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    Changes at the Tavern

    Chris Shepherd shakes up his downtown restaurant with new name and chef

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 20, 2022 | 11:45 am

    Chris Shepherd is switching things up at Georgia James Tavern. The downtown restaurant has a new name, GJ Tavern, and a new chef, Caracol and Ixim veteran Tim Reading.

    These changes, along with Reading’s new menu, are designed to distinguish GJ Tavern from Georgia James, Shepherd’s luxurious steakhouse that will soon move into its new home in the Regent Square mixed-use development.

    When it opened last year, Shepherd conceived of the tavern as a “little sister” to Georgia James with a more casual menu built around sandwiches, salads, and items cooked in the kitchen’s wood-burning oven. However, the chef quickly realized the branding confused customers who saw Georgia James signature dishes like the Slab Salad and wondered why they couldn’t get a baller board, too.

    “We started getting people who showed up [at the tavern] thinking they were going to Georgia James or they showed up there thinking they were going to Georgia James Tavern,” Shepherd tells CultureMap. “It happens way more than we would have thought. Now we had to answer the phones, ‘Georgia James on Westheimer.’”

    The tavern needed a more distinct identity that fit its intimate space. Essentially, Shepherd's vision for the restaurant is a place where friends can gather for drinks paired with snacks like raw oysters, roasted almonds, or duck fat fried potatoes. They can also sit for a full meal built around classic dishes like steak, roast chicken, or a cheeseburger.

    Initially, Shepherd tasked former UB Preserv chef Nick Wong with leading the tavern, but Wong has decided to leave the company and pursue other opportunities. Reached by text, Wong says he’s looking forward to a little time off to recharge before making his next move.

    Wong’s departure paved the way for Reading. The East Coast native opened his Mexican restaurant Ixim at Bravery Chef Hall after working at James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega’s seafood restaurant Caracol. It earned praise from critics, including a spot on Texas Monthly’sbest new restaurants list, but dishes like fideo with seafood and pork and lamb meatballs failed to connect with diners. After pivoting to a more approachable menu built around tacos, Reading says he reached out to Underbelly Hospitality culinary director Nick Fine about joining the company. Shepherd saw an opportunity for Reading to help turn the tavern around.

    “He understands this kind of food being from the East Coast,” Shepherd says. “It’s everyday food, and he came from that. He said I’ve wanted to be a part of this team since he moved here.”

    Reading has a clear vision for GJ Tavern that’s grounded in well-executed versions of familiar dishes. He’s tweaked dishes like roast chicken by adding a chicken jus and a side of asparagus, brought back the fryer so that his burger comes with fries instead of chips, and recommitted to serving raw oysters (topped with a sweet and spicy cucumber-jalapeno mignonette). Other new dishes include a hand-pulled stracciatella with basil pesto and a handmade cavatelli pasta with duck confit and crispy duck cracklins. Overall, the menu has six more items on it than it did before, a response to customers who asked for more choices.

    “If you can have a perfectly cooked chicken or pork chop or steak every time, that’s a tavern for me,” Reading says. ‘The drinks are going to be delicious. The atmosphere is going to be great. The food will be consistent. It’s going to be fun. You can bring clients here, friends here. You can do a lot of stuff here.”

    Reading even tweaked the restaurant’s burger — yes, the one that Chronicle critic Alison Cook awarded an A-plus in her Burger Friday column — by changing from a single, 6-ounce patty to two, 3-ounce patties and topping it with seared mushrooms, Swiss cheese, horseradish sauce, and fried onions. Moving to smaller patties allows the burger to be cooked more quickly, Reading notes. The burger had always been one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, but Shepherd encouraged the new chef to put his mark on it.

    “It’s the same thing back at Catalan, everybody loved the foie gras bon bons and the pork belly on the skewer,” Shepherd says, citing two of the signature items at the restaurant where he first rose to prominence. “You’ve gotta change that shit every once in awhile.

    “I had it for the first time yesterday. It was absolutely delicious.”

    Roast chicken anchors the new menu at GJ Tavern.

    GJ Tavern food spread
      
    Photo by Julie Soefer
    Roast chicken anchors the new menu at GJ Tavern.
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    where to drink now

    16 Houston establishments churning out refreshing frozen cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 10, 2025 | 3:06 pm
    Solarium Frozen Cocktails
    Photo by Swiggard Creative
    The newly opened Solarium serves up racketball games and four frozen cocktails to sip on.

    If we’re going to endure another scorching Houston summer, we might as well do it with a frozen cocktail in hand. Fortunately, the city’s bartenders know how to keep us cool, serving up an impressive array of boozy adult slushies. Go ahead and bookmark this list—you’re going to need it.

    Brennan’s
    The most elaborate drink on this list, the Bananas Faster at Brennan’s is an ode to the original bananas Foster at Mr. B’s Bistro in NOLA. Bartenders sauté bananas in butter and sugar, then flambé them with rum and cinnamon before blending with Bacardi rum and soft serve. It’s topped with a banana slice, cinnamon, and an optional Mount Gay Dark Rum floater.

    Confessions
    Pair a bowl of hookah with Sweet Surrender, an adults-only take on the Dreamsicle, at Confessions. The new South American-inspired spot in Upper Kirby swirls vanilla and whipped vodka with oranges, evoking the childhood treat.

