inside thirteen

Sneak peek of James Harden's eagerly anticipated new Midtown restaurant

One of the year’s most eagerly anticipated restaurants will make its debut this month. Thirteen by James Harden is set to open soon in the former Mr. Peeples space at 1911 Bagby St. in Midtown.

Harden will not be present for the opening, of course. The Rockets traded the one-time NBA MVP to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal last week. Still, his imprint is on all aspects of the renovated space.

A representative tells CultureMap that Harden has invested his own money into the project and selected many of the design elements, which include black walls, grey banquettes and chairs, and copper accents. A light fixture in the shape of Harden’s signature hangs above the dining room.

Perhaps most importantly, Harden has retained chef Tobias Dorzon to lead the kitchen. A former professional football player, Dorzon started his culinary career as a private chef for athletes before opening Victory Restaurant & Lounge in Miami last spring.

Dorzon is no stranger to Houston. He tells CultureMap that his clients include NFL lineman Trent Williams and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, and that he assisted the Turkey Leg Hut with its opening. He's been in Houston for the past couple of months to prepare for the opening by building a staff and sampling restaurants.

“I took time to come out here, visit different spots, low end, high end,” Dorzon says. “I just wanted to learn the culture a little more.”

He says he learned that Houstonians like the sort of big flavors that are his speciality, and that he can incorporate pork into his menu in a way that’s not well-received on the East Coast.

Towards that end, the chef has crafted a menu that mixes steakhouse and comfort food elements. Think shrimp and lobster mac and cheese egg rolls with crawfish cream sauce; four layer, deep-fried lasagna; mac and cheese topped with a deep fried lobster tail; and a 32-ounce tomahawk ribeye with Hawaiian marinade and shallot-pineapple compound butter.

Nods to Dorzon’s East Coast roots include Maryland crab cakes, french fries topped with Old Bay and crab cream sauce, and clam chowder with candied bacon bits. Those looking to splurge may opt for a seafood tower.

“My whole snapper, it’s got a Caribbean-style, tomato-based sweet and spicy sauce,” he says. “There’s so many things with brunch, when I finally build a team to push out everything on the menu, it’s going to be really exciting.”

Dorzon recognizes that Harden’s sudden departure has upset Rockets fans. He’s seen the negative reviews posted for a restaurant that’s not open yet, but the chef isn’t concerned.

“For me, I really like when pressure’s on my back, because it gives me the opportunity to prove myself once again,” he says. “Once the people get in here and see this amazing space and get the chance to taste this food, I think they’ll change their minds about the restaurant.”

Tomahawk ribeye with compound butter.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Tomahawk ribeye with compound butter.

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the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

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