Funny Games?

Cinderella hurts: Sylvia's laments ultra-close Restaurant Challenge loss,"strategic" voting

Sylvia's felt like Butler's Gordon Hayward after his half-court shot in thenational championship game at the buzzer just bounced out. Cinderella was soclose.
Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen
Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen/Facebook

As the minutes ticked down at the end of round two in The Big Dance Restaurant Challenge, one matchup stood above the rest in terms of drama.

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen and Arturo's Uptown Italiano both showed exactly 50 percent of the vote. So it was a tough sight for Sylvia's fans to see Arturo's squeak by into the third round, winning by less than 100 votes out of more than 10,000 cast in the Sylvia and Arturo's showdown.

"We've been crying about it for an hour," Sylvia's partner Michael Warren said after the loss. "But we gave it a hell of a fight."

Warren says Sylvia's sent out e-mail blasts to customers and reminded people to vote at the Rodeo Uncorked! Best Bites Competition on Sunday night, where he served up Sylvia's famous chicken and cheese enchiladas.

Arturo's would win by less than one percent. And that teeny tiny percentage means a lot. By making the elite eight, Arturo's is eligible to be one of the four restaurants that will serve food at Discovery Green during The Big Dance Concert Series, where a collection of A-list musical acts will play during the extended Final Four weekend in Houston. The champion of the Restaurant Challenge is guaranteed one of the four Concert Series spots, but the Houston Local Organizing Committee will select three of the remaining seven from the final eight to join the champion on-site, serving food to the masses.

No wonder why a Sylvia's rep called up CultureMap immediately after the second round ended to "dispute" the vote. What Sylvia's was really looking for was more of an explanation and the final vote tally. Cinderella was heartbroken.

Warren says Sylvia's received tremendous support from customers and fans, both in the round two face-off and in the tough first round race against Cadillac Bar. But he thinks the national voting bloc of Del Frisco's might have had a hand in it, voting against Sylvia's so the power wouldn't have to face Sylvia's in the round of eight.

Arturo's moved on to face Del Frisco in the third round.

"In my personal opinion Del Frisco's is just so large, with restaurants in so many states, and they were looking ahead to round three, especially since they won this round so big," Warren says. "We're just a little Mexican food restaurant, so that was huge to have to battle against.

"But that's what competition is. We pushed it and pushed it and were tickled to be part of the 32 and the 16."

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Hot Houston hand roll spot is first restaurant at new EaDo development

Handies Douzo Facebook

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Houstonians with a seemingly unlimited appetite for sushi hand rolls will soon have another destination to satisfy their cravings. Handies Douzo will open its next location in East Blocks, an adaptive reuse project in EaDo.

On track to open in late 2026 or early 2027 at 1107 Hutchins Street, the EaDo location will be Handies Douzo’s fifth, joining the original in the Heights as well as restaurants in Montrose, Spring Branch, and an upcoming outpost in Uptown’s new Central Park Post Oak development. Like those siblings, it will serve Handies’ familiar menu of hand rolls (temaki), crudos, and sashimi that’s overseen by founding chefs and co-owners Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham. The 2,000-square-foot space will feature Handies’ familiar U-shaped counter seating.

Handies is known for wrapping its rolls in crispy seaweed that gives each bite a distinct crunch. The well-executed dishes and affordable prices helped Handies earn a nomination for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

"We've been very intentional about where we grow, and East Blocks immediately stood out," Pham and Lee said in a statement. "There's an authenticity to EaDo and a strong sense of community that aligns with our brand. We're excited to be part of a project focused on creating an energetic, walkable destination."

1107 Hutchins rendering Handies will occupy 2,000 square feet at 1107 Hutchins.Courtesy of Pagewood

1107 Hutchins and the nearby 2202 Dallas — each of which are 15,000 square feet — represent phase one of local real estate firm Pagewood’s plans to East Blocks. First announced in 2023, plans call for renovating warehouses into a walkable district of shops, restaurants, offices, and green space. Gensler is leading architecture and design for the project, with landscape architecture by SWA.

"East Blocks reflects a long-term belief in EaDo and the kind of place it’s becoming," said Mat Volz, Managing Principal of PAGEWOOD. "As the project has evolved, our commitment to that vision has only strengthened. Breaking ground on Phase 1 is an exciting step forward, particularly as this neighborhood prepares to welcome the world. With the FIFA Fan Festival taking place just steps from East Blocks and bringing thousands of visitors daily to EaDo, we see this project playing a meaningful role in that energy and in the long-term evolution of the district."

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