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    Meet Indigo

    Ambitious chef aims to make North Lindale Houston's next dining destination

    Eric Sandler
    Sep 13, 2016 | 1:07 pm

    A young chef and his sommelier wife have an ambitious plan to change the way Houstonians think about barbecue. Chana and Johnny Rhodes are making plans to turn their well-received Jensen Chronicles pop-up series into a brick and mortar restaurant that will open in January.

     

    Dubbed Indigo, the restaurant will defy conventional wisdom in a number of ways, starting with its location. Rhodes has chosen a long-shuttered Chinese buffet in North Lindale (just east of I-45 and north of 610) as Indigo’s home. An area best known for its taquerias may seem like an unusual choice for a fine dining restaurant, Rhodes tells CultureMap the neighborhood is an important part of his overall concept.

     

    “It’s a neighborhood that’s trying to change. This entire area, how it is now, it wasn’t like this 10, 15 years ago when I grew up here,” Rhodes says. “This neighborhood is very heavy on Latinos and blacks. That’s the food we want to try to represent. A lot of places have a lot of European feel to it. I’m definitely not that, and I want to showcase what this neighborhood offers: what taquerias and these people are cooking in their homes, just at a more refined level.”

     

    Rhodes says he intends to serve a five-course tasting menu (plus a snack inspired by street food) that incorporates the flavors of Texas barbecue — everything from saucy East Texas to pepper-heavy Central Texas and the barbacoa of the Rio Grande Valley — while also focusing on the vegetable-oriented dishes he learned to prepare while working at high profile establishments like Oxheart, The Inn at Dos Brisas, and New York City’s acclaimed Gramercy Tavern. As one would expect for a barbecue restaurant, smoking will be one of the cooking methods, but Rhodes also plans to incorporate preservation techniques including brining, hanging, trussing, and soil-curing into Indigo’s dishes.

     

    “Even though Texas isn’t known for its acidic barbecue, one of the best things you can have with barbecue is pickles. You can’t really have one without the other,” Rhodes says. “We want to take away the meat and the pickles (as separate items) and try to bring them together.”

     

    As an example, he produces a jar of smoked, pickled turnips that he’s been developing for a year. They have the familiar sweet tang of East Texas barbecue, but Rhodes say he hasn’t used molasses, ketchup, or brown sugar to achieve the flavor. It comes from the pickling solution and time.

     

    In addition to its location and its cuisine, Rhodes plans to defy convention in the restaurant’s design. Outside, plots of land on two sides that will allow Indigo to operate what Rhodes calls a “micro-modern farm” where he’ll grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers to use in his dishes. He also aspires to raise his own chickens and rabbits (although how that will fly with City of Houston regulations is unclear).

     

    Inside, Rhodes envisions a dimly lit dining room of only 16 seats with a chef’s counter and elevated tables. The open kitchen will be brightly lit to allow diners to watch their meals being prepared. Chana will serve as sommelier, but staff members will rotate between working as servers or cooks.

     

    “We want to it to be theatrical, we want it to be dramatic," Rhodes says. “Everything is going to be set up so people can see over one another and be able to see into the kitchen. The kitchen is going to be a stage.”

     

    A skeptic might counter that these plans sound like a hodgepodge of trends plucked from Netflix’s Chef’s Table documentary series or the restaurants that populate the World’s 50 Best list. If barbecue fans react with skepticism to Pappa Charlies serving masala-spiced tri-tip, how likely will they be to embrace smoked yams? Justin Yu has incorporated barbecue into some of Oxheart’s dishes, but it’s only one component of that restaurant’s flavors — not its sole focus.

     

    Clearly, it will be up to both Rhodes to execute at a high-level to convince diners that their money is well-spent and return visits are warranted. The Jensen Chronicles pop-ups attracted some buzz, but a few scattered nights of service isn’t nearly the same thing as running a restaurant day in and day out.

     

    Then again, the chef does have that high-flying resume and a track record of pleasing diners. Whether the Rhodeses succeed in making Indigo a high-profile destination restaurant is anyone’s guess, but the idea that Houston will soon be home to such an ambitious concept is certainly exciting.

     

    Jonny and Chana Rhodes will open Indigo in North Lindale.

    Restaurant Indigo Jonny Chana Rhodes
      
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    Jonny and Chana Rhodes will open Indigo in North Lindale.
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    Matcha News

    TikTok star Keith Lee crafts matcha latte for Hill Country flood relief

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 11, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Keith Lee and matcha drink
    Instagram
    Keith Lee hoists his special matcha drink.

    The devastating floods that swept across Central Texas on July 4 are bringing out all kinds of charitable endeavors — and that includes a limited-edition beverage from Texas-based TikTok food influencer Keith Lee.

    Lee, a social media sensation whose online food reviews have benefited hundreds of small restaurants, is partnering with La La Land Kind Cafe on a special drink: Called the La La Land X Keith Lee Latte, it's a matcha drink in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards Kerr County flood relief.

    La La Land is the coffee chain founded in Dallas in 2019 with a mission to provide opportunities for fostering youth and individuals in need. It has three locations in Houston, along with 10 across Dallas-Fort Worth and six in Southern California.

    The new Keith Lee Latte will consist of double ceremonial matcha, with secret syrup, matcha cloud, a whole fresh strawberry, flaky salt, and matcha powder. (See Lee enjoy the latte in the video below.)


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)
     


    Matcha is the Japanese green tea powder that has experienced a surge in popularity, appearing in everything from drinks like the matcha latte to desserts like matcha mousse.

     Keith Lee Latte Keith Lee Latte is a matcha drink.Instagram 

    Lee, who relocated to Dallas in 2024, has been on a matcha kick ever since he tried it in Chicago, which he says "led me down a rabbit hole," and it has become his trademark drink. In May, he visited seven cafes across DFW in search of the perfect matcha in town, and that included La La Land, where he ordered a matcha with almond milk.

    He also has a charitable history, including a special visit he made to Taste Project in Fort Worth to donate $4,000 to support the nonprofit's mission to fight food insecurity.

    The Keith Lee Latte will be available at all La La Land cafes beginning Friday July 11, for a limited time only. From July 11-27, 100 percent of all proceeds will support flood relief efforts in Kerr County — "a community in our home state that’s hurting," La La Land Cafe says.

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