Downtown Cafe Reboot

Celebrated Houston chef cooks up new role at stylish downtown bistro

Chef Adam Dorris and owner Sean Marshall at Coterie.

Photo by Eric Sandler

One of Houston’s best chefs has quietly begun overseeing operations at a downtown cafe.

Adam Dorris, the chef behind Pax Americana and Presidio, has begun consulting at Coterie, the stylish bistro in downtown’s luxurious Market Square Tower. Although Coterie only opened in November, owner Sean Marshall tells CultureMap that he recruited Dorris to help give the restaurant more focus.

“The menu kind of got off track from the original intention of a Parisian-style cafe,” Marshall says. “We didn’t quite get there.”

Introduced to each other by a mutual friend, Dorris says he and Marshall quickly hit it off. The chef quickly realized he could help Coterie grow.

“We ended up hanging out and drinking wine by the pool until 4 am. He told me about the trials of opening and what they’re going through,” Dorris says. “I kept saying you should do this and this and this. I kept thinking about it for a long time.”

Luckily for both men, Dorris had the time to start a new project. After creating a menu and training the kitchen staff at Lotti Dotti, the Montrose patio bar he opened with general manager Michael Riojas, Dorris moved into a more hands-off role. The chef says he checks in with Riojas and the staff regularly, but it’s not a day-to-day role.

Dorris started working at Coterie in June. Since then, he’s recruited and trained a new kitchen staff and installed new menus that blend a little French flair with dishes designed to appeal to the tower’s residents.

“Lighter options, there’s salads, very simple dishes,” Dorris says. “Lots of egg dishes for the morning time ... things that can be taken to-go and will travel well, for people who grab a coffee on their way to work.”

At dinner, the options become a little heartier, with a mix of sandwiches, flatbreads, and center of plate items such as a croque monsieur, whipped avocado and chevre tartine, and even an oven-roasted branzino for two. Coterie also offers a full selection of wine, beer, and cocktails, making it a happy hour destination during the week and a place for residents to grab a drink before going out on the weekends.

Marshall says the response so far has been positive, outside of a couple of complaints from people who miss the burger.

“Everyone else has responded well to the lighter options. You’ve got a lot of really health-conscious folks that live in this building; steak and kale salad, they dig it,” Marshall says. “We can’t be everything to everybody, but we can do a lot in that little kitchen. It’s been well-received. I’ve been pleased with the response.”

Now that the secret’s out, Dorris plans to do a little more marketing to the building’s residents about his role at the restaurant and to reach out to his contacts in the arts community, especially at the Houston Ballet.

Of course, Coterie is open to the public, too, which means anyone can enjoy Dorris’ work. It even offers two hours of free parking at a nearby garage, which is practically unheard of for a downtown restaurant.

“You can’t have enough good advice. You can’t turn down enough bad advice,” Marshall says. “When Adam came on board, it cleared a lot of noise, and I had a line of sight toward the goals we’re trying to reach. Now we’re moving forward instead of wallowing in the midst of trying to figure out what we’re doing. It feels good.”

---

Coterie; 737 Preston St.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 6:30 am to 9 pm; Thursday and Friday, 6:30 am to 11 pm; Saturday, 7:30 am to 11 pm; Sunday, 7:30 am to 8 pm

downtown chefs news-you-can-eat

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza