New Houston Restaurant From Hamsa Founders Now Open in Montrose – Houston Food Finder

Októ, the new Mediterranean-Levantine restaurant from Sof Hospitality, is now open. As we reported in May, the restaurant has taken over the space formerly held by The Chelsea, located at 888 Westheimer, at the Montrose Collective center. Houston Food Finder was invited to an opening party and a friends-and-family dinner.

Sof Hospitality was founded by James Beard Award semifinalists Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy, and also also owns Hamsa, Bādolina Bakery & Café and modern-Israeli steakhouse Doris Metropolitan. Októ, which means “eight” in Greek — a nod to its address — is led by Sof’s culinary director, chef Yotam Dolev, and chef Hai Avnaim. Their approach celebrates the storied culinary traditions of Greece, Italy, Spain and the Levant — a large historical region in the Eastern Mediterranean area of West Asia which encompasses Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. 

My first visit to Októ was for the opening party, which I attended with fellow Houston Food Finder contributor Ryan Baker, and we both found it to be one of the better-managed events that we’ve attended. We sat in the main dining area, in the light of the chef’s window, where we were able to witness the high-energy hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Food and drink service was attentive, despite a packed house, and the music was as lively as the food offerings, which included passed hors d’oeuvres and small plates. These included bite-size versions of the regular menus appetizers and entrées, such as Tiger Shrimp with arak beurre blanc, garlic, tarragon, thyme and sourdough, along with some designed especially for the party, including seasoned, crispy calamari. It was a promising preview of the following evening’s dinner.

The sumptuous mise-en-scène of this 4,200 square-foot space is split into a lavish bar area, lively dining room with a DJ booth and windowed kitchen, and an inviting patio complete with umbrellas and lush greenery. Warm colors, cool tones and intricate Regency Modern designs are the work of Lindsay Madrigal of LM Designs. (Fans of the Marvel Comics pantheon of colorful characters, such as myself, will be tickled once they notice the restaurant shares the same dark green and gray color palette as the villainous Doctor Doom, soon to be portrayed on the big screen by Robert Downey Jr.) There is both trendy opulence and timeless comfort, thoughtfully matching Avnaim’s menu and the verdurous energy of the brand.

Upon arrival, we were seated at a table in the bar area and presented beverage menus. Shortly after we were greeted by our server who introduced himself and walked us through some options, inquired about any food allergies and preferences and offered freshly-baked frena, a fluffy, Moroccan flatbread, served with pistachio butter. Cocktails include early favorites like the Haku Vodka Espresso Martini, a strawberry-infused Tanqueray Negroni and the OKTÓ G&T, a Spanish gin and tonic riff with shishito-infused Still Austin Gin, Italicus, Fever Tree Indian Tonic, lemon and thyme served in a wide-bowled Copa gin glass filled with ice. The wine list appropriately focuses on offerings from the same regions as the food menu. All of the house cocktails are priced at $18 each.

Once we were comfortably settled into the CB2 Foley Mink Velvet Dining Armchairs with libations in hand, our server helped us navigate the dinner menu, which he said features limited selections during the soft-opening phase. The appetizer menu includes options such as Greek salad, octopus with romesco, bish bash — a Moroccan fennel salad — brûléed onion and chives, halloumi with brik pastry and tomato salsa, tuna crudo and sea bass carpaccio. Prices range between $9 and $25.

As our first course, my guest and I shared the sea bass carpaccio, which is dressed beautifully with fresh herbs, crushed pistachio, Meyer lemon, extra virgin olive oil, thinly-sliced shallots and brunoised red jalapeño. The peppers and onions are cut so small they deliver a piquant kiss of heat without being spicy, which stimulates the palate and plays into the grassy, vegetal notes of the high-quality olive oil. The Meyer lemon provides lift and complexity. The cuts on the fish are clean, allowing the mild, delicately-sweet notes of the sea bass to properly sing, but I might enjoy slightly thinner pieces. 

