Spicy Tomato-Braised Chicken with Turmeric and Cashew from “Buttermilk Graffiti.” This recipe and more,
THE CONCEPT
A Heights-area cafe stocked with 500 board games. Owned by game enthusiasts Jason Bush, Vanessa Briceño and Meghan Rega, staffers called “game guides” — think of them as board-game sommeliers — help customers tailor games to their tastes. It’s $5 per person to play all day.
THE SPACE
Designed to showcase the game inventory as well as the beverage options; the counter and shelves incorporate colorful hexagonal shapes. The 3,300-square-foot room is divided into a gaming side featuring a wall of board games and a cafe side with counter service, a bar, tables and banquette seating.
THE FOOD
British-inspired nibbles and contemporary takes on childhood comfort foods. Begin with deviled eggs with smoked salmon, “cows in a blanket” (smoked jalapeño beef sausage in puff pastry) or a selection of English pasties — pastries filled with steak and potato, meatball and mozzarella, butternut squash and Parmesan, or roasted chicken and tomato confit with olives. Also on offer: tea sandwiches served on a proper tiered etagere. Perfect with a pot of tea. For more substantial appetites, there’s a wedge salad, cottage pie, chicken tikka masala, meatloaf and mashed potatoes and a clever take on canned ravioli: four-cheese ravioli in tomato sauce served in a tin can.
THE DRINKS
The taps run with 14 draft beers, four wines and a nitro coffee in addition to traditional tea and coffee service. Bottles of wine and bubbles are available, too.
THE WORD
“There’s an untapped market of people who want to get into modern board gaming,” said Briceño, a lawyer turned game designer who earned a master of fine arts in game design from New York University Game Center.
THE DETAILS
2030 E. T.C. Jester, 713-824-0755; teaandvictory.com. Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m.midnight Fridays, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturdays and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.