Time for brunch

Best new brunches: 8 restaurants that make the weekend special

If there's a better time than brunch to celebrate the end of a long week, we don't know about it. Think about it: You can kick back, catch up with friends, and linger over refreshing cocktails. Add one of the new game-changing weekend breakfasts below to that list, and you've got a winning combination. Read on for eight restaurants that know how to do brunch right.

Provisions
Montrose’s Provisions, which shares a roof with sibling restaurant, The Pass, puts its stamp on brunch with inventive offerings from suckling pig with braised greens, two eggs sunny side up, and barbecue bearnaise to a trio of baked egg dishes: meatball, tomato, pickled peppers, and provolone; spinach, mushroom, and Parmesan; and rabbit, peas, carrots, and creme fraiche. Bonus: Brunch hours end just as happy hour begins. Go the distance. (Saturday; 11 am-2:30 pm)
807 Taft St.; 713-628-9020

Osso and Kristalla
Contemporary Italian trattoria Osso and Kristalla doles out house-made pastries and breakfast pizzas in the morning alongside hearty dishes such as blueberry-bacon waffles and eggs Pomodoro, a duo of poached hen eggs and marinara on crispy bread. Chill over cool sips like frozen limoncello, Bellinis, and mimosas by the carafe.(Saturday-Sunday; 11 am-2 pm)
1515 Texas Ave.; 713-221-6666

FM Kitchen and Bar
The brunch time double-meat burger at casual eatery FM Kitchen and Bar, topped with a fried egg, American cheese, and bacon, gets an added hit of deliciousness from a house-made sauce mixed with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, and a secret blend of spices. And when the morning menu also features items like brisket tacos and pork pozole, a six-minute egg served with pineapple salsa verde, radish slaw, avocado, and tomato, and live music, that’s an absolute yes. (Sunday; 11 am-3 pm)
1112 Shepherd Dr.; 832-804-6006

State of Grace
The kitchen at State of Grace cooks up Gulf Coast fare with Asian and Tex-Mex twists for flavorful combinations that seem as if they've always belonged together, including kimchi and fried eggs with curried fried rice, and pork belly and steak ’n’ eggs with refried beans, cotija cheese, and bacon fat tortillas. (Sunday; 10 am-3 pm)
3258 Westheimer Rd.; 832-942-5080

B&B Butchers
While B&B Butchers offers brunch every weekend, the Washington Ave. steakhouse puts on a special Brunch Society soiree that kicks the tempo into warp speed. The revelry on the second-floor patio involves DJ-spun beats, cocktails aplenty, bottle service, and decadent fare, from coconut-crusted French toast stuffed with strawberry cream cheese and to the crazy-good Carpet Bagger Burger with thick-cut bacon, blue cheese dressing, crumbled blue cheese, Cajun-fried oysters, and house-made hot sauce. (Regular brunch is Saturday-Sunday from 11 am-3 pm; Brunch Society is July 22, September 9, September 30, and October 28 from 11 am-5 pm)
1814 Washington Ave.; 713-862-1814

Fusion Taco - The Heights
A sprawling late-morning meal at Fusion Taco in The Heights features creative spins on the house specialty, tacos, as in eggs Benedict with pork belly, fried egg, and house-made hollandaise, and panko-fried avocado and egg with black beans, grape tomato, cabbage slaw, goat cheese, and Mexican creme, all served on either a house-made tortilla or fluffy naan. Oh, and there are also cocktails by the glass or pitcher, from mimosas to margaritas. Cheers! (Saturday from 11 am-11 pm; Sunday from 11 am-9 pm)
4706 N. Main; 713-422-2992

Cafe Azur
Cafe Azur in Montrose presents an ever-rotating roster of French eats, and the list of midday options is no exception. You can't go wrong with the duck confit in orange sauce with eggs and fingerling potatoes or the croque-monsieur with béchamel sauce and French fries. But save room for the crepe Suzette with ice cream for dessert. (Sunday; 11 am-4 pm)
4315 Montrose Blvd.; 713-524-0070

Frank’s Americana
Hit up River Oaks gem Frank’s Americana during brunch and pair your cocktails (think: rum brunch punch and classics like the Corpse Reviver) with sticky buns, avocado toast, crab cake Benedict, eternal southern favorite biscuits and gravy, and the likes. (Sunday; 11 am-3:30 pm)
3736 Westheimer Rd.; 713-572-8600

Montrose’s Provisions puts its stamp on brunch with inventive offerings like a trio of baked egg dishes.

Houston, new brunches, July 2017, Provisions, baked eggs

Photo by Ralph Smith Photography

Montrose’s Provisions puts its stamp on brunch with inventive offerings like a trio of baked egg dishes.

brunch

family-friendly outdoor bar

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

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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