Getting Wholesome by Lake Houston

Veteran Midtown restaurateur reveals opening date for 2 new Lake Houston restaurants

A veteran operator of prominent Midtown bars and restaurants is bringing two family-friendly concepts to Lake Houston area. Michael Collins, best known for places like The Fish and South Bank Seafood Bar, is opening Wholesome Pies and Wholesome Kitchen in the Generation Park mixed-use complex.

Wholesome Pies, a Neapolitan pizza concept built around a wood-fired oven, has been quietly open since the beginning of May. Wholesome Kitchen, a more eclectic restaurant with a globally inspired menu, will officially debut on June 6, the restaurant announced. Collectively, they’re the first projects from Collins’ new company, Wholesome Restaurant Group.

“We are excited and proud to provide two new unique restaurant concepts serving quality food and beverages in a comfortable environment,” Collins said in a statement.

Executive chef Theyen Hoang leads both kitchens. A graduate of Houston’s Culinary Institute LeNôtre, Hoang credits stints at both Cafe Annie and in Brooklyn for giving him the tools to create both a comfort food menu and a pizzeria.

“Both concepts offer something for every taste,” Hoang added. “From citrus kale salad to beet hummus or my personal favorite, bone-in ribeye at Wholesome Kitchen, our concepts are focused on bringing people together for any occasion.”

As Hoang’s statement implies, both concepts attempt to bring a mix of current dining trends to northeast Houston. In addition to beet hummus and a bone-in ribeye, diners at Wholesome Kitchen will find starters options that include ceviche and tuna poke as well as entree choices that range from spaghetti carbonara to salmon with seasonal vegetables and skirt steak with chimichurri. The cocktail menu checks similar boxes with staples like the Moscow Mule, Old Fashioned, and paloma alongside riffs like a pineapple-jalapeno margarita and a passion fruit mojito.

Similarly, Wholesome Pies pizza offerings range from classics like pepperoni and margherita to more adventurous choices like the Mr. Green Jeans (seasonal greens with lemon ricotta, mozzarella, and shaved parmesan) and an elotes pizza topped with roasted corn, queso fresco, and chile de árbol. Like its sister concept, look for a diverse range of beverage options, including affordable wines, local craft beer, and cocktails.

With 180 seats at Wholesome Kitchen and 80 at the pizzeria, both concepts have plenty of room to draw a diverse crowd. Specifically, Wholesome Kitchen touts itself as being equally as adept for adult outings like happy hour and brunch as it is for family gatherings and Little League lunches.

To celebrate its grand opening on June 6, Wholesome Pies will offer half off of both pizzas and appetizers. Both restaurants will offer drink specials.

Collins has owned a diverse set of establishments over the years. In addition to The Fish and South Bank, his projects include cocktail bar Rose Gold and the HTX Fan Tavern. If Collins can bring a little of that inner loop flair to the suburbs, it should bode well for the success of his new ventures.

Spaghetti carbonara.

Courtesy of Wholesome Kitchen

Spaghetti carbonara.

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Later, Late August

Michelin-recognized Houston restaurant quietly closes after only 2.5 years

Photo by Rebekah Flores

Late August is now open at The Ion.

Houston’s only Black-owned restaurant with a spot in the Michelin Guide has served its last meal. Late August, chef Chris Williams’s restaurant in the Ion mixed-use development, has closed for daily service but will remain open for private events through the end of the year.

Lucille’s Hospitality Group, the company behind Late August, issued the following statement about its closure as a full service restaurant:

Late August, in close partnership with the Ion, is transitioning its restaurant operations in the Ion District to focus on private catering and event services through Lucille's Hospitality Group, and other projects, including the Hospitality Group’s newest upcoming concept The Branch. The restaurant is grateful to the ION team and the Houston community for helping establish the space as a celebrated, Michelin-recommended culinary destination.

Late August will continue to honor previously booked events through the end of the year and remain a partner through catering services in the district. The restaurant space will transition to an event-focused model as part of the Ion's continued commitment to providing a dynamic mix of dining and retail experiences across the district. Lucille’s Hospitality Group is excited for what is next, and can’t wait for our community to check out its other concepts at Lucille’s or The Branch. If you’re interested in booking an event at Late August, you can reach out to catering@lhghouston.com.

Williams tells CultureMap that the decision to close the restaurant was triggered in part by Rice University’s plans to expand the Ion by adding the Arc, a nearly 200,000-square-foot research and technology facility that will replace a parking lot that’s adjacent to the Ion. Williams decided the construction would disrupt diners’ ability to access the building, which made closing it a more practical choice.

“We have 12,000 other restaurants,” Williams says about the number of choices that Houstonians have for where to eat dinner on any given night. “The idea of guests having to cross a major thoroughfare, we all agreed was not a sustainable path for us.”

Opened in 2024 by Williams and executive chef Sergio Hidalgo, Late August served an innovative menu that blended African and Mexican flavors. Last year, the chefs switched Late August from an a la carte menu to a tasting menu that better highlighted Hidalgo’s skills and the restaurant’s ingredients, many of which were sourced from Lucille’s 1913, the restaurant’s affiliated farm in Kendleton, Texas. The creative cooking helped Late August earn a Recommend designation from the Michelin Guide and a Best New Restaurant award from Esquire magazine.

“It was a great opportunity. We have zero regrets,” Williams says. “Just gratitude for the support and recognition we were able to get.”

While Hidalgo is leaving the company, many of the restaurant’s staff, including pastry chef Jennifer Parsons, will be transitioning to The Branch, a health-conscious new restaurant that’s opening soon at Midtown high-rise Forme. Details on that restaurant, including its projected opening date, will be released soon.

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