Restaurant Groups Consolidate

Houston restaurant groups consolidate locations as coronavirus closures continue

I'll Have What She's Having IHWSH fall pop-up Dunlavy crowd

The Dunlavy is temporarily closed.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

As the mandated statewide closure of all bars as well as restaurant dining rooms continues, some of Houston’s most prominent restaurant groups are consolidating operations around one location.

The reasons for these decisions are varied. They could include the simple reality that a restaurant’s food can’t be easily converted into a to-go format or that diners don’t see its experience as translating into a to-go situation. Fundamentally, closing some locations or consolidating others provides restaurateurs with the ability to cut costs at a time when revenues have declined sharply.

“If we can nurture a singular efficient business pod within our community and various industries can do the same, then I think we can eventually nurture future growth outside of our collective pods,” Clark Cooper Concepts co-owner Grant Cooper said in a statement about his company's decision to consolidate all of its operations at Coppa Osteria. “It will take a lot of hard work to carry this challenge out but I think the character, fortitude and backbone of like minded people will result in a victory for us all.”

Agricole Hospitality
The Heights-based restaurant group has temporarily closed two of its EaDo concepts, the restaurant Indianola and the cocktail bar Miss Carousel, as well as Night Heron, its Italian-inspired restaurant in Montrose.

Vinny’s, its EaDo pizzeria, remains open for both delivery and to-go. In The Heights, Coltivare, Eight Row Flint, and Revival Market all remain open for both delivery and to-go. See each restaurant’s website for phone numbers and hours of operation.

Benjy Levit Restaurants
The veteran restaurateur has temporarily closed benjy's, The Classic, and the downtown location of Local Foods. However, Local Foods locations in Upper Kirby, Tanglewood, The Heights, and Rice Village remain open for both delivery and to-go.

Berg Hospitality
The company has temporarily closed The Annie Cafe and Turner’s, its recently opened, ultra-luxurious supper club. B.B. Lemon is also temporarily closed.

B&B Butchers and its companion butcher shop remain open for to-go and delivery via DoorDash and Favor from 11 am - 8 pm. B.B. Italia and its companion pizzeria are also open for delivery and to-go from 4-8 pm.

Bernie’s Burger Bus
Only the restaurant’s original location in Bellaire remains open; stores in Katy, Missouri City, and the Heights are temporarily closed. Consolidation has allowed chef-owner Justin Turner to offer daily specials, family-style meals, and Bernie’s Bodega, which stocks a limited number of grocery items. Order online or call 713-349-9400 for the latest offerings.

Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu
The business partners have some establishments in common and some they operate separately, but it's easier to consider them together for the purposes of this article.

Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, The Pastry War, and Tongue-cut Sparrow are currently closed. Squable and Penny Quarter are both open and serving an identical menu that’s available for pick-up from 5-10 pm daily. Public Services is open from 3-8 pm with a limited food menu that’s available to-go. Theodore Rex is running a special menu inspired by Yu’s Moneycat pop-up series that’s also available to-go; order by emailing info@trexhouston.com.

Clark Cooper Concepts
As noted above, the restaurant group has consolidated all of its operations into Coppa Osteria, which means The Dunlavy, Brasserie 19, and Punk’s are temporarily closed. Consolidation allows the one location to serve dishes from all of the company’s concepts, including Satisfy, their upcoming healthy-eating concept. Plans include Taco Tuesday and specials from Ibiza on Thursday.

The company is also selling wines from Brasserie 19’s cellar at a discount via preset packages. See the full menu online for the latest offerings.

Ford Fry Restaurants
The Atlanta-based restaurant has temporarily closed all of its Houston restaurants — State of Grace, Superica, and La Lucha — as of March 26, owner Ford Fry announced.

Goode Company
The local restaurant group that explores all of the influences on modern Texan cooking has about half of its normal locations open. Armadillo Palace, both of its restaurants in The Woodlands, both locations of Goode Co. Seafood, and its barbecue restaurant on Hwy. 290 are temporarily closed.

On the positive side, Goode Co. Barbeque locations on both Kirby Drive and I-10 remain open, as is Goode Co. Taqueria, and the Memorial-area location of Goode Co. Kitchen and Cantina. Head to the Goode Co website to order for pickup or delivery.

H Town Restaurant Group
Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught have temporarily closed both Xochi and Caracol. Backstreet Cafe and Hugo's are both offering curbside to-go. See websites for details.

Killen’s Restaurants
Ronnie Killen has consolidated his operations to his hometown of Pearland. Killen’s STQ, Killen’s TMX, and Killen’s Steakhouse in The Woodlands are temporarily closed.

