Poke Fever hits Houston

NYC-based poke restaurant brings Instagram-friendly bowls to Heights area

Everywhere you look, a poke restaurant seems to be opening. From Ono Poke in Montrose to Pokeology in Rice Village and Pokii Eatery and North Shore Poke in west Houston, Houston has developed full blown poke fever.

The trend shows no signs of slowing down. Seaside Poke will open soon in EaDo and is rumored to be joining Snooze: An AM Eatery at the Lowell Street Market development in the Heights.

Later this year, one of New York City’s favorite poke destinations will enter the mix. After teasing its imminent arrival late last year, Pokéworks has confirmed that it has signed a lease to replace a shuttered WhichWich at 213 Heights Blvd, which puts the restaurant in the same Heights-adjacent shopping as Chipotle and near Pi Pizza and the recently opened seafood restaurant Star Fish. If all goes according to plan, the restaurant will open in August.

Pokéworks manager Jay Gerber tells CultureMap in an email that the restaurant features the same Chipotle-style serving line as most of the other new wave poke shops but sets itself apart by making a commitment to serving sustainable seafood and offering a more diverse array of toppings that includes macadamia nuts, lotus root chips, and masago.

This video describes the company’s “Poke Your Way” approach and also features some fairly filthy poke porn.

The restaurant serves its poke both in traditional bowls, as a salad over lettuce, or Instagram-friendly poke burritos. To give diners the opportunity to sample authentic Hawaiian flavors, Pokéworks has also partnered with a Maui native, celebrity chef and Top Chef alum Sheldon Simeon, to develop bowls labeled “Signature Works” that combine specific ingredients.

It’s that photo-friendly appearance that drew Gerber to the restaurant. As soon as he saw a photo of the company’s dishes online, the Houston native added it to his dining agenda when he visited New York.

“I finally got that chance to go to New York, (where I) visited the very first location and tried it out for myself,” Gerber writes. “That experience far exceeded my expectations and I knew right then and there that I had to bring it back to my hometown.”

Given the city’s full blown poke fever and the company’s track record of success — it already has locations in Massachusetts, California, and Seattle — Pokéworks looks to be another intriguing addition to this year’s hottest food trend. The company certainly hopes so; Gerber confirms he’s already scouting for additional locations.

Have poke burrito your way.

Courtesy photo

Have poke burrito your way.

openings the-heights

What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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