3 new downtown restaurants

Ben Berg bringing 3 new restaurants to 2 downtown office buildings

Houston’s Berg Hospitality Group is making a major push into downtown by developing two new restaurants for one office tower and taking over operations at two establishments in another. The moves will bring one of the company’s most popular brands to the downtown tunnels and introduce two new concepts at a theater district high-rise.

First, the company has partnered with Bill Floyd Concepts to manage its properties at Enterprise Plaza at 1100 Louisiana, the 55-story tower managed by global real estate development firm Hines. Per the agreement, Berg will replace the El Real Tex-Mex restaurant in the tunnels with B.B. Lemon, its New York-inspired burger joint and comfort food restaurant. In addition, Berg will begin operating Real Agave, the cocktail bar and lounge that Floyd opened in 2022.

Real Agave will continue to serve upscale Mexican fare and agave cocktails in its existing space on the building’s ground floor. Berg’s plans include upgrading the dinner menu and adding lunch service.

B.B. Lemon’s familiar green-and-yellow branding will soon replace El Real’s signage in the tunnels. Similarly, its menu of burgers, sandwiches, and salads will replace El Real’s Tex-Mex fare. As part of the rebrand, Berg will introduce breakfast service and add catering options for the adjacent offices.

Floyd is a Houston hospitality veteran who’s best known as the co-founder of Reef, the groundbreaking Midtown seafood restaurant that closed in 2019. More recently, he’s opened two locations of Porta’Vino, a BYOB restaurant with an Italian-inspired menu.

“It’s an honor to be entrusted with these two venues,” Berg Hospitality CEO Ben Berg said in a statement. “With Bill Floyd’s extensive experience managing 32 Houston restaurants, he has set a standard of excellence in the industry. We aim to honor his vision and do him proud downtown.”

The changes at 1100 Louisiana are only one part of Berg’s downtown projects with Hines. The company will also open two new restaurants at the Texas Tower, the developer’s 47-story office building on the site of the former Houston Chronicle building at 845 Texas Avenue.

First up will be The Sylvie, a French-inspired restaurant on the ground floor. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant will take significant inspiration from Annabelle Brasserie, Berg’s French restaurant in the Autry Park mixed-use development, with some touches from Trattoria Sofia, its Italian restaurant in the Heights, Ben Berg tells CultureMap. It is expected to open this summer.

In the morning, The Sylvie will have grab-and-go pastries and coffee for those heading upstairs to their offices along with dishes for those dining in. Lunch will feature salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. Dinner will feature both a full menu of entrees as well as cocktails and snacks designed for people going to performances in the theater district.

Following The Sylvie, Berg will debut Dune Road, its previously-announced New England-inspired seafood restaurant. The menu will center around New England favorites such as chowder (both clam and seafood), lobster bakes, fried clams, and lobster rolls.

New York-based ICRAVE will design both new restaurants. The Sylvie will feature a “whimsical, visually stunning environment,” according to a release, and seat 85 people. Dune Road will have a nautical look with polished metals, lacquered wood, and shiplap-inspired elements. It will feature a 56-seat, circular bar along with a 44-seat patio as part of a total capacity of over 200 people.

“The Sylvie marks the beginning of a dynamic partnership with Hines that will bring two unique restaurants to Downtown,” Berg added. “Together, we're set to elevate the culinary landscape and invigorate the vibrant heartbeat of our city that is Downtown."

Berg Hospitality has opened four new restaurants in less than a year — upscale Chinese restaurant Benny Chows; French-inspired Annabelle Brasserie; posh Italian restaurant Tavola; and, most recently, Prime 131, a live fire steakhouse in Timbergrove. In addition to its downtown projects, the company plans to open Turner's Cut, a luxurious steakhouse next to Annabelle Brasserie; Buttermilk Baby, a retro-inspired diner serving burgers, biscuits, and Carvel ice cream in the Heights M-K-T development; and a still unnamed fine dining restaurant in the former La Table space above Tavola.

