1. Fegen’s Restaurant
Houston Heights
When Lance Fegen and his partners at F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group sold the Liberty Kitchen franchise last year, but kept the original Heights location on Studewood, we knew it wouldn’t be long before he cooked up something new. Debuting last month, the eponymously named Fegen’s is his most personal project to date. The ambiance is low-key sophisticated, and the food — billed as classic American with a nod to his Southern Italian-American roots — is pure comfort, in the form of steak with au jus, linguine with clam sauce, and Neapolitan-style pizza.
Dining status: Open for dine-in, with takeout via Toast.