fit for a princess

Romantic new Indian restaurant serves up clever cuisine and cocktails to The Woodlands

Red wine braised lamb shank.

Photo by Max Otter Productions

A new restaurant is ready to serve luxurious Indian cuisine in The Woodlands. Amrina opens for dinner this Friday, June 17.

First announced in January, Amrina (Hindi for "princess") aims to serve contemporary Indian cuisine in an atmosphere that its owners describe as delightful and romantic. The former Kona Grill space in the Woodlands Waterway (3 Watersquare Place) has been transformed into a contemporary environment that features a main dining room, cocktail lounge, indoor-outdoor bar, private dining room, and an in-kitchen chef's table that will host custom tasting menus.

To bring this creation to life, owners Preet Paul Singh and Surpreet Singh recruited chef Jaspratap “Jassi” Bindra to serve as both Amrina's executive chef and the managing partner for their new hospitality company, Kahani Social Group. Bindra brings experience from both hotels in India and Washington D.C. restaurant Punjab Grill, which earned a strong two-and-a-half star rating from Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema.

“Amrina highlights food from all regions of India, looking through the eclectic lens with spotlight ingredient in each dish,” Bindra said in a statement. “Our team has developed a menu to excite the tastebuds of our guests in a way they have never tasted before.”

That menu starts with breads that stray far from the traditional. For example, Bindra serves whiskey naan, naan with sun-dried tomato, olive, and basil, and kulcha with bacon, caramelized onion, and apple. They can be paired with a variety of dips and chutneys such as dill peppercorn yogurt, channa masala hummus, and ajvar chutney.

From there, move on to small plates such as yellow fin tuna tartare, jackfruit samosas, charred octopus, or burrata with anchovies, spiced tomato, and kashmirichili sofrito. Entrees include a masala-rubbed, bone-in ribeye, cauliflower steak with aloo gobhi puree, Chilean sea bass with asparagus poriyal, and red wine-braised lamb shank with truffle umpa, cilantro gremolata, and chili rogan. Match them with sides like truffled mashed potatoes, masala corn, and tandoori mac and cheese.

Beverage options include a wine cellar with 800 options as well as a range of craft cocktails. They include a basil daiquiri, a "New Fashioned" made with bourbon and Averna-cardamom syrup, and a margarita riff that blends tequila and lime juice with golden turmeric syrup, green chili bitters, and cardamom bitters.

For now, Amrina is open for dinner Monday-Saturday at 5 pm. It stays open until 2 am on Friday and Saturday with a late night lounge environment that will include DJs. Lunch and Sunday brunch will follow in the coming weeks.

"We envisioned opening a restaurant of this caliber over six years ago,” Surpreet Singh added. “I am pleased to announce that Amrina is ready to open its doors to the public. Our team is prepared to offer our guests an elevated, tasteful experience of eclectic Indian cuisine."

Cardamom chocolate mousse.

Photo by Rick Frank

Cardamom chocolate mousse.

news-you-can-eat openings

reboot rejected

Family friendly Houston restaurant shutters after less than 6 months

Photo by Quy Tran

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A Houston restaurant group has abruptly pulled the plug on its Garden Oaks location. Jax on the Tracks has closed, owner Gr8 Plate Hospitality announced.

Opened in February, Jax on the Tracks evolved out of The Union Kitchen, Gr8 Plate’s globally-inspired, full service restaurant that had operated in the neighborhood for almost 10 years. At the time, owner Paul Miller thought Garden Oaks diners would appreciate a more family friendly, affordable concept that centered around classic American fare such as burgers, pizzas, and fajitas. Unfortunately, it didn’t catch on quickly enough.

Gr8 Plate provided CultureMap with the following statement:

After careful consideration, Jax on the Tracks on Ella Boulevard has made the difficult decision to close its doors. While the concept was recently introduced to the neighborhood, many challenges ultimately led to the decision to discontinue operations at this location.

We are incredibly grateful to our guests, team members, and the Garden Oaks community for the warm welcome and support. There are currently no plans for another concept in the space.

In a separate conversation, Miller tells CultureMap that the switch from The Union Kitchen to Jax on the Tracks was too abrupt. It created confusion with regulars who missed dishes they’d been ordering for years.

“The people who had never been to the Union Kitchen loved it. They had a great time,” Miller says. “The people who had been to the Union Kitchen and had an expectation for that kind of food — our hummus, steak night, different cuts of fish — were blasting us.”

With revenues flat or declining, Miller says he made the difficult decision to close rather than using revenues from his other locations to keep Jax on the Tracks open in hopes its fortunes improved. Thankfully, the company’s other restaurants — including The Union Kitchen locations in Kingwood, Memorial, and Cypress; Jax Grill locations on Shepherd Dr. and in Bellaire; and Italian restaurant Passerella in Cypress — all remain open.

“It’s a hell of a lot more fun opening restaurants than closing restaurants. I can tell you that for damn sure,” Miller says.