Shack Shack in Houston

Here's a tasty rumor: Looks like Shake Shack is coming to The Galleria

Those rumors that all-conquering burger chain Shake Shack will open a Houston location are starting to look more concrete.

Last week, the company replied to an inquiry about a Houston location by Tweeting: "No Houston Shack at the moment, but never say never!" The time when Houstonians are lining up ShackBurgers and fries may be sooner than people realize.

A dedicated CultureMap reader discovered that the same corporate agent who established Shake Shack The Domain Austin, LLC filed to create Shake Shack The Galleria Houston, LLC in April. Shake Shack's Domain location opened in August.

Both The Domain and The Galleria are owned by shopping center heavyweight Simon Property Group, and it looks like they're about to have the restaurant in common, too. A rendering on the Simon Properties website shows Shake Shack as one of the future tenants for the renovated Galleria III (first spotted by an eagle-eyed user of the Houston Architecture Info Forum).

Houston would be the third Texas city to host the burger chain that's grown from its first outpost in New York City's Madison Square Park into a global phenomenon with revenues that have grown at an astonishing rate. In addition to two locations in Austin, the company announced in October that it will open in Dallas in 2016.

This development also helps The Galleria keep pace with recently opened luxury shopping destination River Oaks District, which recently confirmed the rumor that Austin-based burger chain Hopdoddy will open there in 2016.

The ultimate question is, when will this happen? A retail source confirmed the rumor but couldn't comment on the record about the specifics. A representative for Simon described the rendering as "not accurate," adding, "We will keep you posted as soon as we have something to announce."

Shake Shack has yet to reply to CultureMap's request for comment. We will update this article as soon as more information is available.

This rendering on the Simon Properties website suggests that Shake Shack is coming to The Galleria.

Simon Properties

This rendering on the Simon Properties website suggests that Shake Shack is coming to The Galleria.

openings burgers

Anthony's song

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

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.

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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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