The July Hit List: Pastore, Street to Kitchen, Albi, and More

After much anticipation, Underbelly Hospitality’s newest concept officially opened its doors to dinner service on June 30. Led by executive chef Jeff Potts and Underbelly Hospitality culinary director Scott Muns, Pastore’s seafood-forward menu and elegant garden-inspired setting aims to take Houstonians on a culinary journey to the Italian coast. Hungry diners can expect a selection of housemade pasta dishes including squid ink linguine and swordfish amatriciana, alongside larger offerings such as hearth-roasted branzino served with a zesty puttanesca sauce. Be sure to save room for desserts like the olive oil cake and limoncello sabayon.

Houstonians already know that the city is home to some of the best Thai food around — and now the whole country knows it too, thanks to chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, aka Chef G, winning the coveted title of Best Chef Texas at this year’s James Beard Awards. (The busy chef also recently launched Indigenous tasting menu concept th_prsrv, pronounced The Preserve, with chef David Skinner in Kemah.) At Street to Kitchen, her “unapologetically authentic” Thai food has been garnering raves since opening amid the pandemic in 2020. Customers flock to the East End restaurant for umami-laden, spicy-sweet drunken noodles and pad see ew, and the fiery curries. It’s sure to make you sweat — in the best way possible.

Call 281-501-3435 for more info.

“Albi” means “my heart” in Arabic, and siblings Nano and Jimy Fakhoury (of the Mary’z Mediterranean restaurants) and hospitality entrepreneur Aladdin Nimri have certainly poured a lot of love into their new eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the posh River Oaks neighborhood. Chef-consultant Mark Cox and executive chef Christian Hernandez (formerly chef de cuisine of March) have created a seasonal menu utilizing sustainable and local ingredients for a modern spin on Turkish, Lebanese, and Jordanian cuisine. Guests will find such savory dishes as shrimp falafel with tarator sauce and heirloom tomatoes, salt-baked beets blended with creamy yogurt and dusted with tahini powder, and king trumpet mushroom shawarma with tzatziki and charred lemon.

We’ll keep it real: The lines still wrap around the block at Houston rap legend Bernard “Bun B” Freeman’s newly launched “extended pop-up” location of his popular Trill Burgers (co-founded with restaurateur Andy Nguyen and PR guru Nick Scurfield, along with chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares). But once you get a taste of Trill’s signature double smashburger, you’ll understand what all the hype is about. “Good Morning America” didn’t name it the best burger in the country last year for nothing, after all.

The OG burger features two crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside, all-beef smash patties topped with melty cheese, caramelized onions, pickles, and patented Trill Sauce, served on a potato roll bun. There’s also a triple patty option and a vegan option. Is it a little messy? Sure. But the best burgers always are. And hey, in addition to Bun B, you just might spot some of the biggest names in hip-hop — Ludacris and Drake paid a visit to the restaurant in June — while you’re waiting in line.

The current location serves as a six-month pop-up while the restaurant hunts for a permanent home. Follow Trill Burgers on Instagram for updates.

Guests will feel a serious dose of European vibe upon stepping into the Chelsea, a stylish dining addition to the ever-growing Montrose Collective mixed-use development. Adorned with marble-patterned floors and awash in teal, gold, and shades of gray, the New American bistro comes from restaurateurs Shawn Rao and Jonathan Serrano of the Dallas-based Syn Group and Houston hospitality vet Roveen Abante. Chef Andre Garza, formerly of Roots Wine Bar, drives the diverse menu here, with the miso-marinated chicken lollipops and charred Spanish octopus fast becoming crowd favorites.

Chef Travis McShane’s Montrose gem celebrates three years of serving up delectable, no-fuss, Mediterranean-influenced New American cuisine this September. But first, they’re ringing in summer with their new happy hour program. Available Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the happy hour menu will include bar bites like speck, chicken liver pate with sour cherry mostarda, and focaccia served with extra-virgin olive oil. Meanwhile, drink specials include $4 beers and $6 spritzes, as well as $10 cocktails and wines by the glass. Head back on Sundays for Ostia’s summertime pizza and bubbles special, where diners can enjoy McShane’s mouthwatering thin-crust pies and 25% off all Champagne and sparkling wines, by the glass or bottle.

“MasterChef” winner Christine Ha, of acclaimed modern Vietnamese spots the Blind Goat and Xin Chào, is at it again — only this time she and husband John Suh are sharing their love of all-American sandwiches with the world. Fellow sandwich enthusiasts can roll up to the drive-thru at Ha’s casual Spring Branch shop Stuffed Belly to try her gourmet takes on comforting classics. These include grilled cheese (zhuzhed up with cheddar, provolone, American cheese, and tomato confit stuffed between two slices of buttery Texas toast), egg salad (featuring tangy Dijon and yellow mustards, lemon, and green onion on crustless Texas toast), and of course, a double smashburger dripping with caramelized onions, American cheese, pickles, and their specialty Stuffed Sauce on a toasted potato bun.

Follow Stuffed Belly on Instagram for more updates.

Once a hopping Midtown destination, Weights & Measures was purchased in April by Mastrantos husband-and-wife team Xavier and Mari Godoy, and their partner, chef Tony Castillo, with a singular goal in mind: to return the restaurant to its former glory. The mission is personal for the Godoys, who count Weights & Measures as an inspiration for Mastrantos, which opened its doors back in 2019. Both, for instance, make their pastas and pastries fresh daily in-house and have menus that are influenced by the city’s global flavors. Fans of Mastrantos’ signature chorizo carbonara and Texqueños (Venezuelan cheese wrapped in housemade dough and fried — who doesn’t love fried cheese?) will be pleased to see it on the menu here. And the new owners are excited to welcome old customers back.

This clearly being our month to indulge our burger crush, we’re happy to share this tidbit: After 86 years in business, Lankford Grocery — the one-time mom-and-pop grocery store turned beloved burger joint in the Fourth Ward — finally opened its second outpost in Bellaire in May. Lankford loyalists need not worry. The new location pledges to “stay true to the original menu and offer fresh, authentic, American burgers, sandwiches, sides, and breakfast items.” Though, there is at least one shiny upgrade folks will appreciate at the new spot: a self-pour beer wall complete with 20 taps of local craft brews.

Call 713-281-3549 for more info.

Heights & Co.’s Brian Doke and chef Ilias Gugole have teamed up for Dante’s, a modern Italian restaurant located in the space formerly occupied by Concura Italian Bites (where Gugole — who spent years honing his culinary skills in Verona, Italy — led the kitchen as executive chef). Guests who dine at the charming River Oaks spot can look forward to a touch of the traditional, like the spaghetti tomato sauce and pappardelle Bolognese, and a touch of the contemporary, such as the duck breast with carrot cream and rib-eye steak served with mustard vinaigrette.