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Top: Bryan Caswell, Allison Knight. The bar at Latuli. T his season, it's the name that's on everyone's lips: Latuli. The much- anticipated restaurant — a collaboration by longtime friends, chef Bryan Caswell and entrepreneur Allison Knight — is set in the Memorial area, in the hamlet of Hedwig Village. Plans for the eatery named for Knight's three children have been in the works for three years and came to fruition when designer Alfredo Paredes signed on to rebuild and reacclimate the site, which formerly housed Gorman Cleaners. The resulting environs celebrate Caswell's bold Gulf Coast-inspired cuisine and the duo's deep Texas roots. Alfredo Paredes spent 33 years conjuring environments, experiences, and products at Ralph Lauren as executive vice president and chief creative officer and is credited with designing Lauren's chic Manhattan eatery, The Polo Bar, among others. For Latuli, his team repositioned the building's entrance from the freeway frontage to an orientation that embraces a more pastoral neighborhood setting. "Inspired by Mediterranean roots, we designed Latuli to be a blend of coastal influences and classic American design," Paredes says. Enter the reception area, where the desk is artfully formed from a tree root — an ode to Knight's working cattle ranch. In the dining room, beneath a soaring vaulted ceiling studded with reclaimed oak beams, guests are cosseted on caramel- colored leather banquettes. The ivory hand-troweled plaster walls have graceful arches inset with an azure-hued tropical wallcovering, while opposite, massive oak-framed mirrors reflect the reverie within. The bustling bar area is built of honed stone, with leather-wrapped chairs, and patinaed metals, where much of the art hung gallery-style is from Knight's own collection of works by John Cowan and Fritz Scholder, as well as a pair of signed Picassos. Caswell has worked his way through America's leading kitchens, with time spent under chefs Charlie Palmer, Alfred Portale, Rocco DiSpirito, a n d h i s l o n g t i m e mentor, Jean-Georges Vo n g e r i c h t e n , w h o brought Caswell back to Houston with the opening of Hotel Icon downtown. Caswell leads the kitchen at Latuli with a menu that embraces the city's multicultural influences, while being mindful of where the ingredients in every dish originate. You'll even find a few Easter eggs on the carte — dishes that have resurfaced from the array of high- p ro f i l e re s t a u r a n t s Caswell has owned, such as the double cut-pecan smoked pork chop ($48) and Shiner Bock steamed mussels ($18) from his first restaurant, Reef; Wagyu barbacoa ($42) from his Tex-Mex haunt El Real; and crave- worthy wild boar ragu with pappardelle ($28) from his beloved Italian eatery, Stella Sola. Start with a light, rare dish — perhaps the soy and ginger marinated Ahi tuna, cut into ribbons and tangled with avocado ($18), or the snapper carpaccio, brightened with a lemon catsup and candied fennel ($15). The house-made yeast rolls, coupled with a roasted poblano- and Gruyère-studded cornbread, make for a warm, comforting start ($12). Make your way to a Roman Holiday, Caswell's cheeky take on a holiday to perhaps Italy's Amalfi Coast, where you can nosh on a truffle-scented pepperoni pizza with pickled serranos and arugula ($28) or garganelli pasta studded with house-made Italian sausage and broccolini under a shower of Grana Padano ($25). With a nod to authenticity, the pastas are made in- house with 00 flour, while the pizza dough rises slowly over 48 hours. Shared plates include a mighty meatball filled with melted fontina ($16); the double By Laurann Claridge. Photography Frank Frances. Portrait Alex Montoya. A Collaboration Culmination 30