The July Hit List: One Fifth Goes Italian, Yelo, Handies Douzo, and More

The name of this recently opened Museum District offspring of a New York (and Miami) hit means “the gardener” in French, so it makes perfect sense that the menu here leads with farm-fresh produce and herbs, while delegating fish and meat to supporting roles. (Although, we should note that the latter two are sustainably and locally sourced.)

Michelin-starred chef Alain Verzeroli, whose culinary pedigree includes decades working under such renowned chefs as Alain Passard and the late Joël Robuchon, stands at the helm here. The artfully plated dishes, with vibrantly colored ingredients that are arranged just so, are delightful masterpieces in their own right. Exhibit A: the visual eye candy created from hunks of creamy burrata served with bright tomatoes, stone fruit slices, bee pollen, and basil seeds. And that makes the setting — within the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Kinder Building — even more apropos.

The next iteration of Chris Shepherd’s multi-concept Montrose space has arrived — and it promises to be yet another pleaser. On June 29, One Fifth: Red Sauce Italian launched as a sweet homage to all the classic Italian comfort food your nonna (or your friend’s nonna) used to make. Think spaghetti and meatballs, wood-fired pepperoni pizza, chicken Parm, Mama Shepherd’s lasagna, and more.

And with Texas tomato season nearing its peak, the new concept arrives not a moment too soon. The award-winning chef has tapped Atkinson Farms in Spring and Good Thyme Farm in Bellville to source the star ingredient, while Ben McPherson’s Bravery Chef Food Hall counter BOH Pasta & Pizza will supply fresh-made pastas. Pro tip: Save room for Underbelly pastry director Victoria Dearmond’s tiramisu.

Houstonians know there’s no shortage of truly excellent Vietnamese sandwich shops in the city. But hey, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for another, especially one from chef Cuc Lam (formerly of Sing) and Phat Eatery’s Alex Au-Yeung. In March, Yelo quietly opened its doors in Katy’s increasingly expanding Asian Town after a brief showing at Blodgett Food Hall, the ghost kitchen that popped up in the Third Ward last year.

It hasn’t taken long for the shop to secure a loyal following, including longtime food critic Alison Cook, who revealed that she’d literally leapt out of her chair upon tasting the char xiu siu mai banh mi, made with peppery Chinese barbecue-marinated pork meatballs, and slathered in house-made garlic aioli. Other contenders that might make you do the same: the Pho-rench Dip banh mi, filled with pho-marinated slow-cooked brisket, and accompanied with aromatic pho broth for dipping; also the sandwich stuffed with Phat Eatery’s award-winning beef rendang.

Owners Jason and Mary Cho helped popularize the city’s Korean-style fried chicken craze when they set up shop in the Museum District in late 2014. And although the OG location became an unfortunate casualty of the pandemic, the restaurant’s star menu item — their seriously irresistible chicken wings — can still be enjoyed at their Timbergrove locale, which debuted just weeks before COVID lockdowns began. The wings (and legs and tenders) are fried not once but twice, resulting in impeccably crisp, cracker-thin skin, and a fully juicy interior. The chicken comes in four deliciously bold flavors: traditional soy garlic, medium spicy, hot n spicy and sriracha honey lime.

Pro tip: While chicken is absolutely the thing here,  it’d be a shame to miss out on other menu items, crafted by culinary director Jordon Economy. As with weekend brunch — try the pork belly-stuffed johnnycakes, and the bulgogi birria tacos, which come with a side of dipping broth.

Late last month, Hugo Ortega’s namesake restaurant announced it would now be open on Thursdays and Fridays for lunch — welcome news for longtime fans of the James Beard award-winning chef’s top-notch regional Mexican offerings. The spicy yet delicate aguachile de camaron — a lime-cured shrimp crudo with chile canario, passionfruit, cucumber, avocado, onion, and jalapeño — provides a refreshing reprieve from this extreme Texas heat. One of Hugo’s acclaimed margaritas might help, too.

Call 713-524-7744 for reservations.

Karaoke. Steak nights. Brotherhood. These three things are why we’ve been graced with Blood Bros. BBQ. Several years ago, Houston natives (and actual siblings) Robin and Terry Wong asked their childhood friend Quy Hoang to help man the grill for weekly steak nights at the brothers’ Midtown karaoke bar. Things really took off, though, when Hoang started experimenting with a smoker. The friends began hosting barbecue pop-ups under a new moniker, and made their venture permanent in late 2018, opening a no-frills outpost to serve pitmaster Hoang’s exquisitely smoked meats to brisket-hungry Houstonians.

The offerings are deeply influenced by the partners’ Chinese and Vietnamese roots, as well as by the culturally diverse community in which they grew up. The brisket fried rice, spicy-sweet gochujang beef-belly burnt ends, and Thai green curry boudin are just a few examples of how they’re pushing the boundaries of what barbecue can be.

Diners asked, and the call was merrily answered: Oyster happy hour has officially arrived at Tiny Champions, the casual EaDo pizzeria from the dream team that bestowed upon us the award-winning Nancy’s Hustle. On Wednesdays and Thursdays between 5 and 6 p.m., raw-bar enthusiasts can now enjoy meaty, briny-sweet New England oysters on the half shell served in the classic style — with hot sauce, mignonette and cocktail sauce. Specials also include drinks, and 25% off every one of the restaurant’s beautifully charred thin-crust pizzas.

Keep the seafood theme running by ordering the wonderfully garlicky shrimp scampi pie, or try our personal fave: their signature pineapple pizza with smoky speck, jalapeño and mozzarella. It’ll be the happiest hour of your day either way.

Uchi veterans Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee’s 26-seat handroll and sashimi counter opened mere months before the pandemic hit, but the restaurant has fortunately lived to tell the tale, and regained its hotspot status. The plexiglass fortress between guests and chefs remains; as do the exquisite hand rolls wrapped in super-crisp nori. On a recent trip you could find them served eight different ways, with: avocado, sake (salmon), spicy tuna, hamachi (yellowtail), kani (crab), hotate (scallop), negitoro (fatty tuna), or uni (sea urchin).

In a celebratory mood? Splurge on the irresistibly buttery bluefin otoro sashimi. You won’t regret it.

Kimico “Mico” Frydenlund grew up loving spicy food. But it wasn’t until she became an adult that she discovered hot chicken. As she tells it, she wanted to experience the dish straight from the source: Nashville. So, she scooped up her husband, Chris, and their children and grabbed a flight to Music City to check on the hype.

The trip inspired Frydenlund to open a hot chicken restaurant of her own, and in June 2019, they began serving up their signature fiery hot chicken sandwiches — the succinctly named Sammich — out of a food truck, before opening a brick-and-mortar in 2020. The main attraction features juicy fried boneless chicken breast with spice levels ranging from no heat to ultra-hot, the latter for those who don’t mind a good sweat. Housemade slaw, crisp pickles, and a butter-toasted brioche bun bring balance to the burn.

This exciting cocktail lounge from Houston bar veteran Steven Salazar and The Kirby Group has been winning raves for its rotating menu of imaginative, scratch-made drinks since launching in January, alongside sister restaurant Degust. One notable standout: the tiki-inspired Day at the Beach, crafted with dark rum, gin, Texas calamansi, and Heights crème de tarragon, and served in an edible dark chocolate shell. As with the cocktails, the pinxtos also change with the seasons. Check out special items like the braised short rib with white-bean puree, guest-developed by Burger Chan’s Willet Feng, or the white asparagus served with velvety salsa almadroc made from chèvre and manchego.