BON APPÉTIT

Southtown brasserie says bonjour to roots French cooking and new chef team

After weathering the pandemic and construction from the new Rosario's, a Southtown restaurant is hitting rewind. Maverick Texas Brasserie is returning to its Alsatian roots with a new chef team and an emphasis on live-fire cooking.

"It's like Maverick 2.0," said hospitality director Brannon Swindle via a release. "We're going back to the 'make your own rules' dining experience we had when we first opened our doors."

Executive chef Robbie Nowlin will be leading the charge. Already helming the kitchens at the Maverick Group's Arrosta and Allora, the Tastemaker Awards-nominated chef will draw on techniques learned throughout his career. The CV includes mentorship by local notables Damien Watel and Jason Dady and a stint at the world-famous French Laundry.

Culinary Institute of America grad Esteban Valdez will add even more talent. Valdez began his culinary career alongside Nowlin at The Lodge under Dady. After three years at Michelin Star restaurants in New York, Valdez has returned to San Antonio with a French-focused style.

The pair will refine the menu to focus on classic brasserie cooking. Although the restaurant never shifted too radically from its French DNA, it was less focused during the height of Covid-19. Though best-sellers like gougères remained on the menu, they were joined by dishes like Hamachi sashimi.

That's not to say that fans will have to say goodbye to some of their favorite dishes. Entrees like schnitzel and steak frites will have pride of place on the menu, along with brasserie standards like tartare, escargot, and decadent seafood towers.
"Bistro and brasserie cooking as a whole are super approachable for guests, but also a way for a chef to showcase his technique without being pretentious," shares Nowlin.

"I'm excited to see this French inspiration coming back," Valdez agrees. "It's a gradual shift to the unique experience that Maverick was known for."

Photo courtesy of Maverick Restaurant Group

Maverick Texas Brasserie is returning to its French roots.

southtown chefs

all that jazz

San Antonio jazz master opens new club in historic Houston theater

Acme Oyster House Houston/Facebook

A new jazz club is coming to the historic Tower Theatre.

An iconic space in the heart of Houston's Montrose neighborhood will soon be home to a jazz and dinner club run by the mind behind San Antonio's Jazz, TX.

Doc Watkins founded Jazz, TX in 2016, and it instantly became a must-stop destination for the modern masters of jazz, hosting the likes of Kenny Garrett, Bill Charlap, and John Pizzarelli. The still-unnamed Houston location will be his first expansion outside the Alamo City.

Watkins brings serious jazz bonafides to the project. He has played Carnegie Hall with his own jazz trio and performs over 100 shows annually in addition to his management of Jazz, TX.

Jazz, TX San Antonio music venue Jazz, TX draws some of the genre's top performers. Jazz, TX Facebook

“I’m thrilled to bring this club to life in Houston, especially in a venue as iconic as the Tower Theatre,” Watkins said in a statement. “We look forward to creating a space where live music, great food, and Houston’s vibrant culture come together.”

The Tower Theatre is one of the last pieces of the surrounding neighborhood’s architecture that's still standing. Originally a movie theater, it also spent some time as a disco called Clubland. Its large size made it perfect to host touring acts as well as dance nights. Both John Lennon and the Beastie Boys played there.

After that, it was home to Hollywood Video, a Montrose location of the movie rental chain that closed in 2009. More recently, it housed both El Real Tex-Mex Cafe and a short-lived outpost of New Orleans-based seafood restaurant Acme Oyster Co.

Houston-based Radom Capital revealed plans to revitalize the property earlier this year. Tenants like Copy.com and Adam & Eve were phased out for a more upscale collection of eateries, boutiques, and fitness centers. One of these will be Nando’s Peri-Peri, the South Africa-based grilled chicken restaurant. The Tower Theatre’s distinctive art deco marquee will be preserved as part of the renovations.

The property, now known as 1111 Westheimer, joins Radom Capital's other projects, which include the Montrose Collective and M-K-T, a mixed-use development in the Heights.

openings performing arts montrose jazz tx radom capital