New Knock-Out Pizza Place?

A former boxer is opening two new restaurants in Houston: Are you ready for knock-out hybrid pizza?

One feature of the current Houston restaurant boom is out of towners coming to the city to seek fortune from the city's seemingly limitless appetite for going out to eat. Bradley Ogden closed his restaurants in Vegas and launched two concepts near the Heights, while the expansionist Fox Restaurant Group just opened True Food Kitchen near the Galleria with plans to open an Italian restaurant and another TFK soon.

The trend even has an international component as both Indian buffet Maharahja Bhog and recently announced Mexican seafood restaurant Peska made their stateside debuts in the Bayou City. So, where else but Houston would a former Italian boxer turned London restaurant owner decide to make his American debut?

The restaurant's signature item is the Mascalzone, a half calzone/half pizza prepared in a special pizza oven.

Meet Andrea Magi and his Italian restaurant Il Mascalzone. The London-based restaurant will open its first Houston location in the Westchase area next week followed by a second location off Washington in the former Solea space in October.

“I chose Houston for Mascalzone’s first U.S. location because of its vibrant, growing international community and adventurous palates,” Magi said in a statement. “I’m excited to bring old and new favorite Italian dishes to the community and offer an experience that is 100 percent Italian and 100 percent unique.”

Diners with the aforementioned "adventurous palates" will also find that everything at Mascalzone is 100 percent Italian. The ingredients, furnishings, wines and more all come from Italy.

The restaurant's signature item is the Mascalzone, a half calzone/half pizza prepared in the restaurant's MaranaForni pizza oven, which a release promises is "not only state-of-the-art but looks straight out of NASA."

Other popular items include octopus carpaccio, black squid ink pasta with lobster and breaded veal escalope.

If Houstonians embrace the concept, Magi plans to open three more across the area over the next 12 months.

Il Mascalzone opens to the public August 18. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.

Andrea Magi is a former boxer turned restaurant owner.

Courtesy photo

Andrea Magi is a former boxer turned restaurant owner.

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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