chicken parm tastes so good

Chris Shepherd kicks off new charity dinner series with an Italian feast

Chris Shepherd is collaborating with the Four Seasons Hotel Houston.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

One of Houston’s most luxurious hotels has launched a new charity dining series that’s hosted by James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd. Titled as the Celebrity Chef Pop-Up Series, the quarterly dinners at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston will feature Shepherd, who moonlights as CultureMap’s Wine Guy, and some of America’s top culinary talent.

Not surprisingly, the dinners will also serve as a fundraiser for the Southern Smoke Foundation, the nonprofit Shepherd founded with his wife Lindsey Brown that provides emergency assistance and mental health services to hospitality workers. Shepherd’s recent Respect the Rosé dinner provides a template for what diners can expect — a personal menu, big time chefs, and a rollicking good time.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Four Seasons in creating this ongoing pop-up series, featuring some of my friends and favorite chefs from around the country,” Shepherd said in a statement. “Bringing these exciting culinary experiences to H-Town is a great way to have some fun, and share great connections over amazing food and wine.”

Shepherd is launching the series on Sunday, August 4 with his take on Italian American comfort food. Working with chefs from the Four Seasons Houston, the six course, pre-fixe menu takes inspiration from Mr. C's Steakhouse, Shepherd's favorite restaurant from his childhood. It features all of the chef’s favorite dishes along with an environment that wouldn’t feel out of place in The Godfather — holiday lights, checkered tablecloths, and Rat Pack tunes. Houstonians may recall that the final iteration of One Fifth, Shepherd’s restaurant that changed concepts annually, also served this style of food.

Here’s the menu:

Aperitivo: Negroni Sbagliato cocktail, as imagined by Bandista, the hotel’s speakeasy-style bar
Formaggio: Parmigiano Reggiano broken from a 1/4 wheel paired with aged balsamic vinegar
Insalata e Pane: Traditional Cardini Caesar — served tableside; Old school garlic cheese bread with “roni” and Tuscan ranch.
Pasta: Lumache alla Vodka, Mezze Maniche All’amatriciana, and Baked Cacio e Pepe
Carne: Strip steak and chicken parmesan; crispy potatoes with Calabrian chili aioli; and grilled broccolini with grated horseradish, lemon, and olive oil
Dolce: Tiramisu
Digestivo: Amaro Cart

Seatings will be at 5 pm and 8 pm. Reservations are available here. The dinner is priced at $195 per person with optional wine pairings available for $130 and prestige wine pairings available for $310.

Lineups for the fall and winter dinners will be announced in the future.

“Chris is a great friend to us and the Houston community as a whole, particularly through his Southern Smoke Foundation, which we’re proud to support” Four Seasons general manager Tom Segesta added. “In partnering with him to bring these exciting culinary experiences to Four Seasons, we’ll continue to showcase our downtown destination as a place where great things happen, including award-winning chef pop-ups from all over the country.”

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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