restaurants respond to coronavirus

Houston restaurants roll out new to-go, delivery, and distancing options to address coronavirus

Bravery Chef Hall has closed its dining room.

Photo by Claudia Casbarian

Houston restaurants have rolled out a number of strategies for meeting the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Recommendations from the CDC and other authorities to limit social interactions to minimize the rate at which the virus spreads have people deviating from their normal dining patterns, which is forcing restaurants to change their operations.

Bravery Chef Hall announced that it has closed its dining room and will be operating only for delivery and curbside to-go. The downtown food hall will launch its own delivery service that will initially serve downtown and will expand over time.

"Our decision was not easy, but the responsible action is to alter our business model and minimize the impact that continued dine-in service will have on propagating the virus and the disastrous results we are seeing in other cities around the country and globe," Bravery partner Shepard Ross wrote in a press release.

In order to help ensure diners stay healthy, Bravery staff will wear masks and gloves to handle curbside pickup orders, and delivery vehicles will be sanitized throughout the day. The restaurant will take employees' temperatures at the beginning of each shift.

Bravery isn't the only restaurant that's closing its dining room temporarily. Over the weekend, both South African restaurant Peli Peli Vietnamese restaurant Jenni's Noodle House initiated to-go or delivery-only service. Local Chick-fil-A franchises are currently drive-thru only.

Other restaurants are promoting social distancing. Nancy's Hustle announced on social media that it will restrict the number of people allowed to wait for a table.

Theodore Rex has removed tables and bar seats in an effort to keep at least 1-meter between tables. To replace the lost seating, the restaurant has added a few tables to its waiting room.

The situation is fluid and will require flexibility on the part of both businesses and customers. For now, steps like removing tables and promoting to-go orders should allow restaurants to keep operating in these uncertain times.

news-you-can-eat

What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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