Food Drink

Johnny Orr, proprietor of Premium Draught on Studewood Street, said he’s been running into the best problem to have as a business owner and craft beer establishment. Three years ago, Orr said he was fighting with breweries and retailers alike over limited supplies for craft brews. These days, the market has pulled a one-eighty. “I call it a first-world beer problem,” Orr said with a laugh. “I was doing ordering and  I couldn’t pick which beers to order because there are so many good ones. I was so overwhelmed and I didn’t know what to bring in to satisfy my customers.” In just those three short years much has changed, on both a local level here in the Heights area and statewide in terms of legislation making it easier for craft brews to share their creations with specialty stores like … [Read more...] about Brewing success, a special area beer report

Bread lovers, rejoice - Artisana Bread is open for business in the Pinemont Pavilion, 965 Pinemont Road. Last year, Shady Acres resident Rosemarie Abbouchi told The Leader that she looked for more than a year to find a spot for her commercial bakery. She quit her job as an accountant more than three years ago to bake full time and had been renting commercial kitchens to make her product. Now she has a space of her own and is really enjoying meeting people from the neighborhood as well as sharing her breads. Noting the distressed floor, Abbouchi said she wanted Artisana “to look like it’s been in the neighborhood.” She also wants to capture the feeling of her stand at the Urban Harvest’s Eastside Market with conversation and comradery, or as her husband says “like a cocktail party.” So … [Read more...] about Artisana Bread is open for business

It wasn’t just the beer that was flowing Monday night at the Dutchman, 834 Wakefield, before the bar closed its doors after more than 60 years in business – it was the memories. “Each time I tried to start a story with my friends, I'd get all misty-eyed and have to walk away,” said Denise Quick on Facebook. “The people, the memories, the sad times of those we lost, the birthdays and celebrations, the years of just going in for a cold one and some alone time. All will be missed. Last night was amazing with the love of friends. One last memory I personally will cherish.” No one will cherish the good times as much as Kenny Kearns, aka Kenny Ray, who bought the bar in 1989 with his dad JD. “We bought it when I was 29 and I’m 55 now,” he said. “That’s almost half my life. We had a lot of … [Read more...] about Last call for The Dutchman

Effective today, Kevin Naderi has closed the doors on his Garden Oaks restaurant, Lillo and Ella. The restaurant group put out a press release this afternoon. Their final words below: Lillo and Ella has ceased operations effective Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. Located at 2307 Ella Blvd. in Garden Oaks, Lillo and Ella has closed after a successful 16-month run in what locals call the “new Heights” neighborhood. “Simply put, I received an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Kevin Naderi, chef/owner of Lillo and Ella, says. “I’ve loved Lillo and Ella, the concept of Asian street food, our Heights neighbors and what we’re doing at the restaurant. But I’ve felt more and more that I want to devote more attention to Roost.” Lillo and Ella opened in May 2014, to rave reviews and record crowds. The … [Read more...] about Lillo and Ella closes doors

If you’ve gotten a car wash at Dr Gleem’s on Ella Boulevard, you may have noticed a new restaurant on the premises. Maria’s Café has been open for about a month. The proprietor, Maria Sanchez, might be familiar to the former patrons of the Texas Cafeteria – Sanchez was an employee there for 16 years. “Some of my [former] customers came here because they knew I was here and some of them don’t know,” Sanchez said. “They stop and say ‘Don’t I know you from some place?’” Sanchez said she learned of the available restaurant space in the car wash from one of her former customers at Texas Cafeteria and that her former employers, the Koumonduros family, and Pete Koumonduros in particular, have helped her get started with the new enterprise. “They gave me dishes and even the cooler,” said … [Read more...] about Dr Gleem’s on Ella has a new restaurant – Maria’s Cafe