Foodie News

Underbelly, Uchi & more: It's a Goode evening for winners at the HoustonCulinary Awards

Chris Shepherd with his Houston Culinary Award for Restaurateur of the Year
Photo by Sarah Rufca
My Table editor and publisher Teresa Byrne-Dodge, with Levi Goode, reads theproclamation from the mayor declaring Oct. 7, 2012, as Jim Goode Day.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
The winners of the 2012 Houston Culinary Awards
Photo by Sarah Rufca
The dinner was prepared by an all-star line-up of chefs, including crews fromUchi, Vic & Anthony's, Fluff Bake Bar and Greenway Coffee & Tea.
Photo by Sarah Rufca

It looks like 2012 will go down as the year of the Anvil empire at the My Table Houston Culinary Awards.

The bar and restaurant concepts owned by or associated with the Montrose bar took home several big awards in front of a fun, foodie crowd of 320 at the Hilton Hotel at the University of Houston on Sunday night.

Underbelly was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Esquire, so it came as no surprise when it came up as a big winner, nabbing awards for Restaurateur of the Year for chef/owner Chris Shepherd and Service Person of the Year for manager Matthew Prigden.

To complete the Anvil-associated domination, co-owner Bobby Heugel took home Favorite Mixologist, while Ninfa's on Navigation was awarded a Houston Culinary Award for Houston Classic.

Underbelly's beer-centric conjoined twin, Hay Merchant, was named Favorite Pub or Bar under the more casual Foodie Star Awards. To complete the Anvil-associated domination, co-owner Bobby Heugel took home Favorite Mixologist, while Ninfa's on Navigation (which Heugel and partners Kevin Floyd and Michael Burnett recently signed on to manage) was awarded a Houston Culinary Award for Houston Classic, a restaurant in business for 10 or more years.

But Anvil, Underbelly & Co. weren't the only big winners in the room. Uchi earned two big awards, with a win in Best New Restaurant and Monica Glenn named Pastry Chef of the Year. Tiny Boxwood's won two Foodie Star Awards, for Favorite Breakfast and Favorite Outdoor Dining, while Bernie's Burger Bus was named both Favorite Food Truck/Cart and Favorite Burger.

Randy Evans of Haven took home Chef of the Year and Eatsie Boys' Matt Marcus was named Up-And-Coming Chef of the Year, another new milestone for a food truck at the Houston Culinary Awards.

The Legends of Houston award was given to Jim Goode, the founder of the Goode Company family of restaurants and accepted by his son, Levi Goode.

After My Table editor and publisher Teresa Byrne-Dodge read a proclamation from Mayor Annise Parker naming Oct. 7, 2012, Jim Goode Day in Houston, Goode talked about how his father started the original Goode Co. Barbecue on Kirby with $6,000 and thanked his extended family for all the sacrifices they made to succeed in the restaurant industry.

Check out the full list of Houston Culinary Awards and Foodie Star Awards winners:

2012 Houston Culinary Awards

Restaurateur of the Year — Chris Shepherd, Underbelly

Chef of the Year — Randy Evans, Haven

Up-and-Coming Chef of the Year (age 35 or younger) — Matt Marcus, Eatsie Boys

Outstanding Wine Service — 13 Celsius

Pastry Chef of the Year (includes breadmakers) — Monica Glenn, Uchi

Outstanding Bar Service — Truluck's Steak & Stone Crab

Service Person of the Year — Matthew Prigden, Underbelly

Houston Classic (a restaurant in business for 10 or more years) — Ninfa's on Navigation

Best Interior Design — Américas River Oaks

Best New Restaurant (must have opened since June 1, 2011) — Uchi

2012 Houston Foodie Star Awards:

Favorite Bakery — Slow Dough Bread Co.

Favorite Barbecue — Pappas Bar-B-Que

Favorite Breakfast — Tiny Boxwood's

Favorite Burger — Bernie's Burger Bus

Favorite Coffeehouse — Paulie's

Favorite Houston Food Blog — Eating Our Words

Favorite Mom & Pop Ethnic — Mai's Restaurant

Favorite Food Truck/Cart — Bernie's Burger Bus

Favorite Late Night Spot — BB's Cafe, Montrose

Favorite Mixologist — Bobby Heugel

Favorite Outdoor Dining — Tiny Boxwood's

Favorite Supermarket — Whole Foods Market

Favorite Pub or Bar — Hay Merchant

Favorite Sweets/Ice Cream — Hank's Ice Cream Parlor

Favorite Wine Seller — The Tasting Room

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Hot Houston hand roll spot is first restaurant at new EaDo development

Handies Douzo Facebook

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Houstonians with a seemingly unlimited appetite for sushi hand rolls will soon have another destination to satisfy their cravings. Handies Douzo will open its next location in East Blocks, an adaptive reuse project in EaDo.

On track to open in late 2026 or early 2027 at 1107 Hutchins Street, the EaDo location will be Handies Douzo’s fifth, joining the original in the Heights as well as restaurants in Montrose, Spring Branch, and an upcoming outpost in Uptown’s new Central Park Post Oak development. Like those siblings, it will serve Handies’ familiar menu of hand rolls (temaki), crudos, and sashimi that’s overseen by founding chefs and co-owners Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham. The 2,000-square-foot space will feature Handies’ familiar U-shaped counter seating.

Handies is known for wrapping its rolls in crispy seaweed that gives each bite a distinct crunch. The well-executed dishes and affordable prices helped Handies earn a nomination for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

"We've been very intentional about where we grow, and East Blocks immediately stood out," Pham and Lee said in a statement. "There's an authenticity to EaDo and a strong sense of community that aligns with our brand. We're excited to be part of a project focused on creating an energetic, walkable destination."

1107 Hutchins rendering Handies will occupy 2,000 square feet at 1107 Hutchins.Courtesy of Pagewood

1107 Hutchins and the nearby 2202 Dallas — each of which are 15,000 square feet — represent phase one of local real estate firm Pagewood’s plans to East Blocks. First announced in 2023, plans call for renovating warehouses into a walkable district of shops, restaurants, offices, and green space. Gensler is leading architecture and design for the project, with landscape architecture by SWA.

"East Blocks reflects a long-term belief in EaDo and the kind of place it’s becoming," said Mat Volz, Managing Principal of PAGEWOOD. "As the project has evolved, our commitment to that vision has only strengthened. Breaking ground on Phase 1 is an exciting step forward, particularly as this neighborhood prepares to welcome the world. With the FIFA Fan Festival taking place just steps from East Blocks and bringing thousands of visitors daily to EaDo, we see this project playing a meaningful role in that energy and in the long-term evolution of the district."

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