• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    sayonara izakaya

    Eclectic Midtown Japanese restaurant closing for reboot to Gulf Coast oyster bar-casual seafood spot

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 26, 2023 | 8:50 am

    A Midtown restaurant is trading ramen and soup dumplings for gumbo and po’ boys. Japanese restaurant Izakaya will soon transform into a new Gulf Coast restaurant called Josephine’s.

    Izakaya will close no later than April 30, depending on its food inventory. Josephine’s is expected to follow in June after renovations to the interior and the patio.

    Opened in 2015, Izakaya offers an eclectic menu of Japanese-inspired small plates plus Chinese-style dumplings and a sophisticated cocktail program. While the concept is closing for now, owners Yun Cheng and Sammy Saket intend to find a new home for the Japanese restaurant in another location that will allow them to add sushi to the menu.

    “We’re not closing forever,” Cheng said in a statement. “We’re making the move now because we’ve established the right team for the new concept, and we’re actively searching for an Inner Loop spot for Izakaya. Our current lease doesn’t allow us to serve sushi, and we feel sushi is a key component to the Izakaya concept.”

    That right team starts with executive chef Lucas McKinney and general manager Joseph Ramirez. McKinney is a Mississippi native whose resume includes time there with James Beard Award winner Vishwesh Bhatt at Snackbar in Oxford and multiple roles for Houston’s Underbelly Hospitality, including sous chef at Hay Merchant and chef de cuisine at GJ Tavern. Ramirez is a veteran of Izakaya owner the Azuma Group, including time as general manager at Kata Robata.

    McKinney tells CultureMap he initially intended to consult for Josephine’s but soon realized he wanted a more permanent role. “It represents where I’m from and what I grew up eating,” he says. “It felt like an opportunity I should take.”

    Named for McKinney’s grandmother (and a famous shipwreck), Josephine’s will serve a menu built around Gulf Coast seafood in a casual atmosphere. Dishes will consist of both raw items, including an oyster bar, and shareable plates. At lunch, the restaurant will serve po’ boys, one of which is a crabmeat melt inspired by the Vancleave Special from Rosetti’s Café in Biloxi.

    “I want it to be a neighborhood situation but at the same time somewhere you can treat yourself if you want to,” McKinney says. “I’ve always dreamed of owning an old, divey oyster bar. It’ll have some of those nuances, but it will have some really fun raw bar dishes and small plates. If you want to get a po’ boy and a cup of gumbo, you can.”

    Having the raw bar means that those looking to treat themselves may do so with a seafood tower. McKinney also plans to take inspiration from more recent waves of immigration to the Gulf Coast with dishes that nod to both Croatian and Vietnamese cuisines.

    “When you go to other classic Gulf Coast restaurants, it can be super heavy. I want some lighter entrees, not necessarily stuff you’re going to fill up on,” he says. “I don’t want someone to come in and get etouffee-smothered catfish and that’s the only thing they get..”

    Design firm Nest Interiors will transform Izakaya into Josephine’s. Changes include replacing the dumpling bar with an oyster bar and swapping out the colorful, Japanese-inspired murals for Southern-inspired painted tin ceilings and comfortable banquettes.

    “Our goal is for Josephine’s to be a place to decompress, recharge, and let the gratitude of Southern hospitality take over,” Ramirez added.

    Josephine’s isn’t the Azuma Group’s only new restaurant. It’s also working on opening Katami, a sushi restaurant led by Kata Robata chef Manabu Horiuchi, in the former Vincent’s space in Montrose. Expect to see a lot more about both restaurants as their openings draw closer.


    Josephine's chef Lucas McKinney
      

    Photo by Ally Hardgrave

    Chef Lucas McKinney is a Mississippi native with an impressive resume.

    openingsclosingschefsnews-you-can-eat
    news/restaurants-bars
    popular
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.

    here comes the sun

    Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr serves up a new pickleball bar in Midtown

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 28, 2025 | 9:00 am
    Solarium ​owners Lance McCullers Jr., Juan Carlos de Aldecoa, and Jimmy Doan
    Photo by Swiggard Creative
    Rex Hospitality partners Lance McCullers Jr., Juan Carlos de Aldecoa, and Jimmy Doan

    A new destination for cocktails, bar bites, and social gaming has arrived in Midtown. After a quiet soft opening this weekend, Solarium is now officially open for service daily.

    Located in the former Holman Draft Hall space, Solarium unites Rex Hospitality — the group behind Maven at Sawyer Yards that includes Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. as one of its founders — with the Kirby Group, the veteran bar operators behind Heights Bier Garten, Pitch 25, and more. Together, they’ve transformed Holman into a luxurious new sports bar built around pickleball.

    At the heart of the renovations is a glass-walled indoor/outdoor bar area — the eponymous solarium. It offers a range of seating options, including community tables for large groups and more intimate bar-height tables. Design details include velvet chairs and and an “earthy palette,” according to a release, that features “Rolex green” fabric.

    Next to the bar, patrons will find six outdoor courts — four pickleball and two padel. They’re available via reservation beginning at 9 am daily for rates that vary from $10 to $30 for pickleball and $20 to $40 for padel. An adjacent pro shop offers all the gear necessary to play either for rental or purchase.

    Surrounding the courts are five private rooms. Made from repurposed shipping containers, they offer glass walls with a view of the games, as well as servers who will bring food and drinks. These VIP-style suites are part of how Rex Hospitality and The Kirby Group aim to distinguish Solarium from other, similar pickleball bars that have been opening around the Houston area. That’s consistent with the company’s approach with Maven, which adds cocktails to the familiar coffee shop model.

    “Though the concept isn’t related to Maven in a direct way, it is in in line with the Rex vision and the ethos of Maven an indirect way,” Rex Hospitality president Nina Quincy tells CultureMap. “It is a unique take on a common pastime. We have taken something and added a unique and elevated twist, so in that sense I think it meshes well with the overall Rex vision and shares a similar ethos with Maven.”

    A menu created by Rex Hospitality culinary director Nico Baizán features takes on familiar pub fare such as burgers, po’ boys, skewers, wings, and “bang bang” shrimp. At brunch, the bar’s menu includes pancakes, shrimp and grits, and shakshuka. Dessert options include a banana split and a build-your-own sundae.

    Pair them with cocktails, beer, wine, or nonalcoholic sips. Brunch cocktails include mimosas and spritzes.

    The bar and restaurant opens at 11 am Monday-Friday and at 10 am on weekends.

    Solarium \u200bowners Lance McCullers Jr., Juan Carlos de Aldecoa, and Jimmy Doan
      

    Photo by Swiggard Creative

    Rex Hospitality partners Lance McCullers Jr., Juan Carlos de Aldecoa, and Jimmy Doan

    news-you-can-eatopeningspickleballsolariummidtown
    news/restaurants-bars
    popular
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.
    Loading...