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    Houston's Hot New Bakery

    Food game changer: Houston's best bread company is set to open its first local bakery — and expand to Austin

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 30, 2014 | 9:56 am

    The numbers are staggering: 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of flour per week, 18,000 pieces per day (6,000 or more of which are hamburger buns), 300 customers from Conroe to Webster and Katy to Kingwood. All produced from an anonymous, unmarked warehouse space on Westpark.

    Owner Heath Wendell estimates that as many as 20,000 Houstonians per day eat the bread produced by Slow Dough Bread Co. "It's just mind boggling for us," he tells CultureMap.

    While Wendell could be content with Slow Dough's growth over the past five years, he isn't the sort of person to rest of his laurels. That's why the company, which supplies freshly baked bread to many of Houston's finest restaurants, is set to expand even further by moving into the Austin market and opening a retail storefront as part of the new Weights + Measures complex in Midtown. (CultureMap was first to report on the Weights + Measures complex.)

    The menu is still under development, but it will include donuts, as well as what Wendell calls the "rustic side of pastries . . . "

    Wendell recalls growing up in Chicago and working for Deerfields Bakery, a company his grandfather started. When he wanted to grow the business beyond what his uncles were comfortable with, Wendell's grandfather encouraged him to leave and start his own business.

    "He recognized I was an entrepreneur," Wendell says. Eventually, Wendell arrived in Houston. "I came down here and recognized the need for bread," he says.

    The Austin expansion has already begun. A Slow Dough truck heads west four days per week to service six accounts that include celebrated charcuterie shop Salt & Time, Royal Blue grocery and the Farmhouse delivery service. General manager Clayton Garrett tells CultureMap that Slow Dough is responding to demand from Austin restaurants that couldn't purchase bread from Austin's existing commercial bakers.

    "We made the decision because of the amount of phone calls we received," Wendell adds. "We're really, really excited about it."

    To meet the expected demand, the company has added two new trucks and will soon install two massive new deck ovens to double its production capacity.

    In addition, manager Thomas Massey, who spent years working for Whole Foods in Austin, will be in the city full-time to serve as a resource for customers. Massey notes that despite the growth of Austin's restaurant scene, the city's existing bakeries don't have "enough capacity to handle the desire for new, different and better." Still, he says, "I love Austin. There's tons of room for everyone."

    If there's sufficient demand, Wendell thinks Slow Dough could even open a bakery in Austin to service both that city and San Antonio. Once the demand justifies the expense, Wendell says he'd like to find a business-minder baker in Austin who could partner with the company and train in Houston. "It would be nice," he says.

    As the Austin expansion is happening, Slow Dough will also launch its first retail space as part of the Weights + Measures complex in Midtown. The development, a joint venture between urban designer/developer Ian Rosenberg, 13 Celsius owner Mike Sammons, Brown Paper Chocolates owner Richard Kaplan and Slow Dough, will feature a 600 square-foot retail bakery that sells sweet and savory breads and pastries.

    The partnership grew out of Wendell's longstanding relationship with Rosenberg and Sammons that began when Wendell and co-owner/fiancee Marlo Evans first started Slow Dough. The last stop on their delivery route was 13 Celsius, and they would stay to have a glass of wine and discuss their businesses. For four years, Rosenberg told Wendell that he wanted to help him open a retail location.

    "This project came up, and everything worked out," Wendell says. "Everything will be made there," he promises, rather than trucked in from the wholesale facility.

    "When you have a retail store, you can see people's reactions to your product," Wendell notes. "I'm totally looking forward to it." The menu is still under development, but it will include donuts, as well as what Wendell calls the "rustic side of pastries . . . Things I grew up making."

    The new space will also make pizza dough for an adjacent restaurant and serve as a training ground for bakers before they enter production at the wholesale facility, since they'll be freed from the pressure of having to make hundreds of pieces at a time.

    "We'll be part of the retail community, which is pretty cool," Wendell says.

    Challah and croissant are ready for the oven.

    7 Slow Dough bread making June 2014
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Challah and croissant are ready for the oven.
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    Where to eat lunch now

    7 new luxe Houston lunch deals that make the midday meal memorable

    Brianna Griff
    Apr 25, 2025 | 4:00 pm
    hamsa lunch houston
    Kristen Gilliam
    At Hamsa, diners can select two salatim to begin their prix fixe lunch.

    A luxury lunch doesn’t always require a splurge — at least not a major one. These Houston restaurants’ prix fixe menus and bento boxes allow diners to sample curated, high-caliber cuisine for a fraction of the cost of a full dinner. Whether someone is entertaining a client, catching up with a colleague, or simply treating yourself to something special midweek, these prix fixe offerings deliver flavor, efficiency, and just the right amount of indulgence.

