Butcher's Ball 2018

Houston star chefs and legendary Texans heat up rockin' Butcher's Ball

Sunday, October 21's picture-perfect weather provided an ideal setting for the 1,000 or so people who attended the third annual Butcher's Ball. Held at Brenham's Rockin Star Ranch, the event unites chefs, bartenders, and other leaders in the culinary world for a celebration of sustainable farming and ranching that includes food, drinks, cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, and more — all while raising $20,000 for local non-profit Urban Harvest.

More than two dozen chefs from Houston, Austin, and Dallas served food at the event. Highlights included roasted oysters topped with frozen margarita from Bobby Matos (La Lucha, State of Grace), a Chicago-style hot dog in a poppy seed bao bun from Martin Stayer (Nobie's), and smoked ribeye from John Tesar (Dallas' Knife). A number of dessert options tempted the crowd, including doughnut holes with brisket fat caramel from Rebecca Mason (Fluff Bake Bar) and chocolate with pig's blood from Jill Bartolome (Aqui).

In the end, the crowd picked three favorites. Third place went to Patrick Feges and Erin Smith (Feges BBQ) for their pork belly with pimento cheese grits. Teddy Lopez (Killen's STQ) took second for its sweet and spicy beef rib made with Texas wagyu from Marble Ranch. Tony Luhrman (El Topo Truck) took the top prize — and $1,000 — for its 44 Farms barbacoa with handmade tortillas and spicy salsa.

All that food could be faired with a wide range of beverages from sponsors such as Topo Chico, Katz Coffee, the Macallan, 8th Wonder Brewery, Fistful of Bourbon, and a selection of cocktails created by Julep owner Alba Huerta.

Once sated, attendees could enjoy musical performances from Mason Lankford Family Band, DJ Mexican Blackbird, Western Bling, and White Ghost Shivers. Legendary Texan Kinky Friedman, cigar in hand, posed for selfies with the crowd before taking the stage to sing a few songs.

As always, the event attracts a who's-who of Houston's food scene. Spotted in the crowd: Brad Moore and Camella Clements, Gin Braverman and Bret Whitacre, Adam Brackman and Ady Burgida, Ashley and Tyler Horne, Dan Fergus, Kim Korth, Linda Salinas, J.R. Cohen, Michael Fulmer, Paige and Graham Laborde, Carl Walker, Joe Cervantez, Jonathan Horowitz, Claudia Solis, Jarrett Karn and Chelsea Padon, Cheryl Gibbs and Terry Williams, Elyse Blechman, and so many more.

Each year organizers Jonathan Beitler, Jason Kerr, Alba Huerta, and Elaine Dillard manage to top their previous efforts. We can't wait to see what they come up with in 2019.

Presidio chef Adam Dorris tends to the fire dome.

Photo by Daniel Jackson

Presidio chef Adam Dorris tends to the fire dome.

video fundraisers festivals chefs

Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”