something wild

Hot Heights bagel bakery gets Wild with rising star chef

Golden Bagel has gone Wild.

Photo by Aleksandr Nicolai

Chef Jane Wild has found a new home. After being furloughed by The Dunlavy due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wild will now serve as both director of operations and executive chef for Golden Bagels & Coffee, the popular cafe on White Oak Drive in The Heights.

Wild tells CultureMap that she’s been a long time Golden customer, because her partner worked there previously as a barista and manager. When she heard owners Gregg Goldstein and Avi Katz were looking for a new chef, she approached them about the opportunity. They created a position that allows her to divide her time between working in the kitchen and being out front serving customers.

“When I was at The Dunlavy, I enjoyed every single minute of it. The one thing I missed was interacting with customers,” Wild says. “I’m back in that coffee shop/bakery that I had in Tomball, I can be the barista or counter person and loving on people or I can jump back there and support bagel production,” Wild says.

While Wild doesn’t have any direct experience making bagels, she notes that she can leverage the cafe’s current bakers to help her get up to speed. She plans to expand Golden’s offerings beyond the lox and nova it cures in-house by adding meats such as pastrami, roast beef, and sliced turkey. She’ll also add salads, vegan items (including sunflower seed cream cheese) and some gluten-free items to diversify the menu.

“I also love healthy eating as well,” Wild says. “We’ve got a really educated neighborhood. I’m excited to bring some of those nutrient dense foods and play with some holistic drinks.”

Expect Golden to be a more visible presence in the community, too. Wild plans to begin selling bagels at area farmers markets and hosting collaborative dinners with other area chefs, farmers, and wineries.

“If you know me, I’m not scared of anything,” Wild says. “I’ll be a student for little bit when it comes to this kind of baking, just growing as a chef.”

Golden remains a to-go only operation for now, but Wild says they plan to reopen the patio for dine-in service soon.

chefs the-heights

What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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