Revival relocates

River Oaks comfort food restaurant's big move brings new patio and more

Frank's Americana Revival buttermilk fried chicken

Frank's serves classic fare such as buttermilk fried chicken.

Photos courtesy of Frank's Americana Revival

One of River Oaks's favorite comfort food destination will soon have a new home. Frank's Americana Revival will relocate from its current home on Westheimer to the Alexan River Oaks (3015 Weslayan St.).

Construction on the new restaurant will begin with an eye towards an early 2023 opening. The restaurant will operate at its current location (3736 Westheimer Rd.) through the end of the year.

Opened in 2012 by veteran restaurateur Michael Shine with his sons, beverage specialist Chris Shine and chef Colin Shine, Frank's Americana Revival serves classic American fare in a stylish, mid-century environment. Often regarded as serving one of Houston's finest chicken fried steaks, the menu also features dishes such as crab cakes, a maple-brined pork chop, and buttermilk fried chicken.

“On behalf of the entire Frank’s family, we are excited to share the news about relocating our beloved restaurant,” Michael Shine said in a statement. “While we are looking forward to capitalizing on this move as an opportunity to refresh certain elements of our concept, we’re planning to keep the heart and soul of Frank’s while providing Houstonians a place where the neighborhood can come together to share their best moments with their best relationships.”

As Shine notes, moving to the new location will come with a number of advantages. For the first time, the restaurant will be able to offer patio seating. More interior space will allow the restaurant to expand The White Star Bar, its companion bar and lounge. An expanded kitchen will facilitate growth in both to-go and catering services.

In time, the restaurant will add a companion coffee shop and cafe. Details on the new concept will be announced closer to its opening.

“This is the right move for us and it will allow us to continue serving our loyal customer base that have become our extended family, but also reach new customers that may not have heard of us before,” Shine added.

fit to print

New York Times critic awards Houston restaurant 2 stars in glowing review

Courtesy of ChòpnBlọk

undefined

Let’s just call 2025 the year of ChòpnBlọk. In a review published Tuesday, December 16, the New York Times has awarded the Houston restaurant two stars (“very good”).

Written by chief restaurant critic Tejal Rao, the review touts many of the same qualities that the Times already praised when it included ChòpnBlọk on its list of America’s 50 best restaurants.

Rao writes that she usually avoids restaurants that serve food in bowls, but she’s impressed by the way that chef-owner Ope Amosu has put a West African spin on the concept.

“For inspiration, Ope Amosu looked to the kind of chain restaurants that were built to scale, where flavors are often subdued to appeal to the broadest possible audience, focus-grouped to death. But the delight of ChòpnBlok is in its sure sense of self, its lively, multidimensional cooking and clear, delicious vision for modern food from the Black diaspora,” Rao writes.

She singles out specific dishes, including the Nigerian red stew with short rib, the Black Star bowl with shrimp, and the signature Motherland, made with chicken, greens, and plantains. “It’s utterly simple, but draws you in for more with the mouthwatering twang of not-too-much MSG — an international shortcut to building umami that tends to be used carefully, and layered with other forms,” she writes.

The review also touches on the way Amosu switched the restaurant from counter service to full service — described as “warm, informal, and quick with the jokes” — and his time working at Chipotle to learn the basics of the restaurant operations.

A two-star review is only the latest instance of ChòpnBlọk receiving national attention. In addition to the Times 50 best list, Esquire recently named it one of America’s best new restaurants. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand designation for 2025. Amosu earned a semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards.

news-you-can-eat media