a $30 steak dinner!?!

New restaurant will bring $30 steak dinners to bustling Midtown development

Medium Rare serves a steak dinner for $28.95.

Medium Rare/Facebook

A new restaurant is coming to Midtown that will satisfy Houstonians’ carnivorous cravings at an affordable price. Medium Rare has claimed the former Artisans Restaurant space, at 3201 Louisiana Rd., for a Houston-area location that will open next spring.

Founded in Washington, D.C. in 2011 by chef and restaurateur Mark Bucher, Medium Rare serves a very simple, prix-fixe menu. Every diner receives bread, a green salad, and steak frites — a coulotte (top sirloin) topped with a Bordelaise-style sauce and paired with hand cut fries — for $28.95. Vegetarians may replace the steak with a grilled portobello topped with a roasted red pepper sauce.

Beverage options are similarly succinct: five red wines, four draft beers, three white wines, and one sparkling. Add one of five desserts for $12.

Weekend brunch has a few more options, including eggs Benedict with steak and portobello mushroom hash, French toast and sausage, and, of course, steak and eggs.

The restaurant has expanded to three locations across the D.C. area. A New Orleans outpost opened last month.

The simple menu keeps Medium Rare’s costs down by reducing food waste and allowing it to serve diners more quickly than a restaurant that offers more options.

“We have no waste, and since people don’t have to make a lot of decisions, the tables turn a little faster. You can easily get in and out in an hour,” Bucher told Nola.com.

Medium Rare is charitably minded, too. Its Feed the Fridge program pays restaurants to stock refrigerators with free meals. The program has dozens of locations at D.C.-area schools, community centers, and other locations.

Houstonians already know the area for providing beef-loving Texans with an affordable meal. Gen Korean BBQ, which is also located at The Mix in Midtown development, serves an all-you-can-eat menu for $29.95 at dinner.

openings news-you-can-eat

Best dining hall ever

Boutique Houston market brings stellar sandwiches to Rice University

Photo by Julie Soefer

Local Foods Market is opening its second location on the Rice University campus.

A new chapter in Houston’s dining scene unfolds as Local Foods Market opens its doors at Rice University’s Brochstein Pavilion on Wednesday, November 20. Building upon the success of the Rice Village market, which opened in 2021, the new eatery offers an expansive menu and beverage program alongside artisan goods.

“This feels like a homecoming for me. I’ve spent a lot of time at Rice with my family, enjoying the tree-lined pathways, attending football games, and even taking some special courses there as a middle schooler,” Benjy Levit, Local Foods Group founder, said in a statement. “I hope Local Foods Market at Rice University will serve as a backdrop for others to make great memories.”

This newest concept, open to the public as well as Rice students, faculty, and staff, will feature Local Foods’ signature dishes, such as the 'crunchy' chicken sandwich ($16.25), made with oven-roasted chicken breast, nut-seed crumble, and crushed chips on a pretzel bun. Staying true to its ethos, the restaurant sources ingredients from local purveyors like Atkinson Farms, Swift Hill Farms, and Blue Horizon Seafood, while also catering to diners with gluten-free and vegan options.

Fellow Local Foods Group restaurants will also contribute to the expanded menu, including fresh pasta from the newly-opened Milton’s and breakfast tacos from Maximo — made with tortillas that use nixtamalized heirloom corn. The culinary team is led by chef-partner Dylan Murray and executive chef Geoff Hundt, with guidance from culinary and creative director Seth Siegel-Gardner.

“When selecting a food vendor to rejuvenate the Brochstein Pavilion, we sought one that values thoughtful ingredient sourcing, sustainable practices, and awareness of the varied dietary needs of our students and employees,” said Beth Leaver, Rice's senior executive director and chief hospitality officer.

No campus eatery would be complete without espresso, and the restaurant continues its partnership with Greenway Coffee to craft espresso-based drinks including Local Foods’ signature Honey Iced Coffee.

The market will also boast a curated beer and wine list, including offerings from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, helmed by Rice alum Brock Wagner. Guests will be able to sip on a custom Cabernet-forward blend, a Local Foods Group and William Chris Vineyards collaboration, before it expands to the hospitality group’s other concepts.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Local Foods Market is opening its second location on the Rice University campus.

Ben Rosenblum Studio reimagined the 6,000-square-foot space while honoring the original structure by Thomas Phifer and Partners. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase freshly landscaped grounds, while museum-inspired lighting and a striking black quartzite order counter create a cozier, more inviting atmosphere. Garnish Design advised on the renovation and contributed furniture selections to complete the space.

Local Foods Market at Rice University will operate Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and on weekends from 9 am to 5 pm. The venue, which can host private events for up to 300 guests, is now accepting bookings.