it's rad

Game-changing market and restaurant opens in historic Eldorado Ballroom serving farm-to-table fare and goods

Chef Chris Williams has unveiled his latest project. The Rado Market is now open in the Third Ward for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner.

Located at the historic Eldorado Ballroom at the corner of Elgin and Emancipation (2310 Elgin St.), the Rado Market, which joins restaurants Lucille’s and the upcoming Late August as part of Lucille’s Hospitality Group, serves many purposes.

As its name implies, it’s a grocery store-style market that sells produce grown at the farm in Kendleton, Texas operated by Lucille’s 1913, Williams’ nonprofit that feeds underserved Houstonians as well as sauces, pickles, and other preserved items made by the nonprofit. In addition, the market sells prepared goods from Black-owned businesses such as Beeing Murray Honey, B’Tween Sandwich Co., Houston Sauce Co., and So Home Collective home goods).

The retail section also includes wine and beer that’s been curated by Lucille’s Hospitality’s employees and friends such as Project Row Houses board member Anita Smith and KTSU general manager Ernest Walker. Third Ward bookstore Kindred Spirits maintains a section of cookbooks written by Black chefs and other culinary leaders. Williams has contributed a few titles from his personal collection as well. Ultimately, Rado Market plans to feature a different cookbook each month along with ingredients to make its recipes.

If that weren’t enough, Rado also operates a counter service restaurant that serves breakfast items, salads, sandwiches, and more made with the same produce and other ingredients grown or created by Lucille’s 1913. In the morning, look for breakfast tacos and hot rolls that are made with a recipe created by Williams’ great-grandmother, culinary pioneer Lucille Bishop Smith.

Lunch starts with sandwiches, including fried green tomato, spiced turkey melt, and a Southern dip made with braised beef cheeks. Salad options include a chopped salad made with jerk chicken, egg, and avocado as well as the Kendleton Harvest with kale, greens, strawberries, and more.

“I love Local Foods in Rice Village. I love everything about it, that great little counter service market with artisanal products on the shelves. It’s a unique shopping experience,” Williams told CultureMap in April. “It’s very high end, very niche. I wanted to bring that model to Third Ward.”

Rado Market is only one of the new concepts on the Eldorado Ballroom property. Hogan Brown Gallery recently unveiled its first collection of works by local artists that’s titled Six Degrees of Separation. The Eldorado Ballroom itself will host musical performances and other happenings.

“I don’t even have words for how honored and grateful we are for the opportunity. It’s huge,” Williams added. “The history is huge. It taps into everything I love and I personally think is so important for the greater community . . . It’s about ownership. For the community to take ownership of this, I think the opportunity will be deep.”

Rado Market is open from 7 am - 7 pm Tuesday-Friday and 8 am - 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. It’s closed on Monday.

Courtesy of The Rado Market

Rado Market's spiced turkey melt.

Chris Williams Rado Market breakfast chefs dinner lunch openings news-you-can-eat

two days of bbq

2 Michelin-rated barbecue joints holding can't-miss pop ups in Houston

Courtesy of KG BBQ

KG BBQ is bringing its Egyptian-influenced barbecue to Houston.

Two of the Texas barbecue joints to earn Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide will be holding pop ups in Houston this week. One is visiting from Austin, while another is a Spring favorite with a one-day-only menu.

On Saturday, December 14, Austin’s celebrated KG BBQ will be serving at Axelrad in Midtown. Part of Texas Monthly’s 2023 list of the Top 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas, KG BBQ has earned wide acclaim for pitmaster Kareem El-Ghayesh’s Egyptian-influenced take on Texas barbecue.

The menu will include many of KG’s most popular dishes, including brisket rice bowls with smoked Mediterranean rice; smoked lamb chops; sumac-and-cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder, and sides such as pink buttermilk potato salad and Baladi salad.

Service begins at 10:30 am. Preorders are available online with a minimum order of $60.

In a statement, Axelrad co-owners Adam Brackman and Monte Large say that KG will make more visits to Houston in 2025. El-Ghayesh adds that he’s a fan of the Houston bar that’s known for its spacious backyard with hammocks, a stage, and a wide-ranging menu of beer and cocktails.

“Since the moment I stepped foot in Axelrad, I loved their culture, their vibrant colors and artistic flare, their attention to detail and hospitality and love for entertainment makes this place perfect for bringing back my nostalgic memories of hosting pop-ups like how I started in Austin,” he said. “I’m proud to bring what I have created to Houston. From how diverse the city is, its beautiful variety of ethnic foods, and large Egyptian community, it has so much to offer. We are excited to serve up some Egyptian BBQ to the Houston community through our pop ups over the next year at Axelrad.”

On Sunday, Spring’s Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q will trade its usual offerings for a special menu of dishes made with smoked whole hog. The menu will include whole hog plates, whole hog sandwiches, whole hog-and-parmesan polenta cakes, and whole hog served over cheese grits with a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce as well as sides and desserts. Service will run from 11 am until everything sells out, likely sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

“The whole menu is filled with specials and cool items we don’t do everyday at the stand,” co-owner Jordan Rosemeyer writes in an email. The motive, beyond exercising some creative muscles, is to raise money for Hogs for the Cause, an annual event that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and the families who are fighting it.

Like KG, Rosemeyer is also a member of Texas Monthly’s 2023 new and improved list. Located at 2111 Riley Fuzzel Rd., the humble trailer has earned acclaim for its weekly specials, housemade ice cream, and well executed barbecue staples.

news-you-can-eat barbecue pop ups kg bbq rosemeyer bar-b-q