State of Grace — Houston, USA
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
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eurovision unveils its 2024 stage, designed by Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour creatives
This year's stage design aims to bring the audience into the performance more than ever before.
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Ikea meets Japan in this new pattern-filled collection
New Ikea Sötrönn collection by Japanese artist Hiroko Takahashi brings Japan and Scandinavia together in a pattern-filled, joyful range for the home
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Southern Arizona sets the scene for a corking vineyard experience at Los Milics
Los Milics winery, designed by Chen + Suchart Studio, is set among vines at the foothills of the Mustang Mountains
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Enjoy camp escapism at Hotel Bardo Savannah
Hotel Bardo Savannah is a sophisticated resort inspired by the grand tradition of the early 20th-century salon
By Sallie Lewis Published
-
Dario Restaurant brings a pink punk edge to Minneapolis’ North Loop
Minneapolis’ Dario Restaurant dishes up homemade pasta in quirky interiors designed by Wittkamper Studio
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Get groovy at The Pinky Ring, Las Vegas, a 1970s cocktail lounge shaking up the city
The Pinky Ring is a Las Vegas cocktail and live music venue designed by Yabu Pushelberg for Bruno Mars
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Inside the lavish, members-only Core Club New York
Core Club opens a new flagship in New York, boasting top-tier hospitality and entertainment, and a terrace with panoramic Manhattan views
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Warren Street Hotel is a colourful marvel in downtown Tribeca
The Warren Street Hotel boasts a distinct blue façade and eclectic interiors by Kit Kemp Design Studio
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
San Sabino offers mellow Italian-American dining in New York
San Sabino debuts in New York’s West Village, helmed by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with interiors by GRT Architects
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do it
Devoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
By Sofia de la Cruz Published