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    le petit chef in Houston

    Animated 3D 'chef' now serving steaks and seafood at Houston hotel

    Brianna McClane
    Mar 10, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    ​Le Petit Chef  in Houston

    Le Petit Chef is a dining experience that projects 3D animations onto a diner's plate and table and is currently at the InterContinental Houston Hotel’s Safina Mediterranean restaurant.

    Courtesy of Le Petit Chef

    A tiny chef has arrived at the InterContinental Houston's Safina Mediterranean restaurant.

    Standing at a mere 2.3 inches tall, this animated character is the star of “Le Petit Chef,” a 3D show that is projected onto a table for diners to enjoy between courses. Founded by Belgian artists Filip Sterckx and Antoon Verbeeck, the miniature chef attempts to wield his culinary skills to create a delicious meal for diners, often with disastrous, but amusing, results. The pop-up currently has 87 locations worldwide, from Portugal to Aruba.

    "With great pleasure, we are now also able to open a location with InterContinental Houston. The opening is a great expansion for us, and we are happy to be able to entertain guests with an unforgettable theatre and gourmet experience together with the team on site," Christian Bagaric, 2Spicy Entertainment GmbH managing director, said in a press release.

    Each show and menu are unique to the location. Diners can watch as the tiny chef “makes” the course they are about to eat with charming, miniature animations projected on the plate and surrounding table. Examples may include the chef facing off against a bull in a ring, koi fish swimming around the table, the plate transformed into a grill for steak, and teensy gardening plots growing greens for a salad. See the video below for some of the animations from the Houston menu.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Imani Guillory (@the_imani_experience)


    Located in the Medical Center, Safina Mediterranean has four different menus featuring the petite chef: grand, classic, vegetarian, and children’s. The grand menu features seafood soup, burrata salad, lobster tail, grilled beef tenderloin, and creme brulee cheesecake for $195.

    The classic menu ($169) substitutes chicken roulade and a 6-ounce ribeye for the main entrees. The vegetarian menu costs $155 and includes roasted tomato soup, eggplant wrapped around pistachios and vegan goat cheese, wild mushroom potato gnocchi, grilled cauliflower steak, and a fruit plate. For $89, children 6 to 12 years old can enjoy fruit, salad, a 4-ounce flatiron steak, pan-fried gnocchi, and ice cream. Kids also receive a Le Petit Chef plush toy.

    The show has been created for four people seated at one table. If a booking is made for more or less than four people, then diners will share a table with other guests.

    The Le Petit Chef show takes place daily at 12 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm, and each experience will last one-and-a-half to two hours.

    "We are excited to bring the world's smallest chef to the InterContinental Houston. This fun animated 3D dinner show will inspire unique experiences for Houstonians to cherish,” Juan P. Laginia, InterContinental Houston’s general manager, said in a statement. “Whether you are looking to celebrate a special romantic occasion, gathering with colleagues, or looking for a fun family activity, this will be a great choice."

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    Uptown seafood spot

    Lively new seafood restaurant rides into prime Houston location

    Eric Sandler
    Jan 22, 2026 | 12:30 pm
    Buck & Rider seafood restaurant interior
    Photo by Kevin Brost, courtesy of Hi Noon Hospitality
    Buck & Rider's Scottsdale location offers a preview of the Houston interior

    An Arizona-based seafood restaurant has set its sights on Houston. Buck & Rider is the latest addition to Central Park Post Oak, a 17-acre mixed-use development in the Galleria area.

    Part of Hi Noon Hospitality, Buck & Rider is a seafood restaurant with three locations in Arizona — Phoenix, North Scottsdale, and Gilbert — with an additional outpost coming soon to Naples, FL. It is known for its lively weekend brunch, daily happy hour, and globally-sourced seafood.

    Ranked No. 16 on Yelp’s list of the top 20 oyster houses in America and Canada, meals at Buck & Rider could begin with cold seafood selections such as raw oysters, caviar, snow crab claws, or sushi. Entree choices include options such as shrimp scampi risotto, crab cakes, and daily fresh fish selections. To broaden its appeal, the restaurant also serves Black Angus steaks, pan-roasted chicken, and a burger.

    Expected to open in fall 2027, the restaurant will occupy an approximately 9,300-square-foot, jewel box space at the corner of Ambassador Way and Post Oak Boulevard. It joins previously-announced restaurants: The Henry, the “ultimate neighborhood restaurant” from Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts, and Sparrow Italia, an Italian steakhouse from Toca Madera owner Noble 33.

    Central Park Post Oak Buck & Rider rendering Buck & Rider will occupy a jewel box space across from The Annie Cafe.Rendering by BOLDRVIZ

    “Houston, similar to Phoenix, has a diverse and growing food scene. We’re excited to expand Buck & Rider to another coastal city, following our first opening outside of Arizona in Naples, Florida later this year,” Adam Strecker, CEO and founding partner of Hi Noon Hospitality, said in a statement. “Our expansion to Houston is a strategic growth initiative to bring our proven concept to another market that shares our values of quality, hospitality and coastal culture.”

    Announced last year, Central Park Post Oak will consist of three buildings with a combined 1.2 million square feet of office space separated by a three-acre lawn. Houston-based real estate development firm Midway, working with real estate investment firms 3Edgewood and Parkway, is developing the property. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026 with the restaurants openings to follow.

    "Buck & Rider's decision to establish its first Texas location at Central Park Post Oak reinforces the power of pairing premier office tenancy with destination dining," Midway executive vice president Clayton Freels said. "Together with The Henry and Sparrow Italia, Buck & Rider will create a dynamic collection of culinary-forward restaurants that serve office users, visitors, and the broader Uptown community."

    Despite the recent closure of The Oceanaire in the Galleria, the area offers a number of seafood options, including Caracol, a Mexican seafood restaurant from James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega; California-inspired seafood concept Balboa Surf Club; McCormick & Schmick's in Uptown Park; Willie G's Seafood at the Post Oak Hotel; and the recently-renovated steak and seafood restaurant Truluck's.

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