nola in houston

Award-winning New Orleans cocktail bar pops-up at Houston hotel's speakeasy

Jewel of the South is coming to Houston.

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Houston

Houston may not be home to any new James Beard Award winners, but Houstonians will get to experience this year’s winner for Outstanding Bar.

That winner, New Orleans cocktail bar and restaurant Jewel of the South, will be popping up at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston next Wednesday and Thursday, June 19 and 20. Held at Bandista, the hotel’s intimate, speakeasy-style bar, the pop-up will feature five of Jewel of the South’s house cocktails prepared by visiting bartenders Shaun Merritt-Williams and Vince Lund.

Inspired by classic New Orleans taverns, Jewel of the South pairs a fine dining menu with carefully crafted cocktails that blend classic techniques with seasonal ingredients. In addition to its new James Beard Award, the World’s 50 Best organization ranks it as No. 49 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars. Co-founder Chris Hannah worked at New Orleans Bar Arnaud’s French 75 when it won a Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2017.

Reservations for 90-minute seatings are required to attend the pop-up. Cocktails will be priced from $30-50 each. A portion of proceeds will benefit Camp H-Town, a free camp for children and their siblings who are being treated for cancer. Staff members from Bandista will pop-up at Jewel of the South on July 8.

"We’re thrilled to welcome back our friends from Jewel of the South,” Four Seasons general manager Tom Segesta said in a statement. “It’s always great fun to showcase each other’s establishments in our respective cities, as the drinks and connections shared on these nights are truly special.”

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to the moon

Beard Award-winning Houston chef blasts off with new tasting menu concept

Benchawan Graham Painter Street to Kitchen

Photo by Eric Sandler

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James Beard Award-winning chef Benchawon Jabthong Painter (better known as Chef G) has won acclaim for her unapologetically Thai flavors at Street to Kitchen, her East End restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Beginning Friday, May 8, she’ll showcase her passion for other styles of cuisine at Jantra, a new tasting menu concept.

Located in Street to Kitchen’s former private dining room, Jantra will only offer one seating per night for up to eight people. Inspired by Chef G’s family name, the restaurant’s name translates as “To the Moon,” imagining what it might be like to return to Earth after a journey to outer space and experience ingredients and flavors for the first time, according to press materials.

“Jantra is about seeing everything as if for the first time,” Chef G said in a statement. “The world is a small place when you approach it from outer space.”

Diners can expect a meal of between eight and 12 courses for $175. Graham Painter, the chef’s husband, business partner, and beverage director, will contribute a pairing that will be priced at $85-120, depending on how many courses are served and what’s being poured.

“We will write the menus in Crayon, allowing things to change on a whim,” Painter tells Cu!tureMap.

Without being limited to only Thai flavors, Jantra’s menu will be guided by whatever the chef is most excited about at the moment. It also allows her to experiment with new ingredients and techniques, previewing where she’s going.

The chef previously collaborated with David Skinner, the imaginative chef behind Kemah restaurants Eculent and Ishtia, on Th Prsrv, a short-lived tasting menu concept that explored the evolution of Thai and Native American cooking across time. While that experience has come to an end, the couple learned lessons that have shaped the experience at Jantra. For example, they learned a lot about pacing and portions, achieving the tricky balance between diners leaving feeling full but being able to enjoy every course.

“Given the historical context of ThPrsrv, creativity was found within limitations,” Graham Painter explains. “Chef had to keep her recipes limited to ingredients found within certain time periods in a historical context. Jantra is the opposite. Free from techniques, limitations on ingredients, or anything else, G has a blank slate from which to create.”

Reservations for Jantra are available on OpenTable. They open at 10 am on the first of the month.

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