another heights shutter

Heights Vietnamese restaurant lauded for inventive fare set to shutter

Dinette will close on Sunday.

Dinette/Facebook

An innovative Vietnamese restaurant will soon serve its last meals. Dinette announced it will close after service on Sunday, February 4.

Located in the Heights, Dinette opened in 2022 to some acclaim, including a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Opening chef Cole Hoang crafted a menu of North Vietnamese-inspired dishes that also drew on his experiences working for James Beard Award finalist Christine Ha at both The Blind Goat and Xin Chao. It included updated takes on Vietnamese staples such as egg rolls, banh xeo, and bo luc lac.

Last year, the restaurant added a bakery serving sweet and savory Vietnamese pastries, which its also closing.

Owners Raymond Chan and Jason Andaya also operate Hando and Kanpai Club, the sushi hand roll concept and cocktail bar with locations in the Heights and Spring Branch. They plan to replace with Dinette with something more similar to those establishments. Details on the new restaurant will be released at a later date.

“We recognized a need to focus on growing the Hando and Kanpai Club brands, and we believe that closing Dinette will help us accomplish our expansion goals,” Andaya said in a response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the decision to close Dinette. “That being said, there are plans to reconcept the Shepherd Row space into something that feels like an organic progression, building on what people already love about Hando and Kanpai Club.”

“Despite today’s announcement and the closing of this chapter, we are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished with Dinette, and we look forward to developing a new concept to open in the current space,” Chan added in a statement. “We invite everyone to come in and enjoy their favorite meals one last time this week.”

Although Dinette’s time is coming to an end, the Heights and its nearby neighborhoods offer a number of options for contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. They include Moon Rabbit, Les Ba’get, and Xin Chao

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morning to late night

Historically-minded new coffee shop perks up downtown Houston hotel

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

A downtown Houston hotel has opened an inviting space for guests and locals to sip coffee in the morning and cocktails at night. Press & Pour is the latest addition to the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

Open daily from 6 am-11 pm, Press & Pour takes inspiration from the Magnolia Hotel’s history as the former home of both the Houston Post-Dispatch and Shell Oil. “Press” refers to both the media and the act of using a tamper to press espresso prior to brewing. Design details include vintage photographs, a 1920s typewriter, and a copper still.

In the morning, the shop serves espresso beverages, iced and blended coffee drinks, and match. Food options include French toast and a giant cinnamon roll that the hotel becomes a signature item.

Beginning at 3 pm, the shop shifts to happy hour and cocktail service. Bar bites include snapper ceviche, crab avocado salad, deviled egg trio, short rib sliders, chicken quesadillas, and short rib sliders. Pair them wine, beer, or cocktails such as a margarita and the Black Gold, a whiskey sour riff made with bourbon, blackberry, basil, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

Press & Pour has 52 seats, plus a covered, pet-friendly patio with 10 seats. Wifi and outlets should appeal to remote workers, while five TVs ensure patrons can follow the night’s action.

“Press & Pour was created to meet a need in downtown Houston for an inviting space where hotel guests, business travelers, and the local community can start the day with a quality cup of coffee, settle in for a work session, or unwind with a cocktail,” said Justin Sides, director of operations at Magnolia Hotel Houston. “We look forward to welcoming guests for morning coffee, happy hour, or to gather before and after a game at nearby Daikin Park.”

Located at 1100 Texas Ave., the Magnolia has 314 rooms and over 14,000 square feet of event space. In addition to Press & Pour, its also home to The Dispatch, a contemporary American restaurant named for the newspaper that once called the building home.

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

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