new heights tex-mex

Goode Co. announces opening date for highly anticipated new Heights Tex-Mex restaurant

The wait is almost over for Goode Company’s debut in the Heights. Kitchen & Cantina, the company’s Tex-Mex restaurant, will open for dinner on Tuesday, November 8 with lunch to follow on November 10.

For Goode Company Restaurants president and chef Levi Goode, the time is right to be in the Heights.

“I really enjoy all that the Heights has offered in the past and where it’s going,” Goode tells CultureMap. “Being that we’ve been in the community for as long as we have, just seemed like a natural fit to have Kitchen and Cantina here.”

Goode Co. first announced its plans to occupy the former Down House space at 1801 Yale St. last summer. Since then, the building has undergone extensive renovations to match the look of Kitchen & Cantina’s existing locations in Memorial and The Woodlands.

The biggest change is relocating the bar closer to the entrance, which more clearly divides the restaurant into a bar-forward “cantina” and the dining “kitchen.” In addition, the patio has been renovated and is now covered, giving it all weather utility. Diners won’t see the full kitchen renovation that allows for grilling over mesquite wood, but they will appreciate the flavor it adds to many of the restaurant’s dishes.

First opened in The Woodlands in 2017, Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina serves Tex-Mex fare such as fajitas and enchiladas alongside Goode Co. classics like seafood campechana and grilled redfish on the half shell. The menu also nods to the Goode family's South Texas roots with dishes such as pork and green chile empanadas and grilled Texas quail.

“As far as what we have on the menu, a lot of it goes back to our time in the restaurant business and our border experiences. We used to have a hunting lease across the border. Going down there over the holiday season to hunt in Mexico was a memorable time for me,” Goode says.

“All those great memories inspired the food we do. We go to great lengths to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward on the hand crated nature of our food from rolling tortillas to fresh masa for our tamales. It’s been a labor of love. It’s something we’re really looking forward to sharing with the Heights.”

The cantina aspect isn’t limited to decor. Expect a range of mostly agave-based cocktails that includes eight shaken margaritas, frozen margaritas, palomas, and tequila-based takes on drinks like the Moscow Mule and Old Fashioned.

“Agave spirits [are some] of my favorites. I’ve spent a good deal of time in Mexico and developed an appreciation for the craft,” Goode says. “What’s available is really fantastic. It says a lot about the culture that it goes so well with this type of food.”

As noted above, the restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner beginning November 10. In a nod to the neighborhood, it will stay open late on Friday and Saturday nights to feed people looking for a bite after concerts at the nearby Heights Theater.

The past few months have been a busy time for Goode Co. Earlier this year, it opened Fish Camp, a new seafood restaurant in The Woodlands. More recently, it reopened the Cypress location of Goode Co. Barbeque.

Photo by Jody Horton

Goode Co is bringing its fajitas to the Heights.

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a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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