Say hey to omakase

Uchi rolls out opening date for cool new omakase counter in Montrose with curated, 15-course menu

Oheya will open next to Uchi.

Uchi Houston/Facebook

The team behind Uchi is ready to unveil its new omakase counter. Hai Hospitality will open Oheya by Uchi on March 20.

First announced last year, Oheya will be located next to Uchi in the former Southside Espresso space in Montrose. Hai Hospitality’s in-house design team has converted the former coffee shop into a 12-seat counter. Diners will find a space the features custom millwork as well as artisan ceramics selected by Uchi’s executive pastry chef Ariana Quan.

Once seated, customers will experience a 15-course tasting menu built around nigiri as well as prepared dishes featuring different vegetables and proteins. What will distinguish the tastings from those already offered in Uchi’s main dining room is that each month’s menu will be curated by a different senior member of Uchi’s culinary team from its restaurants around the country.

First up is Uchi Miami executive sous chef Cristian Canencio. Locally, the menu will be overseen by chef de cuisine Stephen Conklin and head sushi chef Kevin Le.

“Bringing new ideas to traditional food is a defining element of the Uchi experience. We’ve done this through allowing our chefs to challenge the status quo and to continually build on each other's experiences,” Hai CEO Tony Montero said in a statement. “This is why we are thrilled to introduce Oheya’s monthly chef collaboration, as it brings the Hai family together in a new and innovative way. This rotating omakase menu will truly offer Houston a one-of-a-kind dining experience.”

The 15-course meal will cost $175 per person. Beverage pairings are available for an additional $75. Reservations for the two nightly seatings (6 and 8:30 pm) will be released on the 15th of every month for the following month.

Oheya joins a growing number of omakase-focused restaurants around Houston, many of which are staffed by former Uchi chefs. They include Niki Vongthong at Hidden Omakase, Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee of Kokoro and Aiko Sushi, Yoshi Katsuyama of Aya Sushi, and Luis Mercado and Paolo Justo of Neo. Of course, none of them received a “substantial” investment from venture capital firm KSL Partners as Hai Hospitality did in 2020.

Oheya is Hai Hospitality’s fourth restaurant in Houston, joining Uchi, Uchiko in the Galleria area, and Asian smokehouse concept Loro in the Heights. A second location of Loro is expected to open near Rice Village next year.

“We are thrilled to introduce Oheya as our newest restaurant here in Houston, where we’ve received so much support from the community over the years,” Uchi founder and James Beard Award winner Tyson Cole added. “While Oheya is a new concept, guests can still expect to find the delicate balance of elevated food and impeccable service that they’ve come to know and love at our existing restaurants.”

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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