Never accuse the Pappas family of resting on its laurels. Sure, they could continue to open Pappasito's and Pappadeaux restaurants across the Houston area and count the riches, but instead the family is using a fortuitous opportunity to introduce a new concept.
Coming soon to the former Pappas Seafood House building on the East Freeway is Pappas Meat Co., a new casual steakhouse. Since it uses an existing building that was made available when an all new Pappadeaux opened nearby, the company expects to be open in October. (The Chronicle first broke the news of the bold move.)
"We feel like we can take it and give it our own spin."
"We're moving so fast it's kind of overwhelming," director of marketing Christina Pappas tells CultureMap.
Christina Pappas says the concept has been under development "on and off for years technically," but the timing only recently became right. "It's a new category with a focus on steaks that are reachable," she says.
Does this mean the Pappas company is going head to head with Saltgrass Steakhouse and similar chains? "We don't want to put ourselves there," Christina Pappas replies. "We feel like we can take it and give it our own spin."
The menu will features steaks, Southern specialties like pork chops, meatloaf and chicken fried steak as well as seafood items like salmon, catfish and shrimp. A range of burgers will also be available.
So, take a little of the expertise generated from Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, mix in the burgers from Pappas Burger, the seafood from Pappas Seafood and the comfort food from Dot Coffee Shop. Sounds like a winning formula.
Other items on the menu include chicken fried chicken.
Pappas Meat Co. Facebook
Other items on the menu include chicken fried chicken.
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 
