu, but the rules have changed regarding the sourcing of ingredients. Where Underbelly felt like a place primarily for special occasions, UB Preserv’s smaller space and reasonably-priced small plates make it seem more welcoming for everyday dining.

Highlights from my visit included the fried pork dumplings, the crispy rice salad (a perfect starter as the temperature climbs), and the indulgent Vietnamese short rib fajitas. A full selection of interesting cocktails and a well-priced wine list make for difficult beverage choices, but it’s hard to go wrong there. Meanwhile, I’m already plotting my next visit with more friends — it’s going to take more than two people to justify ordering the smoked, bone-in lamb shoulder. 1609 Westheimer Rd.; 346-406-5923

Poitín
For his follow-up to Balls Out Burger, Irishman-turned-Houstonian Ian Tucker hired a talented crew to create a restaurant inspired by The Exchequer, his award-winning gastropub in Dublin. Located at Sawyer Yards, the expansive space includes a comfortable dining room, a casual bar, and a patio with a view of the downtown skyline.

In the kitchen, chef Dominick Lee (Kiran’s) channels his New Orleans roots and his time in Houston to create a menu that covers everything from grilled oysters to spicy, Portuguese-inspired roasted chicken — even vegetarians get a couple of entrees. We enjoyed the hummus with pulled lamb neck (but a pinch of salt and a squirt of citrus would’ve taken it from good to great), a side of elotes, and the short rib made with Texas-raised wagyu beef from Marble Ranch. Creative cocktails (the Old Graceful Rose features an ice cube with a rose in it) and an all-natural wine list round out the experience. 2313 Edwards St. #100; 713-470-6686

The Post Oak
Billion Dollar Buyer Tilman Fertitta’s luxurious Galleria-area hotel features four different dining options, and all of them hope to please both hotel guests and Houstonians. Bloom & Bee stands out thanks to its gorgeous interior, poolside views, and a crowd-pleasing menu that runs the gamut from caviar service and raw oysters to salads, flatbreads, and steaks. Diners should also consider Bouchée Patisserie, where pastry chef Oralia Perez creates a full lineup of breads, pastries (croissants, danish), and sweets (macarons, fruit tarts). 1600 West Loop South; 346-227-5000

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
Putting the words “World Famous” in a restaurant’s name creates high expectations, but this Memphis-based fried chicken chain delivers the goods. Gus’s chicken is crispy with a pleasantly spicy tingle that’s not to be confused with the so-hot-it-hurts burn delivered by Nashville’s legendary hot chicken. The crust is thinner than Houston favorites like Barbecue Inn and Frenchy’s, with juicy pieces that offer lots of flavor. Sides seemed pretty generic, but the fried okra is a solid option. 1815 Washington Ave.; 832-740-4022

Les Noo’dle
Husband and wife duo Cat Huynh and Angie Dang transformed the original location of Les Ba’get into this new, pho-oriented concept. Dropping sandwiches and spring rolls has allowed Nguyen to prepare three different broths that are all satisfying: beef, chicken, and vegan. Overall, the vegan broth delivers plenty of spice, although it lacks the fatty richness that comes from animal protein. A selection of small plates rounds out the menu; spicy cucumbers start the meal with a little heat, but it’s the oak-smoked cauliflower’s meaty texture that’s the most pleasant surprise. 1717 Montrose Blvd.

Leibman's Eatery, Market, Gifts
Along with its move to a new location at I-10 and Gessner, the popular deli and gift store has revamped its menu and seating to transform into more of a cafe. Owner Sharon Leibman has preserved all of Leibman’s classic salads and prepared items, but it’s the hot entrees, starters, and sandwiches that make it a welcome addition to the Memorial area’s dining mix. Both classics like the Reuben sandwich and new additions like the Mediterranean pork tenderloin with couscous deliver plenty of flavor. 10100 Katy Freeway; 281-493-3663

Saigon House
This Midtown restaurant may not be new, but new management has completely overhauled the menu. Critically, they’ve added exceptional Viet-Cajun crawfish that are available in four styles. We preferred the Thai flavor (chiles, basil, lemongrass), but the H-Town bang (butter and and garlic) hit the spot, too. Sweet and spicy wok-fried tamarind crabs and chicken wings in caramelized fish sauce demonstrate the kitchen has plenty of skills with proteins beside mud bugs. 3101 Main St.; 713-529-1100

