Restaurant's TV Makeover

Another Houston restaurant gets a reality TV show makeover: Will it be enough to survive in Montrose?

Add Montrose restaurant Gratifi to the list of local spots that have undergone transformations thanks to a reality TV show. Chef Robert Irvine and his crew from Food Network show Restaurant Impossible spent two days and $10,000 transforming the restaurant formerly known as Ziggy's Healthy Grill.

As with this week's episode of the TLC show Bakery Boss that was filmed near Vintage Park at Drew's Pastry Place, Restaurant Impossible seeks to make over struggling restaurants.

Gratifi hosted a well-attended grand reopening party Thursday night to show off the changes. The party also allowed the show to capture footage of diners reacting positively (one assumes) to the new changes.

"When Houston was the land of the giant chicken fried steak, being healthy was unique for a restaurant," owner Kevin Strickland told CultureMap when he first decided to rebrand the restaurant. "That started changing a few years ago when more people and more places became health-conscious.

"We decided it was time to broaden our reach."

Despite a new menu and a dog-friendly patio, the restaurant still sought assistance. The only clue comes from this tweet that notes "it is REALLY expensive to own real estate in Montrose."

While no one at the restaurant is allowed to comment on the experience of filming the show or the changes made to the restaurant until the episode airs, an open front door provided sufficient access to examine the space and spy a glimpse of the new menu.

The restaurant's wooden tables and chairs remain, but a new coat of dark blue paint gives the interior a more upscale feel. The bar looks to be redone, too.

Most importantly, Gratifi's unwieldy menu has been streamlined down from 20 burgers, sandwiches and full-size entrees to just seven items, plus a short list of appetizers and salads. The burgers were one of Gratifi's strengths, so it's good to see they remain. And who can argue with any restaurant serving a daily mac and cheese special?

Also, if the new menu header can be believed, the restaurant will keep its somewhat confusing name (read it as gratify not graffiti).

Is that enough to get Gratifi back on its feet? Someone at the restaurant certainly thinks so, tweeting, "Wow. Words cannot do justice to what @RobertIrvine and @lynnkegan and @Rest_Imposs accomplished tonight. I am genuinely blown away."

Want to see the changes? The restaurant will be open for regular service this weekend.

Another change? This mural along the restaurant's Taft side by artist Alexandra Kontrimalte.

Gratifi Kitchen + Bar Houston mural January 2014

Gatifi Kitchen + Bar Facebook

Another change? This mural along the restaurant's Taft side by artist Alexandra Kontrimalte.

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firing up Montrose

New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

“My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

“Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

“It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

“We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.