thanks for the vine

Wine-fueled restaurant opens new location in the Woodlands with 60 varietals on tap

Woodlands residents have a new place to gather over wine and pizza. Sixty Vines has opened its second Houston-area location in Market Square (9595 Six Pines Dr. #900).

Courtesy of Sixty Vines

Sixty Vines has opened in The Woodlands.

Located in the former Jasper’s space, the almost 12,500-square-foot restaurant offers an expansive dining room with high ceilings and plenty of outdoor seating. As its name implies, Sixty Vines offers 60 wines on tap, many of which are kegged specifically for the restaurant. Wines by-the-bottle and a selection of craft beers are also available.

Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, the restaurant features an eclectic mix of shareable plates, entrees, and wood-fired pizzas. Highlights include wood-fired cauliflower, meat and cheese boards, and the fig and prosciutto pizza.

“Bringing wine country culture and cuisine to The Woodlands is incredibly exciting,” Sixty Vines CEO Jeff Carcara said in a statement. “Sixty Vines is an ideal destination for the community to gather and enjoy sustainable wine on tap paired with vineyard-inspired plates.”

Using kegged wines allows by-the-glass selections to stay fresh longer than they would if they had been poured from individual bottles. It also promotes sustainability via reusable containers. The restaurant estimates it will save 27,000 wine bottles from the landfill in its first year of being open.

This new Sixty Vines joins a Rice Village location that opened in 2019. In addition to two Dallas-area outposts, the restaurant operates in Nashville, Tennessee and Florida.

In addition to a new location of Sixty Vines, Market Square will also soon be home to a new location of Bosscat Kitchen & Libations. The whiskey-obsessed comfort food restaurant is expected to open in late January or early February.

Sixty Vines opens Monday through Friday at 11 am and Saturday and Sunday at 10 am.

openings wine the-woodlands news-you-can-eat

where there's smoke

Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire

Photo by Duc Hoang

Don't miss the brisket nachos at Candente.

It didn’t take Sambrook Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opens today, Monday, December 22, at 5101 Bellaire Blvd.

Speaking on a November episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, Sambrooks Hospitality founder Michael Sambrooks explained that, as a Bellaire resident, he saw an opportunity to open a restaurant close to home.

“It was a combination of, this location became available, and we liked the market. I think Bellaire is underserved. As far as Tex-Mex options, I think it’s limited,” he says. “We always struggle with where’s somewhere we can grab a bite that’s five minutes away as opposed to driving to another part of town. I think Candente is that solution. I think it’s going to be pretty well received.”

In terms of design, the restaurant replicates many of the same elements as the original Montrose location that opened in 2019, such as its copper-topped tables and yellow, orange, and maroon accents. Diners will note a mural by local artist Franky Cardona along one wall. Overall, the restaurant seats 125 in its dining room, 10 at its bar, and 24 on an outdoor patio.

While the location is new, the menu is the same. That means the same wood-fired fajitas, brisket enchiladas, nachos, birria tacos, and other fare that helped it achieve a “Recommended” designation in the Michelin Guide for Texas — the only Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston to make the prestigious guide. Pair them with margaritas (both shaken and frozen), as well as agave-based cocktails such as the paloma and ranch water, beers, and non-alcoholic options.

Sambrooks Hospitality also operates The Pit Room, the barbecue joint with locations in Montrose and Memorial City that earned a Bib Gourmand designation.

“It’s a privilege to open in Bellaire and get to know and serve a new clientele,” Sambrooks said in a statement. “We’re excited to introduce our style of authentic, handcrafted Tex-Mex that has made us a Houston dining staple.”

Candente will be open for lunch and dinner during the week beginning at 11 am. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10 am.

Don't miss the brisket nachos at Candente.

Photo by Duc Hoang

Don't miss the brisket nachos at Candente.

openings news-you-can-eat tex-mex