Dish Society in The Heights

Cafe goes inside the loop to Houston's hottest dining neighborhood for its fourth location

Dish Society is coming inside the loop. The casual, farm-to-table-inspired neighborhood restaurant with locations in Tanglewood and Katy announced Thursday that it will open its fourth Houston-area location in the mixed-use development known as Heights Central Station, formerly the Heights Post Office, at 11th Street and Yale (across the street from CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Bar of the Year Eight Row Flint).

"The Heights was a no-brainer for us," said Dish Society founder Aaron Lyons in a statement. "The area is blowing up and is full of our core demographic."

Lyons will cater to that demographic — young professionals and families with an interest in healthy eating —by expanding the restaurant's bar program and craft beer offerings. A 1,000-square-foot patio will feature games like shuffleboard, foosball, and darts. Best of all, the restaurant will have 60 parking spaces as well as offsite parking.

"We want to be your neighborhood hangout," Lyons added. "Come with your friends, bring your kids, bring your dogs. Just come hang out."

The Heights location is expected to open in fall 2018. Dish Society's third location in the Memorial Green development will open this summer.

Dish Society will join a Heights dining scene that has already seen massive growth in the past couple of years. Since January, newcomers like Presidio, Field & Tides, and Helen in the Heights have made a splash. This summer will bring new locations for established concepts like Melange Creperie, Bernie's Burger Bus, and Snooze: An AM Eatery. All these new arrivals should ensure the neighborhood maintains its status as Houston's hottest dining neighborhood.

A rendering of Dish Society's upcoming location in The Heights.

Courtesy of Dish Society

A rendering of Dish Society's upcoming location in The Heights.

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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