Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1493309
KIRSTEN GILLIAM New Restaurant Roundup A s the most culturally diverse city in America, Houston has a bevy of exciting new dining destinations in the works (or recently opened) with cuisines ranging from Japanese to Thai to Mexico City and California coast. LITTLE HEN A nglophiles, take note: It's time to roost with the Little Hen, an English-inspired breakfast and brunch restaurant has recently opened in River Oaks District. Hospitality veteran Enrique Altamirano brings an ethereal, romantic aesthetic to his new eatery with floral wallpapers, blue velvet chairs, and dark leather settees with lace-embroidered cushions. Little Hen is known for its rose-petal pancakes — a sweet pink-hued stack doused with rose-water- infused maple syrup — but also offers a full breakfast and brunch menu with avocado salmon toast, caviar omelets, truffled huevos rotos, crab cake egg Benedict, and GRAFFITI RAW T he cool, sophisticated interiors of the recently opened Graffiti Raw i s t h e f o u r t h a n d n e w e s t c o n c e p t b y The Big Vibe Group (Flora, Coppa Osteria, Gratify), and is part of the Montrose Collective development. The beachy design is easy on the eyes, with niches reflected in mirrors hung about the space, soft blond woods, and chic saddle- colored woven-leather dining chairs, all lit with a diffusion of light from overhead Moroccan-crafted rattan fixtures. The food and the vibe are meant to transport you to the ocean side, with fare that borrows from a Californian melding of Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican. The menu at this all-day kitchen and bar pays homage to its sister concepts from pasta honed at Coppa Osteria to margaritas, guacamole, and chips at Flora to the caviar program and fresh ceviche popular at Gratify. Graffiti Raw, 1001 California St., graffitiraw.com. By Laurann Claridge Nutella French toast. For boozy brunches, Little Hen's cocktail program includes mimosas and Bloody Marys, as well as signature drinks such as the Champagne Candy Cloud, topped with a billowy cloud of cotton candy and sprinkled with rose petals. Afternoon tea is served throughout the day with a selection of pretty petits fours and French macarons, as well as bite-sized sandwiches and scones. Little Hen, River Oaks District, 4444 Westheimer Road, littlehen.com. Little Hen pretty interiors Right: Little Hen's Rose Petal Pancakes with rosewater-infused maple syrup Caviar & Chips at Graffiti Raw Bartender Obed Gallardo (Continued) 76