Seafood, eat food

Houston restaurant royalty serves up Goode news for The Woodlands dining scene

Goode Co Kitchen and Cantina campechana extra

Goode Co. has long been known for compelling seafood dishes.

Courtesy of Goode Co

Goode Co. has good news for The Woodlands. The popular restaurant group will replace its shuttered Goode Co. Barbeque location with an all-new seafood concept.

Slated to open in the spring, Goode Co. Fish Camp & Oyster Bar will occupy the barbecue restaurant's former space at 8865 Six Pines Dr. Details on the design have yet to be revealed, but the renovations will include the addition of an outdoor patio.

While most of the details are yet to be revealed, Fish Camp appears to be a more casual concept than Goode Co. Seafood, the company's Cajun/Creole-inspired restaurant that's a little more refined in terms of service and presentation than siblings like Goode Co. Barbeque and Goode Co. Taqueria. As Goode Co. chef and president Levi Goode explains, the restaurant takes some of its inspiration from the dishes he cooked with his father, legendary Houston restaurateur Jim Goode, at the family's fishing cabin near San Luis Pass.

"We would spend the mornings at the break of dawn wading the sandy shorelines. Many of the nights were spent gigging for flounder or fishing for speckled trout under the lights on our deck," Goode said in a statement. "Over time, these long days deepened into an appreciation for all aspects of the process: the excitement of the catch, the satisfaction of harvesting and cooking the fresh catch, and the ritual of coming together to enjoy a homemade, hard-earned meal."

In that spirit, the restaurant will serve seasonal fish dishes alongside an extensive selection of oysters. Diners will be able to pair their meals with well-executed cocktails.

“Goode Co. Fish Camp & Oyster Bar will be another snapshot in our Goode Company photo album,” says Goode. “This means fun, fresh-shucked oysters, and great music in a lively and vibrant environment.”

Fish Camp isn't the company's only project under development. This summer Goode Co. announced that it will open a new restaurant in the former Down House space in the Heights. A representative was unable to provide CultureMap with any new information about when that restaurant might open or what kind of food it will serve.

Founded more than 40 years ago, Goode Co. is known for its Texas-inspired fare. Its restaurants include Goode Co. Seafood, Goode Co. Barbeque, Tex-Mex restaurant Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina, and Armadillo Palace, a comfort food restaurant and live music venue.

openings news-you-can-eat

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anthony Russo (@chef_anthony_russo_)

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.

news-you-can-eat openings chefs anderson