Perspectives

Houston nightlife: Where's the secret checklist when you're black?

We want in.

As college graduates and skilled professionals, we are more than familiar with the admissions process. We are used to hurdles and hoops. We jump them often. However, we’re starting to get the feeling that there is a hidden list of requirements that we don’t know about and might never meet.

Well dressed — check.
Well groomed — check.
Affluent — check.
Professionally successful — check, check.

It seems like we would be the ideal audience for a Houston lounge or club. One might think beautiful, poised people with discretionary income would be an owner’s dream — one would be wrong.

There’s something we’re missing, some other criteria that we’re not meeting. Or, maybe the criteria required to get in is not as important as the one required to keep us out. Is it possible that no matter how many boxes we check, no matter how much we achieve, no matter how many degrees we attain, we will never be able to overcome the box that says we are black?

Does that one characteristic render us undesirable in Houston nightlife?

We want to be wrong. We wanted to be wrong at the Hudson Lounge last week. As a matter of fact, for a moment, we thought we were. We were in. We had finally reached the post-racial America the pundits keep talking about. We had met in-person with the general manager, Keith Thompson, and the events director four times. We had sent our playlist for approval and received that approval. We had sent the invitation out on Facebook and had it linked to the Hudson page for a few days. Our projected 200 guests were welcome. We were welcome.

It was all good . . . for a moment.

Then, the owner arrived. He took one look at us and decided we were not the "right" crowd. He didn’t like “the look” of us. We were confused, because we jumped all the hoops. We checked all the boxes. On paper, we were exactly the right crowd with exactly the right pedigree, but in person, once again, we were not.

He didn’t know who we are. All he knew is what we are, and that was enough to put us out on the curb. It was enough for us to be uninvited.

Some have said we are too sensitive, that an owner has the right to refuse service to anyone. This isn’t racism, they say.

I say it is the worst kind. It is the socially acceptable kind that is easily shrouded in “target” marketing. Club owners claim our presence chases away their “real” customers.

The fact is, if any person in Hudson that night had shown up individually with a group of white friends, they would have been admitted, and allowed to stay. Houston is one of the most racially diverse cities in America, but I say it's not so when it comes to the nightlife. I want to believe we are better, but Hudson showed me otherwise.

As a black man, I have experienced such treatment before at other clubs. Now, if I'm not dressed properly, sometimes I won't even try to get into a spot like Hudson unless I'm with a female. More recently, it usually involves friends with me that are not as "club savvy." The door guy will let me in, but not my friends. This happened recently at Sawyer Park.

My friend was denied entry because he had on Timberland boots . . . at a sports bar! I think about it every time I walk up to an exclusive night spot in Houston.

The next time you go to a club on Washington or a lounge in Midtown or some new hot spot in Rice Village and you see someone turned away, ask to see the secret checklist.

Hopefully, you can tell me I am wrong.

Ray Odom is a Houston social media consultant. He helped organize the Dec. 28 party at the Hudson Lounge, which ended with the bar shutting down early and charges of racism.

For more background, read CultureMap's previous stories on the night:

Tuesday night at Hudson Lounge turns sour: Patrons claim racism

"I am not a racist," Hudson Lounge owner Adam Kliebert says (with update)

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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