this is it

Houston pop star Kelly Rowland teams up with Third Ward soul food icon

Head to This Is It for the Kelly Rowland special.

Photo by Getty Images for Pepsi

First, Travis Scott famously made a meal with McDonald’s. Then, Megan Thee Stallion got her own “Hottie Sauce” at Popeyes. Now, you can add Kelly Rowland to the list of Houston music stars who have hooked up with a beloved eatery. But, this time, Rowland is keeping things close to home.

Rowland popped up at Houston’s This Is It Soul Food restaurant in Third Ward on the afternoon of Thursday, September 12 for a surprise lunch visit. Rocking a powder-blue, over-the-shoulder SER.O.YA maxi dress, the Destiny’s Child alumna and pop/R&B icon got in line and ordered the Kelly Rowland Special: peppered steak, green beans and rice – all covered in gravy – along with peach cobbler and a soft drink.

Rowland is beaming with pride that her favorite food spot is serving a special (which will be sold exclusively for $14 at both This Is It locations through Tuesday, September 24) with her name on it.

“This Is It has been part of my life for 20-plus years,” Rowland tells CultureMap. ”So, it’s a place that feels, of course, like home to me. It’s a place that I remember always coming back to and feeling supported and seen and loved and I love it here.”

Since its debut a couple weeks ago, the special has become a popular item. One employee says they usually serve up ten orders a day.

“It’s doing tremendously well,” says This Is It owner/CEO Craig Joseph, citing that people were ordering the special “the next day, when we put it out.”

Kelly Rowland This Is It Kelly Rowland with This Is It owner Craig Joseph.Photo by Getty Images for Pepsi

Rowland and This Is It have joined forces thanks to the Local Eats Better with Pepsi program, a Pepsi-sponsored initiative that spotlights hometown eateries and the regulars who support them. Patrons can enter to win time in the spotlight for them and their favorite local restaurant by nominating the spot on PepsiLocalEats.com until Thursday, October 31. Winners will be featured in their own Pepsi campaign and have their favorite, signature dish renamed in their honor. Winners will also get to enjoy their namesake meal for free for a limited time.

Rowland, who recently dropped a video about the initiative on her Instagram page, appreciates Pepsi for shining a light on mom-and-pop businesses like This Is It.

“I like the initiative for the campaign to be able to give back to smaller businesses and allow them another space, especially with a corporation like Pepsi, to feel supported, to feel seen,” says Rowland. “And I think that, sometimes, people will forget about the smaller businesses and not support them as often as they should. So, it feels really good to come in and see so many people here supporting and knowing exactly what the special was or Mr. Craig saying ‘You want the such-and-such, right?’ All of those things, you can’t pay for that. Those are moments that make people seen and heard.”

Adds Joseph, ”I’m honored with the fact that they chose my establishment to be part of the Pepsi Local Eats promotion. And, then, with us having a long-lasting relationship with Kelly, from back when we were on [West] Gray St., just makes it even more special.”

Those who were fortunate enough to see Rowland at This Is It received a free goodie bag, autographed by Rowland, that included a pair of sunglasses and a Pepsi.

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Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”