Foodie News

Beloved, stand-alone restaurant suddenly shutters in CityCentre: The land where only chains thrive?

Towards the end of Monday night's high-profile dinner celebrating Greek wine and food at Flora & Muse, general manager Evan Turner announced that the CityCentre cafe, coffee shop and florist would be closing at the end of service. Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook, a long time fan of Turner's, was on-hand for the dinner and reports that, upon hearing the news, she "went into a minor state of shock" to the extent that she was unable to fully appreciate either the lamb with truffled white bean puree or the accompanying red wines.

While the people who lost their jobs may still be trying to process the closing, Cook, thankfully, "revived" in time to enjoy dessert.

Unfortunately, Flora & Muse's ambiguous concept couldn't find a sufficient audience.

When it opened in 2010, CultureMap praised Flora & Muse for its eclectic design and relaxed atmosphere. Despite the somewhat pretentious-sounding name, the off-beat environment let diners determine whether to buy stationary or pastries in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Chef David Luna blended his signature Texan cooking with Turkish staples to make Flora & Muse a unique destination in a shopping center that's mostly populated by a mix of local and national chains.

The restaurant floundered a bit after Luna left for the Hotel Icon's Line & Lariat in 2011, but seemed to be on an upswing with the addition of Turner and chef Kelly Boyd earlier this year. Unfortunately, Flora & Muse's ambiguous concept couldn't find a sufficient audience.

For his part, Turner tells CultureMap the decision to close "happened quite suddenly." Neither he nor Boyd have figured out their next moves, but Turner's well-regarded stints at Gravitas and Branch Water Tavern have earned him fans around the city. Whatever he does will certainly be worth watching.

Meanwhile, Seasons 52, the healthy outpost of the Darden restaurant empire (Eddie V's, Olive Garden, etc) posted on Craigslist that its upcoming CityCentre location is hiring.

Within its casual space, Flora & Muse offered coffee, pastries, plated entrees and flowers.

CityCentre Houston Facebook

Within its casual space, Flora & Muse offered coffee, pastries, plated entrees and flowers.

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Staple West Houston Chinese buffet reopens after glamourous makeover

Courtesy of Lucky Village Chinese Buffet

Lucky Village reopened last week.

One of Westchase’s dining staples has reopened after a lengthy renovation. Lucky Village Chinese Buffet is back and better than ever.

Located at 10755 Westheimer, Lucky Village has been a West Houston staple for more than 20 years. The restaurant closed earlier this year for renovations that were unveiled last week.

Tinggi Design, a Houston-based firm that’s designed and built restaurants in Texas and Louisiana, worked with sister company Golden Town Materials on sourcing and manufacturing many of the features. In the main dining room, look for fan-shaped ceiling coves with cascading crystal pendant lights and a hand-painted chinoiserie mural on one wall. A second dining room features floor-to-ceiling glass, cognac leather chairs, and a matte black ceiling. Overall, the effect is less affordable buffet and more full service restaurant.

While the look is fresh, the restaurant still serves hundreds of items in an all-you-can-eat buffet format that’s priced at $18.99 for dinner during the week and $19.99 for all day on Saturday and Sunday. Lower prices are offered at lunch ($15.99) and for kids.

The buffet contains hundreds of items, starting with a seafood section that includes Chinese dishes such as shrimp with lobster sauce and sweet-and-sour shrimp, and kung pao; boiled shrimp and crawfish; and a sushi station with nigiri and maki. Other sections include appetizers (dumplings, egg rolls, chicken wings, etc.), soup (wonton, hot and sour, egg drop, etc.), fried rice, beef (pepper steak, Mongolian, kung pao, etc.), chicken (sweet-and-sour, almond, black bean sauce, etc.), egg foo young, and more.

"Lucky Village has meant something to this community for 20 years. We wanted to honor that history while giving it a future, one that doesn't feel like a buffet at all," Lucky Village partner Jenny Xie said in a statement.

Courtesy of Lucky Village Chinese Buffet

Lucky Village reopened last week.

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