snuffed out

Ronnie Killen's intimate, Memorial-area steakhouse will soon shutter

Killen's STQ will close on September 30.

Photo by Kimberly Park

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.

BBQ and lion dancers

Heights restaurant celebrates Lunar New Year with epic barbecue collab

Agnes and Sherman Khoi Barbecue Lunar New Year dinner

Photo by Vivian Leba

Agnes and Sherman owners Lisa Lee and Nick Wong with Khoi Barbecue's Don Nguyen and Theo Nguyen.

For many members of Houston’s Asian community, February is a time to celebrate the Lunar New Year. At Agnes and Sherman, the Asian American diner in the Heights, Lunar New Year provided the restaurant with its first opportunity to host its first collaboration since it opened in April 2025 with Khói Barbecue, the Houston pop-up that puts a Vietnamese spin on traditional Texas barbecue.

“We have always admired what Khoi Barbecue has done in the Houston scene,” Agnes and Sherman co-owner Lisa Lee tells CultureMap. “We think, very similar to us, they are presenting something that is thought of as traditional and really making it their own through family history and helping people to see another side of barbecue.”

Created by Agnes and Sherman chef and co-owner Nick Wong and Khói Barbecue founder Don Nguyen, the three-course menu included appetizers such as smoked duck wonton soup, sichuan lamb sausage, cha lua mortadella, and bun bo hue pig’s head torchon. The entree course included smoked brisket, smoked duck breast a l’orange, and char siu pork ribs. Dessert featured a cafe sua da panna cotta paired with a traditional whole orange and a fortune cookie.

The dinner drew a who’s-who of members of Houston’s restaurant community, including former CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners and nominees such as Raffi Nasr (Craft Pita), Ashley Lai (Dumpling Haus), KK Nepomuceno (formerly of Refuge), Annie Hoshiko (Subo), Josh Deleon (Underground Creamery), Christina Au (Blacksmith), and Omar Arellano (March).

A portions of proceeds benefited Asian Texans for Justice, an AAPI political organization devoted to promoting civic engagement, advocacy, youth leadership development, and coalition building. “This organization does critical work to educate the public and fight for issues that affect the community,” Lee says.

Beyond the celebration, the dinner marked an important moment in the restaurant’s evolution. The whirlwind first year has come with considerable acclaim, including an enthusiastic review in Texas Monthly and a Recommended designation from the Michelin Guide. With operations flowing more smoothly, Lee explains that she and Wong felt it was time to revive the collaborations they participated in prior to the restaurant’s opening.

“When we opened the restaurant, one of the tenets is being part of the community. It’s one of our core values,” Lee says. “We needed to make sure we were sustainable first before we started to branch out. If we can do more, we want to.”

Next up, Agnes and Sherman will host a pop-up with Food Mahjong Club, a New York City-based organization that’s held pop-ups in Chinatown. Taking place March 2, it will feature a mahjong tournament and food and drink specials. Details will be released soon.

Photo by Vivian Leba

Agnes and Sherman owners Lisa Lee and Nick Wong with Khoi Barbecue's Don Nguyen and Theo Nguyen.

news-you-can-eat barbecue the-heights fundraisers