on the case

Buzzworthy chocolate shop and bar sweetens up East End with booze-filled bites

A new chocolate shop is coming to the East End, and it’s doing something that’s a little different from every other Houston chocolatier.

CASE Chocolates will open later this spring at the Plant, the East End mixed-use development that’s home to James Beard Award-winning Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen, coffee shop Eden Plant Co., and Neighbors, a casual neighborhood bar that serves pizza and cocktails. The 900-square-feet location will serve as both a showroom for Case’s chocolates and a speakeasy-style bar.

Why a speakeasy? That’s what makes Case so special. Using a technique called Starch Casting, all of Case’s chocolates are filled with alcoholic spirits, cocktails, or a non-alcoholic equivalent. Currently, customers may purchase chocolates filled with rum, tequila, bourbon, or carajillo — the coffee cocktail that’s essentially an espresso martini for grownups.

Those looking for a more premium experience may opt for chocolates filled with whiskeys from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, widely considered to be some of the most coveted bourbons in America.

Photos by Dylan McEwan

The premium chocolates come in this cacao pod.

The speakeasy-style bar will offer chocolate and spirit tastings by reservation only. Customers will have the option of bar seating, booths, or tables.

Founder Casey McNeil is a UH Bauer College grad and serial entrepreneur. After getting bit by the chocolate bug, he traveled the world to find the right sources for Case’s chocolates, according to a release.

“Chocolates and spirits are a perfect pairing, but the only options have been sort of novelties. We’re changing that by creating unforgettably unique experiences and flavors that focus on the highest quality ingredients,” McNeil said in a statement. “Cacao is more nuanced than wine, and we want to emphasize the unique flavors that different origins offer. The journey gets more exciting when people see how those flavors pair with different spirits and cocktails. We’re redefining chocolate by creating new moments of ‘wow’ and joy.”

Although the storefront isn’t ready yet, Case is already selling chocolates online. It will also preview the speakeasy experience with a Valentine’s Day pop-up at Eden Plant Co. A few reservations are still available ($75 per person).

openings desserts cocktails news-you-can-eat

an abrupt departure

Coltivare owners cite I-45 expansion for decision to close 3 EaDo concepts

Agricole Hospitality Ryan Pera Vincent Huynh Morgan Weber

Photo by Ralph Smith

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Agricole Hospitality’s time in EaDo is coming to an abrupt end. The Houston hospitality group will close all three of its concepts — live music venue and cocktail bar Lightnin’s Good Times, Tex-Mex restaurant HiWay Cantina, and Vinny’s Pizza — after service on Saturday, September 28.

In a social media post announcing the closures, Agricole partners Morgan Weber, Vincent Huynh, and Ryan Pera cited the upcoming I-45 expansion project as the reason for the closures. The statement continues as follows:

We are incredibly proud of our talented and dedicated team, whose hard work and passion brought great food to all our guests. Our top priority now is to support our staff by connecting them with resources, opportunities, and assistance during this time so that they may prosper.

Thank you to our community for being part of this journey. It has been an honor to serve you and welcome you as our guests over the past 6 years.

As the statement notes, Agricole first opened at 1201 St Emanuel Street in 2018 with three concepts — Vinny’s Pizza, which sells both whole pies and slices; Miss Carousel, a midcentury-inspired cocktail bar; and Indianola, a Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant. Last year, Miss Carousel and Indianola closed to become Lightnin’s Good Times and HiWay Cantina. The Tex-Mex restaurant’s combination of traditional and innovative fare had caught the attention of critics, earning a strong 8.1 rating from The Infatuation Houston (among other accolades).

Although it will close its EaDo concepts, Agricole remains one of Houston’s most prominent hospitality groups. It operates Italian restaurant Coltivare, retro-inspired neighborhood bar EZ’s Liquor Lounge, and two locations of the cocktail-and-taco focused bar Eight Row Flint.

TxDOT is expected to begin work on the I-45 expansion project, formally known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), in October with a drainage project on St Emanuel Street. Overall, the $9 billion project, which will reroute I-45 from the current Pierce Elevated to run parallel to I-10 and US-59, is expected to take between seven to 10 years to complete the downtown section. The entire project, which extends from Beltway 8 to south of downtown, is not expected be finished until the 2040s.

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Buzzworthy chocolate shop and bar sweetens up East End with booze-filled bites

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an abrupt departure

Coltivare owners cite I-45 expansion for decision to close 3 EaDo concepts

on the case

Buzzworthy chocolate shop and bar sweetens up East End with booze-filled bites

Ben Berg's homage to New York Chinese restaurants will soon shutter

Fresh pastas and chicken parm await at new Houston Italian restaurant

Celebrated Houston West African restaurant sets Montrose opening date

an abrupt departure

Coltivare owners cite I-45 expansion for decision to close 3 EaDo concepts

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