Rumor no more

Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole reveal second Houston location of their Asian smokehouse

Aaron Franklin is a man of his word. On a recent episode of CultureMap's "What's Eric Eating" podcast, the James Beard Award-winning pitmaster and owner of Austin's acclaimed Franklin Barbecue responded to a question about rumors of a second Houston-area location for Loro, the Asian smokehouse concept he developed with Uchi chef-owner Tyson Cole, with a definitive statement.

"There will be more kaarage," he said.

Now we know where.

Hai Hospitality, the company behind Uchi, Loro, and the soon-to-open Houston location of Uchiko, announced that Houston's second Loro will be located near Rice Village at 5333 Kirby Dr. Slated to open in the summer of 2023, it joins the original location in Austin, a location in Dallas, and the recently opened location in The Heights; a second Dallas-area location will open this winter.

Opened in February, Houston's first Loro has been a hit, regularly drawing capacity crowds to its home in a converted church on W 11th St.

“Houston is the ultimate foodie community,” Cole said in a statement. “Not only do they embrace and support new concepts, they’re not afraid to try new things and break from tradition. That’s what Loro is all about, so growing our presence in Houston felt really natural.”

Founded in 2018, Loro blends Franklin's expertise in smoked meats with Cole's ability to use Asian flavors and techniques in creative ways. Signature items at the fast casual restaurant include sweet corn fritters, smoked prime bavette, a cheeseburger topped with red onion-brisket jam, muenster cheese, and lettuce, and, of course kaarage with chili aioli. Pair them with wine, beer, or boozy slushes such as the signature frozen gin and tonic.

Abel Design Group and Hai Design Studio will collaborate on transforming a portion of the building currently occupied by River Oaks Paint & Body into a restaurant. Expect approximately 125 seats inside and a 75-seat patio.

“Houston has always had one of the most vibrant food scenes and I’ve been lucky enough to cook with some great friends for some of the friendliest folks!” Franklin added. “This new Loro will be my new favorite place…. Besides the other Houston Loro!”

Loro joins a number of new concepts in and around Rice Village. In the last year or so, the area has seen additions such as Mediterranean-inspired Agnes Cafe & Provisions, the luxurious Gratify Neighborhood Bistro, modern Israeli restaurant Hamsa, and Lees Den, a new wine bar and restaurant from Local Foods owner Benjy Levit. Later this year, the team behind Bludorn will open Navy Blue, a new seafood restaurant in the former Politan Row space.

Loro is coming to Kirby Dr.

Courtesy of Loro

Loro is coming to Kirby Dr.

news-you-can-eat openings

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Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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