6 things to know

6 things to know in Houston food right now: Openings, coming attractions, and cheesy tacos

Editor’s note: Houston’s restaurant scene moves pretty fast. In order to prevent CultureMap readers from missing anything, let’s stop to look around at all the latest news to know.

Openings and coming attractions

Texas winery Messina Hof has broken ground on its new, Houston-area facility. Announced last year, Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery and Kitchen will include both a tasting room, a 130-seat restaurant, and wine production and storage facilities. Expected to open around the end of the year in Richmond’s Harvest Green community, the facility will also be home to all of Messina Hof’s wine shipping operations.

“Our first brick-and-mortar presence in Houston will be on a grand scale, allowing us to connect with our large family of consumers in Houston and Southeast Texas,” Messina Hof’s Paul M. Bonarrigo said in a statement. “The project not only expands Messina Hof’s presence throughout Texas, but we are integrating into a new community in a very organic and dynamic way. As Houston’s only farm-centric community, Harvest Green was a natural choice for our new craft winery and kitchen.”

Tarka Indian Kitchen opened its third Houston-area restaurant at the end of January in the Upper Kirby area. Located at 3701 S. Shepherd Dr., the fast-casual restaurant serves dishes such as naan, curries, and kebabs. Similar in style to Chipotle, diners select a protein and spice level for each item on Tarka’s customizable menu. Reasonable prices (nothing costs more than $10) and an appealing selection of wine and craft beer have made the Austin-based restaurant a hit in The Heights.

Bombshells has opened its eighth Houston-area restaurant at 6888 Southwest Fwy. At over 8,000-square feet, the 400-seat sports bar and restaurant features over 100 TVs, including a 15.75-foot 4K LED video wall, and free wifi. Decorated with military memorabilia, the establishment serves food and drinks from 11 am to 2 am daily.

Upcoming events

Southern Smoke’s spring event returns with a different format for 2020. Instead of a series of dinners spread out over a week, the Chris Shepherd-led foundation that raises money for hospitality workers who need emergency assistance will be throwing two major bashes on the same night in the same place — Saturday, March 28 at The Revaire (7122 Old Katy Rd).

The evening starts with the “A Boy, A Girl, and A Goat Dinner,” where Shepherd will be joined by fellow Beard Award winner Stephanie Izard. The Chicago chef and Top Chef season four winner will collaborate with Shepherd on a multi-course meal celebrating goat; yes, the Houston chef's signature Korean braised goat and dumplings will be on the menu.

After dinner, Colombian band Tribu Baharú will keep the party going with Carribbean music while the Underbelly Hospitality team serves whole hog tacos and “late night grub” from Shake Shack.

Attend both events for $500 or just the after party for $200. A variety of sponsorship packages and tables are also available. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 17.

Get ready for Chef Fest by watching the teaser video below. Held March 29, the event features bites from 10 local chefs, including Brandon Silva (The Kirby Group), Dominick Lee (Poitín), and Masterchef winner Christine Ha (The Blind Goat). Tickets, $100, are available online.

Chef Fest 2020 // 30-Second Spot from Bear Hands Media Group on Vimeo.

Off the map

Taco restaurant La Vibra and pop-up JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ both earned a shout out from Bon Appétit. As part of its Taco Nation feature, the national foodie magazine recognized these local establishments for their costra tacos that swap the typical tortillas for a slab of griddled cheese.

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A post shared by JQ's TexMex BBQ (@jqstexmexbbq) on

Feb 14, 2020 at 8:26am PST

Tarka is now open in Upper Kirby.

Courtesy of Tarka Indian Kitchen

Tarka is now open in Upper Kirby.

news-you-can-eat

One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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