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A new neighborhood restaurant shakes things up on Washington Ave: Here's your first look

In these hectic times, restaurants need to be flexible. As both Revival Market and Tout Suite demonstrate, Houstonians like restaurants that also offer a variety of grab and go options.

Serve high-quality coffee and feature local purveyors like Houston Dairymaids, Cloud 10 Creamery and Kraftsmen Baking? Even better.

Levi Rollins understands. In his role as culinary director at Urban Eats, the recently opened bar, restaurant and market on Washington Avenue, Rollins gives diners two options: A first-floor market full of high quality offerings that are either prepared in house or sourced from local vendors or an upstairs bar and restaurant that offers a variety of shareable appetizers, salads, French fries and sliders.

Urban Eats may not be a destination restaurant, but it does offer a crowd-pleasing variety that should make it a neighborhood favorite.

Upstairs, the menu is built around sliders. In addition to a traditional bacon cheeseburger, diners have a variety of options that include the Sunday dinner (pork pot roast topped with gravy, cheese, onions and green beans), the Southern chicks (fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, pickles) and a fried green tomato BLT.

An order of two sliders comes with fries and a salad. Prices run between $11 and $15, which makes them either a slightly spendy lunch or an inexpensive dinner. Those looking to supplement the sliders can add an appetizer like mac and cheese that's topped with bacon, pancetta and ham or vegetables like fried Brussels sprouts and an eggplant Napoleon. Salads and fries with various toppings round out the food offerings. A well-stocked bar serves a variety of cocktails, wine and craft beer.

Urban Eats may not be a destination restaurant, but it does offer a crowd-pleasing variety that should make it a neighborhood favorite. Washington Avenue may have seen a wave of closings in 2014, but newcomers like Urban Eats, Big Eyed Fish and the upcoming Commonwealth have it poised for a revival.

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

Rice Box Webster rendering

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.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box

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