An already difficult year for Houston restaurant closings will get a little worse at the end of this month. Montrose restaurant Riel will close after service on Saturday, August 30, chef-owner Ryan Lachine announced.
Open since January 2017, Riel’s cuisine reflects Lachaine’s Ukrainian heritage and Canadian upbringing, filtered through his experiences creating modern Gulf Coast cuisine while working for chef Chris Shepherd at Underbelly and chef Bryan Caswell at Reef. Lachine’s menu covered both casual, homey entrees — think the signature butter burgers or stuffed cabbage — or something more upscale like pan-seared duck or the over-the-top caviar service. Backed by a soundtrack heavy on Houston hip-hop, Riel has a warm, inviting atmosphere that’s appealing to many Houstonians.
Lachaine tells CultureMap that, after considering the restaurant’s business and the overall economic environment, he and his business partners chose not to renew the restaurant’s lease, which will expire in December. When another party approached Riel about opening a new business in the space at 1927 Fairview, they decided to close earlier than expected
“I had to make a business decision,” he says. “I’m not happy. It’s my baby. I love it, and we did good things. It’s over.”
For Lachaine, closing Riel will provide him with the opportunity to spend more time with his sons. “I don’t want to sound selfish. My kids are 14. I’ve missed a lot of their lives. I sign [another] 10 year lease, they’ll be 24, graduated from college, and I won’t know what’s going on,” he says.
As Lachaine says, the restaurant did a lot of good things during its run, including earning signficant local and regional acclaim. Texas Monthly ranked it as the state’s eighth best new restaurant of 2018. CultureMap named it Houston’s No. 1 restaurant in 2019. Lachaine and his crew have earned multiple CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for Bartender of the Year, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year, and Restaurant of the Year.
While the accolades are nice, Lachaine says he takes particular pride in Riel’s status as a training ground for staff members who would go on to lead their own places. That includes former general manager Nick Nguyen, who’s a partner at Padre’s Wine Shop + Bar in the Heights, and chef E.J. Miller, executive chef at recently-opened French restaurant Chardon. Former chef de cuisine Peter Nguyen is earning raves as the executive chef of Lê Madeline in Boston.
“That was important to me to make sure people left and were their own chefs. There’s not a lot of chefs in the city that their sous chefs have gone on to do their own thing,” Lachaine says.
He also notes that anyone who was willing to work hard and learn could fit in with his crew. “I’ve hired a lot of guys who have done time and got their s— together. We wanted everybody to succeed,” he says.
By announcing the closing a month in advance, Riel regulars have plenty of time to make another visit or two. Rest assured, Lachaine and his team will be cooking with the same intensity they have throughout Riel’s run.
“I’m going to work every day the same as I have for 10 years,” he says. “This isn’t going to be a boo hoo session. We’re going to push and do what we have to until August 30. We hope everyone comes to hang out with us for a drink or some butter burgers.”
Riel is the only restaurant drafted twice.
