Major Restaurant Shakeup

Restaurant shakeup: Longtime French place to shutter and make way for an ambitious new Italian seafood spot

A Tex-Mex restaurant in Uptown Park won't be the only new restaurant created by Lasco Enterprises' decision to open Anejo in the space previously occupied by Arturo's Uptown Italiano. Now longtime Arturo's general manager Shanon Scott is setting off on his own to open Sud Italia Ristorante, which will take over the space currently occupied by French restaurant Bistro des Amis in Rice Village.

"I've been in the restaurant business for 25 years," Scott tells CultureMap. "I feel that all my experiences has paved the way for me to now open my own concept."

Scott's looking for a quick turnaround. He assumes control of the building March 2 and hopes to be open in mid-April.

"I've been in the restaurant business for 25 years. I feel that all my experiences has paved the way for me to now open my own concept."

"I've always wanted to own my own restaurant. The location in Rice Village is perfect. The building is cozy and charming, so I couldn't pass it up," Scott says. "There is no other restaurant that I'm aware of in Houston that has a Southern Italian concept."

The concept of Southern Italian cuisine may conjure images of classic, Italian-American red sauce dishes, but Sud Italia will be something entirely differently.

"The menu will be solely focused on seafood and lighter dishes," Scott says. "All the ingredients and recipes are from the five regions of the south.

"I got the idea when my wife and I went to the region of Puglia last fall, where I tried dishes I had never had before and got excited."

Scott isn't ready to reveal a menu quite yet, but his successful track record bodes well for Sud Italia's future. Look for more details as the restaurant moves toward its opening.

Diners seeking one last taste of Bistro des Amis have until the end of the month to get their fix.

Bistro des Amis will soon make way for Sud Italia Ristorante.

Bistro des Amis Facebook

Bistro des Amis will soon make way for Sud Italia Ristorante.

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NYT best dishes

Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen is the only Houston restaurant on either list.

The New York Times included four Texas restaurants among its favorite dishes of 2025. Divided into two lists — The 23 Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 and The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 — the dishes are:

Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre (Austin)
Ketan Hitam at Yeni’s Fusion (Austin)
Konafa Naama at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen (Houston)
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)

Times food writer Priya Krishna, who authors the entries for all four Texas dishes, traveled to far west Houston to visit Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen. “The konafa, a signature here, arrives with a molten layer of cheese under a sticky-sweet layer of golden, nutty semolina. The craft is evident, the konafa gone in a few bites,” she writes.

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen Konafa Naama Don't skip dessert at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen.KSayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

In Austin, Krishna praises the rice pudding at Yeni’s Fusion. “This barely sweet version, lush with coconut milk, aromatic with pandan and as soothing as warm porridge, is the gentlest way to end a meal,” she states.

Already hailed as one of America’s best breakfast spots by Bon Appetit, Krishna singles out a honeybun at Mercado Sin Nombre. “The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears,” she writes.

The picadillo mac and cheese at 2M Smokehouse showcases how the San Antonio restaurant incorporates Mexican flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. “Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some,” Krishna writes.

The New York Times regularly shines its spotlight on Texas restaurants, In September, it named four establishments — ChòpnBlọk (Houston), Isidore (San Antonio), Lao’d Bar (Austin), and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin) — to its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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