Federal American Grill brings whiskey to the forefront
Federal American Grill, which opened last week in downtown Houston, offers the usual steaks, seafood and all-American comfort food available at any number of local restaurants.
Its secret weapon? A whiskey wall featuring more than 400 bottles.
The “fine casual” restaurant, as founder and CEO Matt Brice describes it, didn’t open its first location in 2013 on Shepherd Drive with the intention of focusing on whiskey. But today, Federal American Grill even buys barrels from as far away as Kentucky and Vermont for its own custom blends from names including Jack Daniels and WhistlePig.
Located at Houston Center, 1221 McKinney, the new downtown restaurant’s pairing of whiskey with dishes ranging from rib-eyes and countryfried steak to pecan-crusted snapper and fried cheeseburger egg rolls will be on full display as it aims to help bolster downtown’s recovery from the pandemic.
“We’re just excited about the downtown rehabilitation,” Brice said. “Our restaurant can’t wait to be a place for all Houstonians.”
This fifth location of Federal American Grill, which spans 7,000 square feet, will include a patio across the street from Pappas steakhouse. It will also include the chain’s first coffee bar — offering pastries, sandwiches and salads — to cater to the downtown office crowd.
Brice said that while the restaurant is neither fine dining nor casual, it aims to be “right in the middle.”
“We want to know your name,” he said. “If you ever walk into our restaurants, we want you to feel welcomed.”
The casual sports bar vibe is one aspect of Federal Amer
ican Grill’s wide appeal. There are nearly two dozen 60-inch televisions lining the bar.
Customers can order salads, crabcakes or the bestselling cheeseburger egg rolls, whether they’re seated at the bar or dining room. A variety of oldfashioned cocktails are recommended pairings with the food, said Brice, who added that the Smokin’ Gun Old Fashioned, which “smells like a campfire” served in a rocks glass with billowing smoke, is the most popular drink.
“You can be just as comfortable ordering a drink at the bar by yourself as you would having a dinner with family here,” Brice said.
While this may be the fifth location of Federal American Grill, the company’s growth has been slow and steady.
For the first seven years, Brice said he cooked nearly every day the restaurant was open. A second location didn’t open until 2020.
“We really wanted to take the time to get better, to get to know what people wanted,” Brice said.
He added that he sees downtown making a comeback, especially with its proximity to sports stadiums, the convention center and hotels.
“We can’t wait to be a small part of it all,” he said.