From Texas to Florida

Chris Shepherd keeps things close to home for the new version of One Fifth

Chris Shepherd is once again changing the restaurant's concept.

Photo by John Davidson

Chris Shepherd’s evolving restaurant One Fifth is ready for its next iteration. After getting inspiration from overseas for Romance Languages and Mediterranean, the chef and his team are keeping things a little closer to home for the fourth version of his restaurant that changes concepts every year for five years.

The new One Fifth will be an ode to the Gulf Coast: “from Texas to Florida, earth to ocean,” according to an announcement by the chef’s company, Underbelly Hospitality. Instead of a full month to convert from one concept to another, the restaurant will only shut down for two weeks. Gulf Coast opens August 12.

The chef tells CultureMap that the concept evolved out of his original plan to open a One Fifth Seafood restaurant, but he wanted a more diverse menu.

“[I decided] I don’t just want to do seafood. I want to do the panhandle of Texas to the panhandle of Florida,” Shepherd says. “If you live in this city, you love [this cuisine]. You love the influence of the Gulf waters and our famers and the culture we have here.”

The menu will be divided into several sections, including shells for all manner of shellfish preparations; small things for shareable plates, such as pimento cheese, hush puppies, and a new version of the Shepherd’s legendary pork belly with Steen’s cane syrup; big things for larger entrees, such as made-to-order jambalaya and a hearth-roasted ribeye; and, of course, desserts created by pastry director Victoria Dearmond.

For the first time, One Fifth will serve brunch on Sundays. Like UB Preserv, expect mostly dishes from the standard menu with few brunchier supplements.

Shepherd says he and his team have a natural affinity for this cuisine. Chef de cuisine Matt Staph’s family has a place in Rockport. Dearmond grew up near Lake Jackson. Both he and Underbelly Hospitality culinary director worked at Brennan’s.

“We love this food,” Shepherd says. “You can put everybody’s heart and soul into it. I’ve learned a lot with this concept over the past four years. If you can’t put your heart into it, it feels weird. This is awesome. I’m so excited.”

While both One Fifth Steak and Romance Languages had prices that made the restaurant more oriented toward special occasions, Mediterranean offered a lower priced, more casual atmosphere. That will continue with Gulf Coast.

“I’m putting a TV in the damn bar,” Shepherd says. “I want this to be your fun-loving, let’s get down and dirty and place.”

While Mediterranean is going away temporarily, it won’t be gone for good. Shepherd and business partner Todd Mason have already started to search for a space to give it a permanent home. Shepherd says he contemplated scrapping the One Fifth concept and trying to extend the lease on its current building, but the 100-year old church would require too much of an investment to update it properly.

“A lot of my guys want to see the five concepts through,” he adds. “It was, like, yeah, you’re right.”

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family-friendly outdoor bar

Massive, German-inspired beer garden coming to new Energy Corridor project

Photo by Eric Sandler

The new beer garden will be similar to Katy Beer Garden.

One of Houston’s most successful bar operators is bringing his talents to the Energy Corridor. Steven Salazar is opening Ashford Beer Garden at the Ashford Yard mixed-use development.

Slated to open in early 2026, Ashford Beer Garden will build on the success Salazar has had with Katy Beer Garden, the project he opened last summer at The Dryer, a mixed-use development on the property of Katy’s historic Cardiff Rice Dryer. Like KBG, Ashford Beer Garden will be large — roughly 21,000 square feet — divided into a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer hall with a companion cocktail bar and a 11,000-square-foot outdoor beer garden that’s shaded by trees.

“We’re sticking with that Bavarian charm,” Salazar says about his vision for Ashford Beer Garden. “Bring your family. It’s really relaxed. The kids are playing. You have multiple generations hanging out. It’s worked well in Katy. We’re excited to bring it to a new area.”

Of course, the new project will make some improvements on the original. Most importantly, Ashford will have a full kitchen (KBG mostly relies on food trucks and a nearby food court). Salazar says he’s looking for a chef to lead the kitchen.

In response to customer demand for private event space, Ashford Beer Garden will also have a larger second floor patio than KBG does. The beer garden will have a larger screen to make it easier for people to watch sports.

Located on the site of a former Schlumberger campus near the intersection of Dairy Ashford Rd. and Briar Forest Dr., Ashford Yard is a 12.7-acre development that will include apartments, restaurants, and retail tenants. Salazar says he found his values aligned with the projects developers, Houston real estate firms Market Square Companies and Tenon Property Company.

“We have a similar vision of quality for the community and creating a space and having great neighbors. Not being a strip center but a true development that’s above and beyond what the area has to offer,” Salazar says. Later, he adds, “It seems great for us to be surrounded by companies such as Shell and Baker Hughes and all these great neighborhoods."

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