Another Washington Closing

Another Washington Ave. closing: Celebrity connections can't save restaurant bar

Add one more restaurant to the tally of 2014 Washington Avenue shutterings. Katch 22, the restaurant led by chef Kory Clemens in conjunction with Clear Lake restaurant Cullen's, has closed its doors. On Monday, the restaurant's website went offline, and both its Twitter and Facebook pages have disappeared.

In response to an inquiry from CultureMap, Cullen's provided the following statement about Katch 22's status:

It is with a combination of sadness and optimistic expectation that we announce the closing of Clemens’ Katch 22 at 700 Durham Drive. Negotiations with our landlord have not yielded the resolution we had hoped for and, quite frankly, needed to continue operations at this location. Consequently, we have closed the doors of the restaurant and bar effective today and are beginning our search for a more serviceable location. Please be assured that ALL of our Katch 22 employees have been offered positions at Cullen’s American Grille and/or Catering by Cullen’s to ensure their financial health during this transition. We are grateful for your patronage and look forward to serving you again soon."

Kory Clemens

When it opened in 2013, Katch 22 aspired to be both a destination for watching sports and a neighborhood restaurant. Clemens, son of local sports legend Roger and a trained chef, partnered with Luke Mandola Jr. for the venture, which gave the restaurant a famous name in the kitchen and a member of one of Houston's most esteemed restaurant families running the dining room.

In February, Mandola departed and Cullen's owner Kevin Munz stepped in. In a bid to revitalize the restaurant, Munz added the chef's name to the restaurant's, making it Clemens' Katch 22, streamlined the menu and added lounge seating to help make it more appealing as a happy hour destination. Obviously, it wasn't enough.

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flying into East River

The Rustic owners tee up new casual icehouse at Fifth Ward golf course

Courtesy of Birdies Icehouse

Birdies Icehouse will celebrate its grand opening on March 18.

The team behind The Rustic is taking over operations at a downtown-adjacent golf course. Birdies Icehouse is the newest project from Dallas-based FreeRange Concepts, which operates The Rustic, Bowl & Barrel, and The General Public.

Formerly known as Riverhouse Houston, Birdies is a casual dining concept that serves a crowd-pleasing menu of bar fare alongside a full range of beer, wine, and classic cocktails. Plenty of TVs and a large LED screen allow patrons to watch all of the day’s games.

Happy hour is available Monday through Friday until 7 pm and all-day on Sundays. It opens at 11 am Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and 9 am on Saturday and Sunday for brunch.

Before or after their meals, patrons can entertain themselves with pickleball, lawn games, or the fully-lit, 9-hole, par-3 golf course. Overall, Birdies occupies 25,000 square feet and can host groups of 20 to 3,000 people.

“Birdies Icehouse was created to be a true icehouse in both feel and function,” FreeRange CEO Kyle Noonan said in a statement. “The focus is cold drinks, big screens and plenty of room to settle in—especially at sunset along the bayou. You can host a corporate event, stop by for happy hour, or catch a game. The space supports all three equally well.”

Birdies Icehouse will celebrate its grand opening on March 18. The celebration will include food, drinks, activations, and more. Details will be shared on Instagram as the event draws closer.

Real estate developer Midway opened East River 9 in 2022 as a destination that’s adjacent to its East River mixed-use development. Located near the intersection of Jensen Drive and Clinton Drive in Fifth Ward, East River is a 150-acre mixed-use development. It’s home to wine bar and restaurant City Cellars HTX and will soon welcome new tenants such as street taco concept La Calle and Japanese restaurant Kyuramen.

openings news-you-can-eat east river golf