Texas True

In-store Houston offerings fill your plate with H-E-B's tasty Texas roots

It doesn't get more Texas than H-E-B, the revered San Antonio-based grocery store with a cult-like following. But the brand isn't satisfied with just being the site of your weekly shop — it has also developed several restaurant concepts that are quickly becoming just as beloved.

True Texas Boil House opened at the end of January in H-E-B's Chinatown-area store, at 10100 Beechnut St. The restaurant serves boiled seafood (crawfish, shrimp, and crab legs), fried seafood (shrimp and catfish), sides (potatoes, Cajun fries, coleslaw, hushpuppies, and corn), and six different dipping sauces.

A pound of crawfish costs $6.97, or $5.97 when you order five pounds or more, while the fried baskets — which come with two sides and one dipping sauce — start at $7.97.

But seafood isn't the only restaurant route H-E-B has gone down. True Texas BBQ opened at the Pleasanton location in 2014, and now there are 10 in-store stands and counting across the Lone Star State, including Kingwood (4517 Kingwood Dr.), Magnolia (7988 FM 1488), and Huntsville (1702 11th St.).

Smoked with Texas oak wood for up to 14 hours, the by-the-pound or plated barbecue spans brisket (three ways), smoked turkey, pulled pork, smoked chicken, sausage links, and St. Louis spare ribs. Potatoes heaped with toppings, five different sandwiches, and a salad round out the main courses, with brisket beans, creamed corn, potato salad, mac and cheese, green beans, cornbread, and coleslaw making up the sides.

The joint is so authentic, Texas Monthly surprised smoked-meat snobs around the state by naming it the best barbecue chain in the state.

Speaking of authentic, shoppers at The Woodlands H-E-B also get to enjoy fresh, made-to-order artisan pies from South Flo Pizza. Keeping in line with the grocer's affordable prices, the 8-inch personal pizzas are only $7 while the 16-inch ones are $10. Make sure to visit during the daily happy hour from 4-7 pm, when $10 gets you a 16-inch pizza plus two local craft beers (or, if you prefer, two glasses of wine).

As you drive around Texas, keep an eye out for concepts like True Texas Tacos or simply stock your home fridge with the best of local craft brews. Cheers, y'all.

Seafood by the pound? Don't mind if we do.

H-E-B True Texas Boil House seafood medley

Courtesy of H-E-B

Seafood by the pound? Don't mind if we do.

tacos barbecue pizza promoted shopping craft-beer

Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”