Foodie News

A serene space in the Museum District: Surprises from a new restaurant in AsiaSociety Center

The Asia Society Texas Center
Photo by Paul Hester/© 2011 Hester + Hardaway
Elizabeth Stone of The Stone Kitchen Catering & Special Event
The Stone Kitchen Catering & Special Events/Facebook
Photo by Michael Hart/Bright Sky Press
The Stone Kitchen Catering & Special Events/Facebook

After 25 years in the catering business, Elizabeth Stone of Stone Kitchen Catering has branched into a new world, opening the Jade Stone Café inside the Asia Society Texas Center in the Museum District.

The 40-seat café is Stone's first foray into restaurant service, offering her signature gourmet light American fare — soups, salads and sandwiches — with subtle Asian twists. Look for wasabi aioli on the club sandwich, wonton crisps served with the salads and an Asian slaw included with the sandwiches, plus coffee and tea as well as Stone's delightful desserts.

"The building is so beautiful, it's a serene place to be," Stone says. "I've even seen businessmen coming here from downtown looking for some place that is quiet and relaxing."

According to Stone, Jade Stone Café has become a neighborhood lunch destination since opening in April soon after the center's debut.

"The Asia Society really wanted a cafe to service the community as well as patrons," says Stone, who is also the exclusive caterer for events in the space. Designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, the Japanese starchitect known for his renovation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, admission to the building itself is free, though the exhibition space inside does have a $5 fee for non-members.

"The building is so beautiful, it's a serene place to be," Stone says. "I've even seen businessmen coming here from downtown looking for some place that is quiet and relaxing."

Jade Stone Café isn't the only new project this year for Stone. In September her cookbook, An Invitation to Entertain, will be published by Bright Sky Press.

"It's all the tricks I've learned in 25 years as a caterer and how to take it to the home level," says Stone, who spent three years working on the project.

Jade Stone Café is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, with extended hours on the first Thursday of the month starting in September for Asia Society Texas Center's Leo Bar cocktail mixers.

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two days of bbq

2 Michelin-rated barbecue joints holding can't-miss pop ups in Houston

Courtesy of KG BBQ

KG BBQ is bringing its Egyptian-influenced barbecue to Houston.

Two of the Texas barbecue joints to earn Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide will be holding pop ups in Houston this week. One is visiting from Austin, while another is a Spring favorite with a one-day-only menu.

On Saturday, December 14, Austin’s celebrated KG BBQ will be serving at Axelrad in Midtown. Part of Texas Monthly’s 2023 list of the Top 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas, KG BBQ has earned wide acclaim for pitmaster Kareem El-Ghayesh’s Egyptian-influenced take on Texas barbecue.

The menu will include many of KG’s most popular dishes, including brisket rice bowls with smoked Mediterranean rice; smoked lamb chops; sumac-and-cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder, and sides such as pink buttermilk potato salad and Baladi salad.

Service begins at 10:30 am. Preorders are available online with a minimum order of $60.

In a statement, Axelrad co-owners Adam Brackman and Monte Large say that KG will make more visits to Houston in 2025. El-Ghayesh adds that he’s a fan of the Houston bar that’s known for its spacious backyard with hammocks, a stage, and a wide-ranging menu of beer and cocktails.

“Since the moment I stepped foot in Axelrad, I loved their culture, their vibrant colors and artistic flare, their attention to detail and hospitality and love for entertainment makes this place perfect for bringing back my nostalgic memories of hosting pop-ups like how I started in Austin,” he said. “I’m proud to bring what I have created to Houston. From how diverse the city is, its beautiful variety of ethnic foods, and large Egyptian community, it has so much to offer. We are excited to serve up some Egyptian BBQ to the Houston community through our pop ups over the next year at Axelrad.”

On Sunday, Spring’s Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q will trade its usual offerings for a special menu of dishes made with smoked whole hog. The menu will include whole hog plates, whole hog sandwiches, whole hog-and-parmesan polenta cakes, and whole hog served over cheese grits with a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce as well as sides and desserts. Service will run from 11 am until everything sells out, likely sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

“The whole menu is filled with specials and cool items we don’t do everyday at the stand,” co-owner Jordan Rosemeyer writes in an email. The motive, beyond exercising some creative muscles, is to raise money for Hogs for the Cause, an annual event that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and the families who are fighting it.

Like KG, Rosemeyer is also a member of Texas Monthly’s 2023 new and improved list. Located at 2111 Riley Fuzzel Rd., the humble trailer has earned acclaim for its weekly specials, housemade ice cream, and well executed barbecue staples.

news-you-can-eat barbecue pop ups kg bbq rosemeyer bar-b-q