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    Foodie News

    Houston Chef's Table: Asian Bistro's Gigi Huang seeks out spicy fried chicken ata Dive

    Sarah Rufca
    Sep 26, 2010 | 10:10 am
    • Gigi Huang
      Photo by Tony Bullard
    • The cherry blossom room at Gigi's Asian Bistro
      Photo by © Julie Soefer

    No one knows Houston restaurants better than the people who run them, own them, and work in the kitchens. In this continuing series, CultureMap is asking our favorite foodie personalities around town where they go for great eats when they're not working.

    Gigi Huang practically has restaurants in her DNA as the scion of the family that has operated the Hunan restaurants for over 30 years, making her own mark with Gigi's Asian Bistro. Huang talks to CultureMap about what restaurants best explain Houston, spicy fried chicken and red velvet.

    Restaurant for a special occasion: Tony's is always a great place. I'm always there for birthdays, they have such great desserts.

    Restaurant to take out-of-towners to: When my chef Junnajet Hurapan came to visit Houston for the first time, I took him to three restaurants to give him an idea, kind of a broad scope of the Houston food scene: the original Carabba's on Kirby, the original Pappadeux on Westheimer, and the El Tiempo on Richmond — they all are great examples of flavors, portion, themes and people that tell people about Houston.

    I also took him to Chinatown, of course, to Fung's Kitchen for dim sum.

    Favorite meal: Max's Wine Dive, the fried chicken. It's just great fried chicken, nice and spicy.

    Breakfast/Brunch favorite: Breakfast is always a cup of coffee at Starbucks and now that they have breakfast — boiled eggs and cheese to go. For brunch I like Kenny and Ziggy's — I put cream cheese, scrambled eggs and pastrami bacon on my bagel — or Smoothie Island, for their egg white omelet with spinach.

    Sometimes you want to eat light, and sometimes you want a hearty breakfast.

    Dessert: Sprinkles Cupcakes. My favorite is the red velvet. It's weird because I don't really like red velvet cake, but I love their red velvet cupcakes.

    Other articles in the Houston Chef's Table series:

    Lee Ellis loves Les Givral

    Sugar hooker Rebecca Masson can't get enough of Catalan's Cake

    Beachy L.J. Wiley digs the special occasion simple flavors at Dos Brisas

    David Grossman goes for Vic & Anthony's crab cake, Yelapa late nights & some Bootsie

    Jeramie Robison appreciates Kata Robata's sushi, Beaver's bangin' meatloaf & foodie chicks

    Tony Mandola finds breakfast magic at Sunrise Taquitos

    Philippe Schmit craves a Picnic romance & Stella Sola's French toast

    Benjy Levit is torn between Indika's salads and Hank's Ice Cream

    Flora & Muse's David Luna likes to hang with his fishing buddy and hit the Blue Nile

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    moving swiftly

    Historic Heights redevelopment adds ice cream shop and premium juice bar

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 19, 2026 | 3:45 pm
    Swift BLDG exterior construction
    Courtesy of Radom Capital
    The Swift BLDG is expected to open in late 2026.

    Two tenants are confirmed for The Swift BLDG, the new mixed-use project in the historic Swift & Company Packing Plant that’s located near the Heights Hike & Bike Trail. Earlier this week, Radom Capital and Triten Real Estate Partners announced they have leased space to the following:

    Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: The New York-based ice cream shop
    Leemoo: A premium juice bar

    Founded in 2008 by Ben Van Leeuwen, Pete Van Leeuwen, and Laura O’Neill, Van Leeuwen makes ice cream with rigorously sourced, high-quality ingredients from around the world. Regulations require its packaging to be labeled “French ice cream,” because it uses too much egg yolk to be “regular” ice cream. Van Leeuwen also offers an extensive lineup of vegan flavors as well as sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches. It has three Houston locations, including in Radom’s Montrose Collective development.

    Ben Van Leeuwen ice cream Ben Van Leeuwen founded his ice cream company in 2008.Courtesy of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

    Leemoo is known for its smoothies, açaí bowls, and fresh-pressed juices that are made with house-made ingredients and carefully sourced produce. Crafted around balance, flavor, and performance, Leemoo seeks to deliver exceptional taste and everyday vitality, according to press materials. Like Van Leeuwen, Leemoo has a location in the Montrose Collective and has also signed on to Radom’s Greenside development near Memorial City Mall.

    On track to open to the public in late 2026, The Swift BLDG will offer more than 35,000 square feet of office space along with 25,000 square feet of restaurant and wellness tenants, including Houston Tex-Mex restaurant Escalente’s and San Antonio-based Merit Coffee. The two companies previously partnered on M-K-T, the Heights mixed-use development that’s near the Swift project. Radom is known for a number of other Houston developments, including the Montrose Collective and the historic Tower Theater property and its adjacent buildings.

    news-you-can-eatopeningsthe-heightsswift bldg
    news/restaurants-bars
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