TM Recommends: See Modern Art (and Eat Delicious Food) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Plus: a nine-year-old Texan steals the show in ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ and a podcast revisits the 2003 backlash against the Chicks.
May 7, 2021
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Richard Barnes/Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum fatigue needn’t afflict you at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts’ stunning new Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. Avoid that zombie stare by taking frequent breaks at Cafe Leonelli, the casual, cafeteria-style restaurant on the first floor. The tall, white room is a delight with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, indoor and outdoor seating, and a ceiling covered in filament light bulbs that might remind you of an Alexander Calder sculpture. The cafe opens at eight every morning, so you can start with coffee and a light breakfast, like Greek yogurt or coffee cake with almond streusel. Then you can come back for lunch,
Le Jardinier, 5500 Main, opens at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston May 18. Located inside the the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, the French-inspired restaurant comes from The Bastion Collection which also opened Cafe Leonelli at the museum April 16.
Michelin-starred chef Alain Verzeroli will serve as culinary director at Le Jardinier. Verzeroli, who is also a partner at Bastion, said in a press release, As we ve been preparing to open in Houston, I ve spent a lot of time learning about what Houstonians crave and developing a menu that incorporates the unique terroir of the city.
The menu will revolve around seasonable vegetables and fruit with sustainable seafood, poultry and meats sourced from local suppliers. Le Jardinier means the gardener in French and diners can expect delicately balanced dishes like Burrata with tomatoes, stone fruit, bee pollen and basil seeds or Ora King Salmon with
New French restaurant with Michelin cred blooms in Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Refined new French restaurant with Michelin cred blooms in MFAH
Photo by Ricardo Mejia Installation view of Trenton Doyle Hancock’s Color Flash for Chat and Chew, Paris Texas in Seventy-Two, 2019–2020.
Photo by Thomas Dubrock, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Beet and kale salad. A fine dining restaurant with a Michelin star pedigree arrives in Houston next month.
Le Jardinier will open May 18 inside the Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the restaurant announced. French for the gardener, Le Jardinier comes to Houston via Miami and New York, where it holds one Michelin star. The restaurant defines itself as a refined, vegetable-forward concept rooted in French culinary technique and inspired by the seasonality of ingredients.
MFAH s New Michelin-Star Restaurant Has an Opening Date
The highly anticipated Le Jardinier will open in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston s Kinder Building.
By
Timothy Malcolm
4/28/2021 at 2:55pm
Grilled bavette au jus with broccolini and eggplant mousse.
We have a date for the Houston opening of anticipated Michelin Star restaurant Le Jardinier, and it s May 18.
Led by culinary director Alain Verzeroli and executive pastry chef Salvatore Martone, Le Jardinier opened in summer 2019 in New York and won a Michelin Star last year.
As part of The Bastion Collectionâwhich also operates La Table in Uptown Houstonâthe restaurant announced a location in the Bayou City, specifically at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in early January.
Meet the artisan behind the MFAH s new cafe, plus fine dining in Montrose
The artisan behind the MFAH s new cafe, plus fine dining in Montrose
Photo by Evan Sung
Photo by Claudia Casbarian
Photo by Francesco Sapienza
Photo by Julie Soefer
Photo by Abbie Arnold
Jonathan Benno joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss
Cafe Leonelli, the casual Italian restaurant that just opened in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston s Kinder building. The conversation begins with Benno tracing the arc of his career, which includes working for six years as chef de cuisine at Per Se, acclaimed chef Thomas Keller s three-star Michelin restaurant in New York City.