BCK in the Heights

Bosscat Kitchen owners go nostalgic with new concept in the Heights

One of 2017's hottest new restaurants already has plans to expand. Bosscat Kitchen & Libations will open a second Houston-area concept in the Heights in the space that previously housed Glass Wall, but it won't be a clone of the Galleria-area bar and restaurant.

A City of Houston permit application posted in Glass Wall's window shows Bosscat Kitchen listed as the "occupant" of the space. When it closed after almost 11 years of operations, Glass Wall's owners, Studewood Hospitality Group (Brooklyn Athletic Club, The Del), announced plans to open a new concept in the space, but that hasn't come to fruition.

Instead, Bosscat Kitchen, the California-based whiskey-obsessed bar and restaurant that's made a splash since it opened in February, will open a new concept called BCK: Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures.

Scheduled to open later this fall, the new concept will be a neighborhood restaurant with a menu that offers "nostalgic American fare from the owners’ childhoods," according to a statement released in response to CultureMap's request for comment.

“We created this idea two years ago when we were still living in Newport Beach, but we never had a venue for it," owner John "J.T." Reed said in the statement. "The Heights is the perfect neighborhood for this type of creativity. It’s going to give us a great canvas to step outside the box."

Moving from the bar-oriented Bosscat Kitchen to more of a restaurant should serve BCK well. The recent bar and restaurant explosion in the Heights has given the neighborhood lots of new options, despite the requirement that some establishments in the area must operate as private clubs.

Eight Row Flint has already earned a reputation as one of Houston's finest whiskey destinations, and recently-opened establishments like Better Luck Tomorrow, Heights Bier Garten, and King's BierHaus all operate along the same bar-with-good-food premise that fuels Bosscat's Galleria-area location.

Bosscat's over-the-top brunch dishes have been a smash hit, and recent changes to lighten up the lunch menu show that owners Reed, along with Leslie "Bosscat" Nguyen and Vincent Capizzi understand how to respond to feedback from diners.

A new concept that serves food inspired by their respective childhoods in the '80s and '90s certainly sounds intriguing. With BCK slated to join Mason Pucha Bistro, a new French concept from former La Table executive chef Manuel Pucha, the Heights should more than maintain its status as Houston's hottest neighborhood for restaurant openings.

Bosscat Kitchen and Libations will open second concept in the Heights.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Bosscat Kitchen and Libations will open second concept in the Heights.

the-heights openings cocktails

Kirby Ice House 5

Houston's modern ice house plans fall opening for new Clear Lake outpost

Courtesy of Kirby Ice House

A rendering previews Kirby Ice House's Clear Lake location.

Houston’s growing chain of modern ice houses is heading to the Bay Area. Kirby Ice House will open a Clear Lake outpost in September.

Located near the Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston at open at 530 Bay Area Boulevard, the new Kirby Ice House will build on the brand’s winning formula — a huge indoor-outdoor bar with an extensive selection of beer and cocktails, lawn games, space for food trucks, and plenty of TVs for watching sports. The Clear Lake location will also offer Kirby Ice House’s daily specials and happy hour discounts.

The bar is customing its interior for Clear Lake. For example, the design will nod to NASA with a neon sign that depicts its signature cowgirl riding a rocket.

“One of the things we enjoy most is creating spaces that reflect the communities they serve,” co-owner Danny Evans said in a statement. “We never want our locations to feel copied and pasted. We want them to have their own personality, and we hope guests feel that from the moment they walk in.”

While the construction team is building the bar, Kirby Ice House has already begun recruiting the 100 or so employees who will be necessary at opening by setting up a hiring facility adjacent to the construction site.

Those employees will be pouring beers from dozens of taps alongside wines by-the-glass or bottle. Kirby Ice House also serves cocktails such as a cucumber-lime Moscow Mule, blood orange paloma, and lemonade Old Fashioned. A rotating roster of food trucks serves customers who want a bite with their beers. Taken together, the extensive selection and massive footprint have helped each location of Kirby Ice House rank among the highest’s grossing bars in Texas.

Over time, the concept has grown to four Houston-area locations in Upper Kirby, Memorial City, The Woodlands, and a Heights-adjacent location that opened last year.

“The Kirby Ice House team is excited to become part of Clear Lake’s vibrant, historic culture,” added vice president of operations Margo Axton. “We’re looking forward to being a neighborhood gathering place that supports local businesses, welcomes casual groups, and gives the community an easy place to meet up before, during, or after whatever the day has planned.”