Openings and Closings: Buttermilk Baby Bounces In, Gold Tooth Tony’s Bellaire

Buttermilk Baby, 600 N. Shepherd, opened September 4 at M-K-T Heights. Berg Hospitality Group seems to be opening a new concept every other month in Houston and this newest venture is unique to its portfolio. It’s a family-friendly, retro-inspired restaurant that offers a modern interpretation of a vintage soda fountain with bright, ice cream colors, neon signs and diner-style barstools, creating a nostalgic feel in a contemporary space.

Part of that nostalgia comes from its collaboration with Carvel, the decades-old ice cream company credited for inventing soft serve and recognized as the nation’s first retail ice cream business. Guests will find not only ten flavors of  its soft serve at Buttermilk Baby but also its exclusive ice cream cakes including Fudgie the Whale. Plus, there will be Carvel’s Flying Saucer ice cream sandwiches. It’s the first foray into the Lone Star State for the ice cream company that millions of other Americans have been enjoying for years.

Ice cream isn’t the only thing on the BB menu. Guests will find chicken sandwiches, burgers and its signature buttermilk biscuits. It’s a type of dining that Berg Hospitality owner and founder Benjamin Berg likes to describe as ‘cool casual’. He says of his latest concept, “It’s a place where kids of all ages can get home-cooked comfort food made from top-notch ingredients and just enjoy being a kid again.”

In charge of the menu’s creation is Brian Sutton, BHG’s VP of Culinary. The British-born chef has nearly three decades of hospitality experience globally as well as taking over as executive chef at The Annie Cafe and Bar and Turner’s in May 2022 when James Beard Award-winning chef Robert Del Grande went into semi-retirement. The Annie and Turner’s are also Berg Hospitality concepts.

Sutton’s menu offers comfort food staples such as cinnamon rolls, buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy and buttermilk-brined fried chicken. Buttermilk is a theme and an important ingredient finding its way into the pancakes as well. With Ben Berg’s New York background, guests will also find an NYC-inspired breakfast, Ben’s Biscuit; an ‘everything’ bagel topped with cream cheese and bacon.

Lunch and dinner choices include diner-style smashburgers made with Texas wagyu beef, a patty melt, chicken fingers and several chicken sandwiches including grilled and Southern-fried. The hot dogs and corn dogs are also wagyu, in keeping with Berg’s commitment to quality ingredients.

There is a a high-end coffee bar, frozen frappes and a small selection of beer and wine.

As for the little ones, the rainbow-colored arched entrance features pink cloud-shaped swings while a life-sized carousel horse serves as a delightful focal point in the 3,100 square-foot interior, along with a giant ice cream sundae statue. A 10-seat ice cream bar is kid-friendly, complete with a river of sprinkles running through the middle.

Gold Tooth Tony’s Detroit Pizza, 5225 Bellaire Boulevard, opened August 30 in the space which formerly housed Pink’s Pizza, as reported by CultureMap Houston. The highly anticipated second location follows on the success of its first opening at 1901 North Shepherd in September 2023. Founded by chef Anthony Calleo and business partner Blake Harris, the restaurant serves Detroit-style pizzas which are rectangular rather than pie-shaped, with a chewy, thicker crust of a pan pizza. In its early days, the pizza joint would sell out quickly with Caleo’s pizza cred preceding him due to his previous pizza concept, Pi Pizza. Gold Tooth Tony’s also serves its pizzas at Rudyard’s on Waugh.

Using Wisconsin brick cheese, the 8-inch by 10-inch pizzas can be “Build Your Own” or guests can leave it up to the pizza meisters with classic Cheese, Pep (fancy pepperoni blend), Meat Lovers or the Detroit Supreme loaded with pepperoni, house-made Italian sausage, roasted maitake mushrooms, confit onions, red and green peppers and olive salad. Calleo and his team get a little more creative with options like The griz made with chicken, bacon, charred pineapple, grizzly sauce and house-made ranch or the Mack Attack is back, a concoction of homemade macaroni and cheese atop pizza crust, sprinkled with bacon. Brussels sprouts, blue cheese, furikake, feenel pollen and hot honey are some of the other interesting ingredients that make their way onto the signature rectangles.

Besides Detroit-style pizza, there are Italian sandwiches like the Meatball Sub, Tony’s Hero and the Chiky Parm made with breaded chicken cutlet. Garlic Knots, Pizza Tots and Mac Balls are some of the tasty munchies and the Bellaire location is offering wings as well.

Guests can also order online at its website or by phone at 281-974-1659. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Clarkwood Courtyard Bar, 3201 Allen Parkway, is expected to open this fall as an annex to Clarkwood, a boutique cocktail bar near downtown Houston. The 1,550 square-foot space will stretch along the south face of Clarkwood itself, doubling the bar’s footprint and incorporating indoor and outdoor elements, allowing for more seating.

Located in the former Star Engraving Co., a 1930 building with Spanish and Mediterranean influences, Clarkwood’s petite space has meant that cocktail aficionados were lucky to find a coveted seat. With the patio-centric addition, guests will have more options as Houston’s temperatures cool down. Its design is being handled by Gin Design Group, a Houston-based firm known for its hospitality and restaurant transformations. Designer and owner Gin Braverman has visualized a fresh perspective while also preserving the elegance and European charm of Clarkwood.

The courtyard will feature a long bar top that sits half inside an orangerie-style enclosure and half outside on the open patio with its banquette seating. Neutral tones of white, cream and gray will be complemented by greenery in the oversized planters, making it an oasis in the big city.

Its cocktail menu will expand upon the original one as well with libations exclusive to the courtyard bar.

