The River Oaks/Upper Kirby area welcomes a new restaurant this week that features the return of noted Houston chef Bryan Caswell. PostScript is now open for dinner nightly in the Shops at Arrive mixed-use development.
Before discussing Caswell’s menu, let’s start with a little bit of background. Located in the former Del Frisco’s Grille space, PostScript comes from restaurateurs Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, partners in Dallas-based GAP Hospitality, which operates establishments such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla, and Drai’s Dallas. Like those restaurants, PostScript aims to be an upscale restaurant with a colorful, eye-catching interior that’s designed to be shared on social media.
“We aim for our guests to feel honored – a place where flavors, art, and community reimagines the essence of dining in Houston,” Ibeto said in a statement. “Being surrounded by the bustling businesses, complemented by the prestigious shopping hub of Tootsies, adds a layer of richness to the experience we are thrilled to offer.”
Simply put, pink is the dominant color of the restaurant’s design. Artist Punk Me Tender (Romain Lefebvre) created the pink exterior as well as the the butterflies that appear both inside and outside. Customers enter the restaurant through pink doors where they’ll see a bar topped with pink quartz. Rathod and Ibeto worked with local designer Erin Hicks on the interiors, which feature pink painted walls and pink banquettes that face a grand piano — also painted pink, natch. The interior also features “Press for Champagne” buttons that ensure swift delivery of the next bottle of bubbles.
It’s worth noting that the restaurant has some expectations for its customers. A FAQ page on the PostScript website includes a dress code about what does and does not constitute “upscale attire.” It also notes that reservations are required for the main dining room and that children are “allowed but not encouraged.”
Caswell lends considerable prestige to the project. Reef, the Midtown seafood restaurant he opened in the aughts, earned him a James Beard Award finalist nomination, a Food & Wine Best New Chef award, and numerous TV appearances. He’s been consulting since it closed in 2019.
PostScript marks his return to the kitchen, and he’s feeling good. While he’s been consulting on the project, he expects to be in the kitchen for an extended period of time.
“For me, the four years that I spent as a consultant have changed me tremendously. I’m so much better at what I do,” Caswell tells CultureMap. “It’s an ability to kickstart something as big as this as quickly as we have. I couldn’t be happier with how the team has come together.”
The kitchen, led by chef de cuisine JD Woodward (Southern Goods, 1751 Sea & Bar) and a couple of Reef veterans, serves a menu that Caswell describes as “upbeat modern American food.” An early fan favorite is the caviar doughnut — in which housemade doughnut holes are paired with white chocolate creme fraiche, blackberry sauce, and ghost pepper caviar. “I tried to get it as close to a Shipley doughnut as we could,” Caswell says.
Other items on the menu include fried chicken with hummus, oysters three ways (raw, roasted, and fried), a sushi roll, a couple of seafood entrees, and the double smoked pork chop that was a Reef staple. Steaks and chops, including a domestic wagyu filet and an Australian lamb rack, may become surf and turf by adding shrimp, crab, or a lobster tail. Large, shareable platters — one loaded with steaks and chops, a cold seafood tower, and a full caviar service — will be available for groups who really want to splurge on a dish that’s as Instaworthy as the interior.
“The menu is supposed to be entertaining but also technically difficult and executed correctly,” Caswell says. “I just want people to go ‘f—, that was good.’”
Jeb Stuart, a former general manager and sommelier at Coltivare (among a host of other places), is overseeing PostScript’s wine list. At opening, it includes about 40 wines by-the-glass, including 10 sparkling options. Cocktails, including a few non-alcoholic options, are also available.
“While certainly a calling card of the restaurant, the design is not the only element worth touting,” Rathod said. “Chef Caswell’s menu is one that perfectly complements PostScript’s striking interior space. He has truly outdone himself with this menu, one that Houstonians and visitors alike will find refreshing and authentic.”
PostScript opens daily for dinner beginning at 5 pm. Lunch and brunch service will follow in the weeks to come.
Photo by Jenn Duncan
Ora King salmon with crispy Brussels.
