HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Houston-based Underbelly Hospitality, a restaurant group led by James Beard Award-Winning Chef/Owner Chris Shepherd, has signed a lease for a 5,000-SF restaurant space with a rooftop terrace in Houston’s Inner Loop.
The restaurant will be located in the Regent Square infill development near Buffalo Bayou Park.
The restaurant will focus on live fire cooking and a variety of wood.
Shepherd has spent much of the past year cooking with live fire on various smokers and grills in his backyard and has become fascinated by the flavors and nuances of different kinds of wood. He wants to open this restaurant not only to explore both the cuisines around the world centered on live fire cooking, but also using wood — post oak, hickory, pecan and mesquite—as a key flavor component in the dishes.
“We’re still working through a lot of the details,” said Shepherd, “but the idea of live fire cooking using multiple types of wood really excites me.”
“The idea of live fire cooking using multiple types of wood really excites me.”
Shepherd will serve as an anchor for GID Development Group’s Regent Square Phase 2 addition – at the heart of a community masterplan that will ultimately span 24 acres along W. Dallas Street between College Memorial Park and Waugh Drive. Scheduled to debut in late 2021, the eight-acre project at Dunlavy Street will incorporate 50,000 SF of pedestrian-oriented retail plus a 600-unit multi-family building.
Designed by Boston-based architectural placemaking firm CBT in conjunction with Houston’s OJB Landscape Architecture, Regent Square’s Phase 2 sets a unique backdrop for its three, free-standing restaurant spaces, which will overlook two activated green areas, a signature water feature and a pedestrian promenade.
“While we have more surprises in store, we couldn’t help lead the beginnings of our tenant lineup with Chris Shepherd, a chef who has helped to define the dynamic, culinary landscape of Houston and whose passion for food, the restaurant industry, and his city is unparalleled,” said James Linsley, President, GID Development Group.
Founded in 1960, GID has acquired or developed over 86,000 residential units and 17 million square feet of commercial space in twenty-five states.
March 22, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
Chris Shepherd Photo credit: John Davidson
Rendering: Courtesy GID Development
File: Chef Chris Shepherd Leases
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File: (2) Chef Chris Shepherd Leases Space in Regent Square. GID Development Group. OJB Landscape Architecture. James Beard Award