feeling winsome

Southern-inspired steakhouse rebrands to grow beyond Houston

A globally-inspired Houston steakhouse will soon have a new name. Beginning March 3, The Warwick will be known as Winsome Prime.

Photo by Karim Saleh

Along with a new name, Winsome Prime will soon add sushi to its menu.

The restaurant’s owners, veteran restaurateurs Rob Wright, Mazen Baltagi, Steve Rogers, and Kurt-Ogechi Agomuo, created the new name to pave the way for expansion. They’re already planning a location in Dallas with more to come.

“When we first opened Warwick, we were thinking local. With the success we’ve had, we’ve had people calling who are interested in franchising,” Wright tells CultureMap. “We decided to do a complete rebrand for national expansion. We’re ready to take our show on the road.”

As they began to brainstorm new ideas, they settled on the name Winsome, which means “generally pleasing or engaging.”

“What does winsome represent? Something attractive in appearance and character,” Wright explains. “We feel our brand, our culinary experience, the look and feel of our venues falls right into the definition of what ‘winsome’ is.”

Open since 2022, The Warwick/Winsome Prime adds both Southern and global flavors to the classic American steakhouse. In addition to staples such as Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, and garlic mashed potatoes, the restaurant also offers crab beignets, truffle-lemon pepper wings, and blackened snapper over collard green risotto. Diners will find traditional steaks served a la carte as well as a Hawaiian ribeye that pays homage to the location’s history as an outpost of the popular Houston’s restaurant chain.

“We like that our menu isn’t just steaks,” Wright says. “We have traditional steak options, but we have other fare that pays tributes to other cultural influences.”

Chef Jabril Riddick serves as the restaurant’s culinary director. Wright notes that Riddick is a “team player” who works with the restaurant’s owners to develop new dishes and keep things fresh. As seen in the picture above, that will soon include sushi rolls.

Another part of the restaurant’s appeal is that its owned by men of color who have achieved success in the restaurant industry through concepts such as Prospect Park (Wright), Bar 5015 (Rogers), Slowpokes (Baltagi), and more.

“We all travel a lot. When we go to other markets, to be perfectly honest, we see voids in the market in minority-owned restaurants that are ran properly from A-to-Z,” Wright says. “We get calls from people who are impressed by how we run our operation. We realize if we come to a market, we could be one-of-one in some of these cities.”

news-you-can-eat the warwick winsome prime

All-day cafe with boutique hotel vibes coming to downtown Houston

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.

Downtown Houston is adding a new restaurant to its roster with Lila’s at GreenStreet. Slated to open this fall, Lila’s is envisioned as an all-day New American restaurant that starts the day with coffee and breakfast and ends with dinner and cocktails.

Located at 1201 Fannin Street, Lila's occupies a 5,100-square-foot space in the former lobby of the office tower, with its entrance tucked into an alleyway between McCormick & Schmick’s and The Palm. The restaurant aims to capture the experience of a boutique hotel, without the hassle of overnight guests.

“We’ve spent years thinking about how hospitality can fundamentally change the experience of a place,” Matt Ragan, chief hospitality officer for Rebees, said in a statement. “With Lila’s, we’re taking the level of service, attention to detail, and sense of welcome you expect from a great boutique hotel and applying it to an everyday restaurant. We want someone grabbing coffee before work, meeting a client for lunch or settling in for dinner and drinks to feel equally at home.”

Executive chef Garee Battad will lead the kitchen, drawing on his two decades of experience largely at hotel restaurants such as Nobu at Hotel Crescent Court and Charlie Palmer at The Joule Dallas. His most recent position was as executive chef at Azumi, the elevated Japanese restaurant in River Oaks District.

“Some of the most memorable restaurants where I’ve worked have been gathering places inside great hotels, and that’s the spirit and sense of place we’re bringing to Lila’s,” Battad said. “We want every dish to feel familiar yet unexpected.”

Behind the bar, mixologist Zach Smigiel is crafting an ingredient-forward cocktail program with a focus on seasonal flavors, complemented by a wine list, local beers, and nonalcoholic beverages.

The eatery is the latest endeavor by Rebees, the Houston-based hospitality management firm behind GreenStreet, and its second venture into the culinary world. Its first was Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford, who will also develop Lila’s menu alongside Battad. Lila’s is named after a French Bulldog owned by Rebees founder Tristan Simon.

This is the hospitality firm’s second endeavor into the culinary world, joining its Dallas restaurant Billy Can Can, led by executive chef and partner Matt Ford. Ford will also be developing Lila’s menu alongside Battad.

Tenants of GreenStreet, the three-block, mixed-use development, will be able to order meals and drinks from Lila’s directly to their offices through a proprietary app.

Rendering courtesy of Rebees

Lila's is the newest restaurant to arrive at GreenStreet, the three-block downtown complex.