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    Bagel Shop Revived

    Shuttered bagel shop to be revived at hot Washington Ave. steakhouse and deli

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 6, 2015 | 11:33 am

    Houston bagel lovers suffered a loss when Queens-transplant Bob Orzo announced the sudden closure of Spring Water Cafe effective June 30. During its brief, five-month existence, the west Houston bagel shop and deli had become a neighborhood darling and offered the promise that Houston's big three bagel shops could become a big four.

    We are sad to say that it is indeed true that we have ceased operations at the Memorial Drive location.There were a...

    Posted by Spring Water Cafe on Wednesday, July 1, 2015

    Spring Water may be gone, but Orzo's bagel making talents will live on thanks to another New York transplant. On Saturday, Orzo and B&B Butchers and Steakhouse owner Ben Berg announced on the Cleverley Show that they have joined forces. Beginning as soon as this week, diners will find Orzo behind the deli counter at the recently opened butcher shop, deli and upscale steakhouse on Washington Ave.

    "Bob is going to come help us out at B&B Butchers at the butcher shop and deli," Berg told host Cleverley Stone. "We’re going to start looking for a location in that area to get him back in a store and get some bagel production going."

    "I’ll be working in the front and in the butcher shop and delicatessen. Hopefully, I’ll be making some specialty salads trying to bring my Queens-Italian flavor of delicatessen to Ben’s place that could give him some more options on the steak and sandwich end," Orzo said.

    "We’re going to be making a couple bagels, because I gotta have them," Berg quickly added.

    Search for new location

    In addition to making bagels at B&B Butchers, Orzo and Berg have begun to search for a new location in the Washington Ave. area that will serve as Orzo's new home. While both men would like the new location to include a deli component, their primary interest is in establishing a wholesale bagel business. It could be named Serious Bagels after Orzo's former business in Queens or have a new name.

    "I think we really want to look at getting some larger production of bagels. Look at wholesale in the area. For me, it’s kind of the space that we can find that makes sense financially, traffic-wise, everything," Berg explained. "I’d love to have a front where there’s a deli and bagels and coffee, but it really depends on what we can find right now."

    Having already established that Houstonians like his bagels, Orzo said he anticipates finding grocery stores and other venues that are receptive to selling his products. Whole Foods in New York was very interested in my products before I left New York, " Orzo said. "There are other, beautiful supermarkets down here like I’ve never seen. I love everything down here in Texas . . . it’s really a beautiful food community here."

    Berg expressed similar appreciation for supermarkets in Houston. "Especially coming from New York, a supermarket in Manhattan and a supermarket here: it’s a whole different story. You can’t even walk down the aisle in a supermarket in New York without getting banged into."

    Admittedly, Orzo's supporters in the Memorial area lose regular access to his products with the move, but Orzo expressed confidence that he will return to the area eventually.

    "It would be nice to return to that area, because I have so much support and they did get me off the ground," he said.

    B&B Butchers will begin serving bagels and Italian deli dishes.

    B&B Butchers deli shop interior
      
    Photo by Fulton Davenport
    B&B Butchers will begin serving bagels and Italian deli dishes.
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    something to talk about

    Country star Koe Wetzel opens new location of his lively bar in Houston

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 1, 2025 | 4:15 pm
    Koe Wetzel Riot Room Houston
    Photo by Motion Theory Media
    The pickup truck on the front of the building makes it easy to spot.

    One of Texas country’s rising stars has brought his lively bar to Houston. Koe Wetzel’s Riot Room opened last month in Midtown.

    Located at the former Electric Feelgood space (2416 Brazos Street), the Houston location of Riot Room builds on the success of the Fort Worth original that opened in 2023. Known for his outlaw country swagger, including his 2022 release, Hell Paso, that debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, Koe Wetzel partnered with Fort Worth hospitality veteran Emil Bragdon to bring the Riot Room to life. It consistently ranks as one of Fort Worth’s highest-grossing bars.

    At over 8,000 square feet, the Houston Riot Room has considerably more space than the original. Wetzel and his team have used that to their advantage, expanding on the country music dance hall theme with details such as:

    • A seating area made from a full-sized pontoon boat
    • A DJ booth in the engine bay of a Ford pickup
    • Photo ops in a “jail cell” and a life-sized bucking bull
    • Neon signs that display Wetzel’s song lyrics.

    A full kitchen allows the bar to serve a menu of Southern-inspired bar fare such as chicken wings, Texas chili, potato skins, Southwestern egg rolls, burgers, salads, and more. Signature dishes include smoked beer can chicken and the Trailer Park Sandwich, featuring two breakfast sausage patties topped with cheddar cheese and served on a biscuit with strawberry jam. Houston will also be the first city to experience the bar’s take on weekend brunch.

    Bragdon told CultureMap that the bar’s name references someone who’s fun to be around, as in a laugh riot.

    "It's about who Koe is and what he represents," he says. "He has a carefree party attitude, that whole persona, which is so infectious. He's a true Texas guy, a good old country boy who's hospitable and likes to have fun - that’s what the place is about."

    ----

    Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.

    Koe Wetzel Riot Room Houston
      

    Photo by Motion Theory Media

    The pickup truck on the front of the building makes it easy to spot.

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