A great pairing for this is the refreshing Pomona’s Daisy cocktail with Don Julio Blanco, Cointreau, limoncello and Meyer lemon juice. For wine, I would go with a Blanc de Blancs Champagne, Picpoul de Pinet or Soave.

For entrées, Októ currently offers seven different choices of land and sea, though there was no vegetarian option listed. They range from $32 to $72 and include Tiger Shrimp, grilled sea bass, Branzino en Papillote, Crab Squid Ink Linguini with sambal butter sauce and chives, lamb chops with cauliflower and sunchoke skordalia and pearl onion and two steak options: Denver Cut with corn mamaliga and Filet Mignon Rossini.

I typically prefer a well-marbled cut of beef rather than the lean offerings of tenderloin, but the Filet Mignon Rossini — a play on the classic Tournedos Rossini — made a believer out of me. It’s adorned with all the trappings of French culinary tradition, including a slice of seared foie gras, chives and earthy, sauce-catching morel mushrooms, all of which are covered in a luxuriously creamy peppercorn sauce. Luckily, the portion is big enough to share, as you’ll be the envy of every non-vegan at the table.

The Branzino en Papillote is brought to the table in a French copper gratin, sans parchment, with a smattering of capers and dill oil. It’s accompanied by a trivet of roasted tomato, artichoke and asparagus. Fennel pollen beurre blanc is slowly drizzled onto the dish and surrounds the filet. Each satisfying bite transported me to the sun-soaked shores of the Mediterranean. 

With a meal such as this one, I highly recommend ordering a side of fries, which are served crispy and tossed with lemon zest, Parmesan and parsley, as you’ll want to dip them in the many flavorful sauces. Don’t worry about calories here; you can tell your friends you’re sticking to the Mediterranean diet! Other sides include butternut squash with sour cream and aleppo pepper and snow peas with soy-harissa and cured egg yolk.

I also recommend that, towards the end of your main course, you order the Cat’s Pajamas cocktail as an intermezzo to reinvigorate your senses. It consists of Metaxa 7 Stars, bourbon, Cointreau, honey and lemon served up in a coupe with a bit of honeycomb on a stainless steel cocktail pick meant for stirring as you enjoy this drink. Its name is a nod to the Bee’s Knees, another honey-driven cocktail. Alternatively, you could wind down with The Flight of Icarus, a slow-sipping, boozy concoction of pistachio-washed Woodford Reserve, Meletti Amaro, Montenegro, Strega and lemon.

Up next was the dessert course. The menu includes four enticing options: Basque cheesecake with strawberry-tomato coulis, Chocoholic with chocolate mousse, caramel and Macadamia nuts, Pistachio Four Ways with gelato, halvah disks, salted and caramelized ganache and Kasata with rose syrup, rose dust and rose ice cream. Each costs $16. There is also a succinct  but impressively-curated list of after-dinner wines, coffee, teas and amari.

We went with the cheesecake, which was fluffy and picturesque, and our server convinced us to add the Pistachio Four Ways as a second dessert, which he rightfully described as the perfect compliment to the other three desserts. My inner hobbit was much pleased, and both choices were a splendid medley of flavors and textures without being too sweet. 

The entire experience was very well received, and it’s a gorgeous restaurant perfect for impressing a date, celebrating a special occasion or simply to enjoy excellent food, drink and hospitality. Sof has spared no expense, from the drastic renovations to the tastefully and thoughtfully chosen small details like the Bon Chef flatware, delicate RIEDEL stemware and Kiln by Front of the House dinnerware. It might be my favorite restaurant in their portfolio.

Októ is currently open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. Both valet and garage parking are available. Make reservations through OpenTable.

Mario-Sebastian Berry is a wine and spirits vendor who has been in the hospitality industry since 2002. Currently, he represents Blanco, Texas-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. and multiple wine labels. Somehow, he also finds time to be Houston Food Finder’s associate editor and social media manager.