    Barbacana
    The downtown endeavor by chef-owner Christian Hernandez serves a prix fixe lunch that leans upscale at $50, but also delivers a quick introduction to his mashup of Houston’s diverse cuisine scene. Begin with a jicama or cauliflower salad, followed by a choice of a fried grouper sandwich, a veggie sandwich, or a mushroom donburi with confit egg yolk. Pair it with a creative side of Greek potato pave, crispy sunchokes, or brassica pickle chips. The price includes a glass of wine, beer, or a non-alcoholic beverage. Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday from 11 am-3 pm.

    Doko
    One of the newest establishment on this list, Doko is Duckstache Hospitality’s intimate Japanese concept in the Autry Park mixed-use development. A midday visit invites diners to explore the creations of chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee through three sushi sets. Set A ($19) has a makimono roll of your choice and three pieces of nigiri—akami (lean tuna), masu (trout), and hamachi (yellowtail). Set B ($25) expands the nigiri selection with madai (sea bream) and kanpachi (amberjack), while Set C ($32) adds the popular chicken fat rice with jidori chicken and a fried egg. With just 50 seats, reservations are recommended. Lunch is served daily starting at 11 am.

    Hamsa
    This Rice Village restaurant’s $25 prix fixe lunch menu highlights the bold, colorful flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean. Start with two salatim, such as baba ganoush, shaved tomato and feta, or classic hummus. For the main, choose from entrees like a falafel sandwich with tahini, or a chicken thigh skewer served with a parsley-red onion salad and a side. It’s $10 more to upgrade that chicken thigh to ribeye. End on a sweet note with one of three desserts: basboosa malabi (a cake-pudding hybrid), petite beurre shortbread layers, or dark chocolate halvah. Add a glass of wine for $10. Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 am-2:30 pm.

    Kata Robata
    Chef Hori-san recently updated the lunch offerings at this Houston institution, including changes to the restaurant's popular bento boxes. Featured main options are shrimp tempura ($19), miso-marinated Alaskan black cod ($25), or Texas wagyu ($23). Each box comes with miso soup and a choice of chicken teriyaki or crispy karaage. Round out the meal with optional add-ons such as sashimi ($6), kakuni pork belly ($5), or a snow crab California roll ($4). Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 am-3 pm.

    Perseid
    Hotel Saint Augustine is already racking up the accolades, with that excitement extending to Perseid, the first all-day concept from Bludorn partners Aaron Bludorn and Cherif Mbodji. The French-inspired menu reflects the hotel’s proximity to the Menil Collection, with a Gulf Coast influence woven through every dish.

    “From the outset, we wanted to create a neighborhood restaurant in a hotel, rather than a hotel restaurant, and that means making it accessible to neighbors and businesspeople in equal measure,” Bludorn tells CultureMap. “You can come for a lunch meeting with a colleague and be finished in an hour, or you can come for a leisurely birthday party and stay all afternoon.”

    The $35 prix fixe menu starts with an appetizer: Caesar salad with boquerones, carrot soup with falafel, or a smoked salmon dip served alongside homemade potato chips. For the entrée, choose from potato gnocchi with asparagus, steelhead trout with Romano beans, or chicken paillard with fingerling potatoes. Desserts are either a trio of sorbets or a chocolate entremet with salted caramel. Lunch is served Monday through Friday, from 11:30 am-2 pm.

    Tavola
    This Uptown spot from the company behind Michelin-starred Le Jardinier offers a $28 executive lunch that’s both polished and efficient. Start with the baby spinach salad with walnuts and shaved pear, the house Caesar, or the soup of the day. For the main course, choose from one of four entrées: spaghetti cacio e pepe, a spicy cavatelli in arrabbiata sauce, crispy chicken parmigiana, or — for a lighter option — the avocado cucumber salad with either salmon or chicken. Cap it off with tiramisu or creamy vanilla gelato for an additional $8. Lunch is served Monday through Friday, from 11:30 am-2 pm

    Tony's
    Fans of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion will get a chuckle when they order lunch at this fine dining institution in Greenway Plaza. Chef Kate McLean’s Romy and Michele’s Business Woman’s Special ($35) is a playful nod to the cult film with two Tony’s cheeseburgers with double 44 Farms patties, fries, and Diet Cokes. It’s available for dine-in or to go.

    For more variety, try the Greenway Express prix fixe ($35), which includes soup or salad, a main dish (chicken sandwich with French onion dip, short rib cappelletti, or roast hen salad), and a scoop of the day’s gelato. Pair it all with one of Tony’s lunch spritzes, such as the Front Porch Swinger ($15), a mix of Amaro Montenegro, St. George’s NOLA, and lime. Lunch is served from Tuesday through Friday, from 11 am-3 pm.

    hamsa lunch houston
      

    Photo by Kristen Gilliam

    At Hamsa, diners can select two salatim to begin their prix fixe lunch.

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