steaks and whiskey in memorial city

Memorial City goes haywire with new elevated ranch-to-table restaurant from Velvet Taco masterminds

A Dallas-based restaurant devoted to Texas comfort food is coming to Houston. Haywire will open in the summer of 2024 in the former Vallone’s space at Gateway Memorial City.

Part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind restaurants such as Whiskey Cake, Velvet Taco, and Sixty Vines, Haywire describes itself as serving ranch-to-table cuisine. Houston will be the restaurant’s third location, joining Plano and Dallas’s Uptown district.

“Memorial City has everything we’re looking for in a development partner – high foot traffic, accessibility, shopping, hotels, etc,” Haywire vice president of operations Judd Fruia said in a statement. “We’re excited to become part of the community and introduce our larger-than-life concept and elevated farm-to-fork menu to Memorial City.”

Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, Haywire serves dishes such as a tomahawk steak, chicken fried steak, and Texas whiskey barbecue ribs. At brunch, the menu includes kolaches, biscuits, migas, and chicken and waffles. They’re paired with cocktails, an extensive selection of whiskeys, and a wine list that’s worthy of Wine Spectator magazine’s Best of Award of Excellence.

Each Haywire location features photo-worthy design elements. In Plano, they include a 1962 Airstream trailer that’s been transformed into a roof top lounge and a whiskey lounge with fireplace. The combination of Haywire’s food, drinks, and decor helped it earn a nomination for Restaurant of the Year in the 2021 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards.

If the idea of a comfort food restaurant in Gateway Memorial City that serves chicken fried steak and chicken and waffles sounds familiar, it might because that roughly describes State Fare, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened in 2016. Not so fast, says Memorial City developer MetroNational.

“Haywire provides an elevated farm to table dining experience with an emphasis on modern Texas staples and a variety of whiskey offerings. Haywire offers a broader menu and has more of a steak focus,” Danna Diamond, MetroNational’s vice president of retail leasing, said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the apparent similarities between the two restaurants.

“In addition, they will be providing opportunity for event space that does not exist today. State Fare provides a unique and contemporary twist on southern favorites.”

Haywire is one of several new restaurants coming to the Memorial City area. Common Bond will open two of its On-The-Go concepts in the area. Austin-based pizzeria Via 313 and Miami-based burger and kebab concept Pincho are slated to open this spring. A second location of Montrose barbecue favorite The Pit Room will open in the fall.

Courtesy of The Nix Company

Haywire serves comfort food such as chicken and waffles.

openings news-you-can-eat

WINE NEWS

Fredericksburg winery uncorks new ranch-inspired tasting room

Photo courtesy of Formando Vineyards

Formando Vineyards will open its tasting room on October 1.

A new tasting room is giving Houstonians another reason to take a trip to the Hill Country. Formando Vineyards, a family owned winery shaped by six generations of Texas ranching, will open at 11835 N. State Highway 16 in Fredericksburg on October 1.

Ceci McBride and her nephew, Henry Johnson, founded the brand in 2019, choosing a name that paid homage to the vaquero traditions of the family’s Chaparrosa Ranch. The Spanish “formando” translates to “forming,” and the family likens the winemaking process to the care and patience ranchers use to develop a horse for riding.

All of the label’s fruit, sourced from select Hill Country growers and the family’s estate in Gillespie County, is painstakingly harvested by hand. The family says their goal is to leave the land better than they found it.

"We wanted Formando to feel inseparable from the land and our family's history," Johnson said in a release. "At the same time, we want guests to discover just how expressive and exciting Texas-grown wine can be."

"For six generations, our family has gathered around the land, the table and the traditions of ranch life," McBride added. "Formando is our opportunity to welcome people into that story."

Co-owners Ceci McBride (l) and Henry Johnson pose with wine club coordinator Estella Winton.Photo courtesy of Formando Vineyards

The portfolio includes whites like Picpoul Blanc and Grenache Blanc and reds like Sangiovese and Montepulciano. But the flagship blend is more personal. Harry's Red is named for McBride's late son and “honors the love, connection, and family memories that helped shape Formando.”

Guests can drop in to Formando to order wine by the glass and bites such as house-made focaccia, Texas charcuterie, sandwiches, and pizzas. But for the full experience, the winery recommends a guided tasting. The three options — red-only, mixed wines, and a food pairing — run 60-90 minutes.

The winery also offers the Señor Pico Wine Club, which has three membership tiers with benefits ranging from member discounts and first dibs on new releases to complimentary tastings and exclusive invitations to private events.

Following the debut, Formando’s tasting room will be open Thursday through Sunday, 11 am-5 pm. Reservations can be made online.

wine fredericksburg hill country tasting rooms openings