Guy Fieri in Houston

Guy Fieri films Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives at six Houston restaurants

In less than four weeks, America will turn its eyes to Houston for Super Bowl LI, but this week the Bayou City has become Flavortown. Celebrity chef, TV host, and author Guy Fieri has been in Houston since Monday filming at local restaurants for upcoming episodes of his popular Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Fieri's visit appears to be the first time he's filmed in Houston since 2009, when his stops included Kenny & Ziggy's, Niko Niko's, the Red Lion Pub, Cafe Pita+, and Lankford Grocery. By poring through social media, CultureMap has identified at least six restaurants that are getting the Triple-D treatment.

In Fieri's only tweet since his arrival, he's standing with Astros legend Jeff Bagwell outside of the Original Irma's, the downtown Mexican restaurant known for its eclectic decor, an oral menu that sometimes induces sticker shock in first-timers, and delicious homestyle cuisine.

Great to have Jeff Bagwell from the @astros on the set of #DDD in houston pic.twitter.com/0XdSE9A0yX

— Guy Fieri (@GuyFieri) January 9, 2017

Bagwell isn't the only Houston sports hero that Fieri's met during his visit. At Cuchara, the chef hung out with former Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini.

So this happened earlier today at #Cuchara in #Houston TX. #DanPastorini and #GuyFieri

A photo posted by Rick (@rickisme) on

Jan 10, 2017 at 4:46pm PST

Of course, Fieri's itineray has included a number of restaurants that showcase Houston's diversity including Jamaican restaurant Cool Runnings, Galleria-area Lebanese restaurant Cafe Lili, West Houston favorite The Original Marini's Empanada House, and Q-Shi, the Spring restaurant that blends barbecue and sushi, which sounds as though it would be pretty irresistible to the man who created Donkey Sauce.

Kerry Stessel, administrator of the 25,000-plus member Facebook group The Woodlands/Spring area Texas Foodie Club, documented Fieri's visit to Q-Shi with photos taken during the filming, including snapshots of Fieri's red Chevrolet Chevelle SS (instead of his signature Camaro) parked in front of the restaurant. "I would like to congratulate our own local Ray Aker and his fantastic crew at Q-Shi BBQ and Sushi," Stessel writes. "I hope Q Shi gets crazy busy from the well deserved exposure. Ray, you guys better hang on!"

No word on whether Fieri has other stops to make or when the episodes featuring the Houston-area restaurants will air, yet. Regardless, it's always good to see the city get a little time in the national spotlight, especially these smaller, family-run restaurants that sometimes fly under the media radar.

Fieri will be back in Houston for the Super Bowl, where he will host The Players Tailgate Party before the big game on February 5.

Guy Fieri and Jeff Bagwell in front of Irma's in downtown Houston.

Guy Fieri/Twitter

Guy Fieri and Jeff Bagwell in front of Irma's in downtown Houston.

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a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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