Houstonians have been waiting with baited breath for the opening of State of Grace, chef Ford Fry’s first restaurant in his native city. Taking up residence in affluent mansion-strewn River Oaks, the dining room is housed in a 1950s brick build, once home to Fry’s childhood confectionary store. Best known for his popular Atlanta eatery, The Optimist, the James Beard Award nominee has paid homage to his southern upbringing with a menu that includes lobster hush puppies, shrimp a la plancha, and duck carnitas. Meanwhile, pastry chef Chrysta Poulos ups the nostalgia stakes with house-made pecan ice cream balls slathered with hot fudge sauce.
Interiors, by Fry’s long-time collaborator Elizabeth Ingram, features a colour palette of white, moss green and slate grey against open brickwork walls, walnut and leather banquettes and marble counter tops. Three custom-designed chandeliers hang from a white oak parquetry ceiling presiding over the focal point of the space; a semi-circular hand-burnished brass counter top showcasing an expansive cold bar and oyster programme. If you’re not here to join the glam crowd chucking back sea wings from the Texan Gulf, pull up a seat in the main dining room where windows frame the sprawling branches of a grand oak tree out front.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
3258 Westheimer Rd
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in LondonNice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
-
VitrA’s recycled washbasin is a world firstVitrA reveals its recycled ceramic washbasin, made using almost 100 per cent waste materials from the bathroom company’s own production process
-
Serenade your senses at Farasha Farmhouse in MarrakechFarasha Farmhouse is a serene escape hidden on the outer reaches of Marrakech
-
Enjoy camp escapism at Hotel Bardo SavannahHotel Bardo Savannah is a sophisticated resort inspired by the grand tradition of the early 20th-century salon
-
Dario Restaurant brings a pink punk edge to Minneapolis’ North LoopMinneapolis’ Dario Restaurant dishes up homemade pasta in quirky interiors designed by Wittkamper Studio
-
Get groovy at The Pinky Ring, Las Vegas, a 1970s cocktail lounge shaking up the cityThe Pinky Ring is a Las Vegas cocktail and live music venue designed by Yabu Pushelberg for Bruno Mars
-
Inside the lavish, members-only Core Club New YorkCore Club opens a new flagship in New York, boasting top-tier hospitality and entertainment, and a terrace with panoramic Manhattan views
-
Warren Street Hotel is a colourful marvel in downtown TribecaThe Warren Street Hotel boasts a distinct blue façade and eclectic interiors by Kit Kemp Design Studio
-
San Sabino offers mellow Italian-American dining in New YorkSan Sabino debuts in New York’s West Village, helmed by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with interiors by GRT Architects
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do itDevoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
-
Enjoy lakeside dining at the Village Supper Club in WisconsinDMAC Architecture and Interiors has transformed the 55-year-old Village Supper Club beside Delavan Lake
