Right Naan Wrong Number

Hilarious phone mixup connects Houston restaurant with local student

Andrew Zimmern Azra Kaiser Lashkari Himalaya

Kaiser and Azra Lashkari with chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern.

Photo by Michael Shum

And now for something completely different: a restaurant story that has (almost) nothing to do with the coronavirus. The tale connects one of Houston’s best restaurants with a well-connected college freshman.

At the end of service on March 29, Kaiser Lashhari, chef-owner of acclaimed Houston restaurant Himalaya, forwards the restaurant’s phone number to his personal cell phone. Himalaya is closed on Mondays, but Lashkari still needs to be able to receive catering orders, answer questions, that sort of thing.

It’s a sequence he’s done hundreds of times, but, exhausted after what had been one of the most emotionally trying weeks of his long career, he entered the wrong number.

Wesley Gow — son of David Gow, CEO of CultureMap’s parent company Gow Media — thought his friends were playing a prank on him. Beginning around lunch time, his phone kept ringing with people who thought his number belonged to Himalaya.

“I was confused,” Wesley Gow tells CultureMap. “When I looked it up on Google, it wasn’t my number. But when you clicked on it, it would call me.”

Unable to reach the restaurant by phone (obviously) and concerned it was losing a substantial amount of business, father and son drove to Himalaya to resolve the problem. Of course, they found it closed. They also began to realize how popular the restaurant is.

“I think we counted 30 calls from random numbers,” Gow says. “I was trying to tell people [they had the wrong number]. It was craziness.”

That’s when Mr. Gow, as he’s known around the office, contacted CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler (aka, me), his employee, for help to resolve the situation. With a couple of texts from writer to chef, Lashkari had corrected the mistake. Gow, who’s currently attending the University of Chicago from his home in Houston, stopped receiving calls from people trying to order chicken hara masala and garlic naan.

As for Himalaya, Lashkari says the restaurant’s business is down, but it’s faring reasonably well. He only had to lay off three of his 16 employees. He thinks the quality of the food may even be a little better because he has more time to focus on it.

“We are keeping our head above the water,” Lashkari says. “People showing us love and support, that means the world to me.”

Usually, Himalaya has a full dining room during the week and a wait on the weekends. The work can be stressful, and the chef has even threatened to retire on a couple of occasions. Suddenly deprived of the usual hustle, Lashkari realized how much he misses it.

“All these years I said I want to retire,” he says. “Hell no, man. I will come in a wheelchair and keep working for as long as I can. I am bored with this pace.”

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Himalaya, 6652 Southwest Fwy, is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday - Sunday beginning at 11:30 am. The phone number is 713-532-2837 (we promise).

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Jonathan's new job

Houston hospitality veteran picked to lead beloved Junior League tea room

Courtesy of the Junior League of Houston

Jonathan Horowitz is the new general manager of the Tea Room at the Junior League.

A Houston hospitality veteran has found a new home at one of the city’s most iconic dining rooms. Jonathan Horowitz is the new general manager of the Tea Room at the Junior League of Houston.

Over the course of his two decade career, Horowitz has held many roles, including being an equity partner in LASCO Enterprises, which operated The Tasting Room and Max’s Wine Dive; spending five years at the CEO of Legacy Restaurants, the company behind The Original Ninfa’s and Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys; serving as the president of the Houston Hospitality Alliance, an organization that fostered relationships across all aspects of Houston's hospitality communities; and operating Convive Hospitality, a consulting firm that helped open several establishments around town.

Most recently, Horowitz has been working in commercial real estate. His responsibilities have included both pleasant aspects such as helping operators find an ideal location to expand their businesses and more negative aspects like helping others sell or close a struggling operation. The highs and lows had him looking for a new opportunity right when the Junior League needed a new general manager.

“I had made contact with a national recruiting firm after their current GM left the job after 41 years,” Horowitz tells CultureMap. “I looked at it from a current life situation and what I wanted to do going forward — the opportunity to get back into operations is very exciting and something I’m familiar with.”

"Jonathan Horowitz stood out from a strong candidate pool for his extensive experience in hospitality, business development, law and leadership, alongside his deep Houston culinary ties and alignment with our mission," the Junior League Tea Room General Manager Search Committee said in a statement. "He respects our traditions while bringing the collaborative leadership needed to enhance staff partnerships and advance our premier food and beverage operations in our newly renovated building. As we enter our next century of service, we are thrilled to welcome Jonathan as the new general manager."

Although he’s only a couple of days into the job, Horowitz already has some ideas how to enhance the Tea Room, which underwent extensive renovations a couple of years ago. Of course, fan favorite dishes such as the taco salad, crepes, and pecan ball aren’t going anywhere, but Horowitz has already heard from members who want more vegetarian options. He’s also gauging interest in themed game nights such as mahjong or bingo.

Behind the scenes, Horowitz is planning on some technological upgrades that will allow the operation to run more smoothly. Knowing his predecessor held the job for more than 40 years has Horowitz feeling optimistic that he’s found a long-term home.

“We’re on day three and you never know what the future hold, but I certainly look at it that way. That’s how I’m approaching it. I ain’t no spring chicken,” he says with a laugh.

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