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    Foodie News

    Popular Chinese food truck opens permanent location in Greenway Plaza: Here's how to find it

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 12, 2015 | 10:15 am

    Some food trucks come and go so quickly that they barely make an impression, but a few standouts have made a meaningful contribution to Houston's dining scene. Of those, a privileged few like Bernie's Burger Bus and Good Dog Houston have gone on to open brick-and-mortar outposts that both give fans a dedicated space to consume their favorite dishes and spur the proprietors to develop new dishes in their expanded kitchens.

    On Thursday, the Rice Box became the latest establishment to open a fixed location. However, like everything else associated with the bright red truck that serves American-style Chinese classics like General Tso's and Kung Pao chicken, the Rice Box is doing things its own way. Rather than build out a conventional restaurant, owner John Peterson has taken over one of the spaces in the underground Greenway Plaza food court — just a few stalls down from his good friend David Buehrer's Greenway Coffee & Tea.

    The Greenway Plaza parking garage can be tricky, but the secret is to bring a little patience.

    Built by Collaborate Projects with graphics by Letterset Houston, the Rice Box's bright red stall stands out from its more staid companions. True to Peterson's roots as one of the founders of the Mayday Garage car enthusiast website, four flat screen TVs hang above the counter showing car videos from across the world. After all, wireless service in the Greenway Plaza basement can be kind of spotty, which means lunch is the perfect time to watch an old episode of Top Gear.

    While the two Rice Box trucks will still be out on the street, including every Wednesday through Saturday on Westheimer across from Poison Girl, the Greenway Plaza location offers some significant upgrades from the truck's familiar menu. In addition, pepper steak marks the first time the Rice Box has served beef. Finally, for an extra $2, diners can swap out the familiar steamed rice for either fried rice or new egg noodles.

    Eating Chinese food in a food court may conjure images of chicken in a mysterious sauce that's been on a steam table for too long, but the Rice Box does things right by preparing each dish to order. That also means that its rice holds its texture in the container, and the noodles have real chew instead of turning into mush. Perhaps most impressive of all, the newly revised orange chicken recipe even tastes like actual oranges.

    The Greenway Plaza parking garage can be tricky, but the secret is to take the first entrance south of Buffalo Speedway along the Southwest Freeway feeder road. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left towards the Greenway 5 visitor's parking. Just bring a little patience.

    If Thursday's 25-plus person line is any indication, the Rice Box's arrival is the most exciting thing to happen to the food court in years.

    Yellow curry chicken with sweet potato is one of the new dishes on the menu.

    Rice Box Greenway Plaza
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Yellow curry chicken with sweet potato is one of the new dishes on the menu.
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    family-friendly outdoor bar

    Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

    Eric Sandler
    May 13, 2025 | 5:31 pm
    Katy Beer Garden outdoor patio
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    The new beer garden will be similar to Katy Beer Garden.

    One of Houston’s most successful bar operators is bringing his talents to the Energy Corridor. Steven Salazar is opening Ashford Beer Garden at the Ashford Yard mixed-use development.

    Slated to open in early 2026, Ashford Beer Garden will build on the success Salazar has had with Katy Beer Garden, the project he opened last summer at The Dryer, a mixed-use development on the property of Katy’s historic Cardiff Rice Dryer. Like KBG, Ashford Beer Garden will be large — roughly 21,000 square feet — divided into a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer hall with a companion cocktail bar and a 11,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that’s shaded by trees.

    “We’re sticking with that Bavarian charm,” Salazar says about his vision for Ashford Beer Garden. “Bring your family. It’s really relaxed. The kids are playing. You have multiple generations hanging out. It’s worked well in Katy. We’re excited to bring it to a new area.”

    Of course, the new project will make some improvements on the original. Most importantly, Ashford will have a full kitchen (KBG mostly relies on food trucks and a nearby food court). Salazar says he’s looking for a chef to lead the kitchen.

    In response to customer demand for private event space, Ashford Beer Garden will also have a larger second floor patio than KBG does. The beer garden will have a larger screen to make it easier for people to watch sports.

    Located on the site of a former Schlumberger campus near the intersection of Dairy Ashford Rd. and Briar Forest Dr., Ashford Yard is a 12.7-acre development that will include apartments, restaurants, and retail tenants. Salazar says he found his values aligned with the projects developers, Houston real estate firms Market Square Companies and Tenon Property Company.

    “We have a similar vision of quality for the community and creating a space and having great neighbors. Not being a strip center but a true development that’s above and beyond what the area has to offer,” Salazar says. Later, he adds, “It seems great for us to be surrounded by companies such as Shell and Baker Hughes and all these great neighborhoods."

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