Italian restaurant shutters

Promising Montrose Italian restaurant closing after less than a year

Pastore is closing this weekend.

Photo by Alex Montoya

So many new Italian restaurants have opened in Houston recently that some sort of shakeup seemed inevitable, and that day has come. One of last year’s most promising newcomers has come to an abrupt end.

Pastore Italian Kitchen announced it will close after service on Saturday, March 23. Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, the Italian-inspired seafood restaurant opened at the end of June and served a menu of pastas, small plates, pizzas, and entrees such as porchetta and roast fish.

Underbelly Hospitality released a statement about the decision to close Pastore. It reads in part:

Closing a restaurant is never easy. We exasperated several options and ultimately this was the path we had to take. Despite this closure, we are confident in our Company and want to focus our efforts on what we do best – delivering an elevated dining experience with high-quality food and exceptional service. We sincerely appreciate the support of the community and look forward to seeing patrons – existing and new – in our dining rooms at Georgia James, Wild Oats, Comalito and Underbelly Burger.

The statement added that Pastore’s current employees have been offered other positions in the company. Underbelly will maintain the lease on the space and use it for private events. “We are exploring various options [for the space], including developing a sustainable concept in the future,” it adds.

Pastore’s closure comes as a surprise. After a turbulent period that saw the departure of founder Chris Shepherd and the closure of concepts such as GJ Tavern and UB Preserv, Underbelly Hospitality appeared to be on an upswing. Not only had it successfully opened its first new concepts since Shepherd’s departure — including a Spring Branch location of Texas comfort food restaurant Wild Oats and Comalito, a Mexico City-inspired taqueria from chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos — Pastore had earned positive media attention, such as a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards and a positive review from Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook.

This year has gotten off to a rocky start, with a number of restaurant closures. They include Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, acclaimed seafood restaurant Golfstrommen, Harold’s in the Heights, and Dozier’s BBQ.

news-you-can-eat closings

hey, mr dj

Pioneering Texas DJ plans epic Round Top wine bash

Courtesy of David Wrangler

David and Daniel Wrangler, aka Disko Cowboy and the Seafood Dude, are collaborating on a new dinner series.

David Wrangler knows how to throw a party. Under the moniker DJ Disko Cowboy, he’s traveled the world performing eclectic sets built around old school country music.

Now, he’s bringing the same sensibility that has made his Vinyl Ranch lifestyle brand a social media sensation to the world of food and wine.

Meet Vinho Ranch. After a recent trial run in San Antonio, Wrangler is bringing his talents to Zapp Hall in Round Top on October 16 for an event he’s calling Ranchers’ Roast.

Presented in collaboration with his brother Daniel, a former H-E-B executive that Wrangler refers to as The Seafood Dude, and chef Johnny Ochoa of Luling’s Hometown Meat Market, the evening will include food, natural wines from The Austin Winery, and live music from country artists Jonathan Terrell and Pendelum Hearts. Expect cultured Texas oysters, three or four beef courses, and dessert. While the meal will include a seated component, it will be more lively and interactive than a traditional wine dinner — as one might expect from a dinner held at a historic dance hall.

“This is more of a party than a wine dinner,” Wrangler tells CultureMap. “If you attend traditional wine dinners, I feel like it’s more about communicating with the person sitting next to you. This one is going to be more of a party. There’s live fire cooking. We’re building this beautiful grill with cinder blocks. If you come early, you’ll see [Ochoa] breaking down a side of beef.”

Getting into food and wine is a natural next step for the producer and performer, who says he and his brother developed the idea after a recent trip to Portugal to do some soul searching. His numerous friends in the food and wine business have already reached out about working together for future events. He’s even planning to release his own line of natural wines next year.

In addition to Round Top, Wrangler has plans for dinners in New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Denver with more to be announced soon. The biggest challenge will be ensuring the wine dinners are executed at the same level as his dance parties and other events

“There’s a lot happening here,” he says. “It’s happening really quickly at the busiest time of the year for me. Trying to navigate it and make sure I don’t fumble the ball.”

For more information, including tickets, check out Eventbrite.

news-you-can-eat wine round top disko cowboy vinho ranch