Courtesy of Berg Hospitality

The Sylvie will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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steak and putt

Michelin-recognized chef plans 2 new restaurants at proposed Houston golf club

Courtesy of Field Guide Festival

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A bold new plan is taking shaping that will bring a world-class golf course and Michelin-quality restaurant to Houston. Called The Burn Club at Cypress Forest, the proposal aims to transform the former Raveneaux Country Club into a Scottish, links-style course with a restaurant by Michael Fojtasek, chef-owner of Michelin-starred Olamaie in Austin.

The project is being led by Grover Smith, a hospitality professional with a resume that includes time at Austin’s Foreign & Domestic as well as Houston restaurants such as The Pass & Provisions and Bernadine’s. More recently, Smith operated Indie Chefs Week, which held a series of dinners around the country to showcase up-and-coming culinary talent.

Smith has submitted a proposal to the Cypress Forest Public Utility District, the government entity that owns the roughly 200-acre property, to lease the land to him for The Burn Club. Using an innovative nonprofit structure, the club would include two restaurants that will be open to the public, a casual concept called Campfire and a more elevated restaurant that's still unnamed.

The restaurants

As Fojtasek tells CultureMap, he and Smith reconnected via a mutual friend who knew they both loved golf. Chef Fojtasek is a regular at downtown Austin’s Butler Pitch & Putt, a par-3 golf course where he operates a food truck called Gimme Burger.

That experience informs his plans for Campfire. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant will serve sandwiches, burgers, and comfort food such as fried chicken and a chili-glazed pork chop.

As for the more fine dining-style restaurant, Fojtasek cites Maie Day, his Michelin-recommend steakhouse at the South Congress Hotel, as a starting point for the menu.

“I don’t want co call it a steakhouse, but certainly a live fire aspect,” he says. “A restaurant that speaks to what I want to cook, and the dining experience that we want to offer in relation to a place that feels easy to go to.”

The restaurant’s menu covers a wide range, with starters such as black pepper potato chips with smoked trout roe, tasso ham spoonbread and crab salad, Texas beef tartare, and a throwback chilled tomato aspic. Entrees could include whole grilled red snapper, a tomahawk ribeye, and barbecue grille shrimp.

“It’s mostly American fare,” he adds. “That’s the vernacular that I’ve traveled in for a long time. Taking some ideas from Olamaie and Maie Day and putting them together to create something that’s good for the neighborhood and folks who live around there.”

The neighborhood

Count area resident Braxton Watson as one of the plan’s supporters. He and some of his neighbors recently launched a website to urge other area residents to lobby the PUD board to consider Smith’s proposal, which includes reduced greens and membership fees for homeowners who have already contributed their tax dollars via a bond referendum that was approved in 2025.

“The problem is we don’t vote on [how to use the land],” Watson says. “People want to know what they can do to help. Be vocal. Share your comments with the PUD. The more and more people we talk to who have no idea what’s going on is frustrating. Our tax dollars are funding the purchase of this land.”

Watson got a first taste of Fojtasek’s food at a private party Smith held for friends and neighbors. “I’m excited about Michael’s restaurant. Olamaie is amazing. We thought it was an unbelievable deal,” he says.

The golf course

Smith has assembled a veteran team to help bring the Burn Clubs to life, including golf course architect Mike Nuzzo, former PGA Tour player Steve Elkington, architect Alex Warr, and golf course builder Heritage Links.

Members of the PUD board are also considering a proposal from the Dunn Golf Group, which operates courses in Amarillo, San Angelo, and the Dallas-area town of Rockwall. CultureMap reached out to a PUD board member for comment on the proposals but has yet to receive a response.

Still, Fojtasek has a simple message for his potential landlords.

“There are two young and hungry operators with great experience, looking to do something for the neighborhood and offer something that’s exceptional for a good value. I think the project is unique and interesting from the perspective of a golf outing . . . that can shine a light on Spring and also Houston at large”

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