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    a new cafe annie

    Houston restaurant institution announces shutter and massive makeover with major restaurateur

    Holly Beretto
    May 13, 2019 | 5:45 pm
    Robert Del Grande Benjamin Berg
    Robert Del Grande will partner with Benjamin Berg on the new Café Annie.
    Photo by Fulton Davenport

    The beloved Café Annie, long a Houston destination for everything from power lunches to date nights to special occasion dining, is about to get a new look, name, and leadership team.

    Berg Hospitality has announced that it will take over the restaurant, which will close on May 16; renovation on Café Annie will begin on May 17. Benjamin Berg will partner with Robert Del Grande, the current chef and owner of Café Annie, on a new concept in the space at 6 BLVD Place. The Annie Café & Bar will open fall.

    “I’m really excited,” Berg tells CultureMap. “Robert is an amazing guy, and he’ll stay executive chef, but I’ll put my two cents worth in once in a while.” Berg and Del Grande are slated to meet this week to talk about new menu concepts. Del Grande says he understands how personal food can be to diners, and he wants them to realize the emphasis Café Annie has always placed on executing simple ingredients well isn’t going anywhere.

    “With something like our crab tostadas, that everyone really loved, to me, it was about having great crabs and great avocados and great technique. I look at those three things and see 24 different variations. So, I can tell people, look this new dish is super close to the dish you love. Don’t not like it until you try it.”

    Del Grande, too, is looking forward to the partnership.

    “Ben is full of energy and full of ideas,” he tells CultureMap. “And I was looking for a strategic partner who could take the restaurant into the future and beyond me. You know, when [Ed] Wulfe [the managing partner of BLVD Place] asked me if I wanted another 10-year lease, I looked at that number and added it to my age and I thought, well, maybe it’s time to transition.”

    Berg and Del Grande began speaking informally about the partnership last year, but Berg says over the last three months, talks took on more serious tones, and the pair decided to formally partner on the reimagined restaurant. Del Grande liked that Berg’s approach to food and restaurant history was similar to his own — both confess a love to poring over old menus from iconic restaurants around the country – and he felt Café Annie was in great hands with Berg Hospitality. For Berg, it’s an opportunity to be in the ever-evolving Galleria area, and putting his group’s stamp on one of Houston’s icons.

    The 11,000-sqaure-foot space will undergo an overhaul before its reopening. Berg says he’s got plans to put restrooms on the second floor; add about 50 seats to the bar; and give the restaurant new interiors, lighting, and furnishings.

    “I see a lot of whites and greens,” he says. “I really want to open it up. I felt it was a little dark. And I think everyone’s going to be excited about restrooms upstairs, and I know everyone’s going to love the expanded bar. We’re looking forward to have a really cool cocktail program with fresh juices and mixes.” Berg says that as the restaurant is closing, he’s working with its staff to find places for them at current Berg Hospitality concepts, including the newly opened B.B. Italia and B.B. Pizza over in the Energy Corridor.

    Both Berg and Del Grande think the restaurant’s transformation will be one that diners will appreciate. And they’re pumped to work with each other on its evolution. “I think we’re both excited to be doing this together,” says Berg.

    “I’ve always loved being in a band more than being a solo artist,” echoes Del Grande. “And the fact is, time exists. A lot of people in the kitchen now weren’t even born when we opened Café Annie. And they’re the future. We’ll find ways to keep the restaurant young and vibrant.”

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    With or Without Whiz

    Houston burger mastermind fires up new pop-up devoted to Philly cheesesteaks

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 19, 2025 | 4:35 pm
    Bas's Cheesesteaks Abbas Dhanani
    Photo by Michael Ma
    Abbas Dhanani is serving up cheesesteaks at his new pop-up.

    Abbas Dhanani is at it again. The food influencer-turned-restaurateur behind the CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning smash burger concept Burger Bodega is firing up a new pop-up concept devoted to another iconic sandwich.

    Called Bas’s Cheesesteaks, the new concept will Dhanani’s take on the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with sliced ribeye and white cheese on a seeded hoagie roll — onions and a spicy sauce are optional. A second version swaps the white cheese for Cheez Whiz. Like Burger Bodega, Dhanani is using halal beef for his cheesesteaks.

    Bas's Cheesesteaks cheesesteak sandwichThe cheesesteak is served on a seeded hoagie roll.Photo by Michael Ma

    “We have experimented with cheesesteaks as specials on the menu at Burger Bodega and received amazing feedback,” Dhanani said in a statement. “However, the cheesesteaks at Bas’s are the most refined versions we have done so far. I am excited to bring authentic Philly cheesesteaks to Houston as a new flavor experience while continuing to build on the energy and community we have created at Burger Bodega. This is a huge passion project for me, and I plan to take it step by step, just like Burger Bodega."

    As Dhanani notes, he introduced Burger Bodega with a series of pop-ups throughout Houston. To answer the obvious question, of course a restaurant could be in the cards for Bas’s, too.

    “I think thats the goal of any new pop-up concept,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “Like Burger Bodega, we want to take it one step at a time and see where it goes.”

    Bas’s Cheesesteaks will have its first pop-up on Monday, June 30 at Burger Bodega’s location (4520 Washington Avenue). In addition to the two cheesesteaks, diners can get fries. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

    As for Burger Bodega’s second location in Katy, Dhanani says it’s still working through securing the necessary permits to begin construction.

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