rise and shine

Houston breakfast favorite blossoms with new Heights location

A popular Houston breakfast spot has opened its new location in the Heights. Dandelion Cafe is now open daily for breakfast and lunch.

Located in the former Kraftsmen Baking & Café space, the new Dandelion offers a number of upgrades over the original location that opened in Bellaire in 2016. At 3,500-square-feet, it’s roughly six times larger than the original with total seating of 75 indoor and 20 on a shaded, dog-friendly patio. The extra space has also allowed Dandelion to add a full time baker to its roster.

“Considering we can probably fit the entire Bellaire location inside of our Heights kitchen, this is a huge and exciting upgrade in growth for us that will allow us to achieve things we’ve been wanting to do for years like offer market goods and grab-and-go items, and now we can finally do that,” co-owner and executive chef JC Ricks said in a statement.

While both the grab-and-go and market items are still pending, diners at the Heights location will already find the full menu from both Dandelion’s original Bellaire outpost as well as its recently-opened second location at Rice University. That covers everything from breakfast staples like avocado toast, breakfast tacos, and build-your-own omelets to lunch favorites like a club sandwich and the signature Super Food Salad.

Dandelion Cafe Heights The restaurant's award-winning chicken and waffles.Photo by Becca Wright

Most importantly, the menu features chef Ricks’ chicken and waffles that became a smash hit thanks to an appearance on Good Morning America last year. GMA returned to Houston after Hurricane Beryl to present Dandelion with almost $15,000 in financial assistance from the Southern Smoke Foundation and Cash App.

In addition to Ricks and co-owner Sarah Lieberman, diners may recognize the restaurant’s general managers. Jeff Buhrer spent more than 10 years working alongside Chris Shepherd in a number of management roles at restaurants including Underbelly, One Fifth, and Georgia James. Rommel Cariño has more than 20 years of hospitality experience, including time working for El Tiempo Cantina.

Considering the Heights location has been in the works for more than a year, everyone involved is excited to finally be open.

“It’s a dream come true to expand, connect with even more Dandy fans in a central location, and watch our vision come to life,” co-owner Sarah Liberman said.

Photo by Becca Wright

Dandelion Cafe has opened its new location in the Heights.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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