Foodie News
Liberty Kitchen is almost ready to open in the Heights — and there's more comingnext door
Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar is opening soon at 11th Street and Studemont.Photo by Sarah Rufca
The chandeliers are cast-offs from the old 310 Rosemont storePhoto by Sarah Rufca
Liberty Light and Liberty Dark beers on tap, courtesy of Karbach Brewing.Photo via Liberty Kitchen/Facebook
The wood paneling is reclaimed from local Heights sources.Photo by Sarah Rufca
The intersection of 11th Street and Studemont in the Heights is just days away from having a restaurant on each corner. The latest addition, Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar, is owned by the partners behind BRC Gastropub and Petite Sweets (among other concepts) and has been in the works for about a year and a half.
The new building includes walls covered in reclaimed wood sourced locally from the Heights painted in primary colors, a large bar that includes a marble oyster bar at the end, and vintage seating. A community table/space for parties features two oversized chandeliers (rescued from the old 310 Rosemont space) juxtaposed gorgeously against the rough woods. There's a small bar area that will feature small banquettes and a patio that will have a few tables with bench seating, plus a main dining area that's slighter larger than BRC.
The building next door is in the beginning stages of being turned into a coffee shop called Joe Black's.
Described by co-owner Lee Ellis as a neighborhood joint, the Liberty Kitchen menu by restaurant partner Lance Fegan includes American comfort food and (as the name implies) more than a little seafood. There are gumbos, oysters from the bar, shared plates featuring crab balls, lobster and a changing menu of eight fish cooked on a charcoal and peach wood grill.
Outside of the ocean, the menu includes a number of steaks, burgers and sandwiches, salads and two kinds of macaroni and cheese served in cast iron skillets, plus a breakfast menu served on weekend mornings and desserts from Petite Sweets.
In the bar, Liberty is stocking only local Texas spirits and its cocktail menu and will include four beers on tap — two Karbach brews and two additional Liberty beers made by Karbach specifically for the restaurant.
But just in case Ellis, Fegen and company aren't busy enough, they've got a second project in the works. The building next door is in the beginning stages of being turned into a coffee shop called Joe Black's. Ellis says they've already been making Joe Black's coffee and serving it at BRC and Petite Sweets, and the project will include the same kind of aesthetic as Liberty Kitchen, plus outdoor seating under a large ash tree on the edge of what is currently the unpaved parking lot.
Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar is opening its doors any day now — follow the Facebook page to be the first to know. Are you looking forward to it?
