Montrose gets the Chills

Instagram-friendly ice cream sensation snares a hot Houston location

Chills360 is bringing rolled ice cream to Montrose next spring.

Another Dallas-based restaurant has set its sights on Houston’s most prestigious dining neighborhood. Chills360 will join Velvet Taco and the East Hampton Sandwich Company in a new shopping center at 903 Westheimer, director of business development Usman Babar tells CultureMap.

Established in 2016, Chills360 serves the Thai-style rolled ice cream that became a sensation in Houston when it arrived in Chinatown last year. The trend has expanded to the suburbs, but it hasn't made its way inside the loop — until now.

Chills360’s recipes have been developed by pastry chef and co-owner Javeria Babar, who previously worked for Sheraton in New York. The ice cream shop has been a sensation in the Dallas area, where it’s already grown to three locations. As at other, similar concepts like Houston's Class 502, Chills uses a super-cooled metal plate that freezes the liquid ice cream while customers watch. It's then scraped off the plate into rolls and adorned with toppings.

Customers from Houston began inquiring about when Chills would head south, so the Babars began searching for a good location that would support the shop’s late night hours. Usman concedes he doesn’t know much about Houston, but friends suggested he look in Montrose. While the rents are a little higher than other areas they considered, he thinks it’s a good fit.

“We were looking for a perfect location for over a year. We want good foot traffic (with) nightlife and bars,” Usman Babar says. “When Montrose came up and we found out that Velvet Tacos was going there, they’re open until 4 am . . . that’s where we wanted to go.”

In addition to a late-night crowd, Babar notes that Chills should draw interest from bar goers because it has an upbeat atmosphere with music that makes people want to dance.

While the atmosphere has to be welcoming, it won’t matter if the ice cream itself isn’t good. Babar says chef Javeria Babar’s recipes use a higher percentage of butterfat than other rolled ice cream shops, which gives their product a more creamy texture. In addition, they’ve offered innovative flavors like being the first Dallas ice cream shop to jump on the coconut-flavored black ice cream that became an Instagram sensation earlier this year.

Babar says construction should begin next month. If all goes according to plan, Houstonians will be lining up for Chills’ sweet treats in March, 2018.

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they're back

2 treasured Houston Mexican restaurants reopen after brief closures

Courtesy of Picos

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Two staple Houston-area Mexican restaurants are making comebacks after brief closures. Picos has already returned to service, while El Tiempo Cantina’s Webster location isn’t far behind.

After closing its Upper Kirby location on August 30, Picos reopened Saturday, September 12 in the former Cyclone Anaya’s space in River Oaks (3736 Westheimer Rd.). The move is only about two miles from Picos’ former home at Kirby and Richmond.

Chef-owner Arnaldo Richards partnered with Cyclone Anaya’s owners The Dhanani Group to transform the space into Picos. It allows Richards to preserve Picos, which opened on Bellaire Blvd. in 1984 and operated on Kirby Dr. for 12 years. Last year, Richards announced Picos would close due to declining sales but later stated his intentions to find a new, slightly smaller home for the restaurant. That dream was realized via a “last-minute agreement” with Cyclone Anaya’s owners The Dhanani Group according to press materials.

“After spending the past year searching for a new home, it truly feels like the stars aligned,” Richards said in a statement. “We were willing to do anything we could to keep Picos, and we finally found the right space for this next-generation evolution of Picos.”

Picos Westheimer River Oaks interior The new Picos features an indoor-outdoor bar.Photo by Becca Wright

At over 6,000 square feet, the new Picos still offers a spacious environment that includes an indoor-outdoor bar. It will serve the same menu as the prior locations, including fan favorites such as moles from all seven regions on Mexico, enchiladas, and the signature shaker margaritas.

“As native Houstonians, we understand what Picos means to this city and the generations of Houstonians who have supported the restaurant for more than 40 years,” said Usman Dhanani of The Dhanani Group, which still operates five other locations of Cyclone Anaya’s across Houston. “We’re excited to partner with Arnaldo and his family to carry the Picos tradition forward and ensure that a restaurant so deeply rooted in Houston remains part of the city’s dining community for years to come.”

The Houston Chronicle was first to report that Picos had reopened.

El Tiempo Cantina Post Houston El Tiempo is returning to Webster. Courtesy of El Tiempo Cantina

As for El Tiempo, franchisee Liquid Gold Hospitality surprised Bay Area diners when it abruptly closed the location at 20237 Gulf Fwy at the end of August. In a Facebook post, El Tiempo announced the location will reopen under direct management of the Laurenzo family, which founded El Tiempo and operates most of its other locations.

Notably, the post did not specify an opening date, merely that the restaurant is “reopening soon.”

El Tiempo’s Webster location opened at the end of 2017 after significant delays, including a lawsuit between the Laurenzo family and Liquid Gold. Overall, Houston is home to 18 locations of El Tiempo, with its outpost at The Post in downtown Houston being the most recent to open.

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