Top Chef Masters contestant Monica Pope opened Sparrow Bar & Cookshop in midtown in August. The industrial decor includes concrete floors, repurposed materials, and exposed orange brickwork. The daily changing menu spotlights inventive high-end fare like mustard-coated rabbit tenderloin with salsa verde and red onion marmalade. Private dining options seat as many as 60.
Photo: Courtesy of Sparrow Bar & Cookshop
Dual-concept space Pass & Provisions opened in September in a historic 1930s building. Provisions is built around a wood-burning oven, and has industrial elements and a long, communal table. It serves cocktails alongside thin-crust pizza. The Pass, which was slated to debut in late 2012, is a more high-end experience, with a tasting menu and private dining room.
Photo: Courtesy of The Pass & Provisions
Open since March 2012, Underbelly, in Lower Westheimer, offers chef Chris Shepherd’s take on Houston cuisine, with local ingredients and Creole influences found in dishes like freshly caught Gulf fish with okra and eggplant. Filled with reclaimed materials, the dining room has barn-like ceilings, walnut tables, and an open kitchen. A private dining room seats 36.
Photo: Courtesy of Underbelly
A daily lineup of exotic treats like mango lava dome cake and green tea macaroons is available at Patisserie Dolce Delights, helmed by Hong Kong native Candace Chang. The 1,100-square-foot pastry shop, which opened in June, has wool-wrapped chairs and small, flower-topped tables. The venue is available for private events and also offers off-site catering.
Photo: Courtesy of Patisserie Dolce Delights
David Guerrero, the longtime chef behind now-shuttered Samba Grill, opened Alma in the Energy Corridor in September, serving Latin-influenced fare like arroz con pato with duck confit, green peas, and dark beer. The 2,200-square-foot restaurant, adorned with Peruvian artifacts, has an open concept kitchen and seating for 125.
Photo: Deborah Smail
The high-end sushi concept from nightlife guru Sam Nazarian, designer Philippe Stark, and sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, Katsuya by Stark expanded to Houston’s Upper Kirby area in March 2012. The semiprivate Dragon lounge has a built-in DJ booth and room for 100, a semiprivate dining room seats 40, and buyouts hold as many as 400.
Photo: Courtesy of Katsuya by Starck
