Thai on the green line

New Thai restaurant spices up East End with authentic street fare

A new Thai restaurant in the East End melds traditional Thai flavors with locally sourced ingredients. As its name implies, Street to Kitchen (6501 Harrisburg Blvd.) takes Thai classics and elevates them with techniques learned in some of Houston’s top restaurants.

After working at Salt Air Seafood Kitchen and Theodore Rex, chef Benchawan Painter built a following for Street to Kitchen with pop-up dinners and a weekly presence at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market. Initially operated out of a commissary kitchen, Street to Kitchen recently found its permanent home next to a gas station.

Chef Painter melds the family recipes she learned growing up in Thailand with select ingredients she sources from local farms. For example, the Thai krapow basil in her stir-fried basil beef comes from local urban farm Plant It Forward. In addition, all of her sauces and curries are made from scratch.

“Chef G [as she’s known] is very passionate about making Thai food authentically and unapologetically so,” her husband and business partner Graham Painter tells CultureMap. “Having grown up in her grandma's neighborhood kitchen, she learned traditional techniques to Thai classics and loves to share authentic Thai tastes with everyone.”

The restaurant’s fried chicken has been a hit courtesy of its Thai marinade and a batter that gets its crispiness from the inclusion of rice flour. Although it isn’t spicy like Creole fried cajun, diners have the option of adding heat with either chili-cilantro sauce or sweet chili sauce.

Opening during a pandemic isn’t easy, but Graham Painter, chef Benchawan’s husband and business parter, tells CultureMap the couple is excited about having a dedicated space in the neighborhood they live in. In fact, Painter discovered the location was available when he stopped for gas one day.

“Having done a number of pop-ups outside Little Danny's Speedos Go Fly a Kite Lounge, we knew East End was where we wanted to be; where our original fans are,” he says.

Currently, the restaurant is only offering its food to-go. Diners may place their orders via Street to Kitchen’s website and pick it up from a drive-thru window. Dine-in service will follow at some point in the future.

Street to Kitchen opened in early August.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Street to Kitchen opened in early August.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseman joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseman joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseman says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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