New Name for Philippe

Philippe owners plan name change: Post Oak restaurant goes All-American

UPDATE — Philippe will close after dinner service on Jan. 11 and reopen as Table in mid-March. The space will undergo extensive renovations to double the size of the downstairs bar and expand bar seating in the second-level main dining room.

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Now that founding chef Phillipe Schmit is no longer with his namesake restaurant, the current owners plan to change its name. They have registered The Table on Post Oak with the Harris County clerk, although the decision to rebrand the restaurant with that name hasn't been finalized, according to sources familiar with the restaurant's partnership.

A representative for Philippe declined to provide details but confirmed the partners are meeting this weekend to complete plans for the change, which could be announced as soon as next week.

The move completes the restaurant's transformation from a French restaurant to a more American concept following Schmit's departure in September.

When Schmit left, then-beverage director Vanessa Treviño Boyd told CultureMap the restaurant didn't have plans to change its name, but that initial decision has been revised. General manager Dallas Easterly said that the restaurant's menu was modified after Schmit left to better appeal to diners who weren't familiar with certain ingredients and French language descriptions.

As he explained at the time, "When Johnny Cowboy from Katy, his girlfriend says, ‘Honey, please take me to this restaurant I’ve heard all about it. I really want to go here.’ And he comes to town and reads our menu. It was apparent in the past that he didn’t understand our menu by the way it was written, because he would order a hamburger or sliders . . . We’ve written (the menu descriptions) so it’s more in English, and people can understand them . . . now they’re selling much better."

Changing the name completes that transformation and may attract new diners who either still assume the restaurant is French or haven't been back to it since chef Manuel Pucha took over for Schmit.

Meanwhile, Schmit's future is still very much up in the air. He hosted a dinner for friends and supporters on Dec. 30. Could that be the first sign of his comeback?

If the rumors are true, this sign will soon read "The Table on Post Oak."

Bastille Day Celebration at Philippe Restaurant + Lounge July 2013 exterior day

Photo by Morris Malakoff

If the rumors are true, this sign will soon read "The Table on Post Oak."

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birdie's in Houston

Award-winning Austin restaurant flies to Houston for one-night-only meal

Birdie's Arjav Ezekiel and chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley

Arjav Ezekiel and chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel have made Birdie's one of Austin's most acclaimed restaurants

Two top Texas restaurants are teaming up for a one-night-only pop-up that will feature creative cooking and thoughtful wine pairings. Houston’s Rosie Cannonball and Austin’s Birdie’s are uniting on Monday, September 14 for an evening they’re calling Birdie’s Cannonball.

Held at Rosie Cannonball, the event will feature a menu created by Birdie’s chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Goodnight Hospitality partner Felipe Riccio, who created many of Rosie Cannonball’s signature dishes and leads the kitchen at March, Rosie Cannonball’s Michelin-starred sister concept. Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s co-owner and a James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, will team up with Goodnight Hospitality partner and master sommelier June Rodil to select wine pairings for the night.

“This collaboration came together the way the best restaurant ideas usually do: over years of eating, drinking, traveling, talking shop, and saying, ‘We should really do something together,’” Rodil said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment on the collaboration.

“All of the Goodnight partners make a point of going to Birdie’s whenever we’re in Austin, because we genuinely love what Tracy and Arjav have built: the food, the people, and their fiercely independent spirit. Bringing our teams together feels less like a formal collaboration and more like finally hosting the dinner party we’ve all been meaning to throw,” she added.

Both restaurants have earned plenty of acclaim. In addition to Ezekiel’s Beard Award, Birdie’s has earned a Best New Restaurant award from Bon Appetit, been named Food & Wine magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2023, holds a spot on the New York Times’ list of “The 25 Best Restaurants in Austin Right Now,” and earned a Recommended designation from the Michelin Guide.

For its part, Rosie Cannonball and Goodnight Hospitality have earned their fair share of national attention, including a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Rodil, a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation for Rosie Cannonball, and Best New Restaurant awards from Esquire and Robb Report for March.

The evening will also serve as a homecoming for Malechek-Ezekiel, a native Houstonian and a graduate of the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership. The meal will be her first time cooking professionally at a restaurant in her hometown.

Seats are priced at $200 per person, which includes food, tax, and tip. Reservations are only available to Sapphire Reserve credit card holders, as it is presented as part of Birdie’s sponsorship by Chase Sapphire. Find more details on OpenTable.

Birdie's Arjav Ezekiel Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelly

Birdie's is coming to Houston.

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