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    a martini experience

    Posh Houston seafood spot stirs up 2 over-the-top $100 caviar martinis

    Eric Sandler
    May 20, 2026 | 3:20 pm
    Truluck's martinis

    Diners have the choice of either a gin or vodka martini.

    Courtesy of Truluck's

    A Houston seafood restaurant has added some extra luxury to its martini offerings. Truluck's Ocean's Finest Seafood & Crab, the Galleria-area restaurant known for its steak and crustaceans, recently added two different $100 martinis to its menu, as well as a significantly less expensive way to zhuzh up its cocktails with caviar-stuffed olives.

    Dave Mattern, Truluck’s partner and beverage director, tells CultureMap that he wanted to build an experience around the trend of martinis garnished with caviar-stuffed olives that he’d seen on social media. He began tinkering with two cocktails, a vodka martini made with Belvedere 10 and a gin martini made with Nolet’s Reserve, which retails for around $700 a bottle.

    “When someone orders a martini, we hand-stuff four olives with caviar, and then we put them in a cute, little porcelain bathtub. Then we wheel the cart to the table and stir a vodka martini. We have a bottle of Belvedere 10 that lights up. It makes for a really nice experience,” Mattern says.

    Similarly, the gin martini is presented with blackberry, a lemon twist, and other garnishes that highlight the different botanicals used in distilling the spirit.

    Truluck's martinis Each martini is served with four caviar-stuffed olives.Courtesy of Truluck's

    Truluck’s goes all out for its hand-stuffed caviar olives, too. The restaurant uses extra-large Spanish olives that, in Mattern’s words, “soak up a lot of caviar.” So much that Truluck’s uses a full ounce of caviar for every six olives.

    “You get a burst of caviar when you bite into the olive,” he says.

    Each of the $100 martinis comes with four caviar-stuffed olives. Diners can add an olive or two at an à la carte price of $10 for one olive. “It’s almost a little appetizer when you think about it,” Mattern says about the four olives that come with each martini.

    Currently, the offering is only available at Truluck’s location on Westheimer. Since Mattern is the company’s beverage director, he’s hearing from colleagues at other locations who want to add it to their menus.

    “I’m trying to figure out how to take it to every location so we do it right and use the freshest of caviar,” he says. “When you waste caviar, an angel cries in heaven. We have to make sure we’re using it all.”

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    COMING ATTRACTIONS

    San Antonio coffee shop brews up plans for third Houston café

    Brandon Watson
    Jun 12, 2026 | 3:04 pm
    Merit Coffee Co.
    Merit Coffee Co./ Facebook
    Merit Coffee Co. will open three Houston locations by the end of 2026.

    San Antonio’s acclaimed Merit Coffee is continuing its Houston expansion. After taking over a former Starbucks at 5115 Buffalo Speedway in July, the Texas chain will open two more Bayou City coffee shops in winter 2026.

    One of those two cafés, in the historic Swift Building in the Heights, was previously announced, but the chain has newly revealed that it will also debut a third shop at Greenside in Memorial City. Both are being developed by Houston’s Radom Capitol.

    Founded in 2009 as Local Coffee, the chain now has 14 locations in Austin, Dallas, and its San Antonio home base. The business has earned accolades in all of its markets, including a 2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Award for Best Coffee Shop.

    Merit’s beans, sourced from growers in Central/South America and Africa and roasted locally, might already be familiar to Houstonians who shop at H-E-B, Central Market, or Whole Foods Market. But soon the city’s coffee lovers will have access to an in-person Merit Coffee experience.

    "For years, we've dreamed about bringing Merit to Houston," said Bill Ellis, CEO of Merit Coffee, in a release. "Houston has one of the most exciting food and beverage cultures anywhere in the country, and we've been intentional about finding the right neighborhoods, partners, and opportunities to establish roots here."

    Merit takes pride in making sure each physical location reflects its neighborhood. The website includes line drawings of each café, which range from a 1900 stone house in Austin to a sleek glass storefront in Dallas.

    The menus are largely the same at each outpost. In addition to all the classic espresso drinks, Merit also serves matcha, hōjicha tea, refreshers, and playful creations like a latte made with raspberry purée and almond ricotta cold foam.

    Each city’s shops also partner with locally owned bakeries. All upcoming Houston locations will feature sweet and savory pastries from Houston’s Cake & Bacon.

    "Cake & Bacon embodies everything we love about Houston's culinary scene, and we're excited to showcase their incredible work,” said Ellis.

    Merit Coffee has not revealed the exact opening dates for any of its Houston locations. More details will be announced via social media later in the summer.

    houstoncoffeechainsopeningsnews-you-can-eatmemorial-city
    news/restaurants-bars
    popular

    most read posts

    Houston comfort food favorite closes flagship and more popular stories

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