FM Kitchen closes

Inner loop pickleball bar expands into neighboring burger joint

One of the inner loop’s most popular pickleball destinations is getting a makeover. PKL Social is expanding its footprint by claiming the space formerly occupied by FM Kitchen & Bar.

Since both PKL Social and FM Kitchen share ownership and management, the name change unites the property under one brand. It focuses on PKL Social’s success in its first year-plus of operations and sheds the FM Kitchen brand that’s been serving up burgers, comfort food, craft beer, and cocktails since 2017. Although the change won’t officially take place until July 26, the building’s exterior is already sporting a fresh coat of paint with PKL Social’s branding.

“It’s a direct response to the demand for more,” operating partner Jason Mok said in a statement. “We’ve conceptualized everything people have loved about FM Kitchen & Bar and PKL Social by creating a single concept and venue that brings it all together in an exciting, more seamless way.”

Open since March 2024, PKL Social has four pickleball courts, big screen TVs for watching sports, and two, 140-inch LED video walls for big games and other events. The rebranding brings upgrades in the form of Full Swing golf simulators that will allow people to play golf and other games for an hourly rental fee.

Some things will remain the same. The new PKL Social will still serve many of FM Kitchen’s most popular dishes, including its signature cheeseburger, smash burger, and weekend brunch items. Additions include on-trend items such as a chopped chicken Caesar wrap and a Buffalo chicken wrap, a fried shrimp basket, and a California-style burrito.

Beverage options include cocktails, craft beer, and wine. Non-alcoholic options include beer, cocktails, oat milk lattes sourced from Tenfold Coffee, and a frozen strawberry lemonade.

In terms of the venue’s layout, the patio bar and restaurant area that had been home to FM Kitchen will remain family-friendly. The court area around PKL Social’s original footprint will remain adults-only.

“PKL Social is becoming so much more than a pickleball destination. It’s a sports bar and event-centric destination with high energy and excellent food,” Mok added. “With our new upgrades, we can offer customers everything from corporate events and happy hours to social events such as our game day and reality TV watch parties, popular bingo nights, and cold plunge socials. We are excited to expand these options even further to be a true social destination for all.”

PKL Social will celebrate its expansion on July 26 with drink specials, raffle prizes, giveaways, a DJ, sips from brands including LALO Tequila, Athletic Brewing Co., Beam Suntory, and more.

Photo by Becca Wright

PKL Social has expanded into FM Kitchen & Bar.

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debut of the mack

Houston's steak and wine-fueled new fine dining restaurant sets opening date

Photo by Michael Anthony

The Champagne Room features its own bar.

Houston’s newest fine dining restaurant is ready to make its debut. Mack Allen’s will open this Monday, September 14.

Located on the first floor of the 28-story, 5POP office tower (4400 Post Oak Parkway), Mack Allen’s is the latest project from Houston restaurateur Mack McDonald, who’s known locally for his Creole restaurant The Rouxpour. At a hefty 16,000 square feet, the restaurant has the ability to host as many as 500 people at a time.

McDonald worked with Houston-based Montgomery Roth Architecture & Interior Design to create a space that includes a 2,000-square-foot lobby lounge, a U-shaped bar, three private dining rooms — including The Champagne Room that features its own bar and floor-to-ceiling windows — and a spacious garden patio that includes dozens of trees and a 10-foot fire and water feature.

Joining McDonald in the project are executive chef Carlos Andrade (The Rouxpour. Brennan’s of Houston, etc.) general manager Shaun Stockton (Turner’s, Vic & Anthony’s, etc.), pastry chef Karen Romero (Brennan’s, Underbelly), and wine director Anthony Salazar, who brings experience from three-star Michelin restaurant Eleven Madison Park (New York) and Houston’s Michelin-starred March.

Andrade and regional chef Manny Viveros have created an expansive, New American menu that begins with starters such as seared scallops in saffron cream, tuna crispy rice, escargot with bone marrow and garlic scampi sauce, lobster bisque, and smoked duck gumbo. The restaurant also offers sushi and other raw selections, led by chef Matthew Mui, a Kata Robata veteran who also operated the pioneering Muiishi Makirritos food truck.

Entree options start with steak, including domestic prime and Australian wagyu cuts. They’re joined by choices such as roasted Chilean seabass with jumbo lump crab, braised beef short ribs, rack of lamb with foie gras fondue and gnocchi, and pan-seared snapper with crab and yuzu risotto.

The restaurant will also be open for lunch, with lighter fare that includes a chargrilled pork belly bowl, steak salad, and Cobb salad. Plans for brunch will be announced at a later date.

Salazar oversees Mack Allen’s extensive beverage offerings, which include a 1,000-bottle wine cellar and premium spirits — including a rare bottle of Macallan from McDonald’s birth year of 1954.

“Mack Allen’s represents everything I’ve learned over the past 15 years in hospitality and the opportunity to take that experience to another level,” McDonald said in a statement. “My goal was to create the kind of restaurant that becomes part of people’s lives – a place where you can celebrate a milestone, close a deal, enjoy an incredible meal with friends or simply have a great night out. We’ve taken the spirit of the classic steakhouse and expanded it with exceptional seafood, sushi and a raw bar, all within a setting that feels distinctly our own.”

For now, Mack Allen’s is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday beginning at 11 am and dinner on Saturday from 5-10 pm. Valet parking and self-parking in the building’s garage are available. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

Photo by Michael Anthony

The Champagne Room features its own bar.

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