green machine

James Beard-winning chef opens 26-seat new restaurant in the Heights

An intimate new restaurant with a James Beard Award-winning chef is coming to the Heights. The Green Room will open for dinner on Thursday, March 5.

Located within the same building as Heights & Co. (1343 Yale St.), the Green Room is a 26-seat, fine dining restaurant with a European-inspired menu. Part of Doke Concepts (Heights & Co., Lazy Lane), the restaurant is led by chef-partner Daniel Davidson and chef de cuisine Tom Cunanan, who won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in the 2019 James Beard Awards for Bad Saint, a pioneering Filipino restaurant in Washington, D.C. Sous chef Skyler Bancroft comes to the Green Room from Bludorn Hospitality.

“We’ve always believed Houston deserves experiences that feel exciting but never intimidating,” co-owner Brian Doke said in a statement. “With The Green Room, we set out to create something ambitious yet approachable, where the food is elevated, the wine over delivers and hospitality feels personal from the moment you walk in.”

The menu includes the chefs’ takes on staples of contemporary fine dining, such as scallop crudo, sliced hamachi, crispy duck, and roast chicken with salsa verde. Other dishes include salmon en croute, smoked bucatini with shrimp, and an heirloom tomato tarte tatin.

In addition to its a la carte menu, the Green Room will offer a five-course Chef’s Dinner Party Menu that will include dishes not on the regular menu and a glass of wine or a cocktail. Both menus are expected to change monthly.

The wine list will include both grower champagne and certified organic producers, most of which will be priced at $100 per less or bottle. A separate Cellar Series will feature premium by-the-glass options. They’ll be joined by a range of classic cocktails.

“It’s no secret that Houstonians are looking for new experiences when dining out,” the restaurant’s partners added. “We’re trying to meet them where they are, where the experience feels curated without being pretentious and elevated without losing warmth.”

In November, Doke and Davidson opened Lazy Lane in Garden Oaks. The neighborhood restaurant serves steak, pizza, pasta, and more.

The Green Room restaurant seafood platter

Courtesy of The Green Room

Meals may begin with raw and cold seafood dishes.

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Ciao, Bari

Flashy River Oaks Italian restaurant sets opening date in The Woodlands

Photo by Chris Nguyen

Bari will feature truffle pasta prepared tableside.

An inner loop Italian restaurant known for its chic design and polished service is ready to makes it debut in The Woodlands. Bari Ristorante will open its second location on Wednesday, September 30.

Located in the former Tris space at 24 Waterway Ave., Bari’s interior will follow the template of its original location in River Oaks District that opened in May 2023. Details include lava-rock wallcoverings, Spanish wallpaper, Lladro chandeliers, and the signature pink salt wall. Overall, the 9,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 250 people, including two private dining rooms and a dedicated bar and lounge area.

Bari Hospitality Group corporate chef Renato de Pirro worked with Bari Woodlands executive chef Marcelo Mintz to create a menu that utilizes ingredients such as European cheeses, dry-cured meats, European fish, and pastas made in-house with imported Italian flour.

Many of the most popular dishes from Bari’s original location are available in The Woodlands, including fritto misto, pappardelle bolognese, and tableside preparations such as branzino alla griglia and truffle pasta. In addition, the chefs have added new dishes such as a ham and melon salad, crab fingers “scampi,” arancini, and pesto risotto with prawns.

Honoring the space’s legacy as a steakhouse, Bari will serve chateaubriand and Fiorentina, both of which will be carved tableside. Weekday happy hour will include $10 burgers, $10 individual pizzas, and other specials.

The restaurant will be open for dinner daily. Lunch will be served Monday through Friday, with weekend brunch beginning Sunday, October 4.

Bari opens at a busy time for new restaurants in The Woodlands. Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons, a new steakhouse from the former Tris chef, opened in July. Bar Bludorn will join Bai in The Woodlands Waterway beginning Friday, October 2.

Photo by Chris Nguyen

Bari will feature truffle pasta prepared tableside.

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