Welcome back, Chapman & Kirby

Burlesque club relocation deal's collapse means return of buzzy EaDo restaurant

Chapman & Kirby reopens tomorrow.

Photo by John Kim

The deal to relocate Prohibition to EaDo has fallen apart. Instead, the building at 2118 Lamar St. will resume operations as Chapman & Kirby this Thursday, May 14.

Chapman & Kirby partner Mazen Baltagi tells CultureMap that he and his business associates were excited about the buy-sell agreement they reached in December with the Company of Nomads, the growing hospitality group behind Bravery Chef Hall and a number of upcoming food halls. The space even operated as Prohibition for a couple of weeks before the coronavirus pandemic forced a temporary shutdown of both restaurants for dine-in service, and, critically, performance venues like Prohibition.

Once that happened, Baltagi says he had trouble reaching any of Prohibition’s partners, Anh Mai, Lian Pham, and Shepard Ross, to determine how they wanted to proceed.

“We didn’t hear one word from Anh, Shepard Ross, or Lian for six weeks,” Baltagi says. “[Meanwhile, the] landlord is charging us rent.”

Reached by CultureMap, Mai confirms the deal will not come to fruition. He cites the difficulty of operating a performance venue, especially one devoted to burlesque, at a time of social distancing. Without Prohibition to anchor the space, converting part of it into a new home for Conservatory, downtown’s original food hall, didn’t make sense either.

“Basically, we just backed out. The problem is we can’t really perform burlesque with Prohibition. We felt like it was something we need to hold off until things clear up,” he says.

Mai emphasized that the Company of Nomads intends to move forward with its other projects, which include the Railway Heights project, an outpost of Conservatory in the Galleria area, and an Asian-inspired hawker market in Midtown. Some of the downtown Conservatory’s former vendors are currently operating out of Bravery while those other projects move towards completion, but it come be some time before Prohibition’s Moonlight Dolls burlesque troupe returns to the stage.

“Burlesque takes humor and intellect. There’s interaction required to accomplish that. We felt like we can’t do it.”

Mai added that the Moonlight Dolls will have to pivot like other performers. They hope to announce more specific plans for the troupe soon.

The reborn Chapman & Kirby will offer a more casual experience than its initial iteration as a buzzy, luxurious nightclub and restaurant. Instead of the shareable items that previously anchored the dinner menu, the kitchen will focus on more casual fare like tacos, sandwiches, and salads.

With 15,000 square feet of interior space plus a patio, Chapman & Kirby is large enough that it can serve up to 200 people even at 25-percent occupancy, according to Baltagi. He and his partners are ready to do what they can to make up for the revenue they lost when the deal with Prohibition fell through.

“I’m doing what I do best, Eric,” Baltagi says. “I’m tying on my shoes. I’m gonna make shit happen.”

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Chapman & Kirby; 2118 Lamar St.; Sunday - Thursday 5 - 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm - 12 am; 713-636-9615; Reservations recommended.

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the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

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