Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1455237
About 45 minutes from downtown Houston, the 350-acre Woodlands Resort compound is being transformed into a Curio by Hilton hotel complex. Part of the transformation is the quiet opening of a new restaurant dubbed Back Table Kitchen & Bar, led by New Orleans chef transplant Jonathan Lestingi, who brings international flavors and Southern favorites to the table. Read more at papercitymag.com/back-table. J uliet restaurant feels like an old-school movie palace as one moves through a mock theater lobby attended by girls selling popcorn and candy. It's not until you pass through a heavy curtain that the atmosphere changes into a sophisticated restaurant setting with bits of gold decor and photos of iconic movie scenes. Welcome to the mind of owner James McGhee, who created a speakeasy restaurant that might fool those who just happen upon it tucked into a Houston strip shopping center several blocks west of The Galleria. "The theme is inspired by my love of films," McGhee says. "I consider myself a movie buff." Read more at papercitymag.com/juliet. Houston's beloved River Oaks Theatre is no longer in immediate danger, thanks to a deal between Kimco Realty and Houston-based Star Cinema Grill. The Art Deco jewel reopens after being shuttered in March 2021. "The follow-up question," says director Richard Linklater, "is are you going to preserve it for all time? Will you designate it a historical landmark that can't be demolished?" Read more at papercitymag.com/river-oaks-theatre. Khori Dastoor is feeling hopeful as she sits down for lunch at Brennan's, her first time in the iconic restaurant. The Houston Grand Opera's new CEO is aware that she steps into a company still reeling from COVID's toll and the lingering effects of the Harvey flooding of Wortham Theater. But she's unbowed. "My job has always been to help build bridges between people," she says. Read more at papercitymag.com/dastoor. NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP Don't be the last to get the PC Daily. Our redesigned, expanded editorial newsletters put the entire city right in your inbox. You get Houston's top fashion, restaurant, real estate, society, and art news — and more — five times a week. Sign up at papercitymag. com/newsletter. Montage Healdsburg @papercityhouston Tyler Hays & Teressa Foglia @theshelbyhodge #PCSEEN WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE UP TO, DIGITALLY. LIKE: facebook.com/papercitymag FOLLOW: @papercitymag TWEET: @papercitymag GET SOCIAL: DINNER THEATER Grant Clark & Charles Cooper @papercityhouston DIVE INTO OUR DIGITAL WORLD PAPERCITYMAG.COM Khori Dastoor River Oaks Theatre Juliet's entrance A HISTORIC WIN FEELING THE MUSIC INTO THE WOODS Back Table's smoked wings 16