exit, stage right

Houston wine guru abruptly leaves major local restaurant group

David Keck has resigned from Goodnight Hospitality.

Photo by Julie Soefer

In the world of Houston restaurants, few developments qualify as truly shocking. After all, even the most storied restaurants can close, and prominent chefs can depart for new opportunities. Still, unexpected developments have the power to surprise even the most jaded observer.

The March 4 announcement from Goodnight Hospitality ranks among those surprises. Master sommelier David Keck has resigned his partnership with the Montrose-based restaurant group and will be moving back to his home state of Vermont. Keck issued the following statement through a representative:

“I’m excited to get my hands in the dirt and work on a different side of the beverage business while continuing my own studies. I couldn’t be more proud of the Goodnight Hospitality endeavor, and am very excited for the next steps for both of us. I’m also so impressed with how the sommelier community has grown—and continues to grow—in Houston, and hope to continue that spirit of education and hospitality in a new city.”

Keck has been a prominent presence in Houston's culinary scene for almost a decade. After working at Stella Sola and Uchi, the former professional opera singer turned sommelier opened Camerata with business partner Paul Petronella in 2013. While there, he became Houston's second master sommelier in 2016. He founded Goodnight Hospitality with local businessman Peter McCarthy in 2017, eventually recruiting chef Felipe Riccio and fellow master sommelier June Rodil to join the company.

"We wish David the best with his ventures in Vermont,” McCarthy said in a statement. “He’s been part of the Goodnight Hospitality team since day one, and we’re grateful for all the contributions he made as we built this company."

Riccio and Rodil remain partners in Goodnight with owners Peter and Bailey McCarthy. They'll continue to operate Rosie Cannonball and Montrose Cheese & Wine. In April, the company will open March, an intimate tasting menu restaurant that will be a showcase for Riccio.

The future is less certain for Goodnight Charlie's. The group states that the Montrose honky tonk was a "passion project" for Keck and that they're "evaluating the best way to move forward" with the bar and dance hall. A representative declined to elaborate on whether that evaluation might result in Goodnight Charlie's closing or changing its concept.

Part of what make today's announcement so surprising is that Keck has long-standing personal relationships with his partners. Keck and Riccio worked together at Camerata; Rodil and Keck had been friends for almost a decade before she joined Goodnight last year.

Keck's departure is only the latest turnover at Goodnight Hospitality. Rosie Cannonball's opening chef de cuisine, Adam Garcia, and opening bar manager, Stuart Humphries, are no longer with the company. Sommelier Ryan Cooper quietly left Montrose Cheese & Wine in January. The company's recent personnel additions include advance sommelier Mark Sayre, who will be March's general manager and beverage director, and veteran bartender Alex Negranza (Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow), who will be March's bar manager.

news-you-can-eat

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

exit, stage right

Houston wine guru abruptly leaves major local restaurant group

the more things change

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

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