Lua Viet Kitchen
The transformation of Les Ba’get into Les Noo’dle has created a small gap in Montrose’s dining mix for a fast casual Vietnamese restaurant that’s a little better than someone would expect it to be. Enter Lua Viet Kitchen, which recently opened in the same shopping as BuffBurger at the corner of Mandell and West Alabama. Familiar noodle and rice dishes get an upgrade from higher quality ingredients like beef from 44 Farms and duroc pork. Overall, it’s more of a welcome addition to the neighborhood than a must-visit destination, but, hey, it’s the neighborhood I live in — I’ll definitely be back. 1540 West Alabama St.

Burger Libre
Houstonians shouldn’t have to choose between burgers and tacos; at this new concept from the owners of Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, they don’t. Still in its soft opening phase, this new restaurant in La Porte offers classic, thin patty cheeseburgers alongside fried hard shell tacos. Although I liked the burger’s flavor overall and very reasonable $6 price, it would have benefited from being slightly more medium (instead of well done) and served with a little less sauce (the bun got soggy); however, the taco delivered a retro thrill that I would very much like to enjoy again.

Worth noting: I received an email from the restaurant about a photo of my burger that I posted to my Instagram stories. A representative wrote that, based on the photo, the burger didn’t meet the standards they hold for themselves. I appreciate the restaurant being proactive in contacting me, and, even though La Porte is a half hour drive from where I live, I’ll plot a return visit to check out Burger Libre’s progress. 9709 Spencer Highway (La Porte); 281-941-4305

Blue Onyx Bistro
As the headline of this column implies, most of the list consists of new restaurants that we think readers will enjoy; however, occasionally, it also includes a bad experience that people should approach with caution. Which brings me to this Asian-inspired restaurant that recently opened near the Galleria. A lunch visit with a friend went about as poorly as a dining experience can: underseasoned and overcooked steak; a badly cut sushi roll dominated by mysterious “white fish;” grouper with a retro-in-bad-way baked on crab topping; and a server who seemed to avoid our table at all costs once he realized the meal had gone off the rails.

A dinner visit with a different group of friends yielded slightly better results. The sushi rolls still can’t compare in overall flavor and composition to even moderately priced options like Aka or Oishii, but at least the shellfish in the cioppino had been properly cooked and the chipotle redfish delivered a pleasant spiciness. If Blue Onyx can shed the sushi and focus on its fish and shellfish dishes, it could serve as a welcome companion to its Cajun-oriented neighbor, Bayou City Seafood & Pasta. If not, some savvy operator is going to get the opportunity to open another, better restaurant in a prime location. 4720 Richmond Ave.; 713-808-9518

A look inside Poitín.

Photo by Trevor Gerland

A look inside Poitín.

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eat real food

Houston DJ-turned-TikTok star cooks up a cult following one recipe at a time

Courtesy of Uncle Dibbz

Uncle Dibbz, a.k.a. A.H. Bowden, has built a devoted following for his viral recipes.

For the past month, Uncle Dibbz has been, shall we say, going ham on social media with the myriad videos of alternative Thanksgiving dishes. He’s dropped how-to clips for such recipes as Cajun-roasted turkey, honey-baked ham/hens, oven-bag turkey, and six-piece fried turkey (to go). Basically, if you don’t want to cook a bland ol’ Butterball this Turkey Day, Dibbz has you covered.

Who is Dibbz, you say? Well, he’s a North Jersey-born, Georgia-bred, Houston-based chef who’s been building quite the foodie rep online. Several videos across his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pages, from his cajun-boiled fried chicken (2 million on IG) to his “Propose to Me Pasta” (12.3 million on TikTok), has amassed millions of views. But Dibbz (government name: A.H. Bowden) wasn’t always a culinary content creator. He used to spin music back in Atlanta as DJ DiBiase, named after retired wrestler Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase. “DiBiase is a mouthful to say, so people just always call me ‘D’ or ‘Dibbz’ for short,” says Bowden, 37, during a Zoom interview.

