new from traveler's table

Eclectic and inventive Montrose restaurant carts up new 'global street food' fast-casual concept

Traveler's Table Matthew Mitchell Thy Mitchell Stanton Bundy

Owners Matthew and Thy Mitchell and culinary director Stanton Bundy

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

The owners of Traveler’s Table are opening a sister restaurant devoted to global street food. Called Traveler’s Cart, it’s expected to open in late 2023 in the former Pronto Cucinino space at 1401 Montrose Blvd.

Like Traveler’s Table, Traveler’s Cart will serve an eclectic menu that features dishes from different culinary traditions but in a different format than its sibling.

As a fast casual restaurant, Traveler’s Cart will offer a lower price point and a more relaxed environment than Traveler’s Table while still offering well-executed dishes and a comprehensive beverage program. Its model takes some inspiration from restaurants such as Loro, the Asian smokehouse from the hospitality group behind Uchi, and Urbe, the Mexican street food concept from James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega, owner Matthew Mitchell tells CultureMap.

“I think food is democratizing,” Mitchell says. “People want really high quality food, but they don’t want to make a reservation. There’s times you want to roll in wearing shorts and T-shirt and get really good food.”

Opened in 2019 by Thy and Matthew Mitchell, Traveler’s Table’s combination of an eclectic menu with refined service and a stylish environment has been highly successful. Its accolades include an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and making the third highest donation of all participants in the 2022 edition of Houston Restaurant Weeks.

As with Traveler’s Table, Mitchell has turned to Houston’s Gin Design Group to create the interior for Traveler’s Cart. Plans call for design elements that reference markets and street carts from around the world.

“We want to create enough of an experience where people can come in for a date or meet up with friends,” Mitchell says.

Another benefit of a fast casual model is that the restaurant will be open during more times of day. Currently, Traveler’s Cart plans to serve lunch during the week, dinner nightly, and brunch on the weekends.

Traveler’s culinary director Stanton Bundy will create the menu for the new restaurant. Beverage offerings will include a full range of wine, beer, and cocktails.

Mitchell feels optimistic about Traveler’s Cart’s potential. If this location catches on, others could follow.

“It’s something we think we can scale,” he says. “This one is built to have legs — maybe Rice Village or the Galleria.”

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a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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