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W hether you were born in Houston or found your way here, you've probably dined in a P a p p a s - o w n e d restaurant. Brothers Chris and Harris Pappas now lead the third generation of their family, expanding the legacy inherited from their father and grandfather, who left Greece in 1897 to pursue his culinary dreams in America. (They also acknowledge the contributions of their late brother, Greg Pappas.) Until the recent reopening and complete renovation of Little's Oyster Bar on South Shepherd (formerly Little Pappas Seafood House), most of the eateries under the Pappas umbrella don't enjoy the autonomy that California-native chef Jason Ryczek brings to Little's, the group's first chef- driven locale. With only 80 seats inside and 50 on the temperature-modulated patio, Little's is a decidedly more intimate and design-driven space. Chef Ryczek plied his craft in eateries from San Diego to San Francisco, working many of those years with sustainable seafood at the lauded Waterbar. He served as executive chef at the powerhouse seafood restaurant Farallon, which frequently graced the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 list during its 23 years in business. You can trust him to know which sustainable fish to source and how to glean the most from the seafood found in our own Gulf waters. Ryczek also takes caviar quite seriously — a real boon, given Houston's recent caviar craze. After all, he worked with the California Caviar Company for years and participates in Caviar Camp every October. He even controls the salt ratio — 3 percent sea salt — for the most delicate expression of the roe. I chose the signature white sturgeon, smeared atop warm, golden orbs of fried potato with a dollop of crème fraiche and sweet-savory red onion jam ($95). Robert Smith, Papas Restaurants fine spirits and expanding concepts wine director, has developed a European- focused wine list of bright, mineral-laden whites and champagnes that pair well with those gifts from the sea, including some splurge-worthy options. Bar manager Oliver Brook's cocktail list riffs on the classics, from the Golden Martini with gin, chamomile licorice stock, and grapefruit bitters to the spicy but semi-sweet Tropic Like It's Hot tincture with tequila, lime juice, coconut, passionfruit, and a zing of habañero bitters ($18 each). Since this is an oyster bar, be sure to order a dozen oysters on the half shell (market price), served with traditional accouterments such as a mignonette, cocktail sauce spiked with pomegranate molasses, and grated fresh horseradish root. They make their own hot sauce from mild fermented Fresno chiles, so try a few drops atop your bivalve. The tightly edited m e n u i n c l u d e s chilled appetizers; I recommend the Atlantic yellowfin t u n a c r u d o , a summer-like mélange of diced fish in a chilly broth made with onions and pickled watermelon rind and red peppers, topped with chopped peanuts ($26). In an example of the team's vertical integration, all Gulf fish — snapper, grouper, tile — are sourced by Pappas' own boats. The yellow-edge grouper, caught only in the deep, cold waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, retains its moisture during cooking, with the delicate flesh napped in caper radish brown butter ($46). Chicken- fried snapper is accompanied by a sauce ravigote with a Southern twist: holy trinity and creole mustard in lieu of Dijon ($41). Carnivores can cut into a prime, dry-aged New York strip ($62). End your meal with a dessert created by Janiece Velardi, executive pastry chef for the Pappas group —perhaps a key lime tart, smoked chocolate pot de crème with toasted honey marshmallow, or a warm, spiced carrot blonde brownie topped with cream cheese gelato ($15 each). Little's Oyster Bar, 3001 S. Shepherd Dr., littlesoysterbar.com. By Laurann Claridge. Photography Arturo Olmos. A Little Pappas Restaurant Baked Gulf oysters with spinach, absinthe, and garlic soubise Gruyère at Little's Oyster Bar Fruit de mar with oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, and tuna crudo at Little's Oyster Bar 58