the ferrari of hot pot restaurants

Acclaimed Chinese hot pot soup shop stirs up first Houston-area location

HaiDiLao offers a wide range of hot pot options.

Haidilao

The "Ferrari of hot pot restaurants" is coming to Katy. HaiDiLao, a China-based restaurant with over 600 locations globally, will open in the Katy Grand development next year, real estate development firm NewQuest Properties announced.

The restaurant will occupy approximately 6,300 square feet in a new building on the property. Tim Ho Wan, a Hong Kong-based dim sum restaurant with a Michelin star, will open in an adjacent building later this year.

HaiDiLao earned its nickname from former LA Times critic Jonathan Gold, who reviewed the restaurant in 2014. Even more than its food, the restaurant is known for its service. Diners may receive a hand massage while they wait for a table or be given plastic covers to shield their phones from broth.

The menu is extensive with multiple choices for different broths and sauces to create each individual bowl. A wide range of meat — including wagyu beef — seafood, and vegetables are available.

"Noodle dancers" make hand-pulled noodles tableside. Watch the clip below to see the performance in action.

Already operating in California and New York, HaiDiLao will add locations in Seattle later this year. The Katy location will be its first Texas outpost.

"HaiDiLao and the soon-to-open Michelin-rated Tim Ho Wan will solidify Katy Grand's reputation as a foodie destination in Houston and statewide," Heather Nguyen, development partner for NewQuest, said in a statement. 'We are strongly committed to attracting the 'best of the best' global cuisines for Katy Grand."

news-you-can-eat openings

all about the taste

Beyoncé-loved Houston brunch spot sweetens Sugar Land with new location

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

One of Houston’s most successful brunch spots is coming to Sugar Land. Taste Bar + Kitchen will open its second location on Wednesday, December 10, in the former Veritas Steak & Seafood location at 1550 Lake Pointe Pkwy, Suite 500.

Located near the Greatwood development, the restaurant will feature a lakefront patio and a private dining room that will host family celebrations, corporate events, and other happenings.

Even more importantly, it will serve chef-owner Don Bowie’s kicked up take on Southern comfort food. The restaurant’s menu offers more than a dozen versions of chicken and waffles — General Tso’s, Nashville hot, jerk, Cajun, etc. paired with waffle flavors such as peach cobbler, apple pie, and sweet potato — as well as seafood, mac & cheese, and the jerk lamb chops that won the prize for best dish at the CultureMap Tailgate earlier this fall.

Diners can expect a lively atmosphere, particularly in the evening, when the restaurant will showcase its extensive cocktail program and live entertainment on the weekends.

Count Houston icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her husband Jay-Z among the restaurant’s fans. Along with their families, the duo feasted on an order from Taste before Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter tour stop at NRG Stadium. Bowie later shared a photo of himself with Jay-Z on Instagram.

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“We’re thrilled to bring Taste to the Sugar Land community,” Bowie said in a statement. “This expansion allows us to share the flavors and experiences our guests enjoy downtown with a new audience, beautiful waterfront views, and a signature space designed for both everyday dining and memorable occasions.”

Taste Bar + Kitchen opens daily at 8 am.

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

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