christine ha's spring branch plans

Houston’s Masterchef champion and husband plan new gourmet sandwich shop in Spring Branch

Houston’s Masterchef champion and her business partner/husband have big plans for Spring Branch. Not only are chef Christine Ha and her husband John Suh preparing to open a bigger, better version of The Blind Goat, their James Beard Award-nominated Vietnamese gastropub; the couple are also at work on a new concept that will also open at the Spring Branch Village shopping center.

That new concept will be called Stuffed Belly. Schedule to open in March, the new restaurant will serve modern gourmet sandwiches from a drive-thru restaurant on the property. It will be the couple’s third restaurant, joining The Blind Goat and Xin Chao, where Ha and co-chef Tony Nguyen earned 2022 James Beard Award finalist nominations in the Best Chef: Texas category.

Ha tells CultureMap that she and Suh both appreciate a well-crafted sandwich and have aspired to open a sandwich concept for some time. When she receives an injection to help treat her neuromyelitis optica (NMO), the autoimmune disease that caused her blindness, she always craves a sandwich after. While both of Ha’s current projects are Vietnamese (The Blind Goat and Xin Chao), Stuffed Belly will not be a banh mi shop.

“We’re not doing traditional Vietnamese banh mi,” Ha says. “We’re taking comfort classics that we’ve eaten as children whether it’s grilled cheese, tuna salad, simple burgers, or fried chicken sandwiches. We’re elevating it and pushing its boundaries and taking it to the next level.”

Stuffed Belly logo Behold the logo for Stuffed Belly, coming soon to Spring Branch.Courtesy of Letterset Design

Before they open Stuffed Belly, they’ll move The Blind Goat from its original home in downtown’s Bravery Chef Hall to its new Spring Branch location. Expect the current location to close in November to facilitate moving equipment and staff training at the new location. Ha earned a 2020 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination in the Best New Restaurant category for The Blind Goat.

Photo by Eric Sandler

John Suh and Christine Ha have big plans for Spring Branch.

“The Blind Goat definitely outgrew that space,” Ha says about the current location. “There’s so many things I want to do with the menu that I can’t in that limited space. We’ll be able to expand our menu and take on catering gigs.”

To help prepare for the opening, the couple have made some key hires. Xin Chao general manager Blake Lewis will fill that same role at The Blind Goat. Bar manager Alex Coon brings experience from Izakaya and as a consultant for Heights Vietnamese restaurant Moon Rabbit. To assist with getting the restaurant up and running, the couple have hired former UB Preserv chef Nick Wong as a consultant. He'll provide logistical expertise and assist with training.

“I still have a lot to learn about running a restaurant,” Ha says. “I’m still learning how to maximize and streamline running a kitchen. The opportunity is to learn from Nick about what it’s like to set up a kitchen, train cooks, and everything else.”

“He has a lot of knowledge and experience,” Suh adds. “I think we can do some really creative stuff together.”

Although Ha didn’t win the Beard Award, she and Suh both say they enjoyed attending the awards ceremony in Chicago. It provided them with some networking opportunities and motivated them to push even hard to win the prize.

“It was very flattering, the weekend in Chicago,” Ha says. “Twenty years ago, losing my vision, I had to leave my job. I could not imagine I’d be at this place. I’m very lucky. I’m very fortunate.”

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say hey to Hypsi

Houston chef's hip new Italian restaurant now open in Heights hotel

Photo by Julie Soefer

Hypsi serves pasta and other Itaian-inspired dishes.

A new Italian restaurant is now open in the Heights. Located within the newly opened Hotel Daphne, Hypsi marks chef Terrence Gallivan’s return to professional cooking in Houston.

Known for his time as the co-execuive chef of The Pass and Provisions and owner of ElRo Pizza and Crudo, Gallivan brings strong culinary credentials to Hypsi. Although he isn’t known explicitly for Italian fare, he has significant experience making pizza, pasts, and other Italian-inspired dishes. After closing ElRo last year, the chef says that working for Bunkhouse Hotels, the Austin-based company that operates the Daphne, had a lot of appeal.

“My wife and I always made it a point to stop at their places whenever we’re in Austin. They know how to make cool stuff,” Gallivan says.

Hypsi’s menu includes updated takes on Italian fare begins with starters such as lamb meatballs, black truffle arancini, and Caesar salad. A selection of house-made pastas include squid ink radiatori with rock shrimp, butternut squash tortellini, and lumache with vodka sauce that gets a little heat from nduja. Entree choices include a roast chicken, pork Milanese, and roasted snapper with salsa verde.

The restaurant is also open for breakfast during the week and brunch on the weekends with items such as a panatone waffle, frittata, and breakfast sandwich. Lunch will follow in January.

“We took inspiration from tradition without being traditional,” Gallivan says. Later, he adds, “For me, it’s about balance. You try to please everybody. I want my mom to enjoy herself as much as a 25-year-old foodie. It’s important to hit as many marks as you can.”

One of the restaurant’s signatures will be the mozzarella cart that rolls through its dining room. Gallivan says he’s sourcing a mix of both American and imported Italian cheeses that will rotate every week or two. The cheese is served with a range of pickled fruit and vegetables, olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, focaccia, and more. Of course, seeing a cart immediately grabs diners’ attention, making them want whatever is on offer.

“That’s the beauty of carts,” Gallivan says. “It’s a fun thing to do. I think sometimes we get a little too serious in restaurants. It’s supposed to be fun. People are here to enjoy themselves.”

All that eating and drinking takes place in a dining room that’s inspired by Prohibition-era speakeasies, according to press materials. Details include blueberry lava stone on the bar, vintage velvet chairs, and custom Carimate dining chairs by Vico Magistretti. An outdoor patio features brick pavers, mosaic tables, and sculptures.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Hypsi serves pasta and other Itaian-inspired dishes.

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