Food Truck's New Home

Vietnamese food truck joins the crowd with plans for permanent location

The ongoing trend of food trucks serving as incubators for brick and mortar restaurants got another member last week when Vietnamese truck Les Ba'Get announced on Twitter that it had signed a lease for a space at 1717 Montrose. Already, several popular trucks like Bernie's Burger Bus and Good Dog Houston have found success and bigger audiences by moving into permanent spaces, and local favorites like Pi Pizza Truck have announced intentions to get off the street and into a building.

Proprietors Cat Huynh and Angie Dang tell CultureMap in an email that their original goal in launching the food truck was to build support for a high-end, Vietnamese-influenced tasting menu restaurant. However, after seeing the public's response to the truck's menu at various catering jobs and events, "we knew we wanted to open a traditional Vietnamese style restaurant in the heart of Montrose instead."

After seeing the public's response to the truck's menu at various catering jobs and events, "we knew we wanted to open a traditional Vietnamese style restaurant in the heart of Montrose instead."

The larger space means an expanded menu, of course. A draft provided by Huynh and Dang shows breakfast all day, including steak and eggs, rice flour cake omelet and Vietnamese chicken and waffles. Sandwiches will be served on traditional banh mi baguettes or croissants. Appetizer choices include a variety of soft and fried spring rolls, along with an intriguing-sounding roasted bone marrow that's served with baguette slices. Any bowl of pho can get a hit of bone marrow, too, which, as anyone who's been to Chinatown staple Pho Binh by Night can attest, makes everything more delicious.

In between now and the expected opening in the first quarter of 2015, Huynh and Dang expect to host pop-ups at the space in the truck to preview the new menu. They hope to win new fans and prepare their customers for what's to come.

With the news that the property containing popular late-night hangout Hollywood Vietnamese has been sold to developers, the time seems right for a new option to emerge. If all goes well, Montrose residents will have Les Ba'Get to look forward to soon.

Les Ba'Get's signature roasted bone marrow will have a new home in 2015.

Les Ba'get Vietnamese food truck bone marrow

Les Ba'Get Facebook

Les Ba'Get's signature roasted bone marrow will have a new home in 2015.

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firing up Montrose

New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

“My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

“Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

“It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

“We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.