New Heights Restaurant

The Heights set to become a fried chicken capital with new restaurant from food truck duo

Fall 2014 is turning into Houston's fried chicken season. Even as diners got their first taste of The Chicken Ranch at Tuesday night's CultureMap Social party at Boheme, Facebook was buzzing with the news that H-Town StrEATs chefs Jason Hill and Matt Opaleski would be opening a fried chicken restaurant called The Bird House in the same space as seasonal crawfish restaurant Boil House on 11th Street in The Heights.

"We rent kitchen space there for StrEATs, and the space is super cool. We felt like it should be used for something," Hill tells CultureMap. "The owners are super cool and offered us the space for (a reasonable rate) . . . We came up with fried chicken and bad ass sides."

"This allows us to test the brand with low risk. If it works, we want to move it to a more permanent location."

The Bird House recipe uses locally-sourced chicken from Holmes Foods. The menu will also include a rotating selection of seasonal vegetable sides as well as specials like chicken fried steak, chicken sandwiches and chicken doughnut sandwiches that bring together The Bird House with the duo's soon to open donut shop Hugs & Donuts.

The restaurant will begin service this Saturday and will be open Wednesdays through Mondays going forward until Boil House resumes operations when crawfish return in January. Hill offers a reasonable explanation for why he and Opaleski would invest time in a concept that will only be open for a few months.

"We love fried chicken and believe Houston needs a place like Willie Mae's Scotch House, Lucy's Fried Chicken, Mary Mac's Tea Room and Gladys Knight and Ron's," he says. "This allows us to test the brand with low risk. If it works, we want to move it to a more permanent location."

Hill also sees the perks of a seasonal location. "It would allow me to be able to operate in non-crawfish season and I also look for crawfish with other dishes, because my hands get tired before I'm full."

Comparisons with The Chicken Ranch are inevitable, of course, given the restaurants' proximity to each other and similar set of influences. Choosing one or the other will vary depending on each individual's taste, but Hill isn't concerned.

"We both know there's enough space for the two of us," he says. "Plus, you can never have too much fried chicken."

The Bird House debuts this weekend with Southern style fried chicken.

The Bird House Facebook

The Bird House debuts this weekend with Southern style fried chicken.

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riel returns

Shuttered Houston restaurant revived for 1 night only at Canada Day pop-up

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

The pop-up will serve Riel's caviar and truffle pierogi.

One of the saddest restaurant closures of 2025 will get a one-night-only revival. Favorite dishes from Riel will return at Chardon on Sunday, June 28 for an event being called “Booze Can Sunday.”

While a French fine dining restaurant might seem like an unlikely host for a Riel revival, Chardon executive chef E.J. Miller once served as Riel’s opening sous chef. Miller invited his former boss, Riel chef-owner Ryan Lachaine, to join him for a pop-up that honors Canada Day.

Together, the duo will serve some of Riel’s most popular dishes, including:

Truffle and Caviar Pierogies
Steak Au Poivre Poutine with Cheese Curds
Deli Dog
Montreal Smoked Meat Sliders
Torche Kolaches
Mushroom Empanadas
Gator Karaage
Maple Whiskey Soft Serve with Foie Caram

The day will also feature drink specials such as Canadian Jell-O Shots, Molson X, Canadian Club, Old Grand-Dad, and more. Robin Wong, a co-owner of Blood Bros. BBQ and a successful DJ, will spin throughout the event.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

The pop-up will serve Riel's caviar and truffle pierogi.

"Riel was a special place for a lot of people, and Booze Can Sunday was always one of the most anticipated events of the week," said Miller. "Ryan and I wanted to bring back that energy for one day, celebrate the restaurant that meant so much to us, and give guests a chance to revisit some of the dishes and memories they loved."

Riel Restaurant Ryan Lachaine E.J. Miller A vintage picture of chefs EJ Miller and Ryan Lachaine. Photo by Eric Sandler

Riel opened in January 2017 and closed in August 2025. In between, it earned wide acclaim for the way Lachaine blended his Canadian upbringing and Ukrainian heritage with the modern Gulf Coast cuisine he learned while working at restaurants such as Reef and Underbelly.

Currently, Lachaine works as the executive chef at River Oaks restaurant State of Grace. He added two Riel signatures to State of Grace’s menu — the caviar tater tots and signature butter burgers.

Chardon, which earned a Best New Restaurant nomination in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards for its blend of classic French fare with Texas ingredients, opened in February 2025. In addition to Riel, Miller’s resume includes SaltAir Seafood Kitchen, International Smoke, and Muse.

Booze Can Sunday takes place from 3-9 pm. Attendees are encouraged to register on Eventbrite.

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