The project comes from Mason Clark and Army Sadeghi, who opened the original Clarkwood in January 2022. Sadeghi is also behind the upcoming Melrose which is expected to open this fall.

Flying Biscuit Cafe, 2404 Navigation Boulevard, begins its grand opening week September 9 at 7 a.m.. The first 100 guests will receive a free Flying Biscuit t-shirt and there will be $1 specials on the Flying Biscuit Breakfast or the Chicken Club Wrap. There will be two different menu items for $1 each weekday September 9 through September 13. On September 10, the first 100 guests will receive a Flying Biscuit travel mug.

The East End location is the fifth for the Greater Houston area and the 35th for the brand overall which began in Atlanta in 1993.  Known for its Southern-inspired daytime menu, it offers biscuits, waffles, omelets, sandwiches, salads and burgers. There’s also a selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes such as Avocado Toast, Fresh Veggie Scramble, Beyond Burger and Vegan Tofu Scramble.

There is a selection of coffee drinks, hot teas, juices and soft drinks. Mimosas may be offered in the future.

The Fox Trap restaurant & Lounge, 11470 Westheimer, softly opened the first week of August and is now in full swing with 50 televisions for sports viewing, a game room with pool tables and ping pong, a covered patio, a cozy dining room and an elegant bar.

While the decor is upscale and chic, the food menu offers some sports bar favorites such as wings, sliders and Boudin Egg Rolls. There are a couple of flatbread options plus entrees such as Shrimp and Crab Alfredo, Lamb Chops, Spicy Jambalaya and Foxy Cedar Plank Salmon. For a group, there are Game Day Platters of wings or seafood.

In addition to sexy cocktails like the Pink 75 and the Pornstar Martini, hookah is available. There is a stage for live music and karaoke as well.

The Burger Joint and The Taco Stand have opened up satellite spots at the University of Houston’s main campus. Owners Matthew Pak and Shawn Bermudez currently own and operate three brick and mortar locations of The Burger Joint and two locations of The Taco Stand with more on the way.

The University of Houston spots are operating out of 500 square-foot spaces inside the RAD (Retail, Auxiliary and Dining) Center next to the Science and Research Building 2. The 41,000 square-foot structure provides an open space for students and staff to relax and dine with both indoor and outdoor seating plus a second floor outdoor terrace.

The Burger Joint first served burgers at UH in 2016 with its food truck. Pak said that he and Bermudez are excited to bring the two concepts to the UH dining center and to provide on-campus jobs for students. “UH was one of our first regular food truck locations for The Burger Joint and the student and administration support has been constant as we have built our business through the years.”

The restaurants will be serving condensed menus of the most popular items Monday through Friday.

The Burger Joint also has plans to open another location soon at 5403 Kirby while The Taco Stand has an upcoming spot at 1503 Westheimer in Montrose.

Gyro Republic, 20340 Fort Bend Parkway, began its soft opening August 20 in Missouri City. It’s the fourth location for the brand in the Greater Houston area but the first franchised location for founder Rehan Ranpuri. The new franchisees are Ahmer Ali and Ejas Hussein.

The quick-service concept allows customers to create their own gyros, pita sandwiches, rice bowls, salads and Gyrito, its take on the burrito. The proteins are 100 percent halal and the fresh ingredients are free from MSG and artificial additives. The New York City-style gyro meat is cubed instead of sliced and served with a mayonnaise-based white sauce. It also offers its signature red hot sauce, a mild orange sauce and tzatziki.

Falafel and hummus are on the menu as well as loaded fries. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, too.

Backstreet Cafe, 1103 S. Shepherd, is looking toward the future with a planned relocation, as first reported by the Houston Chronicle. Part of H-Town Restaurant Group, the classic cafe was first opened in 1983 in a 1930s  structure which was once a River Oaks home. It was also where a storied romance blossomed between restaurateur Tracy Vaught and her now husband and James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega. For more than 40 years, it’s been a consistent spot for lingering brunches and patio happy hours.

So, its future relocation is bittersweet for Vaught and Ortega who have since opened up several successful restaurants including Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi and URBE. However, after years of renovations, repairs and reinforcements, Vaught said of Back Street, “It’s finally time to give this ‘old lady’ a new dress.”

That new dress will be in a location just down the street at 1201 South Shepherd.in the spot where H-Town Restaurant Group’s offices operate. Vaught said a new structure will house the restaurant. The permits have been filed and the project is estimated to be finished by November 2024. Backstreet Cafe will remain open at its current space in the meantime.

Vaught says that she and Ortega have grappled for the past few years on what to do and whether or not they should move to a completely new space or build something new. “We have worried how our longtime customers would react to either decision and, believe me, we have searched our hearts and while we have mixed feelings, we know this is the right decision for the future of Backstreet Cafe. The building has given us many years, but it is tired.”

But she is quick to point out that “This is not the end of Backstreet-this is our way of ensuring it continues! Our daughter Sophia has joined the company and will eventually take the reins, and we want her to have an updated facility that she can put her own stamp on and share with Houston for another 40 years and beyond.”

Feges BBQ, 8217 Long Point, was the victim of a smash and burgle in the early hours of September 4, according to an an email announcement from the restaurant. The front glass was broken and valuables were stolen. The restaurant is back open for regular business hours but the children’s play area is closed until the staff can make sure there is no glass or debris in the vicinity.

KP’s Kitchen Bellaire, 5427 Bissonnet, was burgled by smash and grab thugs August 26, stealing $300, some bottles of tequila and leaving a huge mess behind including a busted bottle of Caymus wine. Saltillo Mexican Kitchen, located in the same shopping center, was also broken into with the thieves making off with an empty safe and a $3,500 bottle of champagne, according to click2houston.com. All of these restaurants are back up and running so go show them some love.