shepherd's new burgers

Chris Shepherd beefs up historic farmers market with his new retro burger restaurant

One of Houston's most acclaimed chefs has unveiled his new burger restaurant. Chris Shepherd's Underbelly Burger is now open at the Houston Farmers Market (2520 Airline Dr.).

With just 14 seats, the restaurant has an intimate feel that captures the retro vibe of a '50s-style diner. Its decorated with hand-painted graphics and vintage burger memorabilia.

As the name implies, Underbelly Burger has a straightforward menu: two different beef burgers, a veggie burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and Chris Shepherd's signature bacon sausage served as a hot dog. Burgers are made with beef sourced from both 44 Farms and R-C Ranch, the Texas wagyu purveyor that recently opened a butcher shop next to Underbelly Burger.

The restaurant's standard burger will be familiar to anyone who's tried the Cease and Desist Burger at Hay Merchant. It's a double-patty cheeseburger topped with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and sauce on a seeded potato bun. Fried chicken sandwiches are seasoned with black pepper buttermilk (similar to Hay Merchant), while the bacon sausage is split down the middle, griddled, and served as two halves in two buns.

Pair any entree with an order of sidewinder fries, which are a thick, spiral cut fry that's crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Kale salad and drinks — sodas, shakes, wine, and beer — round out the offerings.

While the interior seating is limited, Underbelly Burger is located next to the market's expansive green space. A to-go window makes it easy for diners to pick up their sandwiches and eat them outdoors. Online ordering is available through the restaurant's website.

Underbelly Burger is the first of several openings for Chris Shepherd and Underbelly Hospitality. Later this month, Everlong Bar & Hideaway will debut in the former UB Preserv space. On January 23, Georgia James and Hay Merchant will both have their final services in their current home at 1100 Westheimer Rd. Georgia James will relocate to the current One Fifth space for a couple of months until its new home in the Regent Square mixed-use development is ready, while Hay Merchant will close permanently.

The chef has two other new projects in the works: Wild Oats, chef Nick Fine's ode to Texas cuisine that will join Underbelly Burger at the market, and Pastore, an Italian restaurant inspired by One Fifth Red Sauce.

Underbelly Burger's hours of operation are 11 am-6 pm Tuesday through Sunday.

Underbelly Burger is now open.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Underbelly Burger is now open.

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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