crawfish & fried chicken

Houston's nationally acclaimed Viet-Cajun restaurant opens new location in Farmers Market

The transformation of the Houston Farmers Market into a food lover’s destination has taken another step forward. Legendary Viet-Cajun restaurant Crawfish & Noodles has quietly opened its second location inside the development.

Credited with leading the culinary movement that blends Vietnamese and Cajun flavors, Crawfish & Noodles has received wide acclaim both locally and nationally. The restaurant has been featured on TV shows such as such as The Zimmern List and David Chang’s Netflix series Ugly Delicious. Chef-owner Trong Nguyen was named a finalist in the 2020 James Beard Awards in the Best Chef: Texas category after being named a semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest in both 2018 and 2019. It announced plans to open at the Houston Farmers Market last year.

Nguyen’s sons Cory and Hieu (known as Vo) are leading the new location. Cory tells CultureMap that the family identified the greater Heights as an area that would be receptive to more Vietnamese restaurants.

He has good news for fans of the restaurant’s original Chinatown location. The new location uses all of the same recipes and techniques that have made Crawfish & Noodles so successful.

“Of course, the crawfish will be the exact same,” Cory Nguyen says. “We have the basil fried rice, the calamari, the shaking beef that’s been marinated for 24-hours, all the salt and pepper dishes — shrimp, snow crab, blue crab. The only difference is instead of being in Bellaire it’s here, and the presentation has been modernized.”

While what Nguyen describes as the “O.G. menu” will match the original location, he and his brother are also introducing some new items to the menu. They include a quesadilla made with wok-sauteed mushrooms and fried chicken that’s a step beyond the chicken wings the restaurant is already known for.

“You have fried chicken everywhere, but we’ve put our twist on it. Our fried chicken is brined for 24 hours and marinated for 24 hours,” he says. “The skin will come off just like a chip. When you take a fork and scrape it, you can hear it.

“The secret seasoning is in the chicken itself. I can’t really tell you what it is, but it’s a play on some of the dishes we have on Bellaire.”

Diners will also find that the Nguyen brothers are testing different dessert ideas, including a salted caramel custard and lychee ice cream.

In addition to the new menu items, the farmers market location will also feature an all-new wine list. Nguyen says its difficult to pair wines with anything on the menu that’s really spicy, but it will include varietals known to pair well with both seafood and fried items such as champagne and riesling. “Some very good friends of ours have been helping,” he says about the process of tasting and selecting wines.

So far, the restaurant has been relatively quiet as word about the opening has slowly spread among inner loopers used to making the drive to Chinatown. Nguyen says he’s enjoying having the time to speak with customers about their experiences, but he knows that will come to an end once crawfish season picks up in mid-January.

Crawfish & Noodles joins a growing group of food businesses at the Houston Farmers, including R-C Ranch butcher shop, Underbelly Burger, and Wild Oats. In 2023, modern general store Henderson & Kane will open its second location at the property.

Crawfish & Noodles farmers market exterior

Photo by Eric Sandler

Crawfish & Noodles has opened its new location.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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