the sylvie switcheroo

Loch Bar owner takes over downtown tower's cafe, adds Japanese eatery

Atlas Restaurants has taken over operations at The Sylvie.

Downtown Houston will soon welcome a new, upscale Japanese restaurant. When it opens later this year, Kannon will be the newest Houston concept from Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group.

Located in downtown’s Texas Tower, Kannon will be a Japanese fine dining restaurant. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 200 diners, including a 70-seat patio. Atlas Concept Chef Timur Fazilov will create the menu of elevated Japanese fare, including a robata grill and dry-aged fish.

That may sound familiar, since it’s very similar to Azumi, Atlas’ upscale Japanese restaurant in River Oaks District that opened in 2024 and also features a menu by Fazilov. Atlas president and CEO Alex Smith acknowledges the two restaurants will have similar menus, but he tells CultureMap that Kannon will have a different “design and feel” than Azumi.

Along with opening Kannon, Atlas has also taken over operations at The Sylvie, the Texas Tower’s European-inspired all-day cafe. Fans of the concept can take comfort in knowing that Atlas does not plan any major changes to the restaurant’s existing menu.

Atlas also operates Loch Bar, an East Coast-style seafood tavern in River Oaks District, and Marmo, an Italian steakhouse in the Montrose Collective.

“We opened our first concept in Houston in 2019 and have loved getting to know the River Oaks and Montrose Collective communities. We’re eager to expand into Downtown Houston with The Sylvie and Kannon, and are thrilled to partner with Texas Tower,” Smith added in a statement.

It has been a bit of a journey to bring an upscale restaurant to the Texas Tower, the 47-story high-rise on the site of the former Houston Chronicle headquarters. In 2021, Chicago's What If Syndicate hospitality group announced plans to bring its Italian concept Etta to the property, but those plans fell through.

Then, Berg Hospitality opened The Sylvie in 2024. At the time, the company, which is known for restaurants such as B&B Butchers, Trattoria Sofia, and Turner’s, also planned to open Dune Road, a New England-inspired seafood restaurant in the space that had been slated for Etta, but the restaurant was quietly shelved. Berg still operates Real Agave at 1100 Louisiana.

A represented for Berg Hospitality declined to comment on the company’s decision to exit The Sylvie.

news-you-can-eat openings downtown

no cap

Chef-backed nonprofit will train the next generation of Houston hospitality

Courtesy of Culinary Careers Program

Aaron Bludorn has been involved with Culinary Careers Program for many years.

A culinary training program founded by one of America’s most prominent celebrity chefs is coming to Houston. Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) will launch in Houston with a sold out dinner this Wednesday, September 16.

Founded by multiple time James Beard Award winner Marcus Samuelsson, Culinary Careers Program is a national workforce development nonprofit that partners with public schools to provide under-resourced students with the skills they need to succeed in jobs in the hospitality industry.

The nonprofit provides education, job training, apprenticeships, scholarships, and career opportunities that both help students find good jobs and supply restaurants with well-trained, highly-motivated employees.

To date, Culinary Careers Program has reached close to 400,000 students across the United States and awarded $79 million in college scholarships.

Houston chef and restaurateur Aaron Bludorn became involved with C•CAP when he served as executive chef of Cafe Boulud in New York City. He’s leading the charge to bring the program to Houston by hosting a sold out fundraiser at Bar Bludorn this Wednesday in collaboration with chef Nick Wong (Agnes and Sherman) and Leonard Botello IV (Truth BBQ).

“It’s so important that C•CAP comes to Houston. I think it’s very similar to, if we’re going to get good at soccer in the United States we need to focus on youth soccer and getting kids interested early,” Bludorn tells CultureMap.

“For Houston to continue to become a major culinary city in the United States, it’s important to focus on the next generation of chefs. C•CAP gives that opportunity to high school students to have on the job training while still being in school.”

As the owner of a growing group of restaurants, Bludorn recognizes that businesses need a steady stream of people. C•CAP participants arrive with basic skills that allow them to get up to speed more quickly than other applicants.

“It provides chefs with young talented cooks that have been vetted and given proper training. You’re not taking a guess on someone,” Bludorn says.

Botello IV’s participation shows that C•CAP is adapting to Texas. Students will have the opportunity to work at Truth BBQ, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient that Texas Monthly ranks as the state’s 10th best barbecue joint.

“There will be opportunities to become a chef or a general manager, but also to learn barbecue and get your foot in the door at a place like Truth and become a pitmaster. That on-the-job training is the most valuable,” Bludorn says.

news-you-can-eat chefs fundraisers