Major Chef Move

Bryan Caswell brings in a hot young chef to help revitalize Houston's iconic seafood restaurant

Former Underbelly sous chef Ryan Lachaine has taken a position at Reef. He'll be assisting chef/owner Bryan Caswell with a significant overhaul of the popular seafood restaurant's menu.

"Bryan's always been a stand up guy with me, so it was an easy decision," Lachaine tells CultureMap via text message. "I'm excited about joining the team here at Reef and getting back in the kitchen."

Lachaine worked at Reef and Caswell's since-closed Stella Sola in the past (The Chronicle first reported on Caswell and Lachaine reuniting). The two chefs remained friends even after Lachaine moved on.

"Bryan's always been a stand up guy with me, so it was an easy decision."

Caswell's esteem for Lachaine's work helped the young chef earn an Eater Young Gun award in 2013.

"Just a really fun guy, great guy to work with. Hard working that kid. Like old school hard working. They're hard to find nowadays . . . He's actually better than anyone I've ever had," Caswell told Eater.

As Lachaine told CultureMap in a January exclusive, he has spending his time away being a dad to his two sons and participating in pop-up events like Indie Chefs Week at Foreign & Domestic in Austin and RAW:ALMOND in his hometown of Winnipeg.

Lachaine texts that he still aspires to open his own restaurant in the future, but "right now I'm focusing on doing my job at Reef."

The young chef's passion and work ethic should be just the thing Reef needs to reinvigorate itself. Expect to see the results of this new collaboration in a month or so.

Ryan Lachaine has accepted a position at Reef restaurant.

Ryan Lachaine at Indie Chefs Week Foreign and Domestic Austin

Photo by: Kate LeSueur

Ryan Lachaine has accepted a position at Reef restaurant.

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shaq attack

Shaquille O'Neal leaves $1,000 tip at Houston Tex-Mex institution

Courtesy of Ninfa's

Shaquille O'Neal had lunch at Ninfa's Uptown.

NBA Hall of Famer and media personality Shaquille O’Neal surprised the crowd at The Original Ninfa’s Uptown when he stopped by for lunch over the weekend.

The Big Aristotle declined the restaurant’s offer to sit in its private dining room, preferring to eat among fans and admirers. O’Neal posed for pictures with customers and staff, including a shot that Ninfa’s shared on Instagram.

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A post shared by The Original Ninfa’s (@ninfasoriginal)

“He was so kind and generous, offering to take pictures with anyone who wanted one and giving everyone high fives," executive chef Patti Delgado said in a statement.

Ninfa's El Eddie taco plate Shaq ordered his tacos without the lettuce and tomatoes.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Instead of Ninfa’s signature fajitas, O’Neal opted for the El Eddie, a plate of three crispy tacos. According to the restaurant, Shaq kept it simple by ordering the tacos with only meat and cheese. Delgado served the star personally, which led to a hilarious exchange.

“I took him his plate and when I set it down he said, 'Wait a second, what is this?' and I said, 'The crispy tacos you ordered.' and Shaq looked at me and said, 'I didn't order that," Delgado recalls. "Then he said, 'No, I'm just kidding! Look at your face!' He's very funny and so down to earth."

Not only did O’Neal pay for the meal of a neighboring table, he tipped his server $1,000. Of course, his generosity shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, he’s in the restaurant business, too.

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