Famous chef to open Houston restaurant
After years of speculation and anticipation, James Beard Awardwinning, New Orleansbased superchef John Besh announced this week that he will open a restaurant in Houston.
Eunice, a Cajun/Creole brasserie, will debut in fall 2017 at 3737 Buffalo Speedway in the Greenway Plaza area under the direction of Drake Leonards, the current executive chef of Besh’s Lüke restaurant in New Orleans.
“We are thrilled to join the diverse culinary landscape of Houston and pay homage to the cuisine of both Eunice, La., my hometown, as well as New Orleans,” Leonards said. “We’ve been fans of Houston for a while and (are) honored to now have the opportunity to share our culture, which is as much about hospitality as it is about food.”
The Besh Restaurant Group is thriving in the Crescent City. In addition to his signature restaurant August, Besh owns and operates Besh Steak, Lüke, La Provence, Domenica, Pizza Domenica, Borgne and Johnny Sánchez. Also under the Besh umbrella is the buzzy new Willa Jean bakery and restaurant, as well as chef Alon Shaya’s Shaya restaurant, which in May was named Best New Restaurant at the James Beard Awards — one of the nation’s highest culinary honors. Outside New Orleans, the Besh group operates Johnny Sánchez in Baltimore and a Lüke outpost in San Antonio.
Last fall, according to Nola.com, Besh announced he would revive the Caribbean Room restaurant, the Bayou Bar and the Silver Whistle Café at New Orleans’ Pontchartrain Hotel.
Besh, a television food star and the author of several well-regarded cookbooks, including “My New Orleans,” has long been a friend to Houston. He has visited the city often for book-signings, fundraisers and special chef functions.