Reservations required
Good luck getting a table at Houston’s top restaurants
A hostess dressed in black stood outside of Steak 48 on Friday night holding an iPad. “Do you have a reservation?” she asked each approaching party.
Last weekend, entrée into the popular River Oaks District steakhouse required advance planning. Dinner reservations sold out within 15 minutes of Gov. Greg Abbott’s April 27 announcement that the state would begin reopening May 1, said chief branding officer Oliver Badgio. The restaurant is virtually sold out for the next two weeks.
For those lucky enough to snag a table, Friday’s newly adjusted dining experience felt as much like the days before coronavirus as could be expected.
Another hostess opened
Steak 48’s massive, wooden door — it’s one less thing to touch amid lingering COVID-19 concerns — where a standby checkin person armed with a secondary reservation list waited in case of a rush. Six feet away, more hostesses manned a wide counter: one announced each table’s number, the other escorted patrons through the dining room.
An upbeat playlist boomed through the 15,000-square-foot space. The size, Badgio said, has both pros and cons.
At maximum capacity, Steak 48 can host 500 people at a time. Under the reopening order’s stipulations, however, that figure has been reduced to 25 percent, which created a unique challenge. They wanted to make the two-story steakhouse feel both warm and relatively full.
Badgio and Steak 48 co-owner Jeff Mastro came up with an idea to place large flower arrangements on the tables that were unavailable for use. Floral Image’s rental centerpieces were artificial, though effective. Tabletop décor indicates an event, and that’s exactly the vibe Badgio and Mastro sought.
“It feels like a soft opening,” Mastro said. He and Badgio flew into Houston from Scottsdale, Ariz., to ensure guidelines were followed. “We wanted to safely make sure that our guests still felt comfortable.”
Prioritizing comfort meant a conscious decision to forgo masks and gloves for service staff. “The governor’s order didn’t require it,” Badgio said.
“We didn’t do newsletters. We didn’t do food drives. We used this time to get ready,” he added. “We felt a responsibility as a member of the economic community.”
Staff were trained on new sanitation practices over Zoom; every employee has been recertified. Before entering each night, they undergo a mandatory temperature check. Tables are no longer set in advance. The tables and chairs are cleaned after every meal.
“We’re able to offer our full menu and are trying to keep things as normal as possible,” Mastro said.
The usual crowd did their part, too. A mix of bandage dresses, Saint Laurent handbags and platform heels paraded through corridors, much like old times. One diner boasted loudly of his flashy pandemic purchase: a modified Land Rover Defender SUV. Members of the Bush family dined in a semiprivate room near Steak 48’s glass-walled kitchen.
“I wish we were out here,” Sarahbeth Bush said, gesturing to banquettes in the bar area. “But whatever! I’m just happy to be out.”
Less than a mile away, a similar energy vibed through Tilman Fertitta’s Post Oak at Uptown campus. Cars packed the driveway on the hotel’s ballroom side, where the valet typically operates on an event night.
A fleet of Maseratis, Bentleys and a stray Lotus dotted the lot in front of Mastro’s Steakhouse. Inside, the scene looked and sounded like a normal Friday night — save for employees wearing matching black masks and gloves, and the required number of empty tables to meet 25 percent occupancy limit.
High-top seats near the outdoor patio and around Mastro’s aquamarine pool proved the most coveted. That’s where entertainer Madeline Edwards played piano and performed covers of Top 40 songs.
Lacquered plaques reading “Reserved for Social Distancing” lined the U-shaped bar area, though several patrons tried their best to slide into those spots. They were gently discouraged from hovering by service managers who circled the room and occasionally tapped their ear pieces.
Following Houston’s six weeks of stay-at-home isolation, Mastro’s Friday reopening was nothing short of a social feast for the eyes. Limited-menu options were available to satisfy cravings of a different sort, including the chain’s signature warm butter cake, which was served at a number of tables.
Tilman Fertitta, Landry’s Inc. owner and sole proprietor, arrived shortly before 9 p.m. He and son Patrick Fertitta were dressed casually in polo shirts and Rockets gear. The elder Fertitta was in good spirits and commented on the atmosphere’s liveliness before discreetly making the rounds.
“Just make sure it looks full,” he said with a grin, slipping past a throng of hopeful patrons angling to snag a last-minute table. “Well, as full as it can.”
Across town in Greenway Plaza, the phone at Tony’s rang off the hook.
“It’s a mix of people wanting to make a reservation and placing to-go orders,” said head hostess Tricia Moore between calls. She pointed to the restaurant’s largest private dining space, where staffers emerge holding brown carryout bags every few minutes. “People are still really wanting comfort food. Lots of requests for chicken parmigiana, bolognese, things like that.”
Donna Vallone stood nearby with a fistful of individually wrapped biscotti cookies for customers to take home.
“We couldn’t get our piano player back in time for the reopening, it was such short notice,” Vallone said. “But I told Tony not to worry, it still sounds good.”
Lively music played overhead as her husband, the restaurant’s namesake, stopped by each table in the main dining room. Behind him, gold balloons spelled out “Welcome Back.”
One server rattled an icy cocktail shaker overhead; the jovial noise echoed off the walls. Another pushed a cart bearing black truffles across the carpet. “They’re in season,” he told two female patrons, before recommending chef de cuisine Austin Waiter’s off-menu risotto.
“There’s a lot going on,” Tony Vallone said through his mask. The restaurant was hosting a Sunday Supper benefiting Urban Harvest, and Mother’s Day is coming right up. “But right now that’s a great problem to have.”
Shawn Virene’s Upper Kirby hot spot, a’Bouzy, was one of the few upscale options available for lunchtime on Friday. His restaurant’s Westheimer-facing patio is known for its see-and-be-seen bottle popping. Reopening weekend was no exception.
Guests were offered a complimentary glass of sparkling wine upon seating. “It’s our way of welcoming everyone back,” Virene said.
It was a fitting touch, considering that he named the bistro after Bouzy, a French village in the Champagne region known for producing world-renowned grapes. With more than 1,000 labels in-house, the restaurant’s wine list is one of Houston’s most extensive — which makes a’Bouzy a popular spot for celebrations.
It’s become tradition for servers to make a show of uncorking the champagne when bottle service is ordered. They like to shout “a’Bouzy!” once the top pops. Sometimes a saber is used for extra drama.
A quartet of young women whipped out their phones on Friday afternoon as their waiter uncorked a bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the sunshine. He dutifully yelled, “a’Bouzy!” and neighboring patrons cheered.
Inside at the host stand, a front-of-house staffer picked up the telephone, “A table for tonight? I’m sorry, we’re all booked.”
It almost sounded like normal.