Chandelier-lit dinner

Ornate Houston restaurant and event hall serves up new dinner service

Recipe for Success 10th anny dinner, 5/16 The Dunlavy

Dinner comes to The Dunlavy in January.

A major change is coming to The Dunlavy. The stylish restaurant on the banks of Buffalo Bayou will add dinner service beginning in January 2020, owner Clark Cooper Concepts announced.

Currently, the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch daily from 7 am to 2 pm. In the evening, it becomes an event space that's been home to any number of celebrations and fundraisers. Beginning in January, it will no longer be available for private use after dark. Instead, it will operate as a restaurant full time, complete with full service and reservations. All events currently scheduled for January and beyond will be honored, but the venue will not accept any new bookings.

“Since we’ve opened, our customers have been asking for reservations at The Dunlavy. We are constantly receiving requests for dinner service, so we’ve listened and are giving our customers the experience they want,” Clark Cooper Concepts co-owner Grant Cooper said in a statement. “Since opening Ibiza in 2001, we’ve always valued our customers opinions and take them into account when developing and changing our concepts. The chandeliers, the food, the wine — we think it is going to be a dinner experience unfound in the city.”

While the change means Houstonians are losing a party spot, the switchover should be good for diners. The room, which features approximately 40 chandeliers, would make an appealing spot for date nights and celebrating special occasions. Best of all, Clark Cooper's signature low wine markups make ordering an extra bottle or two a reasonable decision.

The switchover will also allow chef Jane Wild to expand the menu. Since joining the restaurant in 2018, she's focused on adding more local ingredients. Diners also responded favorably to a pop-up dinner series.

“This change is going to allow us to take our food program to the next level and strengthen our relationships with our local purveyors and farmers and give our customers more chef-driven, locally sourced food,” Wild added.

news-you-can-eat

Bigger and better

Cafe's closure provides a new home for Houston's beloved 'Bagel Bob'

Courtesy of Berg Hospitality

"Bagel Bob" Orzo and Ben Berg are bringing better bagels to North Post Oak.

Ben Berg is moving on from his most casual restaurant, but the imminent closure of NoPo Café, Market & Bar will pave the way for the growth of a beloved Houston bagel bakery.

NoPo will serve its last meals on Monday, January 13. Open since 2021, it provided the North Post Oak area with a casual, all-day cafe. NoPo served breakfast and pastries in the morning alongside salads, sandwiches, and burgers for lunch and dinner. In its place, Berg Hospitality will divide the space at 1244 North Post Oak Rd. for two separate businesses that are expected to open in February.

Bagel Bob’s HTX (formerly NYTX) has claimed approximately 500 square feet for a new location that will replace its current store on Dairy Ashford Rd. Bagel Bob’s owner Bob Orzo and Berg are longtime friends, stemming from Orzo’s stint as the in-house baker at Berg’s original steakhouse, B&B Butchers, where he made breads, bagels, and rolls. Although it's moving into a former Berg space, Bagel Bob's is not part of Berg Hospitality.

Orzo is a native New Yorker who moved to Houston about a decade ago. At Bagel Bob’s, he serves hand-rolled bagels and traditional schmears. He also offers bagel sandwiches and makes what many regard as one of Houston’s best cheesecakes.

Orzo tells CultureMap that he’s moving because he outgrew his current location. Due to the space's small size, he lacked the room to produce enough bagels to meet demand on busy weekends. Unable to reach a deal with his landlord on a larger space at the same shopping center, he informed Berg of his search for a new spot. Since Berg was already planning to re-concept NoPo, the two quickly struck a deal. In particular, Orzo says he’s excited to have 20 seats for dine-in customers, since his current location is to-go only.

“I hate to disappoint my customer base [by moving], but this is the best possible solution for more productivity,” he explains. “Cafeteria-style service will be a big plus, since people are always looking for a table, and we were too small previously to have this additional convenience.”

Even better, Orzo shares that he’s in remission after being treated for cancer at Methodist Hospital, ensuring his fans will have reliable access to bagels for many years to come. “I’m ready and feeling strong and positive about the upcoming year,” he says.

Nopo’s other 2,000 square feet will be used as a commissary kitchen to support Berg Hospitality’s restaurants. In addition, it will serve as a research and development space for Ruchit Harneja, the company’s executive pastry chef, who will use it to create new desserts for the company.

“This is a win/win opportunity we couldn’t be happier about,” Berg said in a statement. “NoPo Cafe had a wonderful run, and we continue to be a presence in the neighborhood. But this transition allows a great friend to grow his business while allowing us to grow ours too: Ruchit’s incredible work needs the space to blossom even fuller as an essential component of our culinary goals.”

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