High-Class Sports Dining

Don't call it a sports bar: Clemens, Mandola sons insist their new Houston restaurant defies the stereotype

Luke Mandola Jr., the eponymous son of a major player in the Houston restaurant scene (Ragin Cajun owner Luke Mandola Sr.), and Kory Clemens, the son of a Major League Baseball legend (Roger Clemens), are the ones calling the shots at Katch 22, Houston's newest "sporty restaurant." (It's emphatically, according to the owners, not a sports bar.)

Katch 22 opened on May 15, the 29th anniversary of Roger Clemens' Major League debut. Kory Clemens and Mandola Jr. seem to be fond of this sort of symbolism. For example, regarding the restaurant's name: Roger Clemens was also big on Ks of course naming all his kids (Kody, Kacy, Koby and Kory) with the letter that signifies strikeouts in baseball.

On top of that, Mandola played catcher in college. And 22: That was Roger Clemens' number of course. And also the date of the month Mandola Jr.'s son was born on.

"There's not a lot of places in Houston where you can get an outstanding meal, good wine, nice cocktails meshed together with a sporty setting."

And, just in case you still don't quite get it, the eatery boasts 11 (half of 22 — I know, math can be hard) flat-screen TVs.

CultureMap touched base with Mandola Jr. in his new digs — the invitingly well-lit space at 700 Durham where tapas bar Convivio used to be.

"It's about good food, good times, spirits, family and friends," Mandola Jr. says, indicating the phrases emblazoned on the chalkboard wall behind him. The restaurant's decorated with sports memorabilia, including a few signed Roger Clemens jerseys.

"There's not a lot of places in Houston where you can get an outstanding meal, good wine, nice cocktails meshed together with a sporty setting," says Mandola Jr., who believes the restaurant is on par with Michael Jordan's Steak House in Chicago and Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City.

Instead of bar food, Katch 22 focuses on "steaks, flat breads, chops, gourmet sandwiches, nice appetizers."

"In this business you have to hang your hat on four items to be really successful," Mandola Jr. says. In Katch 22's case, those items include the lobster roll from Kory Clemens' native Boston ("our menu is developed on what we like to eat, what we grew up eating") and bacon-wrapped quail.

"We're looking for the general public to determine the other two," Mandola Jr. says. "The palate of the city will change our menu. Whatever they like, we'll kind of go in that direction."

With a fair share of supporters having followed their own careers, Mandola Jr. and Kory Clemens' believe Katch 22 can be a hit right off the bat. The restaurant's open Tuesdays through Sundays ("closed Mondays for golf and fishing").

Kory Clemens, left, and Luke Mandola

Katch 22 restaurant bar Houston May 2013 RUN FLAT

Courtesy photo

Kory Clemens, left, and Luke Mandola

unspecified

lazy days

Houston restaurant veteran fires up pizzas and steaks in Garden Oaks

Photo by Brian Kennedy

Lazy Lane will serve pastas, small plates, and steaks.

An experienced Houston restaurateur is bringing a new concept to Garden Oaks. When it opens in November, Lazy Lane will be the newest project from Heights & Co. owner Brian Doke.

Located at 923 Wakefield Dr., Lazy Lane is described as a “casually elegant neighborhood” with a chef-driven menu built around steak and pizza. Open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, the restaurant aims to serve its neighborhood as both a casual neighborhood restaurant and a more elevated options for date nights and special occasions.

“Lazy Lane is a casually elegant restaurant designed to feel both elevated and effortless,” Doke said in a statement. “We wanted to create a place that can be both your go-to neighborhood spot for weeknight dinners, yet refined enough to host life’s memorable occasions – and quite frankly, a place we’d love to go ourselves.”

The building’s design terrazzo floors, large windows, and a 25-foot marble bar top. It offers both indoor and outdoor dining with a private dining room that has access to a 35-seat veranda that’s separate from the patio.

Chef-partner Daniel Davidson brings experience from Michelin-starred restaurants on the West Coast as well as stints at local restaurants such as Houston steakhouse Doris Metropolitan and Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. His menu begins with starters such as oysters on the half shell, farro and brassica salad, steak tartare, and Spanish meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Entree choices begin with four pizzas — margherita, pepperoni, baked potato, or lamb sausage and butternut squash — and four house made pastas, including garganelli with bolognese and burrata, a seafood pasta made with squid ink rigatoni, and a riff on carbonara made with smoked bucatini and speck. Dry-aged steaks, sourced from California’s Flannery Beef, are joined by lamb chops, a burger, and seafood entrees.

They’re paired with classic cocktails, including a freezer martini, margarita, mojito, and Manhattan, as well as wines from an in-house label.

If the formula sounds familiar for Doke, that may be because he was a co-founder of Heights restaurant Savoir, including through the opening of its speakeasy-style steakhouse Patton’s. He also briefly operated River Oaks-area Italian restaurant Dante’s River Oaks. Doke left Savoir in the fall of 2022.

“With thoughtfully sourced ingredients, hand-picked wines, craft cocktails and a warm, welcoming environment, Lazy Lane was built to make every visit, whether spontaneous or celebratory, feel exceptional,” said Doke. “We can’t wait to welcome you, Houston.”

news-you-can-eat openings