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    Introducing The Sugar Refinery

    Sugar Land nightclub transforms into historic speakeasy with crowdsourcing appeal

    Eric Sandler
    Nov 25, 2016 | 10:27 am

    Sugar Land is losing a nightclub and gaining a speakeasy.

    Five-year-old Blu will close after service Saturday night. When it reopens at the end of January, it will be called The Sugar Refinery Grub & Grogs. Like Blu, the Sugar Refinery will feature a menu created by Songkran Thai Kitchen chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan and his wife, pastry chef Jira Hurapan, and will be owned by a group of partners led by Amy Karnani.

    Whereas Blu has an adults-only vibe and served Asian-inspired cuisine, the Sugar Refinery will be more family-friendly and serve mostly classic American fare like burgers, salads, and steaks. Karnani tells CultureMap that the concept evolved out of feedback she received from customers who wanted a more all-ages environment that was still bar forward.

    “Coming up with this concept is something we’ve been working on for a year now,” Karnani says. “We based it on customer feedback. We want to be a bar where you can hang out, where it’s a home away from home.”

    The restaurant’s name and decor takes its inspiration from Sugar Land’s history, which dates back to the beginning of Anglo settlement in the 1820s and continues as a company town built around growing and refining sugar cane. Newcomers may not be aware that until 2003 the Imperial Sugar Company operated a factory in the city, but they’ll get some feel for the past at the restaurant thanks to a 19th century-inspired, speakeasy look and other details.

    “We want people to understand how Sugar Land was formed,” Karnani says. “We want to bring that history back. We want to make that a part of who we are and what we represent.”

    While its look may harken back to the past, one aspect of the restaurant’s funding is entirely modern. The general public is invited to invest in the project via the NextSeed platform. As of press time, 183 people have already committed almost $180,000 to the project. Unlike Kickstarter, where a $100 pledge might net a T-shirt or a gift card, NextSeed offers backers a way to earn money from the business they’re supporting.

    For the Sugar Refinery, the rate is 1.7x, which means every $100 invested will return $170 over a 48 month term. Depending on the amount they contribute, investors also receive perks like an invite to the restaurant’s opening party and discounts on food (see website for all terms and disclosures). However, they will not earn any equity in the business.

    “NextSeed was something a friend of ours discussed with us,” Karnani says. “We felt it would create more of a buzz . . . It’s a new way of getting our name out and letting people know what we’re doing.”

    A rendering of the lounge area.

    Sugar Refinery restaurant rendering
      
    Courtesy image
    A rendering of the lounge area.
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    wine guy in NYC

    Chris Shepherd reviews the New York Times' newly ranked No. 1 NYC restaurant

    Chris Shepherd
    Jun 4, 2025 | 4:30 pm

    Sometimes, the stars just align. That was the case for my wife Lindsey and me on a recent trip to New York City. We were there for one night — one shot to eat somewhere memorable — and somehow landed a reservation at Semma, the Southern Indian restaurant from the team at Unapologetic Foods. And today? It just got named the No. 1 restaurant in New York by The New York Times. Not a bad coincidence.

    Here’s how critic Priya Krishna describes it:

    New York is teeming with Indian restaurants. Yet before Semma, a deeply personal tribute to the chef Vijay Kumar’s upbringing in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the city’s diners had never seen Indian food like this. Punctuated with chiles, coconut and earthy curry leaves, Semma’s flavors are lingering and loud, yet restrained. Its dosa is the best in the city: a crisp specimen that’s heady with fermentation and slicked with ghee and fiery gunpowder spice. Semma altered the course of Indian dining here, and four years on, Mr. Kumar’s food continues to feel fresh.

    Semma NYC restaurant
      

    Photo by Chris Shepherd

    The New York Times just named Semma as New York's best restaurant.

    We were already buzzing just walking in. The place had that feeling — you know the one. That electric hum that only exists when everything’s in sync. It’s not something you can manufacture or buy — it either exists or it doesn’t. And at Semma, it was there in full force. That warmth, that soul. Like a worn-in blanket you reach for on a cool night.

    The menu reads like a love letter to the region. Small, shareable bites to start. Bigger plates for the middle. And then the mains, rounded out with rice and breads. Chef Vijay came out to say hi — his face lit up with pride — and asked if there was anything we wanted to try. We just said, “We’re in your hands.”

    The ride began with Paniyaram — crispy rice and lentil dumplings kissed with asafoetida and served with Paatti’s chutney. Then came one of the most unexpected hits of the night: Mulaikattiya Thaniyam — sprouted mung beans with coconut and chili. Light, spicy, refreshing. Those two dishes set the tone: this wasn’t going to be a normal dinner. This was a flavor journey.


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    Next came the dish you’ve probably seen all over the internet: the Gunpowder Dosa. A lacy, crisp crepe made with rice and lentil flour, stuffed with potato masala and served with three sauces. Straight-up delicious. It landed next to a salad of snow and snap peas with coconut and red onion — clean, cool, and crunchy. Then came tender pieces of braised short rib, rich with black cardamom and Tellicherry pepper. Boom.

    We paired it all with a bottle of Matthiasson Chardonnay from the Linda Vista Vineyard in Napa. Steve and Jill Matthiasson are some of my favorite people in wine — smart, thoughtful, and making wines that speak to the land. If you haven’t had one of their bottles yet, go get one. Seriously.

    Somewhere in there, there was an amaro break (because why not?), and then the mains started rolling in.

    The lobster tail — served over a creamy, coconut milk broth with mustard seed and turmeric — was just as silky and luxurious as it sounds. The roasted lamb chops hit with perfect texture and spice. And the goat biryani? A fitting exclamation point to a meal already full of fireworks. At this point, our tastebuds were in full sensory overload — in the best way.

    And just when we thought we were done, out came dessert. One with perfect mango. The other with bright passion fruit. After all the richness and spice, these were exactly what we needed — light, clean, beautiful.

    So — is Semma deserving of the No. 1 spot? Yeah. It is. But it’s more than just the food, wine, or cocktails. What sets it apart is heart. It’s clear how much of themselves chef Vijay, Roni, and Chintan put into this restaurant. The passion, the pride, the story — it’s all on the plate.

    Thank you, chef. Thank you, Roni. Thank you, Chintan. For one incredible night, you invited us into your world. And we’ll never forget it.

    -----

    Share your NYC recommendations with Chris via email at chris@chrisshepherd.is.

    Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $11 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund. Catch his TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 am on KPRC Channel 2 or on YouTube.

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