Sneak Peek at Brookstreet Bar-B-Que

Montrose barbecue joint in gorgeous stone home sets opening date

For all its well-earned acclaimed as Houston's top dining neighborhood, Montrose — home to both cutting edge cuisine thanks to places like Underbelly and Pax Americana as well as more casual options like Paulie's and The Burger Joint (etc., etc., etc.) — lacks a legitimate, Central Texas-style barbecue joint. Thankfully, that situation will improve considerably next week.

Brookstreet Bar-B-Que owner Jamil Musa and his partner Lutfi Rukab will open the eagerly anticipated Montrose location of their popular local mini-chain on June 22. Located in a gorgeous limestone home on Montrose Boulevard just north of Westheimer, the intimate, 1,000-square foot space has only limited interior seating, but the restaurant has added an outdoor deck for additional seating and a drive-thru line to serve to-go customers.

Pitmaster Farris Dabis will serve all the staples of Texas barbecue, including beef brisket, pork ribs, and two kinds of sausage (regular and jalapeno), as well as pulled pork. Beef ribs will be available on Saturdays, and wagyu briskets may pop-up as an occasional special. Sandwiches will be served on Slow Dough's split-top challah hot dog buns.

Musa has opted to take a purist's approach to sides by forgoing a fryer (sorry french fry fans) and sticking to potato salad, coleslaw and beans. Unlike some Brookstreet eateries, the Montrose location will not offer hamburgers.

Dabis tells CultureMap that he spent "a few months" working at Austin's James Beard Award-winning Franklin Barbecue in 2014 and has been honing his skills cooking for friends and family ever since. Although he acknowledges that it's a "huge jump" to move from the offset smokers used at Franklin to the Southern Pride rotisserie at Brookstreet, Dabis says he's happy with the results he's seen so far.

"I've been very impressed with the way it cooks. It makes good smoke and holds a steady temperature," he says.

While the picture above certainly testifies to Dabis's skill, diners will get to decide for themselves when the restaurant opens — just in time for Pride weekend.

A full selection of meat and sides.

Photo by Eric Sandler

A full selection of meat and sides.

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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