On the most recent episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chef Bryan Caswell and his business partner Allison Knight join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss Latuli, their new restaurant in Memorial.
Open since late May, the new establishment is a bit of a comeback for Caswell, the Houston chef who earned a James Beard Award finalist nomination and a Food & Wine Best New Chef Award for Reef, his pioneering Gulf Coast seafood restaurant. He also operated Stella Sola, an Italian restaurant, and El Real Tex-Mex Cafe.
Caswell discusses the way that all of those influences play out on Latuli’s menu. “At the end of the day, you want to give people what they what. Some of those are things I love. They’re a huge part of my life. There are stories and anecdotes that go along with the crab cake or the mac and cheese, all those different things that I had throughout my career that people love. I wanted to have some of that,” he says.
“What people don’t see is the evolution of those dishes. Even though they might have had them at one point, they’ve still been tweaked and perfected along those 15 to 20 years. A lot of them we’re doing differently, or we’ve added something.”
Knight brings a background in both finance and commercial real estate to the restaurant. Sandler asks her about the restaurant’s size, which includes a spacious dining room, an adults-only bar and lounge, a covered patio, and a second-floor private dining room.
“Part of it was a function of the real estate. We did purchase the real estate,” she says. “Before that, we had to make sure we’d generate enough revenue to support the costs, which meant a certain number of seats. Starting from scratch gave us the opportunity to do what is right for the restaurant, rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole . . . It was a larger project than I intended, but it gave us the opportunity to check a lot of boxes.”
Listen to the full episode to hear Caswell talk about the lessons he’s learned that throughout his career that have been applied to Latuli. Knight also shares her vision for the restaurant’s future.
In another recent episode, Sandler and co-host Chelsea Thomas discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Thomas Bille winning Best Chef: Texas in the James Beard Awards, Tristen Epps winning Top Chef, and Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality’s plans to open a restaurant in Houston.
In the restaurant of the week segment, Thomas and Sandler recap their meal at King Steak, the new, casual steakhouse near the Galleria. They find some highs as well as areas for improvement.
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Latuli is now open in Memorial.
Ben Van Leeuwen founded his ice cream company in 2008.Courtesy of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream