welcome, chef

Veteran chef boasting global chops takes over Medical Center hotel and restaurant

A new face will lead the culinary direction at the InterContinental Houston – Medical Center.

Harol Ortiz, a native of Venezuela with a career that spans the globe, will head the hotel's culinary program. That includes menus for Safina's, the InterContinental's modern Mediterranean eatery, its cosmopolitan craft cocktail space, The Naturalist Café & Lounge Bar, along with overseeing culinary aspects of the hotel's events, and functions.

“Chef Ortiz has the expertise, creativity, and skill to execute the premier culinary experience guests have come to expect from the InterContinental Houston – Medical Center,” said Doug Kelly, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing in a release announcing Ortiz's appointment. “His experience at some of the best hotels on the IHG roster is proving this to be a seamless transition, and we we’re especially excited to see him execute his vision for Safina, which has become a dining destination unto itself.”

Prior to this move, Ortiz was the executive chef of Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables, an Autograph Collection property in the Miami area. He was also the chef and proprietor of La Churuata, a Latin barbecue restaurant with an emphasis on Venezuelan specialties.

He's a two-time Greater Miami and The Beaches Hotel Association Inn Key Awards Best Chef winner. He also served as executive chef of the InterContinental the Willard – Washington D.C.

Ortiz began his culinary career in Miami, where he learned about Asian, Indian, and French cooking techniques. That spurred a desire to go to culinary school, and he enrolled in Miami's Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in food and beverage from San Ignacio University.

Diners should expect Ortiz to bring a "land meets sea" sensibility to the InterContinental, according to the hotel's press release. He is currently working on a steak menu that's designed to showcase and augment the InterContinental's extensive wine program.

His summer menu will include a poached pear salad with Cambozola cheese and organic mixed greens and bone-in short ribs with potato pave, green bean and carrot bundle, and a merlot demi-glace.

Seafood dishes such as grilled octopus with fennel roasted potatoes, and yellow Romanesco sauce, and pan-seared Chilean sea bass with roasted corn puree and green beans will also be on the menu.

That sounds like the perfect recipe for elevated Med Center dining.

Harol Ortiz bring considerable expertise to Houston.

Photo courtesy of InterContinental Houston – Medical Center

Harol Ortiz bring considerable expertise to Houston.

All-day cafe with boutique hotel vibes coming to downtown Houston

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.

Downtown Houston is adding a new restaurant to its roster with Lila’s at GreenStreet. Slated to open this fall, Lila’s is envisioned as an all-day New American restaurant that starts the day with coffee and breakfast and ends with dinner and cocktails.

Located at 1201 Fannin Street, Lila's occupies a 5,100-square-foot space in the former lobby of the office tower, with its entrance tucked into an alleyway between McCormick & Schmick’s and The Palm. The restaurant aims to capture the experience of a boutique hotel, without the hassle of overnight guests.

“We’ve spent years thinking about how hospitality can fundamentally change the experience of a place,” Matt Ragan, chief hospitality officer for Rebees, said in a statement. “With Lila’s, we’re taking the level of service, attention to detail, and sense of welcome you expect from a great boutique hotel and applying it to an everyday restaurant. We want someone grabbing coffee before work, meeting a client for lunch or settling in for dinner and drinks to feel equally at home.”

Executive chef Garee Battad will lead the kitchen, drawing on his two decades of experience largely at hotel restaurants such as Nobu at Hotel Crescent Court and Charlie Palmer at The Joule Dallas. His most recent position was as executive chef at Azumi, the elevated Japanese restaurant in River Oaks District.

“Some of the most memorable restaurants where I’ve worked have been gathering places inside great hotels, and that’s the spirit and sense of place we’re bringing to Lila’s,” Battad said. “We want every dish to feel familiar yet unexpected.”

Behind the bar, mixologist Zach Smigiel is crafting an ingredient-forward cocktail program with a focus on seasonal flavors, complemented by a wine list, local beers, and nonalcoholic beverages.

The eatery is the latest endeavor by Rebees, the Houston-based hospitality management firm behind GreenStreet, and its second venture into the culinary world. Its first was Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford, who will also develop Lila’s menu alongside Battad. Lila’s is named after a French Bulldog owned by Rebees founder Tristan Simon.

This is the hospitality firm’s second endeavor into the culinary world, joining its Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford. Ford will also be developing Lila’s menu alongside Battad.

Tenants of GreenStreet, the three-block, mixed-use development, will be able to order meals and drinks from Lila’s directly to their offices through a proprietary app.

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.