OKRA rises

Bobby Heugel's new restaurant group gains concessions in the parking ordinancefight

Members of OKRA, Houston's newly-minted Organized Kooperative on Restaurant Affairs, made an official public appearance at the City of Houston Planning Commission on Thursday. The topic was, yet again, the much-debated proposed Off-Street Parking Ordinance.

At a previous public meeting on Nov. 17, Anvil co-owner Bobby Heugel voiced concern with not only the city's parking ordinance alterations, but also what he saw as a larger-scale attack on small, local businesses. He alluded to an organized effort on the part of independent restaurants and bar owners in the near future to combat infringements.

That organization came to light this Tuesday, more than a week after a formal written response was sent to the Planning Commission regarding the proposed parking ordinance.

"This is how we make sausage here at the city."

At the start of Thursday's meeting, Marlene Gafrick, director of Houston's Planning and Development Department, acknowledged that concerns and input from community organizations like OKRA and Bike Houston will continue to be taken into account in revisions to the ordinance.

"This is how we make sausage here at the city," said Gafrick, by way of apology for the thorough break downs and drawn-out explanations. Through forums, meetings and work sessions, the commission will think through and consolidate proposed changes to the current ordinance, which has hardly been altered since its adoption in 1989.

Which makes a meeting like this one — when players list endless pros and cons for changes to parking regulations and bicycle-parking-for-vehicle-parking exchange rates are calculated over and over again — an exercise in patience.

The commission granted several concessions to OKRA, including the consideration of a tiered approach to parking requirements for restaurants and bars based on square footage. However, this approach would only be applied to freestanding buildings within the "urban area" (that boundary, either the 610 Loop or Beltway 8, is as yet undecided), and city officials plan to closely examine square footage breakdowns before dividing restaurants/bars into small, medium and large tiers (read more in Section IV of the response).

After another work session on Dec. 8, the Planning Commission will present the proposed parking ordinance to the City Council for consideration.

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two years in the making

Woodlands favorites fire up a fresh new restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Fielding's

Fielding's River Oaks will open on Sunday, December 8.

One of The Woodlands’ most successful hospitality groups will soon make its inner loop debut. Fielding’s River Oaks will open this Sunday, December 8.

Located on the first floor of the Novel River Oaks luxury apartment development, Fielding’s River Oaks builds on the success of Fielding’s Culinary Group’s two popular restaurants — Fielding’s Local Kitchen & Bar and Fielding’s Wood Grill. CEO Cary Attar and executive chef Edel Goncalves will lead the new establishment.

The approximately 6,000-square-foot restaurant will seat about 200 people, divided between a dedicated bar/lounge area, a spacious dining room, and a private dining room. Two patios, including one with cabanas, will add more seats at some point after the opening. As shown in the photos above, the restaurant has been decorated for the holiday season with wreaths, poinsettias, and garlands.

Initially, the restaurant will only open for dinner with a social hour from 3-6 pm daily. Lunch will follow a week after opening on Tuesday, December 17. In January, Fielding’s will add brunch and a daily continental-style breakfast built around coffee and grab-and-go pastries such as croissants that will be made in-house.

At dinner, Goncalves will put his French training to create an eclectic, globally-inspired menu that utilizes the restaurant’s wood-fired grill and oven as well as an extensive program of breads and pastries that are baked in-house. Meals at Fielding’s will begin with bites such as yellowtail crudo, a wagyu sando, or foie gras with curry apple butter. Starters include karaage-style fried quail with Thai peanut sauce, a potato pancake with smoked salmon tartare, risotto with clams, fried okra, and French onion soup.

For entrées, diners have options such as pizzas, pastas — including radiatori with beef cheek bourguignon; spaghetti with cheese, lemon zest, and caviar; and bucatini with piri piri shrimp — or seafood entrees that include salmon, branzino, and cod. Meat lovers will find an Iberico pork chop, dry-aged duck, and steaks from Texas-based 44 Farms such as a filet or dry-aged New York strip.

Lunch will feature many of the options from the dinner menu along with an expanded selection of salads and sandwiches. They include a smash burger, shrimp banh mi, croque monsieur, and crispy chicken sandwich.

Beverage options start with a 1,400-bottle wine inventory, many of which are displayed in temperature-controlled cases at the restaurant’s entrance. As at Fielding’s Local, the restaurant will use a lower markup to entice oenophiles to discover new favorites. Similarly, the cocktail program uses quality spirits paired with freshly squeezed juices. Non-alcoholic cocktails will also be available.

“Fielding’s River Oaks is a concept nearly two years in the making,” Attar said in a statement. “We’re excited for lunch, social hour and dinner service to begin in December, and we’re confident it will add a distinctive layer of upscale offerings to the Houston restaurant scene, just in time for the holiday season.”

Courtesy of Fielding's

Fielding's River Oaks will open on Sunday, December 8.

news-you-can-eat openings restaurant opening fielding's river oaks