One of this year’s most exciting new restaurants has a new chef leading its kitchen. Andiron, a fine dining steakhouse from the restaurant group behind The Pit Room and Candente, has named Michael O’Connor its new executive chef.
O’Connor comes to the Montrose restaurant from Better Luck Tomorrow, where he worked alongside James Beard Award winner Justin Yu on the menu at the casual bar in the Heights. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade at downtown steakhouse Vic & Anthony’s, including eight years as executive chef. The chef tells CultureMap that he’s excited to be back in an upscale environment.
“I took a break to have some fun with friends. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to,” he says about his time at Better Luck Tomorrow. “I definitely prefer working in higher end, more luxurious restaurants. My career has been mostly country clubs and steakhouses. It’s an environment where I’m very comfortable and can continue to learn.”
From the perspective of Andiron owner Michael Sambrooks, hiring O’Connor brings experience and stability to the restaurant. Andiron’s original executive chef, Top Chef alum Louis Maldonado, left less than three months after it opened in April.
“When we sat down, I really fell in love with his vision of what Andiron can be in the future,” Sambrooks says. “We hit it off and kind of shared the same insight into what this place could be and what the environment could be and what the vibe could be. We shared the same wavelength — the communication level and engagement with guests, being able to articulate ideas, and being able to manage a team. All of those are things we needed to grow this team.”
That vision includes maximizing the use of Andiron’s 22-foot, wood fired grill. Every dish has at least one component that’s been flavored by fire or smoke, which is part of what sets Andiron apart from other steakhouses. O’Connor notes the wood fired aspect is part of what appealed to him about the job, as it takes him back to his time at the Houston Country Club when he prepared items in a wood-burning pizza oven. It’s also the connection between Andiron and Sambrooks Management Company’s other restaurants, Tex-Mex favorite Candente and Montrose barbecue joint The Pit Room.
“When you’re cooking over wood, you can’t dumb it down. There’s technique to building and managing the fire,” Sambrooks explains. “In a restaurant like this, you need a strong leader and a professional. Someone who has a history like Michael does of running teams at a high volume, high caliber establishment is what we need to develop our team of younger cooks.”
Hiring a new chef also gives Andiron a chance to reintroduce itself to diners. When the restaurant opened, it had a focus on over the top luxury that may have made it less approachable to some. For example, its only New York strip was a pricey cut of Australian wagyu. Now, the restaurant is balancing those luxurious cuts with domestic Prime beef that's more in line with other steakhouses.
Other dishes have been reworked. The signature caviar souffle now has slightly less caviar to make it more affordable.
“We’ve kinda paired down,” Sambrooks acknowledges. “There’s not truffle and caviar and wagyu on every table. We’re trying to have more of a local, authentic personality and apply it to the steakhouse vibe. We’re trying to make really good food on the fire.”
“Part of what we talked about is we want to play into the luxury but have more fun with it. We want to highlight the best producers we can in Texas,” O’Connor adds.
In the immediate future, Sambrooks would like to expand Andiron’s lunch service from only being available on Fridays to the other days of the week. Already, the lunch menu's wagyu burger and prime rib sandwich have emerged as customer favorites.
He and O'Connor also plan to introduce a few larger format entrees such as whole roasted flounder that can be shared. When construction on the patio has been finished, it could feature a separate menu that highlights cold seafood and the kitchen’s robata grill.
For now, O’Connor is focusing on getting to know his team. He’s already spent some time working alongside the restaurant’s dishwasher to better understand his workflow. More than anything, his goal is to improve the restaurant’s consistency from night to night.
“You’re only as good as the last meal you served,” O’Connor says. “When you’re trying to establish regulars, you need to make sure the consistency is there. That requires someone with a hand on the wheel and attention to detail to make sure everything is going out the same every time.”
Photo by Duc Hoang
Andiron owner Michael Sambrooks and executive chef Michael O'Connor.
