Blue, Navy Blue

Aaron Bludorn's team makes waves in Rice Village with true blue seafood restaurant

Chefif Mbjodi Victoria Pappas Aaron Bludorn Rice Village

Chefif Mbjodi, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and Aaron Bludorn are bringing seafood to Rice Village.

Photo by Michael Anthony

The team behind Bludorn has revealed more details about their plans for Rice Village. Slated to open this fall, the new seafood restaurant will be called Navy Blue.

First announced last year, the new project will occupy the former Politan Row space at 2445 Times Blvd. Chef Aaron Bludorn will partner with his wife, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and Bludorn general manager Cherif Mbodji on the project.

Bludorn has been a smash hit since it opened in the fall of 2020. Texas Monthly named it to its statewide best new restaurants lists for 2021, and chef Bludorn recently earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination in the Best Chef: Texas category.

Opening a seafood restaurant makes a certain amount of sense for the Bludorn team, as fish and shellfish have always been a major component of the restaurant's menu. No meal at Bludorn would be complete without oysters, which it serves raw, roasted, or fried. Sea urchin spaghetti, various salmon preparations, and a Gulf Coast take on cioppino have become diner favorites — to say nothing of the signature lobster pot pie.

Whether any of those exact dishes show up at Navy Blue remains to be seen, of course, but they inspire a certain amount of confidence that the new restaurant will be a welcome addition to an area that's mostly bereft of seafood options other than Gratify Neighborhood and Goode Co. Seafood. Details like design, whether it will be open for lunch, etc. will be revealed as the opening becomes more imminent.

“We look forward to sharing more details about the restaurant and the team behind it as the new concept takes shape in the coming months. We thank you for your interest, as always,” Mbodji said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to be part of the Houston restaurant industry and all who make it so incredibly dynamic, and we are thankful to all who have welcomed us with open arms.”

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Sophisticated Houston Italian eatery quietly closes after 3 years

Photo by Brian Kennedy

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An Italian restaurant in Uptown has served its last meal. Tavola has closed, its owner The Bastion Collection announced on social media.

“To our team, who brought heart to every service, and to our guests, who filled our dining room with connection, laughter, and a shared love of Italian cuisine — grazie for being part of our story,” the statement reads in part. “As we close this chapter, we are excited for what comes next and look forward to sharing more about the future of this space soon.”

Bastion Collection COO Deleon Pinto tells CultureMap in an email that closing Tavola is part of Bastion’s long term strategy for Houston. The company also operates two concepts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant Le Jardinier and its casual sibling Cafe Leonelli — as well as Bar Moon and private events space Soleil that are both located above Tavola. All of those concepts remain open and are not affected by Tavola’s closure.

“As The Bastion Collection continues to evolve in Houston, the next phase centers on creative independence. The transition of the Tavola space has always been part of the long-term vision for the property following the development of Moon and Soleil on the second floor,” Pinto writes. “This next chapter reflects a continued investment in Houston and an opportunity to introduce concepts that further strengthen our presence in the neighborhood.”

A Bastion representative added that all of Tavola’s employees, including its chef and general manager, are currently working at either Le Jardinier or Cafe Leonelli and will be involved with the new restaurant that’s replacing Tavola when it’s ready to open. Details on the new concept will be released in the coming weeks.

Tavola opened in December 2023. Originally, Bastion partnered with Berg Hospitality (B&B Butchers, The Annie Cafe, Turner’s, etc) on the concept, but it took full control about a year after opening. The restaurant served upscale Italian fare, including endive salad with tuna, freshly made pastas, and chicken Milanese. It replaced the downstairs portion of La Table, a French fine dining restaurant that closed in 2022.

While Tavola may be gone, Uptown diners still have plenty of choices for Italian cuisine, including North Italia, Lombardi Cucina Italiana, Grotto, and il Bracco. Élephante, a coastal Italian concept from the Los Angeles-based Wish You Were Here Group, is expected to open in the nearby Central Park Post Oak development in 2028.

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