Meet Arthur Ave

Creators of acclaimed Greek restaurant explain why they're now going Italian

Nationally, few styles of cuisine are as trendy these days as red sauce Italian. From Carbone in New York City to La Motta's Italian Specialties in Boston, diners can't get enough of the nostalgic fare that feels as though it's straight out of the cooking scenes in movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas. Inevitably, the trend has come to Houston, but the folks who are set to open Arthur Ave Italian American in a Heights mid-rise aren't some outside restaurant group with no knowledge of Houston — rather, they're the team behind one of 2015's best new restaurants, Helen Greek Food & Wine.

"The red sauce trend has been going in the East Coast, but really not in Texas," partner Sharif Al-Amin tells CultureMap. "I feel like Texas is missing that. We’re lucky to have someone like (Helen executive chef) William Wright who knows it and loves it. This is his dream."

Renovations are already under way to convert the former Piatto space on Studewood into Arthur Ave under the direction of Helen designer Erin Hicks. If all goes according to plan, Al-Amin hopes to be open this summer, approximately a year after Helen made its debut.

While that might seem awfully soon to be expanding, Al-Amin says they have enough people in place to make it happen. "We were always planning to grow the company," he notes. "When you look at the restaurant, we have three chefs and three front of house managers for a 56 seat restaurant . . . I wanted to bring in this team, and I wanted everybody to be involved right from the beginning."

The menu is still under development, but Al-Amin notes that, just as Wright's cuisine at Helen features classic Greek fare in an accessible package, all of the dishes at Arthur Ave will be original recipes that are both an homage to classic Italian dishes and adjusted for Houstonians' palates. Exact dishes are still to be determined, but it's a safe bet the spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, and veal marsala all make the cut.

Helen co-owner Evan Turner will handle the wine list, which will be split between California and Italian bottles. Al-Amin turned to his former Prohibition colleage Lainey Collum to create the cocktail menu.

"I was doing some research on the Heights," Al-Amin says. "It’s a different crowd. I like it. People go out to eat. It’s families. It reminds me of Rice Village."

Given the success Helen has found in that neighborhood, hopefully Al-Amin's first impressions are on track. After all, who doesn't love a little Sunday gravy?

Designer Erin Hicks and partner Sharif Al-Amin are working on renovations to the former Piatto space.

Arthur Ave Helen Sharif Al-Amin Erin Hicks

Photo by Shannon O’Hara

Designer Erin Hicks and partner Sharif Al-Amin are working on renovations to the former Piatto space.

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meet the tastemakers

Houston's 11 best chefs of 2026 are leading the city's rise to prominence

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

We’ve reached the final category in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. These are the nominees for Chef of the Year.

This year’s nominees are an accomplished group. They hold Michelin stars and received Bib Gourmand designations. They are James Beard Award semifinalists, finalists, and winners. They’ve competed on Top Chef.

Of course they all serve consistently well-prepared dishes that keep diners coming back again and again. They’re also leaders and mentors who are guiding the next generation of cooks who will make their own mark on the dining scene. Many are involved in a number of local nonprofits, including I’ll Have What She’s Having and the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Who will win? Find out this Thursday, April 16, at the Tastemaker Awards party at Silver Street Studios. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.

A limited number of tickets remain. Buy yours before they sell out.

Here are the nominees for Chef of the Year:

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen
The first Houstonian to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas, Chef G, as she’s known to friends and supporters, continues to make Street to Kitchen one of Houston’s destination restaurants. Regular travels back home to Thailand inspire new dishes on the menu, and G has also embraced her inner Texan with a rotating selection of steaks and chops. Her warm personality also sets the tone for the friendly service diners can expect at Street to Kitchen.

Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Jūn
The two friends and business partners have come a long way since their days of serving meals under a tent at area farmers markets. Now, they’re James Beard Award finalists for Best Chef: Texas, Top Chef alumni, and they successfully spun up a daytime concept, Third Place, that hosts the city’s most intriguing roster of pop-ups. If that weren’t enough, they released debuted Loaded Potatoes, a new podcast that showcases their distinct perspectives on food and culture.

Felipe Riccio, March
As the leader of Houston’s one-star, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menu restaurant, Riccio leads the ultra-ambitious team that changes its entire menu twice per year. Not only does this effort require extensive research, training, and preparation, it only requires the discipline necessary to execute at a consistently high level to meet the expectations of diners who are fully aware of the restaurant’s lofty reputation.

Jassi Bindra, Amrina/Kitchen Rumors
Houstonians already knew Bindra could execute fine dining cuisine based on his success at Amrina, but the chef also showcased his adeptness with casual fare at twin concepts Bol and Pok Pok Po. He dialed up the creativity at Kitchen Rumors, bringing Indian flavors to everything from pot roast to ramen. Although his Top Chef experience came to an abrupt end in only this season’s second episode, he’ll remain a local chef whose future projects will always be worth sampling.

Lucas McKinney, Josephine's
Already a winner of Rising Star Chef of the Year, McKinney steps into Chef of the Year consideration after leading Josephine’s to a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide. The inspectors praises dishes like the crab fat rice bowl and shrimp po’ boy, but they neglected to include McKinney’s world-class crawfish. That just means more for us.

Manabu Horiuchi, Katami/Kata Robata/Sushi Horiuchi
Known to all as Hori-san, your favorite chef’s favorite chef is riding higher than ever. Katami, his ode to contemporary Japanese fine dining, quickly established itself as one of Houston’s most sought after reservations and earned the chef a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for America's best chef. More recently, he opened Sushi Horiuchi, a six-seat omakase counter that gives diners an even most personal experience. While diners should certainly engage with him about the dishes they’re eating, we also suggest asking him about his favorite karaoke songs.

Mayank Istwal, Musaafer
As the leader of Houston’s only Michelin-starred Indian fine dining restaurant, Istwal oversees an impressive restaurant that offers both a la carte and tasting menus. With Musaafer’s recent expansion to New York City, he’s also the only nominee to be dividing his time between two cities. Thankfully, he’s built a strong team who can ensure Musaafer remains consistent even when he’s in the Big Apple.

Nick Wong, Agnes and Sherman
Known for leading UB Preserv to a best new restaurant award from Texas Monthly, Wong returned to the kitchen with this Asian American diner in the Heights, which also earned best new restaurant nods from both Texas Monthly and finalist status in the James Beard Awards. The wide-ranging menu applies his unique perspective to everything from fried chicken and club sandwiches to egg foo young and pasta bolognese — made with Korean rice dumplings, natch. While his commitment to make Agnes and Sherman a good place to work is certainly worthy of respect, he deserves this nomination simply for introducing Houston to cheeseburger fried rice.

Shawn Gawle, Camaraderie
A former Pastry Chef of the Year winner for his work at Goodnight Hospitality, Gawle has been showing off his savory chops at this restaurant in the Heights. The restaurant’s prix fixe menu reflects the style of dining Gawle enjoys the most, where friends share a meal and conversation. Recently, the chef has been inviting guest chefs such as Rebecca Mason and Raffi Nasr in for can’t-miss collabs.

Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast
As the winner of Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards and a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide, Belly of the Beast no longer qualifies as a hidden gem. Still, Bille isn’t resting on his laurels. He added a tasting menu to Belly of the Beast’s offerings and continues to roll out new dishes that explore the intersection of Mexican flavors with other immigrant cuisines.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Houston by Maker's Mark, Culinary Khancepts, Herradura Tequila, Ritual Zero Proof + Seedlip, Shutto, NXT LVL EVENT, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

tastemaker awards chefs