pizza party

LA-based group serves up sleek Italian eatery and bar to Uptown project

Both concepts will be part of Central Park Post Oak.

Courtesy of Midway

A Los Angeles-based hospitality group is bringing a new Italian restaurant and a cocktail bar to Uptown. Élephante and Bar Bambino, two concepts from the Wish You Were Here Group, are coming to Phase 2 of Central Park Post Oak, the 17-acre mixed-use development at 1990 Post Oak Blvd.

Inspired by coastal southern Italy, Élephante serves a wide-ranging menu of Italian fare that includes shareable appetizers, pastas, entrees, and pizza. Specific dishes mascarpone and prosecco arancini, fried calamari, meatballs, wild mushroom pizza, canestri in vodka sauce, and veal Milanese. Currently, Élephante has locations in Los Angeles and Scottsdale with plans to open in Dallas and Palm Beach.

Bar Bambino comes from Élephante’s Scottsdale location. Its cocktail menu offers elevated takes on classics such as a clarified paloma, an elderflower spritz, a smoked Old Fashioned, and four different espresso martinis. Pair them with bar bites such as shrimp cocktail, a cheeseburger, and “pollo frito,” the bar’s fancy chicken nuggets that are served with basil ranch and optional caviar.

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Together they’ll occupy more than 13,000 square feet in greenspace at phase 2 of the development. Construction is expected to begin later this year with an opening targeted for 2028.

“I’ve always been drawn to places with unique energy and a cohesive community, and Houston has all of that and more. We’re thrilled to create a special hospitality experience with Élephante, and Bar Bambino at Central Park Post Oak, one of the city’s most exciting mixed-use destinations,” said Nick Mathers, founder of Wish You Were Here Group, in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity to create a new gathering space for the Houston community to connect, celebrate, and of course enjoy great food. The opportunity to build around such a vibrant park setting is incredibly compelling, and we are thrilled to partner with the amazing team at Fearon Hay to conceptualize, design and build the most unique Élephante to date.”

Both Élephante and Bar Bambino will join a number of other restaurants coming to phase 1 of Central Park Post Oak. They include:

Buck & Rider, an Arizona-based seafood restaurant known for its oyster bar and lively brunch
The Henry, the “ultimate neighborhood restaurant” from Flower Child owner Fox Restaurant Concepts
Sparrow Italia, an Italian steakhouse from Toca Madera owner Noble 33
Handies Douzo, the growing hand roll restaurant from Houston’s Duckstache Hospitality.

Announced in 2025, Central Park Post Oak will consist of three buildings with a combined 1.2 million square feet of office space separated by a three-acre lawn. Houston-based real estate development firm Midway, working with real estate investment firms 3Edgewood and Parkway, is developing the property. Construction on Phase 1 is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026 with the restaurants openings to follow.

“Élephante and Bar Bambino will elevate the culinary and social landscape of Central Park Post Oak and underscore the kind of experience-driven mix that we are creating,” said Midway executive Clayton Freels. “As Phase 2 takes shape, these concepts will build new energy around the green space and further strengthen the property as a destination for tenants, visitors, and the broader Uptown community.”

news-you-can-eat openings

8 miles high

Houston chef's menu takes off on United's premium business class offering

Courtesy of United

Justin Yu, far left, is one of 11 participating chefs.

United Airlines has shared more details about its new partnership with Chef’s Table, the acclaimed Netflix documentary series, including the menus created by the 11 participating chefs for travelers flying its premium Polaris business class seating.

For flights departing from Houston, United and Chef’s Table recruited Justin Yu, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Theodore Rex, a fine dining restaurant in downtown that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In addition, Yu and his business partner Bobby Heugel own Houston hospitality group Thorough Fare, which operates bars and restaurants including Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable, Donna’s, and a new, still-unnamed restaurant in Montrose that’s slated to open later this year.

Beginning August 1, people departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be able to dine on Yu’s three-course menu that consists of:

Appetizer: Deviled eggs with white soy, aged cheddar, and chives
Salad: Chicory salad with spiced bacon, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and oregano mustard vinaigrette
Entrée: Braised Texas short rib with ragout of mushrooms, red miso, and black eyed peas

“I wanted that slightly Texan touch,” Yu told CultureMap in March. “To me, the Houston part of it is the most important. There’s such a level of diversity. Introducing light touches of that to the meal was something I considered.”

Other participating chefs include Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles), whose menu includes an appetizer of burrata with braised leeks, shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes; Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston in Chicago), who has created a braised leeks appetizer, an arugula salad, and halibut with sauce matelote; Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat in London), whose menu includes an appetizer of grilled beef filet, lobster salad with grilled peach, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.

Chefs representing United’s destinations in Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, and Tokyo are also participating. The menus will be available through September 2026. They’ll be updated with new seasonal items beginning in October. Customers may opt for the Chef's Table meals beginning five days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

"At its core, this collaboration with Chef's Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what inflight dining can be," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, in a statement. "Because our leading global network reaches into the world's greatest food cities, we're able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve."

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