    Grand Prize
    Ease up to the downstairs bar of this Montrose haunt for the 20th Century, a frosty concoction of gin, lemon, Lillet, and crème de cacao. Upstairs, the Frozen Miami Vice is on tap: a half-strawberry daiquiri and half-pina colada, which can also be served separately if desired.

    Happy Go Lucky
    The team behind The Burger Joint opened its new shaved ice and frozen cocktail concept just as Houstonians begin to melt. Here, patrons can find more than 20 frozens, from tart palomas to zesty mules. Order the Espresso and Cream — an espresso martini meets a scoop of vanilla ice cream — for a decadent treat.

    Hudson House
    It may claim to serve the “World’s Coldest Martini,” but for a truly shivering experience, order the frozen Bellini. This East Coast-esque establishment blends up “copious amounts of” vodka with fresh peach puree, before topping it with a Grand Marnier floater.

    Il Bracco
    The Post Oak Italian eatery is blending up The Bracco, a frozen greyhound of Aperol, New Amsterdam, and fresh grapefruit. Best of all, it's available to-go in half-gallon bottles.

    Johnny’s Gold Brick
    The Tastemaker Awards’ 2025 Bar of the Year winner offers a savory slushy sipper this summer with the Garden Party. Inspired by watermelon gazpacho, bartenders Ryan Suhl and Trent Lee created a refreshing gin-based blend of juniper-forward genever, watermelon, bell pepper, herbal liqueur, lime, salt, and lemon olive oil. Or, opt for the frozen margarita, a staple on the menu.

    Monkey’s Tail
    This tropical Linden Park spot features two frosty mainstays: Tommy’s Marg, built with blanco tequila, agave nectar, gomme syrup, and fresh lime, and the sweet-spicy Chile Mangonada, a rum-tequila combination with mango nectar, passion fruit, and a chamoy swirl. Current seasonal specials are the Northside (cucumber gin, tequila, mint syrup, lime, and firewater bitters) and the dessert-like combo, Banana Colada (Jamaican rums, pineapple, banana liqueur, banana pudding mix, coconut cream, and whipped cream) — but operating partner and frozen fan Lainey Collum reserves the right to switch things up at any time.

    Refuge
    The lively cocktail bar's Tropic Summer returns for 2025 with a fresh menu that includes the Blended Sling, a vibrant drink made with saffron-infused Vietnamese gin, pineapple sherbet, pomegranate, cherry liqueur, Curaçao, Benedictine, and a dash of Angostura.

    The Savoy
    This historic neighborhood bar in Third Ward features Sneaky Link, the locale’s rendition of a Branson Peach Sidecar, and the Emancipation, which blends the house frozen margarita with 818 Tequila Reposado, pineapple, and fresh strawberries.

    Solarium
    What’s a better pick-me-up after a sweltering game of pickleball than a frozen cocktail at Rex Hospitality’s latest addition to the racket sport craze? The stylish lounge offers four options worth sipping: the 820 Marg (blanco tequila, curaçao, lime, agave), El Mercado (a house take on a mangonada), Purple Drank (12-year aged rum, coconut, ube, pineapple, lime), and the Courtside Frosé, made with blood orange vodka, citrus, and rosé.

    Starduster Lounge
    The recently-opened, West Texas-inspired bar in the Heights serves an updated version of the Frozen Shandy that was a smash hit at D&T Drive-Inn. Now dubbed the Rio Red Shandy, the drink combines Lone Star beer, lemon, grapefruit, and vodka for a refreshing, citrus forward sip.

    Two Headed Dog
    This intimate Midtown dive always has four frozens on rotation. The current lineup includes the gin-based Blood of My Enemies, featuring pomegranate, hibiscus, and pineapple, and the Siren’s Drawl, a rum-based concoction with kiwi, mango, honey, and allspice, served with a flaming lime boat. Mezcal lovers will appreciate the Smoking Diablo, featuring crème de cassis, ginger, and lime, while the no-nonsense Big Ass Margarita rounds out the offerings.

    Under the Volcano
    The tiki bar offers two simple, yet delightful, frozen riffs on classics: the Screwdriver, where orange juice meets vodka, and a Cuba Libre, which is essentially a Coke Slurpee with the addition of rum and fresh lime juice.

    Voodoo Queen
    This daiquiri dive is a frozen fan’s paradise, with eight machines spinning boozy slushies at all times. Owner Brandon Young recommends the house-favorite The Bends, a banana daiquiri consisting of two rums, 151, and Everclear. Most of the bar's other creations are made with rum and 151, but the margarita keeps it classic with 100 percent blue agave tequila and orange liqueur.

    Still can’t decide? The bar will also combine its frozen creations to make over-the-top combos, such as the Caribbean Xanax, a crowd favorite that combines The Bends, Tropical Depression, Mango Larry, Pineapple Express, and a splash of Demerara 151. And don’t sleep on the hand-spun 151 daiquiris.

    Winnie's
    The Midtown bar has created a frozen version of the tiki favorite the Saturn that's made with gin, toasted almond orgeat, passion fruit, and lemon. Get it for $12 regularly, $6 during happy hour, or as part of a frozen flight with the bar's three other frozens — margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and peach bourbon iced tea.

    Happy Go Lucky frozen espresso martini
      

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Cool off with a frozen espresso martini at Happy Go Lucky.

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