Heights restaurant roundup

Heights restaurant roundup: Exciting new eateries make area a prime dining destination

The Heights shows no signs of giving up its status as Houston's neighborhood for new bars and restaurants. After a strong 2016 that saw high quality additions like Eight Row Flint, Arthur Ave, and Ritual, the new year is already off to a strong start with Field & Tides, the Southern-inspired neighborhood restaurant from former Liberty Kitchen chef Travis Lenig that replaced Zelko Bistro, and Presidio, the family-friendly new restaurant from former Pax Americana chef Adam Dorris that features two large patios.

In the last week alone, two more new restaurants announced their intentions to open in the neighborhood, while one restaurant that's just north of The Heights proper announced it will give up its brick and mortar aspirations and return to the streets.

The first to arrive will be Balls Out Burger. While opening a burger restaurant in an area that's already home to such acclaimed options as Hubcap Grill and Down House and will soon be home new locations of Bernie's Burger Bus and The Burger Joint would seem to be a quixotic task, owner Ian Tucker has a surprising pedigree that could bolster his prospects for success. Prior to becoming a Texan, Tucker owned and operated three acclaimed bars and restaurants in Dublin, Ireland. He moved to Houston after falling in love with his now wife Casey.

BOB will transform a former gas station on Durham into a restaurant with an industrial look. Tucker hopes to set the restaurant apart with a sprawling patio, outdoor games, and lots of TVs for watching sports. Tucker also plans to open a bar and restaurant called Poitín (pronounced Putt-cheen) in Sawyer Yards, but the timeline for that concept is still uncertain.

While BOB's arrival is fairly imminent, Flying Fish isn't slated to open until this fall. Described by CultureMap Dallas as "an ode to a lakeside seafood shack," the seafood restaurant will bring its signature catfish along with Gulf shrimp and oysters and fish from local lakes to the former Houston Tire Shop at the corner of Durham and 19th. Owned by the same company as craft beer bar The Flying Saucer and popular burger joint Rodeo Goat (coming to EaDo this summer), Flying Fish is so committed to local sourcing that owner Shannon Wynne joked in a statement that he's applied for "a license from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to harvest catfish from the nearby Buffalo Bayou."

While that license is still pending, the restaurant also does its part to combat noise pollution by giving a free catfish basket to anyone who brings in a Big Mouth Billy Bass. The surrendered singing fish are proudly displayed on a wall in the restaurant.

In disappointing news, Luv Me Tenders announced on Facebook that it has closed its brick and mortar location in the former home of Treadsack's Kipper Club Test Kitchen. Chef-owner Jason "Big Sexy" Hill will operate the chicken tender concept as a food truck that's parked at Oak Forest neighborhood bar Sassafras. Fans of the restaurant who don't want to travel to its new home can get their fix via delivery apps like UberEATS and DoorDash.

Ian Tucker will open Balls Out Burger this spring.

Photo by Quy Tran

Ian Tucker will open Balls Out Burger this spring.

the-heights openings closings

the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

news-you-can-eat openings