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    rolling on the river

    Game-changing East End waterfront development adds 2 diverse dining options

    Eric Sandler
    Dec 13, 2023 | 12:23 pm
    East River

    East River is taking shape.

    Courtesy of East River

    The Fifth Ward’s massive new mixed-use development continues to take shape. East River announced two new restaurants and an office tenant that have joined its roster.

    They are:
    • La Cantina by La Calle Tacos, a bar and restaurant from the growing local taqueria
    • Kyuramen, a second Houston-area location of the global ramen restaurant
    • Champions Mortgage, a company that finances residential mortgages

    As its name implies, La Cantina by La Calle Tacos will be a restaurant and bar in a style similar to La Calle's three other locations in downtown, Garden Oaks, and Midtown. The East River location will occupy just over 3,300-square-feet along the development’s central plaza.

    Founded by Mexico City native Ramon Soriano, the restaurant serves tacos, tostadas, and tortas alongside a full cocktail menu that includes margaritas, micheladas, and more. Highlights include birria made with 18-hour braised beef that’s topped with cheese and served with consomme for dipping. The 10 varieties of street taco fillings include carnitas, pastor, chicken, carne asada, and vegetarian guacamole.

    Kyuramen will open an approximately 4,400-square-foot location next to Lick Honest Ice Creams. The restaurant, which has more than 120 locations throughout Asia and the United States, took Houston by storm earlier this year with a Chinatown location in the D2 shopping center that features booths in an unusual honeycomb design.

    The restaurant serves three distinct styles of ramen: kyushu shio from southern Japan, shouyu from Tokyo, and Miso from Hokkaido. Other items include gyoza, popcorn chicken, and shrimp tempura. In addition, it serves omurice, an omelet served over fried rice. The gooey consistency makes it a must watch on social media, as illustrated by this clip from houstonsgotspice.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Christina Autry (@houstonsgotspice)


    In addition to announcing the two new restaurants, East River also confirmed that popular wine bar and restaurant City Cellars HTX will relocate to the development. As CultureMap reported in October, the establishment will occupy just over 5,000-square-feet near East River’s greenspace. Moving into a larger space will allow chef-owner Daniel Wolfe to expand the restaurant’s menu with more dishes and cocktails. It will also have space for a companion “speakeasy concept” that will be announced closer to opening.

    East River is real estate developer Midway’s massive mixed-use development that's currently under construction along Buffalo Bayou near the intersection of Jensen Drive and Clinton Drive in Fifth Ward. Phase one, which is nearing completion, will cover 26 of the development’s 150 acres. Previously announced tenants include Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries, Lick Honest Ice Creams, and URBN Dental. They'll join a 360-unit apartment building, office space, and a shopping district with a 13,000-square-foot greenspace. East River 9, a par-three golf course, and Riverhouse Houston, a family-friendly restaurant, opened last year. The project also includes 1,500-square-foot storefronts that are being offered to existing, Fifth Ward-based businesses at a discounted lease rate, according to a release.

    “Leasing velocity remains strong as East River continues to attract local small businesses and industry-leading companies alike,” said Lacee Jacobs, an executive for commercial real estate firm Parkway, said in a statement. “We are proud to provide the curated, dynamic, and amenity-rich environment that tenants continue to want and need for their business to thrive, and we look forward to introducing these unique concepts to the surrounding community.”

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    perfectly paired

    2 Michelin-rated Houston restaurants teamed up for taco-fueled fundraiser

    Eric Sandler
    Aug 31, 2026 | 5:24 pm
    Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston Perfect Pairing Pit Room Tatemo
    Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston
    Michael Sambrooks, Emmanuel Chavez, Humberto Celis, Alexia Ramirez, Matt Harris, and Amber Kelusky.

    A chef who leads a Michelin-starred restaurant teamed up with a Michelin-rated Houston barbecue joint to raise money for a local nonprofit that helps young people reach their potential.

    Held Sunday, August 30, the Perfect Pairing event united Tatemó chef-owner Emmanuel Chavez with The Pit Room’s Memorial location for an epic evening of tacos, margaritas, and community. Both restaurants are included in the Michelin Guide, with Tatemó holding one star and The Pit Room holding a Bib Gourmand desgination. Michael Sambrooks, founder of The Pit Room’s parent company Sambrooks Hospitality, credits BBBS volunteer and event chair Matt Harris for the original idea behind the event.

    “The idea is to have guest chefs, do something lowkey that’s more like a fun party than a big gala,” Sambrooks says. “All the proceeds go to Big Brothers Big Sisters — 100 percent of the ticket sales. We donate all the costs of the space, food, and drinks.”

    Harris proposed two styles of ribeye tacos to Chavez that have become trendy in both Texas and Mexico — gaoneras and cachetadas — both wrapped in Tatemó’s signature nixtamalized corn tortillas. The Pit Room’s staff served them to diners alongside papas fritas and smoked corn elotes. Chavez’s signature tuna tostada and huitlacoche quesadilla kicked off the meal, while jackfruit tres leches with Altima caviar ended the night on a sweet note.

    “Part of the event is we want people to have fun. We don’t want it to be too fussy, but the food has to be good,” Harris says. “Talking to people in the crowd last night, a lot of people were intrigued and excited because it’s a pretty high level taco. To be able to present them tableside, it just felt right.”

    “We were just there with a flat top trying to bust out tacos as fast as we could,” Chavez says. “I felt like I was on Top Chef. There were 30 minutes, you have x amount of people, go.”

    Harris credits Sambrooks for providing the organization with such generous support.

    “What people saw on the plate was great, but the number of moving parts that it took to make that happen was not small. None of that would be possible without Michael,” Harris says. “It’s very humbling to have someone be that generous and not just open the doors but provide service, provide product, open his relationships with vendors — it doesn’t stop.”

    Sambrooks explains that he’s decided to support both Communities in School and Big Brothers Big Sisters with larger events, which allows his company to have a greater impact than if it spread its contributions around more broadly.

    “Restaurants always get asked for donations. You’ve got to pick who you want to work with,” Sambrooks says.

    Overall, the sold-out crowd of 120 people raised over $12,000 to support Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship programs. Seen in the crowd were Burger Bodega chef-owner Abbas Dhanani and his wife Nida; Craft Pita chef-owner Raffi Nasr and his wife Brittney, commercial real estate developer John Andell, Leaf & Grain founder Deets Hoffman, former Masterchef contestant Cesar Cano, Houston Business Journal 40 under 40 recipient Chassidy Deckhard, and Houston Chronicle food critic Bao Ong.

    Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston Perfect Pairing Pit Room Tatemo

    Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston

    Michael Sambrooks, Emmanuel Chavez, Humberto Celis, Alexia Ramirez, Matt Harris, and Amber Kelusky.

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