The Annie Cafe & Bar
Renovated space features cuisine harkening back to ’80s-’90s heyday
THE CONCEPT
A redesigned and reimagined Cafe Annie under new owner Benjamin Berg (B&B Butchers & Restaurant, B.B. Lemon, B.B. Italia) that embraces the restaurant’s New Southwestern cuisine legacy and hopes to usher in a new era.
THE SPACE
The two-level restaurant has undergone a renovation with a new stairway to the second floor where the bar is much larger, the patio is more inviting and the dining rooms (main room and private rooms) sport a lighter, brighter feel. The look is a clean, creamy expanse of whitewashed brick walls, tufted banquettes, steelwork windows, pops of jade, and towering palm trees and birds of paradise providing a coastal vibe.
THE FOOD
As executive chef, James Beard Award winner Robert Del Grande has created a menu that evokes Annie’s high-flying ’80s and ’90s heyday — coffee-crusted filet mignon, Gulf crab tostadas, wood-grilled rabbit — with fresh additions. Look for Gulf red snapper with poblano pumpkin seed broth and blue crab meat; Scottish salmon with black lentil stew and Fresno chile romesco sauce; roasted duck breast with cocoa mole and duck leg confit crepe; bone-in rib-eye steak; and chicken-fried pork chop with fried egg and roasted corn buttermilk dressing. There’s also a menu item called the “30 Count Burger.” They’ll make only 30 a night.
THE DRINKS
The big new oval bar is the perfect place for a cocktail menu that includes Meet Me on the Eastside (Hendrick’s Gin, cucumber, lime and mint), Post Oak Boulevardier (Bulleit Bourbon, hibiscusinfused Campari and vermouth), My Tie (two types of rum, dry curacao, toasted almond orgeat and lime) and the Annie Margarita made with Tequila Ocho Bianco, Italicus bergamot liqueur, orange liqueur and lime.
THE WORD
“It’s very fresh and bright,” said Berg, who envisioned the new design. “It’s a mix between urban sophistication and your living room. It’s meant to be very comfortable.”
ONE MORE THING
Coming to Annie’s downstairs space: a second conceptwithin-a-concept, Turner’s, set to open in six to eight weeks. Turner’s will feature an antique bar and a dining space for 40 to 50 guests with a grand piano for entertainment. There will be a separate menu of “old-school dishes,” such as Lobster Thermidor.
THE DETAILS
1800 Post Oak, 713-8041800; theanniehouston.com. Open daily 3 to 10 p.m. Lunch hours coming soon.