Convenience Big Store: 🌮 Montrose restaurant shutters

Hopefully you all managed to get through the latest cold snap alright. If there ever was a time for cozy soups, this was definitely it.

We're a little more than halfway to February, one of the bigger food months of the year. Crawfish season should be starting up soon, weather permitting, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is just around the corner. I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I can't wait to try all the carny food this year.

- John-Henry Perera, editor of Chron Food

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For Starters

Your job this weekend: Make a big ol' pot o' somethin'.

Cold weather? Recipes for hearty Texas foods

Gumbo, chili and other soul-warming delights.

Niko Niko's famous pitas are one of the best sellers at the restaurant.

Woodlands gyro fans blessed with new Niko Niko's

The Houston staple is adding a location north of the big city.

Serving up pizzas and pastas, North Italia expands west with a new Memorial City location.

Popular Italian restaurant opening third location

Memorial City is getting more pasta, pizza ... and maybe celebrities.

In addition to sweets, Winfield's is expected to crank out coffees and wine to pair with chocolately goods.

What happened to The Chocolate Bar?

After years of closings, rebrands, and reopenings, The Chocolate Bar is (kind of) back.

UK writer stunned by 'phenomenal' Houston food

Truth BBQ, Lucille's, and Asia Town were among Jess Austin's favorites during a recent Texas trip.

A deep dish pizza at Fuzzy's Pizza in Katy, Texas. Owner Jafar 'Jeff' Hajjar is offering free room for residents who lose power during the upcoming cold snap.

Katy pizzeria offered sanctuary during freeze

Owner Jafar Hajjar hopes other businesses in Houston follow suit and help out their neighbors.

Signage for La Grange restaurant/bar, Houston.

Montrose Tex-Mex bar shutters suddenly, citing post-pandemic woes

Known for craft cocktails and Tex-Mex bites, La Grange opened in the summer of 2015, occupying a space previously known as E.J's Bar, a decades-old gay bar.

Last Bite

Here's everything else that happened in the world of food and beverage:

-- Did you know: Before Pappas Bar-B-Q, there was Luther's. The restaurant got its start in 1975 and expanded to over 20 locations across Texas and Louisiana over the years. The Pappas Family bought them out in 2005, eventually renaming or closing the last holdouts.

-- Layne's Chicken Fingers is opening in Houston this Saturday. The College Station restaurant is hoping its mascot will one day be as iconic as Starbucks.

-- James Harden's Thirteen restaurant is re-launching with a brand new look and menu on Feb. 1. And if you were wondering: things are just as awkward as when the restaurant first opened.

-- ZiegFest is returning to Houston after a five-year hiatus. According to a press release, the beer and music festival will be held at Karbach Brewing Co. on Feb. 18.