Pax Shutters

Former Houston restaurant of the year suddenly shutters in Montrose

Pax Americana is closing.

Photo courtesy of Pax Americana

In the tumultuous world of Houston restaurants, one year's best restaurant becomes another year's shutter. Such is the case with Pax Americana. In 2016, the Montrose restaurant won the CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Restaurant of the Year, but it will close after service on Saturday, January 12.

Pax owner Dan Zimmerman provided CultureMap with the following statement:

Houston, the time has come to close Pax Americana and wish the team well on new projects. We are thankful first and foremost to the Montrose neighborhood and our guests for their support over the years. The adventure wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated staff, farmers, ranchers, fisherman, and suppliers for the commitment to providing wonderful service and products. We remain thankful for all of the positive accolades received by the local media during our tenure. Our last day of service will be January 12th, we apologize for the short notice, we opted to allow our staff to find new roles and spend much deserved time with their families.

When it opened in the summer of 2014, Pax Americana quickly emerged as a favorite among Houston's most-passionate diners. The combination of chef Adam Dorris' innovative cuisine and sommelier Shepard Ross' high-energy presence made the restaurant a must-visit dining destination. Even when Dorris left to open Presidio, rising star chef Martha de Leon maintained Pax's commitment to utilizing high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients.

When de Leon departed in early 2018 to move to Seattle with her husband, the restaurant tried to chart a less ambitious path under the direction of chef Mark Zeringer (formerly of Hunky Dory), but it had lost the magic that made it special. Still, it will be missed by those who remember those early days when it was among Houston's best restaurants.

closings

a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

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