Restaurants by Michelin-Starred Chefs Heading to the Med Center

Restaurants by Michelin-Starred Chefs Heading to the Med Center

A rendering of AB Sushi

THE MED CENTER will soon boast not one but two new restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs. Blossom Hotel, the area’s newest high-end hotel, announced yesterday that the two distinct concepts will open on its property early next year.


The first is a Cantonese-inspired restaurant by Malaysian-born chef Ho Chee Boon, who recently opened his first restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and is the former international exec chef of Hakkasan, which operates popular concepts such as Yauatcha.

Called Duck House, his Blossom Hotel spot will fuse traditional with contemporary techniques and flavor profiles to create unique duck dishes, plus stir-fries, dim sum and more. The duck will be sourced from fourth-generation family-owned farm Joe Jurgielewicz & Son.

The second restaurant is from chef Akira Back, who has an impressive portfolio of 16 restaurants across the globe, with another 10 slated to open in the next two years — including AB Sushi at Blossom. The former professional snowboarder, who was born in Korea and raised in Aspen, will source premium sushi and sashimi in a “congenial atmosphere that is both refined and unpretentious.”

The 267-room, four-diamond property is situated off Fannin between Old Spanish Trail and Braeswood, and offers amenities such as a library, translation services, laundry, long-term storage, meeting spaces and a sprawling pool deck. Blossom Hotel also served as the location for CityBook’s fall fashion spread.

Akira Back

Ho Chee Boon

Food
Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less

The patio at Heights & Co.

IT'S ALMOST TIME for summer vacations, but Heights & Co. is offering escapes on its newly redecorated patio in the form of wine and movie nights — no passport needed! Visit France, Italy, Greece, Spain, and more through wine pairings and tasting menus, all complemented by movies set in each location.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Ally Shell and Martijn van Koolwijk

BLAME IT ON the Moon! Mercury Chamber Orchestra’s 2025 gala at the Thompson hotel — themed “Moonlight Serenade and chaired by Ally Shell and Martijn Van Koolwijk — was a night of glamour and big band vibes, raising more than $350,000 for the company.

Keep Reading Show less
Art+Culture