Endless Pasta-bilities

Fresh pastas and chicken parm await at new Houston Italian restaurant

Milton's opens September 27.

Courtesy of Milton's

Benjy Levit is almost ready to unveil his new Italian restaurant. Milton’s will open Friday, September 27.

Located above Local Foods in the former Eau Tour space, Milton’s puts a fresh spin on classic Italian dishes. Created by Levit in tandem with Local Foods Group culinary director Seth Siegel-Gardner and executive chef Kent Domas, the restaurant will feature handmade pastas and meats cooked in a wood-burning Josper oven.

Diners may begin with a Tigelle Platter, which consists of a baked-to-order flatbread topped with salumi and pickles or chicken liver mousse and whipped ricotta. From there, they may choose pastas such as cacio e pepe ricotta gnocchi, a classic bolognese, or mortadella-stuffed agnolotti in brodo.

Milton's restaurant food spread Chicken parm you taste so good.Photo by Julie Soefer

As Siegel-Gardner told CultureMap in May, chicken parmesan will be featured, although diners may opt for either eggplant or veal instead. The restaurant will also put its spin on 100-layer lasagna.

Beverage director Máté Hartai (Tongue-cut Sparrow, Refuge) has created a cocktail menu that includes a house martini, a riff on limoncello that uses Texas Ruby Red grapefruit, and the Caffe Incoretto, a fresh take on the café corretto made with housemade amaro and pistachio milk. Wine lovers will find a range of Old and New World options at competitive price points.

Levit enlisted Brittany Vaughan of Garnish Design to transform Eau Tour into Milton’s. Instead of the usual Italian restaurant tropes, she created a space built around green and gold hues with mahogany accents and brass lighting fixtures. The restaurant seats 60 in its main dining room, 11 at the bar, and a few more on a covered patio.

“We wanted to create an intimate space where people can come together to meet old friends and make new ones, " Levit said in a statement. "Reflecting back to the golden age of gathering, our team has worked tirelessly to create an elegant yet unpretentious dining experience with comforting, shareable dishes and incredible drinks that evoke a subtle nostalgia.”

Next up, the team will begin redesigning Lees Den. Formerly a wine bar next to Eau Tour, it’s being transformed into a speakeasy-style cocktail bar that will serve as a companion to Milton’s. Expect a winter opening.

news-you-can-eat openings rice village

morning to late night

Historically-minded new coffee shop perks up downtown Houston hotel

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

A downtown Houston hotel has opened an inviting space for guests and locals to sip coffee in the morning and cocktails at night. Press & Pour is the latest addition to the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

Open daily from 6 am-11 pm, Press & Pour takes inspiration from the Magnolia Hotel’s history as the former home of both the Houston Post-Dispatch and Shell Oil. “Press” refers to both the media and the act of using a tamper to press espresso prior to brewing. Design details include vintage photographs, a 1920s typewriter, and a copper still.

In the morning, the shop serves espresso beverages, iced and blended coffee drinks, and match. Food options include French toast and a giant cinnamon roll that the hotel becomes a signature item.

Beginning at 3 pm, the shop shifts to happy hour and cocktail service. Bar bites include snapper ceviche, crab avocado salad, deviled egg trio, short rib sliders, chicken quesadillas, and short rib sliders. Pair them wine, beer, or cocktails such as a margarita and the Black Gold, a whiskey sour riff made with bourbon, blackberry, basil, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

Press & Pour has 52 seats, plus a covered, pet-friendly patio with 10 seats. Wifi and outlets should appeal to remote workers, while five TVs ensure patrons can follow the night’s action.

“Press & Pour was created to meet a need in downtown Houston for an inviting space where hotel guests, business travelers, and the local community can start the day with a quality cup of coffee, settle in for a work session, or unwind with a cocktail,” said Justin Sides, director of operations at Magnolia Hotel Houston. “We look forward to welcoming guests for morning coffee, happy hour, or to gather before and after a game at nearby Daikin Park.”

Located at 1100 Texas Ave., the Magnolia has 314 rooms and over 14,000 square feet of event space. In addition to Press & Pour, its also home to The Dispatch, a contemporary American restaurant named for the newspaper that once called the building home.

Courtesy of Magnolia Hotel Houston

Press & Pour is now open at the Magnolia Hotel Houston.

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