Austin comes to Midtown

Austin bar owners elevate Midtown with 4 exciting new concepts

Jack & Ginger's Irish Pub and 77 Degrees Midtown rendering

A rendering of 77 Degrees and Jack & Ginger's.

Courtesy image

Even with EaDo’s rise and Washington Avenue’s resurgence, Midtown remains one of Houston’s favorite places to party. Four new concepts from Austin-based bar owners will further cement that status.

Construction is currently underway to transform the block that formerly house Midtown Drinkery, Red Door, and Stoked Tacos & Tequila into four new concepts: 77 Degrees and Jack & Ginger’s Irish Pub from Union Venture Group; Electric Feelgood from Dogwood owners Carmack Concepts; and Unicorn Disco, a joint venture from the owners of HandleBar and Kung Fu Saloon.

For Union Venture, opening 77 Degrees and Jack & Ginger’s constitutes a return to Midtown; the company operated Red Door for 13 years. It also owned two other shuttered concepts: The Good Life in Midtown (currently the site of Maba Pan-Asian Diner) and Saint Genevieve in Upper Kirby’s West Ave mixed-use development.

“We had a good run there, 13 years at Red Door,” Union Venture co-owner Darren Van Delden tells CultureMap. “We were focused on some other projects, but we always wanted to make it back to Midtown . . . We just thought this would be a perfect opportunity.”

Uniting with Electric Feelgood and Unicorn Disco was an easy decision, Van Delden explains, because the companies already have neighboring concepts in Austin. Building the four concepts together creates synergy that takes advantage of Midtown’s walkability.

“We wanted to revamp the entire block in coordination with the landlord,” Van Delden says. “Over the last 15 years, its been a hodgepodge of different concepts. We didn’t want to invest unless there was a nice resurgence and overall conglomeration of different operators to do something unique.”

That something unique starts with 77 Degrees, which takes the success that Red Door had as a rooftop bar and turns things up, literally, by going from two to four stories. At a massive 14,000 square feet (almost as big as Truckyard), 77 Degrees will offer four levels of cabana-style seating, an extensive selection of cocktails, a Caribbean-inspired menu of tapas-style small plates and, most importantly, an impressive view of the downtown skyline.

Jack and Ginger’s offers a slightly elevated take on a classic Irish pub with 100 beers on tap, a menu of classic pub grub, and a commitment to soccer. Van Delden, who identifies himself as a devoted fan of the Beautiful Game, emphasized that he wants patrons to be able to watch matches at all hours of the day in an atmosphere that's a little nicer than what they might expect from other pubs.

“[Traditional] Irish pubs can be a little run-down,” Van Delden says. “We love that aspect, but we wanted to clean it up a little bit. Give you the atmosphere but a little more polished.”

The partners are obviously feeling bullish about their prospects, and why not? They’ve all operated successful concepts in Houston. Besides, Houstonians have demonstrated their affection for patio bars; why wouldn't elevating the experience draw crowds?

craft-beer openings cocktails

One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

news-you-can-eat barbecue chefs