farewell, fleming's

Steakhouse chain's Upper Kirby outpost will shutter after 25 years

Fleming's will close in April.

Fleming's/Facebook

The Upper Kirby location of a popular steakhouse will soon say goodbye. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will close on April 18.

In response to CultureMap’s request for comment, Elizabeth Daly, director of media & community relations for Fleming’s parents company Bloomin’ Brands, writes that the restaurant chose not to renew its lease at 2405 West Alabama Street.

“Team members will have the opportunity to transfer to another restaurant,” Daly adds. “We appreciate the community’s support the past 25 years and hope to serve them at one of our other Houston-area Fleming’s locations.”

Those other Houston-area locations are in Town & Country Village (788 W. Sam Houston Parkway North) and at The Woodlands Mall (1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, Suite 305).

As Daly notes, Fleming’s opened its Upper Kirby location in 2002. In the early days, it benefitted from the leadership of Maeve Pesquera, who worked for Tony Vallone prior to joining the company. Sam Governale followed, eventually leaving in 2017 to open River Oaks-area restaurant Emmaline.

Between now and April 18, the restaurant’s fans have time to visit for specials such as its Tomahawk Tuesday promotion —a 35-ounce steak with salads, sides, and dessert for $165 — as well as a two-course, Easter brunch on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5.

Fleming’s is only the latest Houston steakhouse to close. In January, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille closed its location in the River Oaks Shopping Center. Last year, Andiron, an upscale steakhouse from the owner of The Pit Room and Candente, shuttered after only two years.

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truffle shuffle

Fine dining chef serves up casual sandwich shop in Houston suburb

Photo by Hungry AF Media

Richmond may not be top of mind among the Houston suburbs with destination-worthy restaurants — other than Larry’s Original Mexican, of course — but a new cafe could have sandwich lovers from across greater Houston contemplating a visit to Fort Bend County.

Meet Truffle & Rye Market & Café. The new restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this month, serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. In the morning, look for freshly baked pastries such as muffins and banana bread alongside breakfast sandwiches that are made with organic sourdough bagels.

Lunch is built around sandwiches made with freshly baked schiacciata bread, an Italian-style flatbread that’s similar to focaccia, that Truffle & Rye sources from Houston's Artisan Bread Gallery. They include The Pig (mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio, pesto, and pistachio crumble), The Boar (spicy salami, whipped ricotta cheese, Italian pepper spread, and arugula), and The Bird (roasted turkey, basil pesto, provolone, roasted tomato, and arugula). Three salads are also available.

Beverage options include a full coffee program, including lattes made with Mill-King milk and house made syrups, as well as teas, lemonade, and bottles of wine.

Truffle and Rye restaurant Kaitlyn Chavez and Joey Chavez Truffle and Rye owners Kaitlyn and Joey Chavez.Courtesy of Truffle & Rye Market & Café

Photo by Hungry AF Media

The Bird is made with turkey, pesto, provolone, and roasted tomatoes.

Chef Joey Chavez and his wife Kaitlyn are the husband-and-wife duo behind Truffle & Rye. Prior to launching his private chef company The Hidden Truffle, chef Chavez worked at a number of notable restaurants, including The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s legendary, three-star Michelin fine dining restaurant in California; the Caribou Club in Aspen; and Brennan’s of Houston, where he had a brief stint as executive chef. Kaitlyn Chavez also brings top-level hospitality experience, having worked for The Ritz Carlton luxury hotel chain.

“We built The Hidden Truffle around private dining and elevated experiences,” Kaitlyn shares. “But we kept coming back to the idea of wanting something for our community, somewhere people could come in regularly, feel taken care of, and enjoy food that still holds that same level of quality.”

While the restaurant won’t serve dinner daily, it will be open on select nights for wine tastings, sourdough classes, pop-up dinners, and other happenings.

Although he has a fine dining background, chef Chavez said he’s excited to bring this more casual concept to Richmond. “We wanted to build something we would want to go to ourselves,” he said. “A place where the food is intentional, the ingredients matter, and people feel comfortable coming in multiple times a week.”

Truffle & Rye is located in Richmond at 107 S. Third Street. It opens at 7 am Monday-Thursday and 8 am on Friday and Saturday.

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