• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Major Chef Move

    Acclaimed chef makes big move from rockin' wine dive to Houston's best bakery

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 5, 2016 | 10:00 am
    Heath Wendell Michael Pellegrino Jerry Lasco, Max's
    Heath Wendell, Michael Pellegrino, and Jerry Lasco toasting the end of an era.
    Courtesy photo

    For eight years, chef Michael Pellegrino has been a star within Lasco Enterprises. Beginning as a line cook at The Tasting Room before making a name for himself as the executive chef at acclaimed comfort food restaurant Max's Wine Dive, Pellegrino has worked at all of the company's concepts, including upscale Tex-Mex restaurant Anejo and even Flo Juice Bar.

    That's all going to change on May 1, when Pellegrino begins a new role as executive director of culinary relations for artisan bakery Slow Dough Bread Co. Before he departs the company, Pellegrino will spend April back at Max's Wine Dive on Washington Ave, hanging out with regulars and serving a greatest hits menu of some of his most popular dishes.

    Pellegrino tells CultureMap that he and Slow Dough co-owner Heath Wendell had been discussing a position for awhile. With new executive chef Alberto Gutierrez doing well at Anejo and new talent working its way into Max's, he felt the time was right to make a move.

    At Slow Dough, Pellegrino will work internally to help the bakery improve its internal processes to better meet the needs of its customers and also serve as a liaison between the bakery and chefs. Whether it's helping a restaurant to develop a new product or improving the timing of deliveries, Pellegrino will work with Wendell and Slow Dough director of operations Thomas Massey to expand the business.

    Of course, that business has already grown substantially in the past year. Since acquiring a larger facility from Whole Foods, Wendell tells CultureMap that Slow Dough's daily output has risen from 11,000 pounds of bread per day to a staggering 28,000. Pellegrino will help shape the company's continued rise.

    "We’ve never wanted to have sales people at Slow Dough. It’s not an avenue we decided we ever wanted to go down where that guy walks in or that girl walks in and says I’m representing Slow Dough, blah, blah, blah," Wendell says. "We like to come from somewhere. I come from a tradition of eight generations of bakers . . . We’re building a team that comes from place of food, whether bread or a defined dish."

    Lasco's attempts to expand Max's Wine Dive to Chicago and Atlanta were unsuccessful, but it remains incredibly popular in its home state, and owner Jerry Lasco explains that Pellegrino's personality has served as a template for the people he hires.

    "You want a chef who’s technically skilled, talented and creative back in the kitchen," Lasco explains. "At Max’s, there’s no wall between the kitchen and the front of the house. We want somebody who knows the guests. Michael did that as well as anybody I’ve ever come across."

    Pellegrino says that spending the next month at Max's will allow him to reconnect with old regulars that he's become friendly with over the years. "I remembered when Jo Jo got pregnant, the Ramirezes were the first people we told. That’s how close a relationship we have with them," Pellegrino explains.

    Fans can also count on seeing some of their favorite dishes on the menu, whether it's signature dishes like Pellegrino's stadium nachos and chicken fried short ribs, or one-off specials that someone asks for.

    "It’s so much fun here. There’s rules, but the rules are more like guidelines," Pellegrino says. "To come back here and spend the next 30 days just having fun the way we started, is an awesome way to see goodbye."

    chefs
    news/restaurants-bars

    a very fine house

    East Coast-inspired tavern shakes up Rice Village with 'World's Coldest Martini'

    Eric Sandler
    May 19, 2025 | 9:09 am
    Hudson House restaurant Rice Village
    Photo by Becca Wright
    Hudson House is bringing its signature martinis to Rice Village.

    The “World’s Coldest Martini” is coming to Rice Village. Hudson House will open its second Houston-area location this Wednesday, May 21.

    Located between CB2 and Banana Republic at 2414 University Blvd., Hudson House is part of the Dallas-based Vandelay Hospitality Group that also includes Drake’s Hollywood, a retro-styled steakhouse that opened in Montrose last summer. For Rice Village, Hudson House’s new, 6,000-square-foot restaurant follows the model of the River Oaks location that opened in 2023. That means navy leather booths, brass accents, and a polished wood bar that serves as a focal point.

    The menu takes its inspiration from East Coast taverns. That includes items such as a cheeseburger, lobster roll, lobster mac and cheese, steak frites, entree salads, and chicken parm. Raw bar offerings include East Coast oysters, shrimp cocktail, and sushi rolls. The brunch menu features pancakes, eggs Benedict, and a bagel with lox and cream cheese.

    Hudson House pairs its dishes with a selection of classic cocktails that is highlighted by the “World’s Coldest Martini.” To achieve the proper effect, the drink is poured from a frozen bottle and served in a frozen glass. Other martini options include the Bleu & Gold (made with olive juice and blue cheese-stuffed olives) and a Lemon Drop that’s topped with limoncello foam. Hudson House also offers wines by-the-glass, beer, and non-alcoholic options.

    Hudson House opens at 11 am for lunch and dinner during the weekend and at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Happy hour, served Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm, includes half-off all martinis, bellinis, and wines by-the-glass as well as $10 cheeseburgers and $3 East Coast oysters.

    “We’re looking forward to bringing a second Hudson House to Houston,” Vandelay founder and CEO Hunter Pond said in a statement. “Our River Oaks location has seen strong support since opening just over a year ago, and we’re confident Rice Village will follow suit. With its already vibrant community and bustling shopping scene, Rice Village offers an ideal background for our beloved coastal-inspired American cuisine.”

    Hudson House restaurant Rice Village
      

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Hudson House is bringing its signature martinis to Rice Village.

    news-you-can-eatopeningsburgerscocktailshudson house
    news/restaurants-bars

    most read posts

    Houstonians will get the royal treatment at this lively new steakhouse

    New owner of Texas Renaissance Festival revealed in our top 5 stories

    Houston's new Napa Valley-inspired restaurant sets opening date

    Loading...