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    Foodie News

    Everything's Hunky Dory in the Heights with new tavern from restaurant dream team

    Eric Sandler
    Aug 19, 2013 | 2:30 pm

    "We liked the casual feel of the name, the fun way it sounds and the meaning of 'everything’s great.' That tied in really well with the vision we have of what the restaurant would be like."

     

    That's how Down House chef Benjy Mason describes one of the reasons he and former Feast chef Richard Knight have chosen Hunky Dory as the name for the new restaurant they'll open next year with partners Chris Cusack and Joey Treadway, as Chronicle critic Alison Cook first reported on Friday.

     

    Mason adds that he'd been listening to the David Bowie album of the same name recently, a holdover from when he worked alongside Knight at Feast and Hunky Dory was "one of the few CDs that did not skip, so we listened to it quite often."

     

     

      Having turned Down House into a Heights staple and successfully launched modern ice house D&T Drive Inn, Mason, Cusack and Treadway are ready to present a more complete vision of their ideal neighborhood restaurant.  

     
     

    Knight demanded Cusack's observation that Bowie is "very sexually ambidextrous, like Richard is" be included in this article. On a more serious note, Cusack recalls that when Treadway read reviews of Hunky Dory he noticed that critics consider it "the album in which David Bowie cultivated his own voice: something that was not trying to be in response to things that were going on in the 60's."

     

    Similarly, having turned Down House into a Heights staple over the past three years and successfully launched modern ice house D&T Drive Inn this summer, Mason, Cusack and Treadway are ready to present a more complete vision of their ideal neighborhood restaurant. As Knight says, "Down House sort of evolved. This one is a bit more, we’ve got the crew together and the dream team and the concept. It’s all a lot more thought out."

     

    Another way the restaurant represents a step up is the decision to partner with Michael Hsu on the transformation of a large property that currently includes a used car lot into a restaurant; he's the architect behind Uchi's locations, as well as Artisans in Midtown.

     

    "Something that we really do well as a group is work collaboratively," Cusack notes. "Working with Michael has been that way so far. I hope and suspect that we’re going to end up with something unlike anything you’ve seen from him . . . more comfortable, more classic." Knight adds that they're "pushing Hsu" to move away from his typical modern style with "warmer woods (and) darker colors . . . We love him, because he's very excited about the project."

     

     Tavern as gathering space

     

    Turning to the food, Cusack says that, although the group liked the "sexy, romantic feel" of words like steakhouse and chophouse to define the concept, they settled on tavern as the best fit. "I think a tavern is a great kind of gathering space, great food, has a strong drinking component to it," Cusack says.

     

    Knight says the menu will be driven by a "very big, sexy, wood-burning grill. It’s a big, beast thing with a crank . . . We’ll leave it so people can see it. It’s a visual thing. The food tastes of this wonderful thing, and they can smell it in the room."

     

     

      "We’ve been talking a lot about having the best roast chicken in Houston," Mason says. "It’s something that is simple, straightforward, and, when it’s done well, it’s amazing."  

     
     

    On the topic of specific dishes, Knight shares that he's "been looking at the idea of this man-steak thing, which is cut from the top of the leg. Basically, you’ve got three or four muscle groups in there with different layers of stuff going on. It has the bone-in, which is great . . . Not being too fussy. Simple food, done well. Letting a few things speak for themselves."

     

    "We’ve been talking a lot about having the best roast chicken in Houston," Mason says. "It’s something that is simple, straightforward, and, when it’s done well, it’s amazing."

     

    As for how it compares to Feast, Knight says "we don’t want to be a destination place. We’re more casual and fun. A place people can go out and have a quick bite, have a quick drink or a great, more elaborate birthday meal."

     

    But Cusack thinks that Feast helped pave the way for a warmer reception for Hunky Dory. "We’re at a nice point where guests are a lot more educated about food. If there was a (menu item) that was completely unfamiliar to them five years ago, they’ve probably seen it once or twice and maybe even tried it."

     

    The Heights restaurant boom continues. Hunky Dory joins other highly anticipated concepts like CK Steakhouse, Coltivare and Fat Cat Creamery as restaurants to watch over the next year or so. One more reason it's one of the nation's best neighborhoods.

    This rendering shows Hunky Dory's overall look.

     
    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    hola, mayahuel

    Netflix chef's modern Mexican restaurant opens in Houston this month

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 7, 2025 | 6:45 pm
    Mayahuel restaurant
    Photo by Bethany Ochs
    Mayahuel's menu combines seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn.

    The countdown is on to Houston’s newest modern Mexican restaurant. Mayahuel will officially open for dinner on Friday, July 18.

    Located in the Autry Park mixed-use development, Mayahuel united Culinary Khancepts — the hospitality group behind Liberty Kitchen, State Fare, and Leo’s River Oaks (among others) — with star chef Luis Robledo Richards. Known locally for his short-lived taqueria Comalito, Richards is the pastry chef behind Mexico City’s celebrated Tout Chocolat. His resume includes serving as a judge on the Netflix series Sugar Rush: The Baking Point and being named the Best Pastry Chef in Latin America by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

    At Mayahuel, Richards will feature dishes made with seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn that’s imported from Mexico. At opening, it will be a tidy group of 16 savory dishes — divided into starters, “Tacos y Masa,” and entrees, as well as a separate tasting menu. The restaurant takes its name from the Mexica goddess of the maguey plant, which only blooms once, to emphasize its connection to Mexico’s land and culture.

    “At Mayahuel, we’re not just preparing food — we’re honoring time, place, and process,” Richards said in a statement. “Our ingredients are chosen only when they’re at their best. We don’t force nature to fit our schedule — we follow its lead.”

    Dinner at Mayahuel could begin with dishes such as bread and tortillas served with miso and salsa matcha butters, a bluefin tuna tostada with uni cream and yuzu aioli, salmon aguachile, or a beef carnitas croquette. The “Tacos y Masa” section includes beef cheek and shrimp tacos, a duck confit tamal, and a squash blossom tetela. Entree choices include filet mignon with mole negro, cochinita with black bean puree and tortillas, and sea bass with potatoes and salsa Veracruzana.

    Brunch is a more casual affair built around items such as chilaquiles, French toast, enfrijoladas, and a Mexican take on eggs Benedict topped with salsa roja hollandaise.

    Large format desserts each take inspiration from one of three ingredients — vanilla, coffee, or cacao. Priced at $28 each, the menu describes them as “a thoughtful, interactive finale that honors tradition through technique, seasonality, and imagination.”

    Pairings include cocktails made with agave spirits, fresh juices, and house made syrups. Notably, all tequilas will be additive-free, which means some prominent brands may not be featured behind Mayahuel’s bar.

    The restaurant occupies an approximately 5,100-square-foot space that’s divided into a 16-seat bar, a 40-seat dining room, an eight-seat chef’s table, a 36-seat, second floor dining room, and a 34-seat patio. It joins other concepts in Autry Park such as French restaurant Annabelle Brasserie, sushi spot Doko, fine dining steakhouse Turner’s Cut, Vietnamese restaurant Annam, and a still-unnamed concept from Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality.

    “Mayahuel is about creating a sense of place and story,” Culinary Khancepts founder Omar Khan said. “It’s a natural evolution for our group — rooted in culture, crafted with care, and designed to be as memorable as it is welcoming.”

    Mayahuel will be open for happy hour and dinner Monday-Saturday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

    Mayahuel restaurant
      

    Photo by Bethany Ochs

    Mayahuel's menu combines seasonal ingredients and heirloom corn.

    news-you-can-eatopeningsmayahuelchefs
    news/restaurants-bars

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