h-town bound

Star chef bolts New York City and plots new Houston restaurant

Chef Aaron Bludorn is coming to Houston.

A talented chef is bringing his Michelin-star resume to Houston from New York. Aaron Bludornannounced that he's leaving his position to as executive chef at Café Boulud to open a restaurant in Houston.

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Yep, cats out of the bag, I’m leaving @cafebouludny after 10 years, Friday will be my last service as the executive chef. Thank you to the incredible @danielboulud, you’re our link to the legacy of French cuisine, our inspiration to travel the world without ever leaving our kitchen and most of all an amazing mentor who dares us to be better than we could have imagined possible. I like to think we stand on the shoulders of giants and this is nothing short of the truth. As I move to this next chapter in my life, I reflect fondly on the times I have had in this kitchen. It truly has been an amazing experience and one that has changed me forever. Thank you to @gavinkaysen for believing in me the same way that I believe in @jerrodzif and how he will bring this restaurant into its next phase. My wife @vpbludorn and I will be moving to Houston, TX. I couldn’t be more excited for the new adventures we will have. As I like to tell cooks who move on, “Never forget where you’ve been, always know where you’re going” See y’all in Texas! 📸 @pierrotinnyc

A post shared by Aaron Bludorn (@aaronbludorn) on

May 29, 2019 at 1:08pm PDT

Bludorn tells CultureMap that the new restaurant will be "a modern French-American restaurant in a polished and charismatic setting." The chef added that he's targeting 2020 for the opening but is keeping details such as the name and location under wraps for now.

Superstar chef Daniel Boulud paid tribute to Bludorn in an Instagram post of his own, writing "I’m so proud of how he has grown into his position with focus, ambition and confidence, always keeping a positive attitude, and with incredible respect to me, our team at Café, and our community for whom he participated in many fundraising events."

Considering his professional experience includes 10 years working at Café Boulud for superstar chef Daniel Boulud — including six as executive chef — that's reason enough for excitement, but his wife, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, brings significant experience to the project, too.

In addition to being the daughter of Pappas Restaurants co-owner Chris Pappas, she worked as an "operations assistant at the Dinex Group, which is the New York management company for the restaurants of Daniel Boulud," according to the couple's wedding announcement in the New York Times. Just to be clear, the restaurant won't be affiliated with Pappas Restaurants, per a representative, but it certainly can't hurt to have grown up in such a successful family.

Reality TV watchers may recognize Bludorn's name from his time on Netflix's cooking competition show The Final Table. Paired with Scottish chef Graham Campbell, the chef demonstrated an ability to blend French technique with a number of international cuisines. In the Japan episode, Yoshihiro Narisawa called Bludorn's uni panna cotta "perfect" but eliminated the duo for making the portion too large.

Needless to say, Houstonians are unlikely to complain about "too much" uni. They'll certainly want to keep their eyes on Bludorn's progress as he moves toward opening his Houston restaurant.

chefs

where to order super bowl to-go

Score a winning Super Bowl party with diverse dishes and cocktails to go from these top Houston restaurants

Photo by Paula Murphy

Urbe has taquiza packs that will feed a crowd.

On Sunday, February 12, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will square off in Super Bowl LVII. With the Eagles being a two-point and a relatively high-predicted point total of 49.5, the game should be both close and high scoring, which is to say, highly entertaining.

Such a game deserves worthy party snacks. Instead of opting for pizza or wings from national chains, why not let some top Houston restaurants help cater the feast. The list below includes plenty of places selling wings, gumbo, sandwich trays, and more.

Better Luck Tomorrow
The acclaimed Heights bar and restaurant is offering to-go sandwiches — choose Italian, veggie, or chicken club — along with bottled cocktails such as ranch water, Bloody Mary, michelada, Old Fashioned, and daiquiri.

Daily Gather
The CityCentre restaurant is offering trays of 20 Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing and veggies for $48.

Fat Boy’s Pizza
The recently opened Richmond location of this Louisiana-based pizzeria is offering diners $15 off when they order a 30-inch pizza and gallon of daiquiris to go.

Feges BBQ
The Spring Branch restaurant’s Super Bowl offerings include smoked wings, rib tips, and an oversized version of its signature barbecue bowls. A party pack with meat, buns, and sides will feed a crowd.

Hamsa
The modern Israeli restaurant is offering four of its skewers — king oyster mushroom, tenderloin, chicken, or shrimp — along with nine different salatin small vegetables dishes and hummus as to-go options for game day.

La Calle Tacos & Tortas
Both the Ella Boulevard and downtown locations of the Mexico City-inspired taqueria are offering a party pack of 50 Tacos (individually wrapped, choice of five meats) for about $90. Add cocktails such as margaritas and mojitos for an additional fee.

Lagniappe Kitchen & Bar
The Cajun restaurant in the Heights offers both red beans and rice and gumbo by the quart, as well as whole muffuletta sandwiches and po’ boy trays.

Local Table
The family-friendly restaurant with five Houston-area locations has a number of Super Bowl specials, including 24 wings for $45 (choice of sriracha, garlic parmesan, hickory smoked BBQ, and honey habanero), chips and queso, spinach artichoke dip, and The G.O.A.T Baked Goat Cheese Dip.

Loro
The Asian-inspired smokehouse's Big Game Party Pack ($99) will feed a group of four to six people with all of the following items: wonton chips and dip, smoked pork ribs, whole smoked sake can chicken, Thai-style sausages, and oak-grilled zucchini.

Phat Eatery
The Katy restaurant is offering its Malaysian wings — served salt-and-pepper style with red onion, jalapeño, Thai basil, and a 13-spice blend. Most of the menu is also available in party sizes, including roti canai, beef rendang, and satay skewers.

Ray's Real Pit BBQ Shack
The barbecue joint has party packs of brisket, ribs, sausage, and chicken that will feed groups of four, 10, 25, or 50. Pick up is Saturday, February 11.

Treebeards
The Memorial location of the popular Creole restaurant is selling a Super Bowl party pack for eight people that includes Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, rice, chicken tenders, queso, and tortilla chips for $100.

Urbe
Hugo Ortega’s street food restaurant has taquiza packs that come with pastor, barbacoa, salsa, corn tortillas, rice, beans, and more. Add enchiladas, campechana, cocktails, and more to round out the feast.

Winnie’s
The Midtown bar and po’ boy purveyor offers five of its signature sandwiches — Fried Chicken Crunch Wrap Supreme, Muffaleta, Smoked BBQ Turkey Po-Boy, Buffalo cauliflower, and fried shrimp — as platters designed to feed either 8-10 people or 15-20. In addition, the establishment sells green onion dip, chicken wings trays, gallons of gumbo, and more.

Photo by Paula Murphy

Urbe has taquiza packs that will feed a crowd.

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