Airport Dining Upgrades

Airport dining promises to get a lot better as top Houston restaurants head to Bush Intercontinental

Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminal E waiting area IAH travelers

Dining at the airport will soon improve thanks to the addition of Hubcap Grill, Pink's Pizza and Hugo Ortega.

For too long, travelers who visit George Bush Intercontinental Airport might be under the mistaken impression that Houston is a culinary wasteland. Unless they're lucky enough to wind up in Terminal B where they'll find Bryan Caswell's 3rd Bar Oyster and Eating House or at one of the various Pappas family restaurants, the airport food largely consists of greasy pizza and mushy barbecue.

Thankfully, that's all about to change.

Hidden away in a release about the awarding of the latest round of airport concessions contracts comes news that IAH will soon be home to new outposts of Hubcap Grill, Pink's Pizza, The Breakfast Klub, Ray's Real Pit BBQ and a new concept from James Beard Award finalist Hugo Ortega called Hugo’s Concina.

The new concepts should all be open by the end of the year in a 10-year contract. (The Chronicle was first to report on the new arrivals.)

Other concepts include Tony's Wine Cellar & Bistro from Houston restaurateur Tony Vallone and La Brea, which is a carryout bakery cafe concept from James Beard Award winner Nancy Silverton, according to the Houston Business Journal.

These new options should give travelers who only experience Houston through its major airport something positive to remember about their experience. The concessions, which also include national operators like Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe and Landry's Restaurants, are expected to generate more than $170 million in gross sales.

"We were looking for great service support on the frontline or in the after-sale period,” Houston aviation director Mario C. Diaz said in a statement. “This new lineup of choices offers world-class products, world-class service, and a world-class feel to a city and airports that are recognized for growth and innovation world-wide."

Let's give the last word to Hubcap Grill owner Ricky Craig, who tweeted the following about his new venture.

Yes. Hubcap Grill 4th location will be inside Bush Intercontinental Airport. Thanks for all the kind words. Very thankful n blessed

— Ricky Craig (@Hubcap_Grill) April 17, 2015

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better than blini

Houston pizzeria unveils indulgent caviar pizza for the holiday season

Courtesy of Pizaro's Pizza

Get the Holiday Decadence pizza through the end of December.

One of Houston’s most well-regarded pizzerias is giving diners a way to splurge this holiday season. For a limited time only, Pizaro’s Pizza is topping one of its Neapolitan-style pies with caviar.

Called the Holiday Decadence, it’s a personal-sized, 8-inch, Neapolitan-style pizza topped simply with Pizaro’s housemade mozzarella cheese and seasoned with a little furikake. Alongside, the restaurant provides diners with lemon zest crème fraîche, a small bottle of prosecco, and a one-ounce jar of paddlefish caviar from Houston’s DR Delicacy. Priced at $59, it’s either an indulgent treat for one person or an extravagant appetizer for two.

Pizaro’s co-owner Nicole Bean tells CultureMap she sees the new pizza as an improvement on the caviar special the restaurant tried two years ago, which used its thicker, Detroit-style pizza.

“This year, we simplified things,” she says. “We made it more affordable. We added more caviar. The feature is the caviar, focusing on having a whole, one-ounce container either for yourself or to share with one other person.”

In this configuration, the pizza crust essentially serves as an oversized blini, with the furikake boosting the caviar’s oceanic flavors. Serving the caviar in the jar allows diners to add as much or as little to the pizza as they want. Introduced last week, Bean says the restaurant hasn’t sold that many caviar pizzas yet, but that doesn’t surprise her.

“People are a little hesitant with it being caviar and the $60 price point,” she says. “It’s not for everybody. It’s for people who are curious and want to try it or really love caviar and want to try it every way they can.”

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The restaurant always uses its monthly specials to experiment beyond familiar toppings like pepperoni and mushroom. Next month, Bean and her brother, co-owner Matt Hutchinson, will present dueling pies — his topped with crispy prosciutto, sautéed onions, and balsamic drizzle and hers a simple tomato pie, anchovies optional but strongly encouraged.

“The fun thing about pizza is you can literally do anything with it,” Bean says. “I want people to try different things on pizza. It can be decadent. It can be upscale. It can be fresh and new.”

The Holiday Decadence is available at both Pizaro’s locations through December 31. Find more details at the Pizaro’s Pizza website.

news-you-can-eat pizza caviar