• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    The CultureMap Interview

    Houston star chef Justin Yu dishes on reopening his downtown restaurant, his talented protege, and more

    Eric Sandler
    May 19, 2021 | 1:20 pm
    Justin Yu Theodore Rex
    Chef Justin Yu.
    Photo by Jenn Duncan

    One of Houston’s best restaurants returns to service this weekend. Theodore Rex will once again welcome diners beginning this Sunday, May 23.

     

    The restaurant has been on hiatus since February, when chef-owner Justin Yu stepped aside to allow Theodore Rex chef de cuisine Kaitlin Steets to take center stage with her Littlefoot pop-up. Steets, a 2020 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category, earned raves for her French-inspired menu that focused on classic culinary techniques.

     

    Reopening Theodore Rex provides a good opportunity to catch up with Yu. During a phone call, the chef, who won a James Beard Best Chef: Southwest award in 2016 for his work at Oxheart, touched on a range of topics, including the changes he’s made to both the restaurant’s space and its menu ahead of the reopening, what he thought about Littlefoot, and why Theodore Rex charges $27 for a plate of dumplings.

     

     CultureMap: Justin, thanks for speaking with me. Let’s start with the changes you’re making to Theodore Rex’s interior.

     

     Justin Yu: We had Brittany Turcotte of Larder Lover [update the interior] when it was Littlefoot. I was really excited about the changes she made.

     

    We’re taking components of that and continuing that on. One thing that Theodore Rex was, especially when we were first opening, we wanted to be more playful and colorful. What we’ve found over the four years we’ve been open is some people want to use us for that but most people miss the fine touches Oxheat had. I’m trying to find the balance between the two

     

    The space is less colorful. We’ve always had very custom furniture for the size and space requirements of how small it is in there. We’re focusing on the work the furniture makers do. There will be more textures on the walls but less color. The lights are spotted on the tables instead of colors and different artwork everywhere.

     

     CM: What changes are you making to the menu?

     

     JY: The major thing as far as the menu goes that we refused to do when we were opening up Theordore Rex was to add any components. Things were very overt with ingredients. You could see that a lot at Oxheart, I think it’s a part of my personality. When I cook I naturally gravitate towards that. I cut it out of the food to try to make more of a bistro feel. I’m reintroducing it.

     

    Two years ago, I went on a trip to Japan with Bobby [Heugel], Terry [Williams], and Peter [Jahnke]. Both design wise and food wise, that was very informative to me. It was really inspiring as well. Nothing is overtly Japanese or Chinese, but stylistically it’s quite a bit more Asian and quite a bit more of my personality.

     

    As Theodore Rex kept moving on, there were dishes that were encompassing two different plates. That will continue here. To me, that’s a very Japanese thing with the condiments. That’s going to continue. We might even expand to three plates, who knows?

     

    The food will be very intense on singular items. You won’t see that much on the plate, but there will be a lot of work in every single one.

     

    Like the dumplings I posted recently on Instagram, we hand make all the dough wrappers, we grind all of our own stuffing, we measure out the meat and celery ratio and hand stuff every single one of them. There’s not going to be an ornate sauce around the plate. There will be a sauce that builds off the components that are already in the dumpling.

     

    I think that takes a lot of restraint not to add any extraneous garnishes or extras that we don’t think the dish needs. I think it will be less Instagrammable, but it will be much more delicious.

     

     CM: When you introduce a dish like dumplings to your menu, do you think about other restaurants that serve dumplings like Nancy’s Hustle or UB Preserv?

     

     JY: I always try to keep an eye out for people who are considered peers and competition, but we’re just trying to make the best dish possible. I think the feeling is different. Nick [Wong, executive chef of UB Preserv] is a good friend of mine. Do I think I could make just as good as that style of stuffed dumpling? I don’t think I can. He’s an amazing chef.

     

    When I do a dish like that, I have to be aware of how people perceive it. My dumplings are going to be $27. Why are my dumplings $27 when someone else’s are $12? I think it’s the amount of work and attention to detail that goes into every single one of them.

     

     CM: You mentioned earlier that you and Kaitlin share a common ethos. How would you describe that ethos?

     

     JY: I think both us of love to build on the bare bones basics of cooking, like a well-cooked piece of fish, a well-roasted bird. I think that’s carried over from Oxheart where we always start with ingredients first and then build the dish around it.

     

    I think that ethos is we try to make an expression of what it means to be in Houston at this time. I think that hasn’t changed in almost the 10 years since we opened Oxheart.

     

    I think those things haven’t changed for the better part of a decade. Stylistically, we’ve changed quite a bit from not casual to casual to having an outlet for casual things like the spaghetti sandwich at Better Luck Tomorrow. I think those things are being fulfilled elsewhere. That’s why my goal has been to refine the things we were doing at T. Rex.

     

    We’re at a weird spot in our industry. For me, I want to be pushing forward, but I think a big thing for us has been quality of life for our staff.

     

    I think it goes hand-in-hand with what is the right thing to charge to make sure the small things in life are taken care of. I would say a decent salary, healthcare, paid time off. Things that for some reason is a layup in other industries, is kind of a given, that we’ve for some reason forgotten about restaurant workers for.

     

    I think it’s really important, and we’ve always tried to push for at T. Rex and the places we’ve opened. That’s been an important part of wanting to do something a little different at T. Rex.

     

     CM: Do you feel that customers will respond favorably to the prices you’re charging for the food you’re serving?

     

     JY: It seems like T. Rex is more of a special occasion place. If I look at it compared to my favorite restaurant, Nancy’s Hustle, I think there’s some sticker shock, but for the amount of money that I spend at other restaurants that I think of as casual: I go to Houston’s — I refuse to call it Hillstone — it’s not a cheap restaurant.

