The weekend is once again upon us, and in Houston, that means a bazillion new restaurants have just opened. Okay, maybe not a bazillion. But, anyways, here are two new eateries and two major new revamps that just debuted in the past week. Again, they’re all pretty casual. Nothing that will break the bank, with food that covers a bit of ground, from 50-cent oysters to fast casual chicken sandwiches to finer Northern Italian fare. These are the hottest tickets in town this weekend.
Osso & Kristalla
1515 Texas, 713-221-6666, ossoandkristalla.com
This downtown trattoria is the sister restaurant to the recently opened fine-dining destination Potente. Both are new spots from Houston Astros owner Jim Crane with a doozy of industry talent on board. Michael Parker, Crane’s own private chef and head of the Floridian National Golf Club, runs the kitchen, with chef de cuisine Micah Rideout (of Tarakaan and Reef fame) and pastry chef David Berg also on board. At Osso & Kristalla, you’ll find housemade pastry in the morning and wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta and more for lunch and dinner. There’s indoor/outdoor seating that turns rather loungey in the evening.
Weekend hours: Friday 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.