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    Astros Owner Talks Restaurants

    Astros owner gives the inside scoop on his two new restaurants near Minute Maid Park

    Shelby Hodge
    Mar 30, 2016 | 11:46 am

    Just as Houston Astros owner Jim Crane guaranteed investors in his baseball team that they would make money on the deal, he recently assured those partners that investing with him in a restaurant operation would be a success as well.

    As yet, Crane tells CultureMap, none of his baseball partners have joined him in opening the two Italian-themed eateries situated within pitching distance of Minute Maid Park.

    No worries for Crane. The uber successful businessman is confident that his partnership with the Bryan Caswell/Bill Floyd restaurant duo will be a home run. Their triumphs with Reef, El Real, Little Bigs, Bryan Caswell Catering, Jackson Street BBQ and 3rd Bar at IAH are reason enough to think positive.

    As the Astros owner notes, "There's only one good restaurant down here (Minute Maid Park area), Vic & Anthony's. And it's always full. I've been a bunch at Vic & Anthony's to try to figure this out ."

    Location, location, location — Crane's two restaurants — one high end, one a trattoria — are building out at Marvy Finger's luxury apartment complex 500 Crawford at Texas.

    "I've never been in the restaurant business but this should be an opportunity," Crane says, adding. "The area is changing down here, with Marvy's project, two new hotels opening up and a new 28-story apartment building going up just down the street. This area is going to be a hotspot down the road."

    With that kind of optimism for the neighborhood surrounding the baseball stadium, Crane has been securing properties to insure that the quality of development remains high. He already owns the two old buildings on Texas, "south of home plate," as he describes it, properties for later development.

    Build out is progressing on the two Italian themed restaurants — Brocca (Italian for pitcher) an upscale, high end eatery and Il Panchina (the bench) a trattoria serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and an exceptionally large bar to handle post-game crowds. City permitting is in the works at the moment. While no announcements have been made, Crane expects Brocca to boast "a big time chef."

    Turning the restaurant operation over to Caswell (who always wears an Astros cap) was a natural, Crane says, because of Caswell's food operation in the ballpark.

    Gensler is handling design of the two restaurants which are expected to open mid- to late-summer, just as the Astros hopefully make their run for a spot in the World Series.

    The apartment building on Texas Avenue that will house Jim Crane's two Italian restaurants.

    Jim Crane Italian Restaurants, Jan. 2016
      
    Photo by Shelby Hodge
    The apartment building on Texas Avenue that will house Jim Crane's two Italian restaurants.
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    Texas Tastemakers

    Best Texas restaurants and chefs honored with 2025 Tastemaker Awards

    Amber Heckler
    May 13, 2025 | 10:02 am
    Leo's River Oaks
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway
    Best New Restaurant: Leo's River Oaks.

    CultureMap has finally completed its statewide journey to honor the best chefs, restaurants, and more with the 2025 Tastemaker Awards.

    The series kicked off April 3 with our Houston Tastemaker Awards at Silver Street Studios, then we moved south to San Antonio on April 10 for our biggest party there yet, at the Briscoe Museum.

    We then headed to North Texas for our Fort Worth celebration at 4 Eleven on April 23, followed by our Dallas celebration at Astoria Event Venue on May 1.

    Last, but certainly not least, our Texas culinary tour finished strong with our Austin fête at Fair Market on May 8.

    The 2025 Tastemaker Awards celebrated Texas' brilliant and diverse culinary landscape and honored those who've made the biggest impact in the past year. Our nominated chefs and restaurants showcased their flavorful bites and treats during each of the celebrations, and winners were revealed in an onstage ceremony.

    Guests dined on chef-created dishes and sipped on a variety of creative batched cocktails. But nothing could take away the focus from our acclaimed nominees and winners, who are the main reason we bring these celebrations to life year after year.

    Nominees were, as always, determined by a panel of local industry experts, including previous Tastemaker winners and CultureMap staff. They voted on winners in categories such as Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, and more. The champion in the Best New Restaurant category was determined by our readers in an online, bracket-style tournament.

    Our 2025 “wild card” category was a competition for Best Coffee Shop in each of our cities; the ones that keep us caffeinated and happy day after day.

    Readers in each city got to know all the nominees through a special editorial series for weeks leading up to the events.

    Now without further delay, let’s meet our 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners all across Texas, listed by city:

    Houston:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Baso
    • Chef of the Year: Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó
    • Bar of the Year: Johnny’s Gold Brick
    • Best New Restaurant: Leo’s River Oaks
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jacques Varon and Max Lappe, Baso
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Stephanie Velasquez, Ema/Papalo
    • Bartender of the Year: Aaron Lara, Kira
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition
    • Best Pop-Up/Startup: Suu Khin, Burmalicious
    • Best Coffee Shop: Blacksmith

    San Antonio:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Ladino
    • Chef of the Year: John Russ, Clementine
    • Best New Restaurant: Freight Fried Chicken
    • Bar of the Year: Gimme Gimme
    • Brewery of the Year: Roadmap Brewing Co.
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Cullum’s Attagirl
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Alessia Benavides, Chocolatl
    • Best Coffee Shop: Folklores Coffee House

    Fort Worth:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Teddy Wongs
    • Chef of the Year: Alessandro Salvatore, Bocca Osteria Romana
    • Bar of the Year: The Rabbit Hole Pub
    • Best New Restaurant: Whiskey Cake
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Steve Hoogeboom, 61 Osteria
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Lindsey Lawing, Sweet Lucy's Pies
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Bodega South Main
    • Best Barbecue: Panther City BBQ
    • Best Coffee Shop: Avoca Coffee Roasters

    Dallas:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles
    • Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
    • Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
    • Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
    • Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
    • Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee

    Austin:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Este
    • Chef of the Year: Peter Klein, Holiday
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Heejae Galluccio, Birdie’s
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Abby Love, Abby Jane Bakeshop
    • Bar of the Year: Equipment Room
    • Best New Restaurant: Tancho Sushi
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Little Darlin’
    • Brewery of the Year: St. Elmo Brewing Co.
    • Best Coffee Shop: Desnudo Coffee

    Leo's River Oaks
      
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway

    Best New Restaurant in Houston for 2025: Leo's River Oaks.

    The Houston Tastemaker Awards ceremony was brought to you by Stella Artois, Chardon, Jim Beam Black, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, Valencia's Tex-Mex Garage, Hornitos, Ghost Hill Organic Vodka, and PicMe Events. A portion of proceeds benefited our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

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