Foodie News

Houston's most high-profile sommelier makes a big restaurant move: And those $200 burgers are selling

Award-winning sommelier Vanessa Treviño Boyd will have a new home beginning Jan. 2 when she makes the move from Philippe to recently opened ranch to table restaurant 60 Degrees Mastercrafted.

"We're very happy to have her," chef Fritz Gitschner tells CultureMap. "I think what my knowledge is in food, her knowledge is in wine. I think together we can make a unique concept and a unique restaurant here."

Four weeks into the restaurant's life, Gitschner has discovered that most of the restaurant's patrons are ordering wine, and that they were asking for bottles not on the original list he created. Hee's given Treviño Boyd a couple of criteria. "I definitely want to stay with the boutique wineries, with the lesser known winemakers that have small production and introduce them to the wine connoisseurs here in Houston . . . I want to have 50 percent of my wine list up to $50, 25 percent up to $75 and the other 25 percent can be anywhere."

"I think what my knowledge is in food, her knowledge is in wine."

For her part, Treviño Boyd tells CultureMap that her list at 60 Degrees will be "contemporary and progressive. It will be the smallest list I've ever created, hence challenging . . . It will change often to keep people curious."

She adds that she's "thrilled to be working with" Houston's only Certified Masterchef.

Finally, no conversation about 60 Degrees is complete without an update on the $200 bistro burger. Gitschner reports that customers have responded favorably and are buying almost one every day, but he wants to set the record straight about Chronicle columnist Ken Hoffman's depiction of his staff's behavior when he and Alison Cook visited to sample the burger.

"We had no clue who she was . . . The only time we found out who she is (happened when) she gave us the credit card and paid for it," he says. "That's when the waiter came to me and said we have Alison Cook sitting out there in the restaurant. I had no clue."

While he's happy with the press attention for the dish, Gitschner wants diners to understand something else about his restaurant.

"I knew people would talk about the burger when I put the $200 burger on there," he says. "I think it’s a great burger, but I’m more into the beef that we’re serving and the fish that comes from the fishmonger who shows me every day what’s been caught in the Gulf

"That’s really what the restaurant is."

Sommelier Vanessa Treviño Boyd will be leaving Philippe at the end of December to move to 60 Degrees Mastercrafted.

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Bernadine's Revived?

Houston chef takes flight with new Gulf Coast seafood spot in the Heights

Southern Smoke Festival 2022 Graham Laborde Paige Gallaspy Laborde

Photo by Emily Jaschke

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Everything old is new again for Graham Laborde. The chef, a co-owner of Midtown sandwich favorite Winnie’s, will open a new, Gulf Coast-inspired seafood restaurant in the Heights called Little Bird.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Laborde once led Bernadine’s, a “love letter” to Gulf Coast cuisine that operated in the Heights from 2015 until 2017. While Little Bird is a distinct restaurant with its own identity, diners with a long enough memory will certainly see some commonalities between the two restaurants.

“I’m a firm believer in playing to my strengths, I don’t think any of the cooking I’ve done either at Bernadine’s or Winnie’s or Little Bird, which you’ll soon see, does anything but play to my strengths,” Laborde tells CultureMap. You can’t change who you are. This is the cuisine I know and love. It’s what I’m best at. I’m excited to do it.”

Laborde has claimed the former Flying Fish/The Kid space (1815 N. Durham) for Little Bird, which is just around the corner from where Bernadine’s used to be (it’s now Star Rover). Plans call for about 150 seats, private dining rooms, and an air-conditioned patio. Details include a hand-carved wooden oyster bar and a mural by Houston artists Whitney Garrett-Yarbrough and Dayle Booth.

The menu is still under development, but don’t be surprised if at least a couple of Bernadine’s dishes show up. “I’ve grown a lot over the last 10 years. I think that my style, my palate has grown a lot, too. The menu is a work in progress, but I’m excited to hammer it out,” he says.

Adding to the “getting the band back together” vibe are some of the people helping Laborde bring Little Bird to life. Julia Doran, who served as Bernadine’s pastry chef before a length stint at Nancy’s Hustle and Tiny Champions, is consulting on the dessert program. Chelsea Thomas, formerly Bernadine’s assistant general manager, will serve as general manager at the new restaurant (full disclosure: Thomas is a regular contributor to CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast). Bartender Justin Ware, director of operations for Winnie’s, Johnny’s Gold Brick, and Starduster Lounge, will oversee Little Bird’s beverage offerings.

The chef is excited to be back in the Heights, a neighborhood he knows well.

“I first moved to the Heights straight from New Orleans. I noticed Heights Blvd had a middle ground. It made the transition so much easier,” Laborde says. “I’ve lived in the Heights and Garden Oaks for 16 years. It’s my home. I’m thrilled to be back here.”

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