Montrose is in the midst of a mini-boom of new restaurant openings — just ask the crowds flocking to the newly opened Acme Oyster Co. or sipping cocktails at the bar inside the renovated La Colombe d'Or. A decadent new establishment has also staked its claim for diners' attention.
Gatsby Prime Steakhouse brings new energy and some retro style to the space that previously housed Pax Americana and the short-lived Montrose outpost of B.B. Lemon. After quietly opening in March, Gatsby's is ready to serve patrons looking for a more intimate steakhouse experience.
Owner Luis Rangel has been a fixture of Houston's nightlife scene for 15 years. He leased the Bar Victor space in 2020 — it will soon reopen as the Daisy Buchanan lounge — and jumped at the chance to add the adjacent restaurant to his portfolio.
“I’ve been thinking about opening a steakhouse for years, as it’s a cuisine and environment I gravitate to," Rangel said in a statement. "All my experiences eating at fine dining steakhouses allowed me to see what some were missing and that inspired me to open Gatsby’s. What really appealed to me was the opportunity to downsize from a typically meaty steakhouse footprint and infuse a more boutique, European-style ambience that played off the patina of the venue.”
To create that ambiance, Rangel recruited general manager Luis Rodriguez (Mastro's, Truluck's), beverage director Frank Moore (Liberty Kitchen, Sullivan's), and chef Erick Anaya, who brings 20 years of steakhouse experience, according to a release.
“I’ve given our team the freedom to create and personalize,” Rangel added. “From service to the dishes and drinks, their personal touch is imprinted on the restaurant, which gives me an overwhelming sense of pride.”
The menu covers all the steakhouse classics — from crab cakes and Prime meats to wedge salads and creamed spinach — plus a few twists like deviled eggs topped with fried shrimp and bacon jam, campechana, and decadent seafood towers. Price run about what one would expect, with appetizers ranging from $8 per piece for shrimp cocktail to $39 for crab cakes and steaks priced at $50 and up.
The 40-ounce, bone-in ribeye feeds a crowd.
