What's in Luloo's Pantry

Acclaimed barbecue joint and talented pastry chef team up for new Garden Oaks sandwich shop

Blood Bros. sandwiches will have a new home in Garden Oaks.

Photo by White Beard Photography

Garden Oaks has landed another exciting new restaurant. The partners behind Blood Bros. BBQ are opening a sandwich shop in the Stomping Grounds development.

Details are light, but here's what Stomping Grounds owner Revive Development provided in a recent email newsletter:

Blood Bros. BBQ operators Quy Hoang, Robin and Terry Wong to team up with Pastry Chef Alyssa Dole (Agricole Hospitality, The Kirby Group) on a new concept for Revive Development's Stomping Grounds in Garden Oaks.

The 'bodega bakery' will feature sandwiches made popular by the Bellaire BBQ joint, as well as market items and canned cocktails. Dole will lead a commercial baking operation in the space that will provide breads and pastries to the concept. Dubbed Luloo's Pantry, the anticipated spot will join the Stomping Grounds in the Fall of 2021.

Robin Wong acknowledged he and his partners are working on Luloo's but politely declined CultureMap's request to provide more specifics. Still, the basics of Luloo's Pantry are highly intriguing. Since Blood Bros. BBQ opened in 2018, the restaurant has been known for its creative sandwiches that utilize smoked meats, including the smoked turkey banh mi, tri-tip pastrami, and the Pig Moe — a grilled cheese sandwich made with pulled pork, mozzarella, provolone, and a blueberry-habanero barbecue sauce.

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Doesn't that look good?

Adding Dole to Luloo's makes sense. The veteran pastry chef has worked at a number of prominent Houston restaurants, including Revival Market, Pinkerton's Barbecue, and The Kirby Group (Wooster's Garden, Heights Bier Garten, etc). Most recently, she has been baking the cupcakes Blood Bros. offers as dessert under her Lulubelles Bakeshop moniker.

The new project means the Blood Bros. will have a busy 2021. In addition to operating their restaurant in Bellaire and launching Luloo's, the trio are opening a stall in Famous Food Street Eats, a new food hall at the Resorts World Las Vegas hotel and casino complex that will debut this summer.

Stomping Grounds is quickly emerging as an intriguing culinary destination. The project already satisfies a person's sweet tooth with Becca Cakes bakery and ice cream from Fat Cat Creamery. In the months to come, it will add Cherry Block Craft Butcher + Texas Kitchen, an upgraded version of the locally-sourced steakhouse concept that recently departed Bravery Chef Hall, and Shoot the Moon, the self-serve beverage and pizza concept from Kevin Floyd (Anvil, Underbelly Hospitality).

news-you-can-eat openings

With or Without Whiz

Houston burger mastermind fires up new pop-up devoted to Philly cheesesteaks

Photo by Michael Ma

Abbas Dhanani is serving up cheesesteaks at his new pop-up.

Abbas Dhanani is at it again. The food influencer-turned-restaurateur behind the CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning smash burger concept Burger Bodega is firing up a new pop-up concept devoted to another iconic sandwich.

Called Bas’s Cheesesteaks, the new concept will Dhanani’s take on the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with sliced ribeye and white cheese on a seeded hoagie roll — onions and a spicy sauce are optional. A second version swaps the white cheese for Cheez Whiz. Like Burger Bodega, Dhanani is using halal beef for his cheesesteaks.

Bas's Cheesesteaks cheesesteak sandwich The cheesesteak is served on a seeded hoagie roll.Photo by Michael Ma

“We have experimented with cheesesteaks as specials on the menu at Burger Bodega and received amazing feedback,” Dhanani said in a statement. “However, the cheesesteaks at Bas’s are the most refined versions we have done so far. I am excited to bring authentic Philly cheesesteaks to Houston as a new flavor experience while continuing to build on the energy and community we have created at Burger Bodega. This is a huge passion project for me, and I plan to take it step by step, just like Burger Bodega."

As Dhanani notes, he introduced Burger Bodega with a series of pop-ups throughout Houston. To answer the obvious question, of course a restaurant could be in the cards for Bas’s, too.

“I think thats the goal of any new pop-up concept,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “Like Burger Bodega, we want to take it one step at a time and see where it goes.”

Bas’s Cheesesteaks will have its first pop-up on Monday, June 30 at Burger Bodega’s location (4520 Washington Avenue). In addition to the two cheesesteaks, diners can get fries. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

As for Burger Bodega’s second location in Katy, Dhanani says it’s still working through securing the necessary permits to begin construction.

news-you-can-eat openings bas's cheesesteaks