Blooming in Boulevard Oaks

Houston dynamic duo reveals new Mediterranean restaurant in Boulevard Oaks

Molly Voorhees Carolyn Dorros Agnes Cafe

Agnes proprietors Molly Voorhees and Carolyn Dorros.

Photo by Dana Kelly Photography

A new neighborhood restaurant is coming to Boulevard Oaks this summer. Two childhood friends have teamed up to open Agnes Cafe & Provisions, an all-day, Mediterranean-inspired concept with a small retail component, in the former Tropicales space (2132 Bissonnet St.)

The project unites Molly Voorhees, president of Becks Prime and The Chocolate Bar, with Carolyn Dorros, the executive vice president of real estate development firm Wolff Companies. Voorhees tells CultureMap that her socially distanced walks through her neighborhood with friends and family sparked her interest in the space.

“I started dreaming about it. I just couldn’t let it go,” Voorhees says. “I thought it was really neat inside; it’s got great bones.”

She recruited Dorros, a fellow St. John’s graduate who describes herself as passionate about food, wine, and cooking, to help develop the menu and overall concept. Then Voorhees convinced the neighbors who encouraged her to open in the space to invest in the enterprise.

“I don’t think this would have happened without Covid,” Dorros says. “I think we were all missing good times over food and wine more than normal."

As the duo discussed ideas, they quickly settled on a Mediterranean-style menu. Inspiration comes from a number of places, including a restaurant Voorhees patronized in Palo Alto and dishes Dorros remembers from a trip to San Sebastian.

The plan calls for coffee and pastries in the morning, including scones, quiche, and a Turkish-style stuffed flatbread. Lunch will be centered around sandwiches, salads, and a kabob plate. For dinner, Agnes will switch from counter to full service, with a more upscale menu and a full selection of wine, beer, and cocktails. Think bistro fare like roasted chicken with a green olive and turmeric vinaigrette and steak with duck fat roasted potatoes.

Agnes will also utilize part of its space for retail shopping. Customers will be able to buy the components for cheese and charcuterie boards, grab-and-go items for lunch or dinner (sandwiches, pastas and sauces), snacks, hostess gifts, and more.

The owners are working with Sean Garrison and Levi Lemaster of the Garrison Design Office to get all the details right, from shelving in the retail area to creating the proper atmosphere at dinner.

“Sean is a real expert a lighting. If you’ve ever been to Nancy’s Hustle, the lighting is outstanding,” Dorros says. “He’s an expert on how to create that warm feeling at night. “

Voorhees is utilizing the Becks Prime team to help refine the concept and develop its operational procedures. The company’s expertise in delivering a consistently high quality experience will help Agnes open as smoothly as possible. Construction is already underway, and the goal is to open in late May or early June.

Becks also brings multi-unit experience. Voorhees acknowledges she’s already thinking about growing Agnes to other parts of Houston.

“I don’t see any business as a one-off. You gain traction with scale,” she says.

“I think what’s neat is this space in the neighborhood. If we could find something like that in Memorial or Tanglewood, once we got our feet on the ground, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t. Once again, I’ve got a team that can manage multiple spaces. It’s just a huge advantage.”

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a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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