8 things to know

8 things to know in Houston food right now: Openings, closings, and a new Heights patio bar

Highline Park has debuted at M-K-T in the Heights.

Photo by Tyler Barrera

Editor's note: Houston’s restaurant scene moves pretty fast. In order to prevent CultureMap readers from missing anything, let’s stop to look around at all the latest news to know.

Openings

The M-K-T development in The Heights recently welcomed a new patio bar. After a quiet soft opening during the World Series, Highline Park made its official debut on December 3. Owned by Wicklow Heights proprietors Roland Keller, Keith Doyle, and Tyler Barrera, Highline Park features an expansive, covered patio with seating for 100 and plenty of interior space, too.

The cocktail menu offers creative twists on classic drinks, such as a gin and tonic that gets a floral note from Violet liqueur and a prickly pear margarita. Food options include a queso-dipped corn dog, fried shrimp in sweet chili sauce, and an on-trend smash burger.

“We’re thrilled to be opening Highline Park at M-K-T Heights just a few short months after the debut of Casa Nomad next door,” Keller said in a statement. “While Casa Nomad embodies our favorite parts of our travels through Mexico, Highline Park is a casual, big patio bar like Wicklow Heights with the addition of the chef-driven food menu we’ve always wanted to do.”

Speaking of M-K-T, the development will also welcome Mendocino Farms on December 14. The California-based restaurant is known for its creative salads, bowls, sandwiches, and sides. Look for options such as the Avocado and Quinoa Superfood Ensalada and the Chimichurri Steak & Shishito Bowl along with favorites like the farm club and chicken pesto caprese.

Opening in The Heights gives Mendocino Farms four Houston-area locations, joining restaurants in Rice Village, Uptown Park, and downtown. A second downtown location will open in the Allen Center early next year.

“The Heights’ vibrant character and culinary scene makes M-K-T a prime spot to open our doors after the success of our other Houston locations,” CEO Kevin Miles said. “We envision this new location as a go-to destination for enjoying a Mendo culinary adventure, whether it’s lunch with co-workers, dinner with family and friends, or a nourishing break for those enjoying the nearby Heights Hike and Bike Trail. It’s an exciting moment for our brand to invite more Houstonians to Eat Happy.”

BB’s Tex Orleans has opened its 11th Houston-area location in Kingwood (25635 US-59). Diners will find all their BB’s favorites, including po’ boys, gumbo, and etouffee. When crawfish season starts, count on BB’s for well-cooked, spicy mudbugs.

Build-your-own salad chain Salata has reopened its location in the Galleria. Find it near the ice rink in the food court. Salata offers five lettuce bases, more than 50 toppings, and 11 gluten-free dressings. Mall employees receive a 10-percent discount.

Freebirds World Burrito will celebrate the grand opening of its new location in Spring on December 15. Expect giveaways, swag, and samples. The first 25 people in line will receive free burritos for a year (one per week for 52 weeks). Find Freebirds at 2825 Riley Fuzzel Rd.

Closings

Houston’s remaining location of Dallas-based pizzeria Cane Rosso closed last month. Chief marketing officer Jeff Amador tells CultureMap in an email that several factors contributed to the decision, including the location’s volume of business and difficulties finding sufficient staff.

Cane Rosso entered the Houston market with a Montrose location in 2016. The Heights outpost followed shortly thereafter. Its closure marks the end of Cane Rosso’s efforts to expand to Houston and Austin. Pizza lovers in the Dallas-Fort Worth have six Cane Rossos to choose from along with their affiliated concepts Zoli’s Pizza and Thunderbird Pies.

Seminal Houston Thai restaurant Kanomwan has been closed since September, but it might make a comeback in 2022. Patarawan Charoenrat, daughter of founders Yuthana and Darawan Charoenrat, tells Houston Food Finder that her mother simply needed a break from the business and may resume operations next year. That would be good news for the East End favorite, which has served classic Thai soups, curries, and more since the mid-80s.

Coming Attractions

Ybarra Investments Inc. has purchased land in the Conroe Waterfront Center for a new Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen that will open in late 2022 or early 2023. Gringo’s joins Cheddar’s at the development; it also contains 300 apartments with more residential construction slated to begin soon.

the-heights closings news-you-can-eat openings

the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

news-you-can-eat openings