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    Is there haterade in this cocktail?

    A Houston bar feud? Anvil's Bobby Heugel and Hotel ZaZa impersonator tweet itout

    Steven Devadanam
    Sep 28, 2010 | 4:19 pm
    • Bobby Heugel shakes and tweets
    • Don't mess with Anvil Bar & Refuge
    • Who's fronting as Hotel ZaZa?

    There's a high-class bar standoff going down between Montrose cocktail lounge Anvil and Museum District boutique boarding house, Hotel ZaZa.

    Anvil owner Bobby Heugel's Twitter account erupted on Monday evening with a string of tweets detailing a spat with an "owner" of Hotel ZaZa who allegedly vandalized Anvil, slandered Heugel and was evicted from the bar. Heugel indicated that this was the second time in which a supposed ZaZa owner was dismissed from Anvil for vandalizing.

    The owner of the Bon Appetit-lauded Anvil quoted the transgressor as threatening, "Do you know who I am? I own Hotel ZaZa, and I had to wait 5 mins! We recommend everything in this town; you're never going to make it!"

    Heugel himself doubts that the kicked-out lounger was in fact a hotel head honcho, suggesting that "someone should really tell that place to get control of these people."

    Are Hotel ZaZa impersonators on the loose in Houston?

    Mark Sullivan, who represents the hotel, tells CultureMap, "The owners of ZaZa are actually based in Oklahoma City, and the partners are all based in Dallas. None of them are in Houston right now."

    "There's a lot of hearsay revolving around these types of situations," Heugel says. "I'm skeptical that this owner of the Hotel ZaZa is actually an owner. But when you travel with a group of people, and that group claims to be affiliated with an organization, it affects peoples' impressions of the establishment."

    Heugel attests that the bitter actions of the ZaZa "owners" are against the norm of Houston's hospitality culture.

    "It takes a collective effort to make Houston an interesting place to live and visit," he tells CultureMap, "so this is unfortunate."

    He continues, "I do think that the community in Houston is so close and tight-knit — it's unique and special in the hospitality industry. We're more supportive and more interactive than almost any other major city."

    This isn't Heugel's first brush with Twitter confrontation. He's also taken Yelp to task: In May, when the website allegedly created an unofficial (and misrepresentative) Facebook page for Anvil that directed browsers straight to Anvil's Yelp entry, Heugel accused Yelp of extortion over the course of 10 tweets.

    Of course, a number of lawsuits have been filed around the country, accusing Yelp of extortion.

    Now, Heugel's not afraid to assert his disappointment with Hotel ZaZa, tweeting: "I will never recommend that hotel to anyone ever again. I can't believe how rude and over the line people associated w that place can be ..."

    Heugel has no regrets, stating, "I did what I wanted to do," but he's not typically a bitter guy, maintaining, "Twitter is just a medium for people to talk."

    Earlier on Monday, he tweeted about the "beautiful day!" and, "I wish Anvil and Houston were like this every night. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now than standing behind the bar here."

    We certainly won't be seeing Bobby sipping on a barstool at Monarch Bar. And if the boisterous crowds (and "5 min wait") at Anvil on a Monday night is any indication, Anvil has already made it.

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    Anthony's song

    Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

    Eric Sandler
    May 8, 2026 | 3:30 pm
    Anthony's New York Italian interior
    Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian
    Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

    One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

    While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

    “We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

    With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

    The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

    Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

    And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

    “I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

    The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Anthony Russo (@chef_anthony_russo_)


    Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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