@uncledibbz PROPOSE To Me PASTA 💍 🍝 Trust your Uncle! This SEAFOOD Pasta will seal the deal 👌🏽 Get my recipe below ⬇️ or on uncledibbz.com [@uncledibbz Link in Bio] 🌐 **Ingredients:** - 8 ounces spaghetti - 1 lb mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab meat, etc.) - 2 tablespoons olive oil - Fresh chopped basil - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1/2 cup white wine - 1/4 cup heavy cream - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - Salt and pepper to taste - Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust [link in bio] - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish) - Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish) **Instructions:** 1. Cook the spaghetti pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped basil and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. 3. Add the mixed seafood to the skillet. Season with Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove the seafood from the skillet and set aside. 4. Pour in the white wine to the skillet and let it simmer for 2 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off. 5. Stir in the heavy cream, butter, Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. 6. Add the cooked spaghetti and cooked mixed seafood to the skillet. Toss everything together until well coated with the sauce. 7. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. 8. Serve hot and enjoy the flavorful Seafood Spaghetti. That's good Shawty! #UncleDibbz #ThatsGoodShawty #Pasta #marryme #proposal #bride #wife #husband #relationshipgoals #datenight #easyrecipe #seafood #cajun #cooking #fyp #foryou #viral #houston ♬ original sound - Uncle Dibbz 🍴

He was making a nice living as a DJ, even serving as rapper Big K.R.I.T.’s touring DJ for a while. But when the pandemic hit, the gigs obviously dried up.

“I was living in Miami at the time,” he says. “And, you know, when you have a lot of time on your hands to think – but also need to figure out a way to, you know, sustain an income and everything like that – the ideas start coming,”

Like most DJs at that time, he was doing live mixes on Instagram. But his days throwing cookout parties in Atlanta inspired him to start doing his cooking videos, where he used his very own seasoning. Of course, he had a lemon pepper blend, which he used in a lemon pepper hot wings video that currently has over a half-million views on TikTok.

“I'm about to go live to DJ later that night, and my phone was just going off with orders,” he recalls. “So I'm like, where are these orders coming from? And it's not from my friends. I'm seeing the cities and the states. I don't know these people.”

Thanks to his videos, which usually end with him saying his signature line “That’s good shawty!” (that’s also the name of his cookbook he released last year), Dibbz went into the seasoning business full time. He eventually hired another person to help send out the piles of orders he was receiving.

He even got an order from former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, one of his favorite athletes. “I remember doing a book report on him when I was in fourth grade,” he boasts.

Although Dibbz has a flair for making meals that border on decadent, he’s an ardent practitioner of cooking with natural ingredients, especially in his seasoning. He has several low-sodium seasoning, including Bebe’s Salt Free – named after his mother, who had open-heart surgery a few weeks before the pandemic started.

“I don't think a lot of people understand the amount of toxins and chemicals that go into a lot of these seasonings,” he says. “You're starting to see it in the news now. A lot of the foods with certain dyes are being taken off the shelves and things like that.’

Soon, Dibbz moved himself and his new business to Houston, a favorite place to perform as well as a town whose hip-hop got him into music. He cites local chopped-and-screwed gods DJ Screw, Michael 5000 Watts, and OG Ron C as his holy trinity of influences. To give props to the music of his new home, he created a hot sauce – called HXT Sauce – whose uncharacteristically large bottle resembles Promethazine cough syrup (aka the key ingredient in lean, the preferred purple cocktail for the city’s rap community).

“It's not necessarily about promoting that usage,” he says. “But, at the same time, it’s just a homage to one of the factors and influences of screwed-and-chopped music.”

Dibbz still indulges in spinning records from time to time. The Waxaholics’ DJ Big Reeks has gotten him to break out the vinyl a few times during his Thursday-night sets at Alley Kat Bar & Lounge in Midtown. But creating new recipes, dropping delicious content and proving you can eat and live in a hearty, healthy fashion still remains his full-time mission.

“I’m not just talking about eating cauliflower rice all day and every day, but just eat real food,” he says. “We're eating fake food. That's the bottom line. We're eating fake food and my whole purpose is to inspire people to eat real food and that starts with real ingredients, real herbs, you know – real natural seasonings.”

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