Impossible Burger Comes to Houston

Impossible veggie burger with meaty taste makes its Texas debut

One of America’s hottest food trends is finally making its way to Houston. The Impossible Burger, a vegan patty celebrated for the way it appears to “bleed” when cooked, will make its Texas debut at Underbelly and Hay Merchant.

“I was really skeptical at first. When I tried it, I thought, that’s really good,” Underbelly chef-owner Chris Shepherd tells CultureMap. Later, he adds, “it’s really pretty fucking cool what they did.”

Developed by scientist and physician Patrick Brown, the Impossible Burger is made from a mix of wheat, coconut oil, potato protein, and heme, a plant-based protein that the makers describe as the “magic ingredient” that gives the burger its meaty taste and signature look. Investors are betting on it, too; the company has raised over $100 million from companies such as UBS and people such as Bill Gates.

Since debuting in New York City at celebrity chef David Chang’s restaurant Momofuku Nishi in 2016, the Impossible Burger has landed in restaurants across the country. In May, California's Umami Burger became the first multi-unit restaurant to begin serving the product.

Overall, the critical reaction has been positive. Cookbook author and culinary explorer J. Kenji López-Alt wrote that it “smells remarkably like beef” and possesses a “mineral, meaty flavor—so long as you keep it medium-rare,” which helps the burger achieve its goal of being a viable alternative for meat eaters looking to eat more sustainably — it uses only a quarter of the water and five-percent of the land needed for a beef burger of the same size — or for vegetarians who miss the taste of meat.

Beginning Saturday, the product will replace Hay Merchant’s current vegan patty that’s made with black beans and olives. It will also be included on Underbelly’s lunch menu.

“I just feel like it’s a really great addition. It’ll be something that I don’t feel bad eating,” Shepherd says. “When you sear it, it caramelizes really nice. Then you have that texture, and you eat it like it’s medium rare. You put it in your mouth and you think it looks like a really good burger and it tastes like a good burger.”

Chris Shepherd is the first chef in Texas to serve the Impossible Burger.

Impossible Burger Chris Shepherd Underbelly Hay Merchant

Courtesy of Impossible Foods

Chris Shepherd is the first chef in Texas to serve the Impossible Burger.

burgers news-you-can-eat chefs

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.”