Peking duck is so delicious that Houston foodies in the know have recently been driving all the way to Humble to experience the version at Bamboo House. The restaurant went viral last month after an article in the Houston Chronicle praised the year-old restaurant for serving the city's best version of the dish.
Thankfully, the drive to Bamboo House will soon be significantly shorter — at least for Inner Loopers and those who live in neighborhoods like Tanglewood and Briargrove. The restaurant is opening a second outpost the intersection of Fountain View and Westheimer in the former Peking Duck Westheimer space, according to signage at the location.
CultureMap contacted the restaurant. A manager confirmed the new location should open in approximately three months.
As for the dish that's driving all the acclaim, chef-owner Lianzhuo Chu and his cooks prepare the duck with considerable skill. It arrives to the table with the crispy skin separated from the rich, succulent meat. Diners assemble a combination of meat, skin, sauce, and vegetables that's wrapped in thin pancakes. The combination of textures and flavors can make even casual diners eat to their limits.
In addition to duck, the restaurant serves Sichuan dishes such as mapo tofu and hand-pulled noodles. The combination has proven to be a winning one; despite an obscure location on the Sam Houston Parkway, Bamboo House maintains a strong four-and-a-half stars on Yelp.
If Bamboo House can maintain that level of quality at its new location, Peking duck fans across Houston will be very happy indeed.
Brent “Doc” Watkins has a very specific reference for Doc’s Houston, his new jazz supper club that’s opening November 15 in the historic Tower Theater in Montrose.
“I ask them if they’ve seen the movie Goodfellas,” Watkins tells CultureMap. “If they have, there's that famous scene where Ray Liotta takes his girlfriend to the supper club. They walk through the secret entrance and go in through the kitchen. They bring out a special table with the white tablecloth and they sit down and the show starts.”
The very famous scene captures the spirit of what Watkins wants to create at Doc’s Houston — an intimate venue serving classic American fare and showcasing live music in genres such as jazz, R&B, soul, and the blues. It’s a formula that Watkins developed at Jazz, TX, his original jazz supper club that’s part of San Antonio’s Pearl District since 2016. He says Houston was always a logical choice to expand the concept.
“Doing a proper jazz supper club, there wasn’t anything like that in Houston 10 years ago, and there wasn’t anything like that now until Doc’s,” Watkins says.
Let’s start with the jazz part first. Doc’s will host live music Tuesday through Saturday in a variety of genres. Artistic director Graeme Franci, who, like Watkins, holds a doctorate in music from the University of Texas, is a Houstonian with a deep knowledge of the local music scene. He’s been reaching out to musicians and booking them to play Doc’s. In addition to local acts, the venue will host national touring acts — Tony Danza recently played San Antonio — and as many as 30 performances by Watkins himself.
From his perspective, Doc’s provides an essential space for friends and neighbors to connect during a shared experience.
“We aren’t inventing a brand new concept. We’re reviving something that had been lost,” Watkins explains. Later, he adds, “These are really essential spaces. It’s a very ancient tradition to gather as smaller groups of people for a meal and some music. It’s a very timeless thing. There was a blip on the radar where we lost these rooms for about a generation.”
In terms of the food, chef Jose Avila’s menu is built around classic supper club fare such as steaks, seafood, and pastas. Specific dishes include grilled octopus, short rib empanadas, pork belly chicharron paella, coq au vin, and Chateaubriand that will be carved to order tableside.
“We’ve got a massive kitchen. We’ve got the ability to do a big menu and do it right,” Watkins says. “You can’t be all things to all people, but we’ll get pretty damn close.”
Watkins has assembled an experience team to lead Doc's Houston.Courtesy of Doc's Houston
The Tower Theater has had a number of lives. Most recently home to Acme Oyster House and El Real Tex-Mex Cafe, it’s also been a movie theater and a video store, among other iterations. To turn it into Doc’s, Watkins and his team added all-new lighting and sound, built a stage, and added a wraparound balcony.
“When we found it, it was pretty wonky. The orientation was all wrong,” Watkins says. “We decided to go big and do it right. That balcony is new, but it looks like it’s always been that way. It’s how the space needs to be and wants to be, even though for 100 years it did not have a full wraparound balcony.”
Reservations and tickets will be available via the Doc’s website in the coming days. Memberships will be available that come with perks such as preferred seating and advance access.
“I hope we’re around for a very long time,” Watkins says. “I think we’ve set ourselves up to be around for a very long time. We’ve got all the ingredients that go into success. Now we just have to execute.”
Watkins has assembled an experience team to lead Doc's Houston.Courtesy of Doc's Houston 
