Etoile Spin-Off

Houston's best French restaurant plans to bring brasserie and crêperie downtown

Another of Houston's best chefs has turned his eyes towards downtown. Étoile Cuisine et Bar chef Philippe Verpiand and his wife Monica Bui announced Wednesday that they will open a new concept in downtown's One Park Place tower.

Already home to a Phoenicia Specialty Foods grocery store and the related MKT Bar, Verpiand's restaurant, known as Brasserie du Parc, will make One Park Place one of downtown's top dining destinations. Construction on the restaurant should begin in August with the goal of a "late fall" opening.

In addition to serving authentic brasserie fare like steak frites, mussels and charcuterie, Brasserie du Parc will also be home to a separate crepe concept within the restaurant called Crêperie du Parc, that will feature a walk-up window to cater to Discovery Green park goers. All told, Brasserie du Parc will occupy a 3,000-square foot space at the corner of Lamar and La Branch streets with a 1,000-square foot mezzanine and a 1,500-square foot terrace along La Branch Street.

Bui will work with architectural firm Kathy Heard Design on the interior. The announcement describes a "360-degree square bar with a dedicated bar menu" that should offer a more distinct separation between the bar and lounge area and the more formal restaurant dining area than currently exists at Étoile. Brasserie du Parc will build on its sister restaurant's reputation by featuring both an extensive wine list as well as craft beer and cocktails.

Since it opened in 2012, Étoile has been one widely regarded as one of Houston's best French restaurants. The restaurant's mix of classic French fare with more seasonally-driven recipes has been a hit. Verpiand earned the title Master Chef of France in 2015 for his work both at Étoile and as part of a career that includes stints both in France and in San Diego.

“The response to Étoile has been overwhelming in Uptown Park,” said Verpiand in a statement. “We are thrilled about the idea of doing a real French brasserie that I hope will strike the same chord in such a prestigious building in downtown Houston. This is a dream come true for my family and me.”

Once the land of steakhouses, downtown Houston has undergone a bit of a dining renaissance over the past couple of years. Recent additions like Main Kitchen in the JW Marriott and the recently opened Conservatory food hall have given the area new culinary credibility. With the imminent arrival of Italian restaurants Broccaa and Il Panchina — which unite Reef partners Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd with Astros owner Jim Crane — and Brasserie du Parc, things are only looking up as Houston prepares to host Super Bowl LI in 2017.

A rendering of the future Brasserie du Parc.

Courtesy image

A rendering of the future Brasserie du Parc.

openings downtown

a CultureMap Exclusive

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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