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 store

Photo 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?

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bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, including Fat Cat Creamery, Tex-Mex restaurant La Mex, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, casual sushi restaurant Himari, Little Sister Cake Shop, and High Five Mini Bar. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

news-you-can-eat openings stomping grounds barnaby's cafe