Bowled over

Healthy new restaurant bowls over Washington Avenue with fresh menu

Fresh and healthy Rush Bowls is coming to Houston.

Rush Bowls

A Colorado-based concept is coming to Houston. Rush Bowls announced it will open three restaurants in the Bayou City, one of them set for an end-of-year debut at 6001 Washington Ave. Husband and wife Ryan and Michelle Taylor have signed a franchise development agreement with the concept to bring healthier dining options to H-Town.

The couple hasn't announced exact locations for the other two Rush Bowls, but Rice Village, The Heights, and the Galleria are on their radar, along with other Inner Loop locales. Rush Bowls opened four locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the past 12 months; the Washington Avenue spot is the first of what could be as many as 10 Houston outposts.

Founded in 2004, Rush Bowls offers meals-on-the-go in the form of bowls filled with blended fruit and vegetables, then topped with organic granola and honey, and other nutritious ingredients.The menu has 40 bowls, as well as smoothies made with fruit and vegetables.

Vegetarian, vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and nut-free options are also available. The concept was originally conceived for college students, as a way to offer them healthy, quick meals that tasted great.

It will be interesting to see how the concept plays in Houston, where eating out and grab-and-go concepts are part of the city's personality. Odds are those in the Washington Avenue-Memorial Park area will get into a spot where they can find something healthy that fits into a busy lifestyle. While the Washington Avenue Rush Bowls should open by year's end, no date has been set for the other two planned locations.

“We noticed that there was a lack of healthy eating options in Houston and after seeing Rush Bowls’ success in other markets across the country and Texas, we knew this would be a great opportunity,” said Michelle in a press release that announced the company's Houston expansion. “Rush Bowls thrives off of creating delicious, wholesome, all-natural food that makes you forget you’re eating something good for you. Houston is a very active city that is full of energy, and we are excited to provide healthy meals to fuel our community.”

they're back

2 treasured Houston Mexican restaurants reopen after brief closures

Courtesy of Picos

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Two staple Houston-area Mexican restaurants are making comebacks after brief closures. Picos has already returned to service, while El Tiempo Cantina’s Webster location isn’t far behind.

After closing its Upper Kirby location on August 30, Picos reopened Saturday, September 12 in the former Cyclone Anaya’s space in River Oaks (3736 Westheimer Rd.). The move is only about two miles from Picos’ former home at Kirby and Richmond.

Chef-owner Arnaldo Richards partnered with Cyclone Anaya’s owners The Dhanani Group to transform the space into Picos. It allows Richards to preserve Picos, which opened on Bellaire Blvd. in 1984 and operated on Kirby Dr. for 12 years. Last year, Richards announced Picos would close due to declining sales but later stated his intentions to find a new, slightly smaller home for the restaurant. That dream was realized via a “last-minute agreement” with Cyclone Anaya’s owners The Dhanani Group according to press materials.

“After spending the past year searching for a new home, it truly feels like the stars aligned,” Richards said in a statement. “We were willing to do anything we could to keep Picos, and we finally found the right space for this next-generation evolution of Picos.”

Picos Westheimer River Oaks interior The new Picos features an indoor-outdoor bar.Photo by Becca Wright

At over 6,000 square feet, the new Picos still offers a spacious environment that includes an indoor-outdoor bar. It will serve the same menu as the prior locations, including fan favorites such as moles from all seven regions on Mexico, enchiladas, and the signature shaker margaritas.

“As native Houstonians, we understand what Picos means to this city and the generations of Houstonians who have supported the restaurant for more than 40 years,” said Usman Dhanani of The Dhanani Group, which still operates five other locations of Cyclone Anaya’s across Houston. “We’re excited to partner with Arnaldo and his family to carry the Picos tradition forward and ensure that a restaurant so deeply rooted in Houston remains part of the city’s dining community for years to come.”

The Houston Chronicle was first to report that Picos had reopened.

El Tiempo Cantina Post Houston El Tiempo is returning to Webster. Courtesy of El Tiempo Cantina

As for El Tiempo, franchisee Liquid Gold Hospitality surprised Bay Area diners when it abruptly closed the location at 20237 Gulf Fwy at the end of August. In a Facebook post, El Tiempo announced the location will reopen under direct management of the Laurenzo family, which founded El Tiempo and operates most of its other locations.

Notably, the post did not specify an opening date, merely that the restaurant is “reopening soon.”

El Tiempo’s Webster location opened at the end of 2017 after significant delays, including a lawsuit between the Laurenzo family and Liquid Gold. Overall, Houston is home to 18 locations of El Tiempo, with its outpost at The Post in downtown Houston being the most recent to open.

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