Fire Closes Sylvia's

Early morning fire temporarily closes Memorial-area Tex-Mex restaurant

The Memorial-area location of Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen is temporarily closed after a fire.

Photo courtesy of © Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

One of the Houston-area's most well-regarded Tex-Mex restaurants has temporarily closed after being damaged in an early morning fire.

Update: The restaurant reopened August 16 and has resumed normal operations.

The Memorial-area location of Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen at Woodway near Voss will be closed for at least five days due to the damage it suffered in the blaze, which broke out about 1 am. The cause appears to be the restaurant's wood-burning grill, but that is being investigated, according to a statement issued by owner Sylvia Casares. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

"(The fire) activated our fire alarm, and fortunately, the Houston Fire Department arrived a very short time later. I cannot say enough what an amazing job they did," Casares writes. Later adding, "I really want to say thank you again to the Houston Fire Department and to all our customers and friends who are reaching out this morning."

Both of Sylvia's other locations in west Houston and Energy Corridor are operating as usual.

what about your friends?

Rapidly expanding Houston restaurant group befriends Rice Village with shareable plates and craft cocktails

Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

The menu includes this penne pasta.

A rapidly growing Houston restaurant and bar group will soon arrive in Rice Village. ALife Hospitality is opening FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge on April 1.

Located in the former Mi Luna space at 2442 University Blvd., FRNDS (pronounced “friends”), aims to be a gathering spot for groups. Although ALife is well established with concepts such as Kamp, Lost & Found, and the recently-opened Bungalow Downtown Dining, the new establishment will be its first in Rice Village.

“The space sort of picked us,” ALife partner Junior Martin tells CultureMap. “While looking for new opportunities, we viewed several locations in different areas of the city. After touring the property during the day and at night, it gave us a vision of what was missing from the Rice Village area and from our hospitality offerings to the city of Houston.”

Those offerings begin with a menu of tapas-style shareable plates created by ALife culinary director Mark Holley. Best known for his time at seafood restaurant Pesce and his current role at Davis Street at Hermann Park, Holley’s menu includes Coconut Curry Shrimp Skewers, Crab Avocado Dip, and Red Curry Fried Calamari. Diners will also find truffle pasta, shrimp cocktail, and baby back ribs. For his part, Martin recommends the wagyu dumplings and chicken satay.

“Several of the menu choices are shareable items to enjoy with your friends,” Martin adds. “This fosters a vibe of fellowship with your group and allows [everyone] to explore multiple menu items together.”

FRNDS pairs its dishes with a range of craft cocktails. Highlights include the Pineapple Patron and a popcorn cocktail that comes with a sidecar of kernels.

FRNDS Pineapple Patron cocktail Behold the Pineapple Patron.Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

Renovations to the space include adding royal blue and purple booths, marble bar and table tops, and wood accents.

Rice Village has seen a number of new openings in the past few months, including Navy Blue, the new seafood restaurant from the Bludorn team; Sushi by Hidden, an omakase restaurant from the owners of Hidden Omakase; a new location of Chinese American restaurant the Rice Box; Australian-inspired coffee shop Bluestone Lane; and Eau Tour, a French restaurant from Local Foods owner Benjy Levit.

ALife Hospitality FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge Rice Village openings news-you-can-eat