Killen’s Barbecue, Killen’s Steakhouse, and Killen’s Burgers are open for both delivery and to-go via DoorDash. See individual websites for details.

Liberty Kitchen
All three locations of the Southern-inspired restaurant are “closed until further notice,” per a representative.

Politan Row
All of the vendors at Rice Village's food hall have announced they are temporarily closed.

Sambrooks Management Company
The company has consolidated operations by temporarily closing both Candente and 1751 Sea and Bar. The Pit Room remains open with its full barbecue menu, as well as Tex-Mex family packs and desserts by 1751 pastry chef Allison Thiessen. The company has created a special pick-up lane at The Patio.

Underbelly Hospitality
Chris Shepherd has consolidated all of his operations into Hay Merchant and Georgia James. The offerings include dishes from all four of his restaurants, raw steaks from Georgia James' dry-aging cabinet, and meals that can be heated at home.

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Angie's hidden surprise

New Heights pizzeria reveals intimate 16-seat upstairs cocktail bar

Photo by Leonid Furmansky

Bar Angie's interior is inspired by a midcentury modern penthouse.

Pizza lovers in the Heights and beyond are eagerly awaiting the opening of Angie’s Pizza, the new restaurant from chef Angelo Emiliani that’s expected to open this month. While Houstonians are dreaming of their opportunity to feast on wood-fired pies and house made pastas, the chef has a special surprise — an intimate cocktail bar that’s located directly above the restaurant.

Called Bar Angie, the 16-seat cocktail lounge has a private entrance, its own menu of food and drinks, and an intimate atmosphere that invites patrons to linger. Emiliani has recruited former Anvil bartender Drew Bennett to lead the cocktail program.

“One of the things I really admire about Drew is that he approaches cocktails the same way I approach food,” Emiliani said in a statement. “It’s never about using technique or rare ingredients for performative sake. There’s a real respect for the history of cocktails, the process, and the ingredients themselves. We speak a very similar creative language, even though we work in different mediums. As we developed the upstairs program together, Drew really understood what makes Angie’s important — the intention behind it, the hospitality, and the continual pursuit of learning and refining the craft. That openness made the collaboration feel incredibly natural.”

As customers would expect from a craft cocktail bar, each drink is made to order, allowing drinkers the opportunity to interact with the bar’s staff and appreciate the work that goes into each sip.

“With such a visible and intimate bar setup upstairs, we wanted guests to experience the process itself,” Bennett said. “It’s an ode to the old way of cocktail making that I want to preserve, but also expand on.”

Each drink utilizes one or two main ingredients, many of them seasonal and sourced within Texas. For example the Momo no Hana blends Texas peaches with rum, citrus, and mascarpone cheese. The Prizefighter showcases the skills of the bar and kitchen teams with its combination of a house made absinthe granita with cognac, chamomile, bitters, and strega.

Martinis play a prominent role — an illuminated, vintage-inspired martini sign greets patrons at the entrance. Described in press materials as Bennett’s favorite cocktail, Bar Angie’s martinis are served with a custom olive dishes created by local artist Lori Munoz.

Just as Bar Angie has a distinct cocktail menu from Angie’s Pizza, chef Emiliani has also created a canapé-style menu of dishes that are only served in the bar. That starts with the Morty Sandwich, the chef’s spin on the classic mortadella sandwich that’s served on house made focaccia and topped with creamy stracciatella, pistachio paste, and crushed pistachios (for texture). Another dish is a classic foie gras torchon that’s served with a preserved cherry jam, marcona almonds tossed in olive oil and paprika, and ginger.

Emiliani worked with Houston’s Gin Design Group on the interior. Inspired in part by the looks of midcentury modern apartments in New York City, the space features floor-to-ceiling wood paneling, velvet banquettes, chrome dining chairs, and a Calacatta marble bar top. Patrons will find a surprise or two, such as a Texas landscape in the restroom, that enhance the overall experience.

Both Angie’s Pizza and Bar Angie are expected to open this month. The pizzeria builds on Emiliani’s experiences working for famed pizzaiolo Chris Bianco at his restaurants in Los Angles. Emiliani made a splash locally with pizza pop-ups in 2020 and 2021 before opening the critically-acclaimed, but sadly short-lived restaurants, Cafe Louie and Louie’s Italian American. Emiliani returned to Los Angeles before finally coming back to Houston to launch Angie’s Pizza.

Photo by Leonid Furmansky

Bar Angie's interior is inspired by a midcentury modern penthouse.

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