touching down this fall

New Houston restaurant will honor football legend turned car dealer

Another restaurant is joining Houston’s dining scene in the Energy Corridor — this time as an ode to a local football legend and entrepreneur.

Kirkwood, a clubhouse-inspired restaurant from Mac Haik Restaurant Group, is opening this fall inside Energy Tower II at 11720 Katy Freeway.

The name pays tribute to both a major thoroughfare in the Energy Corridor and Mac Haik’s legacy in West Houston, where his early real estate investments helped transform farmland into a thriving business hub. It's an upscale move for a company that's best known as the local franchisee of the brunch concept First Watch.

“Kirkwood is about creating a sense of place — one that’s rooted in warmth, character, and a strong connection to the community,” Alec Poynter, Haik’s grandson and an MHE vice president, said in a statement. “Everything from the menu to the materials was chosen with intention, and every space tells a story.”

What began as simply an amenity for Energy Plaza tenants gradually grew into a full-service restaurant shaped by Haik’s story and influence.

Gin Braverman of Gin Design Group designed the 5,500-square-foot space, including a wraparound bar with automotive-inspired details (a nod to Haik’s car dealership roots), a private dining room named after his mother, and a lounge dubbed The Sunny Room in honor of his wife.

“This project is incredibly special to us because it captures so much of what makes Houston — and Mac — unique: grit, hospitality, and pride in doing things well,” said Joseph “J.K.” Kubicki, Mac Haik Enterprises’ chief operating officer. “But the beauty of Kirkwood is that you don’t need to know the backstory to feel it. You walk in and immediately feel at home.”

Accents of leather and dark wood, a copper-clad open kitchen, and an Astrodome-inspired art installation will add to the ambiance. Kirkwood will seat 154 guests, with an additional 16-seat private dining room and a 72-seat sunroom complete with a curved, double-sided fireplace.

Executive chef Stephen Chiang, formerly chef de cuisine of Relish Restaurant and Bar and executive chef of the Petroleum Club, will lead the kitchen with a menu of American staples like steak frites and seafood platters, while a cocktail program will center on handcrafted Old Fashioneds.

Kirkwood’s debut will coincide with renovations to Energy Tower II, including updates to the building’s lobby, fitness center, tenant lounge, and outdoor gathering spaces.

Courtesy of Gin Design Group

A new restaurant inspired by Mac Haik is coming to the Energy Corridor. The sunroom is named after his wife.

news-you-can-eat openings kirkwood restaurant mac haik

what's on tap

Dough-obsessed pizzeria picks River Oaks for first Houston location

Courtesy of Pie Tap

A Dallas pizzeria known for its artisanal dough is coming to Houston. Pie Tap will open its first Bayou City outpost in June.

Located next to Fielding’s River Oaks in the Novel Residences luxury apartment building, Pie Tap is an endeavor from Dallas restaurateur Rich Hicks and Italian chef Giovanni Mauro. The chef is responsible for the restaurant’s pizza dough, which uses a mother starter and a 96-hour fermentation process that uses natural yeast to achieve a good balance of crunch and chew.

"Without great dough, you can't have great pizza," Mauro told CultureMap Dallas when the first location opened in 2016. "The idea that the crust is simply a vehicle for toppings is the wrong approach. There has to be a perfect balance of sauce and topping, but you have to have a commitment to the dough. If dough is everything it should be, the pizza is stellar."

Using Italian flour and natural yeast are essential components of the dough’s flavor, Mauro added.

"It's the kind of dough our great-grandparents used to eat," he says. "It's a very natural, slow process. We don't use any commercial yeasts. We started a 'mother dough' with a starter that's proprietary to us. It's a five-day process, an absolute minimum of 96 hours, from when we start to when we put the pizza on the plate."

The restaurant uses that dough to create pizzas that include classics like a margherita, pepperoni, and veggie. Some of the more creative options include the Prosciutto (topped with dates, pistachio, arugula, cheese, and balsamic) and the Salami (calabrese salami, fennel sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and mozzarella).

In addition to pizza, the restaurant touts its rotisserie chicken, which is served both as a half bird with mashed cauliflower and vegetables and as part of sandwiches, pastas, and salads. Other pastas include pappardelle bolognese, ricotta gnocchi, and the on-trend rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce.

Having covered “pie,” let’s turn to the “tap” portion of the restaurant’s name. The bar program starts with 30 beers and wines on tap. They’re joined by cocktails, more wines by-the-glass, and non-alcoholic options. Taken together, it’s a compelling package that earned Best New Restaurant in the 2017 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards.

“Our talented and dedicated team has been anxiously awaiting this exciting entrance to the Houston market as it is the epitome of all things interesting in food and culture and one of the friendliest and most diverse cities in the U.S. When it comes to our brand, if it is not exceptional, it is unacceptable,” Hicks said in a statement. “We are proud that we have one of the most clean, healthy, and delicious artisan pizzas you can enjoy out there because it has no preservatives, fillers, or additives.”

Pie Tap will be open for lunch, dinner, happy hour, and weekend brunch.

Courtesy of Pie Tap

That's what crust looks like when its dough is fermented for 96 hours.

pizza openings news-you-can-eat pie tap