ride the wave

Fresh new Galleria seafood restaurant opens with surf-inspired, midcentury modern vibe

Galleria-area diners have a fresh new option for seafood. Balboa Surf Club has opened for lunch and dinner daily.

Courtesy of Western Addition

Sushi rice is made every 45 minutes.

Located in the former Masraff’s space at 1753 Post Oak Blvd., Balboa Surf Club is the latest concept from Western Addition, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind il Bracco, the Italian restaurant that is also located in the Post Oak Plaza shopping center. Western Addition vice president of design Mary Lucille Quick teamed up with Texas-based firm the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to transform the 7,200-square-foot space.

Like il Bracco, Balboa Surf Club has a midcentury modern design that uses port windows and skylights to add natural light to the dining room. It also takes some inspiration from Brazilian brutalist design for its dramatic entryway and surf bungalows with its plant life throughout the space, according to press materials.

A 1,200-square-foot patio features a concrete fire pit and a 60-foot fountain. Artwork comes from the personal collection of Mary Lucille Quick and her husband, Western Addition president and CEO Robert Quick.

Turning to the menu, Balboa serves a menu of classic American seafood with a few global touches. Meals begin with dishes such as seafood cocktail, shrimp cocktail, or fried oysters. From there, diners may opt for sushi rolls — including a decadent king crab hand roll — or salads including a wedge, endive, or a Louie with shrimp and crab.

Entree selections start with seafood options such as a crab cake, grilled scallops, miso salmon, and grilled halibut. Non-seafood lovers will find a ribeye, a filet, and roasted chicken. Lunch features more entree-style salads as well as a cheeseburger and a fried grouper sandwich.

"We're dedicated to quality, freshness and attention to detail," COO Matt Gotlieb said in a statement. "Sushi rice is prepared fresh every 45 minutes, tortillas are made in house and then fried into tostadas to be served warm alongside made-to-order guacamole. Our burgers are a labor of love. Everything from the freshly baked bun, to the meat ground for service that day, even the cut size of the lettuce, freshness of the tomato, and thickness of the cheese has to be consistent for the perfect bite, every time."

Since it opened last year, il Bracco has been a hit, earning a CultureMap Tastemaker Award nomination for Best New Restaurant. By applying the Western Addition formula to seafood, Balboa seems poised to follow in its footsteps.

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welcome back, chef

Superstar Mexican chef returns to Houston via new 3-year partnership

Courtesy of Pochitos Mariscos y Más

Chef Aquiles Chávez will roll out his menu on September 3.

A superstar Mexican chef is bringing a fresh perspective to a Houston restaurant. Pochitos Mariscos y Más will soon feature a new menu created by chef Aquiles Chávez.

$Pochitos Mariscos y M\u00e1s Aquiles Chavez$

Courtesy of Pochitos Mariscos y Más

Chef Aquiles Chávez will roll out his menu on September 3.

One of Mexico’s most prominent celebrity chefs, Chávez is known for his time as a judge on Top Chef Mexico as well as starring in shows such as Fox Life's El Toque de Aquiles, Aquilísimo, Motochefs, and Amazon Prime’s Sabores de Libertad. He opened Houston restaurant La Fisheria in 2012 before eventually parting ways with the restaurant.

Pochitos owner Juan Antonio Hernandez recruited Chávez for a three-year term. Beginning September 3, the chef will roll out a new menu that includes Gulf Coast fried seafood; grill and asado preparations; Cajun-influenced boiled seafood; Sinaloa- and Pacific-inspired cold dishes such as ceviches, aguachiles, and crudos; and Mexican-inspired sushi. Chávez will also oversee seasonal updates to the restaurant’s cocktail menu.

“Houston is one of those cities where so many cultures meet at the table, especially when it comes to seafood,” Chávez said in a statement. “We have an opportunity at Pochitos to bring together different techniques and traditions while keeping the food fun, generous and full of flavor. And because this is a three-year collaboration, we can keep evolving the menu and giving guests new reasons to come back.”

Open since 2024, Hernandez hopes bringing Chávez on board will make Pochitos a destination restaurant that draws diners from the inner loop as well as nearby suburbs such as Clear Lake and Webster. Other upgrades include new dining room seating, tables, and plateware; a dedicated kids’ menu; and fold-up windows to blend the restaurant’s indoor and outdoor environments.

Hernandez is the lead singer and composer for Houston Tejano/norteño group Obzesion. Aspects of that career have influenced Pochitos, such as its stage, DJ booth, and high-end AV equipment.

“I grew up in southeast Houston. This is home to me,” Hernandez added. “We could have taken this concept to another part of the city, but I kept coming back to one thought: why not here? Why shouldn’t this side of Houston have something people are willing to drive across the city to experience? I didn’t want Aquiles to come put his name on a handful of dishes and leave. I wanted him to challenge everything we were doing in the kitchen. That’s why we committed to this partnership.”

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