snuffed out
Ronnie Killen's intimate, Memorial-area steakhouse will soon shutter
Killen's STQ will close on September 30.
Chef Ronnie Killen is saying bye-bye to Briargrove. Killen’s STQ will close on September 30, Killen tells CultureMap.
In a series of text messages, Killen noted several factors contributed to the decision not to renew his lease on the space at 2231 S Voss Road. First, business never fully recovered to pre-Covid levels.
“Plus, STQ is one of only two places I lease. I own all the other properties,” he explains. His preference for owning properties rather than leasing them contributed to Killen’s decision to close his Mexican restaurant Killen’s TMX at the end of last year.
Opened in December 2016, Killen’s STQ combined chef Killen’s expertise in barbecue and steakhouses. It served steaks cooked over live fire and a number of dishes infused with smoke in a welcoming environment. Killen splurged on getting the details right, buying high quality linens, glassware, and silverware.
That innovative approach earned considerable acclaim, including a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2017 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Texas Monthly ranked it No. 4 on its list of the state’s best new restaurants of 2018, and the Chronicle rated it as the No. 2 best new restaurant of 2016. In an interview, Texas quarterback C.J. Stroud shouted out Killen’s STQ as his favorite restaurant in Houston.
The menu presented some of the chef’s most popular dishes in new ways, such as creamed corn ravioli and smoked salt and pepper short rib with espresso barbecue sauce. Both of those dishes, as well as customer favorites such as the chicken fried ribeye and French onion burger, will live on at Killen’s Steakhouse in Pearland and Killen’s, the chef’s comfort food restaurant near the Heights.
While STQ is closing its doors, Killen has plans to upgrade the Pearland location of Killen’s Steakhouse. He recently purchased a wood-burning Josper grill and oven as well as a large dry-aging cabinet. Expect a major announcement when they’re in place and the menu is updated. Similar improvements will come to The Woodlands location that opened in 2019.
Is STQ gone for good? “I’m always open to business opportunities,” Killen replies.
For now, the restaurant’s fans have a couple of more weeks to make their last visit. Considering Killen will also celebrate his birthday on September 30, the day will be bittersweet.