     

    It will be a more elevated price point for us. I don’t think you’ll spend $200 per person, but I bet including wine you get $75, $80 per person. I think that is indicative of the quality of service and food and the quality of life for the staff. I think that’s why we keep so much staff.

     

     CM: What did you think about the work Kaitlin did at Littlefoot?

     

     JY: I thought it was delicious, very indicative of a chef that deserves her own restaurant at some point in time.

     

    It was a great opening volley, and I hope she grows it from there. I loved the room. I loved the service. I hope people enjoyed it. I think they did. We were full almost every night.

     

    Every praise she got she deserved. I expect her to do big things in the future. It allows me to be very assured the kitchen that I’m associated with is in good hands, and she won’t let things I wouldn’t want to hit the plate go out into the dining room.

     

     CM: Last question: Are you bringing back the tomato toast?

     

     JY: There will be some sort of tomato toast. I think what people associate our menu with is tomato toast, the butter cake, and the rice and beans. The tomato toast and the butter cake are getting a little bit of a remake, hopefully to be more delicious, and the rice and beans will not.

     

    I’m excited for it. You should go.

     

    -----

     

     Portions of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.

     
    chefsnews-you-can-eatopeningsdowntowninterviewqa
    news/restaurants-bars

    most read posts

    Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds

    Shaq surprises Houston restaurant with $1,000 tip and more top stories

    Two week dining event celebrates Houston's Latin-owned restaurants

    roll out

    Self-taught chef slices into Houston with high-quality sushi to go

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 17, 2025 | 5:57 pm
    Kaisen Sushi Houston nigiri
    Courtesy of Kaisen Sushi Houston
    Each order of nigiri comes with a house made sushi sauce.

    The ghost kitchen phenomenon may have diminished somewhat since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the idea of a delivery and to-go-only restaurant still draws talented chefs who want to focus on food at a lower overhead than a traditional brick-and-mortar. One of those chefs is Sunny Bertsch, whose restaurant Kaisen Sushi Houston is already drawing buzz from inner loopers looking for a more affordable, at-home sushi experience.

    Located at the Blodgett Food Hall in Third Ward, Kaisen Sushi serves typical nigiri, maki, and temaki (hand rolls), along with a steak bowl. Prices are a little lower than what someone would find at a typical sushi restaurant, with an eight-piece nigiri set priced at $18.99 when ordered through the Blodgett Food Hall website (expect to pay more if ordering via a third-party delivery service such as Uber Eats or DoorDash).

    While Bertsch’s food may be familiar, his story is not. The diners who’ve rated Kaisen with 4.9 stars on Google may be surprised to learn that he’s only been cooking professionally for two years. As Bertsch tells CultureMap, prior to becoming a professional chef, he worked in fields as varied as aerospace and dog walking.

    “I’d always been interested in cooking,” he says. “I was blessed to be born into a great Korean American family. My dad and my grandparents always cooked great food. I learned by osmosis.”

    Bertsch began his career as a private chef by working for friends. He built his business by catering lunches to powerhouse law firm Vinson & Elkins. Eventually, his clients asked for private sushi dinners, and he had to figure things out.

    “I got an opportunity to do a sushi omakase. It was brutal. It was messy. But I knew once I did that, I wanted to dedicate my life to sushi,” he says. “Since then, I have studied and practiced. I threw a lot of money and time and fish at it.”

    Bertsch improved his speed and knife skills by taking a $13-per-hour job at Japanese grocery store Seiwa Market. While there, he says he made thousands of pieces of nigiri, rolls, and sushi bowls. That experience, along with meals from similar to-go-only concepts in New York and San Francisco, convinced him to open Kaisen as a ghost kitchen.

    “So far, I’ve spent $90,000. That’s more than the average investment for a food hall kitchen,” Bertsch explains. “I’m a clean freak. I’m a technology freak. I’m an authenticity freak. I outfitted my kitchen in the way I thought was necessary for long-term success.”

    Just as he spared no expense in specing out his kitchen, Bertsch puts thoughtful touches into his food, too. For example, every order of nigiri comes with a dipping sauce Bertsch makes himself from low sodium soy sauce, kombu, vinegar, and sake.

    “It’s a complex sauce that’s less salty and tastes good,” he says. “You know when you don’t have it and you’re given cheap soy sauce.”

    Similarly, his California rolls use imitation crab (as do most restaurants), but it’s seasoned with a housemade, Japanese-style kewpie mayo, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and sesame oil for more umami and less sweetness. Since the chef uses more crab mix than other restaurants do in their rolls, Kaisen’s California roll not only tastes better — at $11.99, it’s a better value, too.

    The chef showcases Japanese techniques and Korean influences with his $25 steak bowl. A USDA Choice ribeye or strip is cooked sous vide with a marinade made from garlic, tamari, and seasoning salt. Once a diner orders the entree, the steak is seared in a pan, basted with Kerrygold butter, seasoned with furikake and sesame oil, and served with short-grain sushi rice and microgreens from local farm Zero Point Organics.

    Word of mouth has been building. Even though it’s only been open for a month, Kaisen already has over 2,000 followers on Instagram. Once he’s able to hire a full roster of cooks, Bertsch plans to expand the menu and offer lunch service. Despite some challenges, he’s pleased with the restaurant’s progress.

    “The support I've gotten on social media has blown me away,” he says. “It’s been amazing. I could not have done it without Instagram. It blows my mind.”

    Kaisen Sushi Houston nigiri
      

    Courtesy of Kaisen Sushi Houston

    Each order of nigiri comes with a house made sushi sauce.

    openingsnews-you-can-eatkaisen sushiinterviewchefs
    news/restaurants-bars
    Loading...