Two of our favorite folks, both actively involved in our recent Toque 5 dinner series, have left their restaurant jobs. Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez has departed Bistro Alex at Hotel Sorella in CityCentre. He plans to return to his hometown of New Orleans to work at Commander’s Palace for a while and then hopes to open his own place in the French Quarter. And Carlos Ballon, the personable bartender at Mockingbird Bistro, has left to take some time off for himself … Chuck Russell emailed us to say he is no longer at Farrago, but is looking at two new restaurant/lounge ventures, including one in the Heights … Marc Borel has left downtown’s Samba Grille and is heading up the wine program at the newly opened Bacchus on Dunlavy just north of Westheimer … Over at the new Brasserie 19 in River Oaks Shopping Center, both the opening chef Michael Gaspard and his replacement Antoine Ware have already left. As you probably know, Ware worked for Brasserie 19 owners Charles Clark and Grant Cooper as chef Chris Shepherd’s sous-chef at the now-shuttered Catalan for many years. We were surprised that his stint at Brasserie 19 ended so soon.
We’re sorry to report that Clary’s Seafood in Galveston burned this week. Early word is that it was an electrical fire. The dining room and kitchen were untouched, but there is still much infrastructure to repair. Clary Milburn had only recently completed repairs to damage from Hurricane Ike … Swamplot, the real estate/architectural blog, reports that the 11th Street Cafe in the Heights has closed and will reopen (perhaps as soon as tomorrow) as Ruggles 11th Street Cafe. We also hear that a third Ruggles Green is in the works, perhaps in Meyerland … Lasagna House will open their third location, this one in the former Amici Ristorante space in Sugar Land.
Ouisie’s Table owner Elouise Adams Jones, aka Ouisie, has announced the name of her new restaurant, which is scheduled to open this September at 2810 Westheimer, a spot temporarily occupied by Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen. It will be called The Bird & The Bear, Ouisie’s American Bistro, and the logo features a traveling black bear accompanied by an adventurous blue bird, both of which illustrate the spirit she hopes to capture. The Bird & The Bear, says Ouisie, will be a little more casual, have lots of Southern flair and no shortage of surprises in both menu and decor. Long-time Ouisie’s Table GM Wafi Dinari is managing partner in the new venture.
Congratulations to chef/restaurateur Carmelo Mauro, who was voted Maestro della Cucina 2011 by attendees at the Houston Italian Expo (held June 3-5 at the George R. Brown). Among his dishes that seduced expo visitors: arancini (baked rice balls), risotto with truffles and Sicilian pizza. Mauro’s namesake restaurant, Carmelo’s, is located at 14795 Memorial.