New Wine Lounge in Old Benjy’s Digs Dishes Creative Bites

Jenn Duncan
New Wine Lounge in Old Benjy’s Digs Dishes Creative Bites

Bar bites and generous pours at Lees Den

SAY HELLO TO Lees Den, the intimate new wine bar bowing on Thursday on the top floor of Local Foods.


A Rice Village restaurant pioneer, owner Benjy Levit’s eponymous restaurant was the It Spot years before myriad bars and restaurants infiltrated the charming shopping mecca. Lees Den — a name inspired by Benjy’s mother’s name and the family’s favorite Chinese restaurant — is slated as a cool tropical treetop getaway in the city, with small plates and wines by the glass. (And, as is the trend lately, a speakeasy-style entrance.)

During the pandemic, Local Foods expanded to absorb the next-door Benjy's space, and offered grocer, counter-service meals and a second-floor wine shop dedicated to natural, organic, hard-to-find wines at below retail price. Now, boasting updated interiors by Brittany Vaughan of Garnish Designs — she blends modern comfort with vintage undertones, a la pale wood highlights and chartreuse velvet booths — the revamped upstairs lounge touts seating for about 60 guests inside and on the covered patio, which is, as always, a great spot for catching a sunset.

At the helm of Lees Den is general manager and wine director Chrisanna Shewbart, and executive chef Maria Gonzalez. Native Houstonian Shewbart is a certified sommelier with an adventurous palate and a passion for natural wines. Red, white and sparkling vino will be offered by the glass and rotated on a weekly basis (select signature cocktails also grace the menu). All other wines are available by the bottle at the bottle shop price with no corkage fee — and Shewbart promises some unique wines you can’t find elsewhere in the Houston area.

Chef Maria’s small plates and entrees will change with the season. Dig into Benjy’s Hurricane Popcorn featuring Korean red pepper salt, chocolate covered peanuts and other artisanal snacks from Local Foods Market. Decadent bites like pistachio-whipped goat cheese with date jam and flat bread share menu space with caviar-butter milk bread crafted with smoked trout roe; sesame-ginger meatballs; “Crudo of the Moment,” and Lees Salad. The “Midnight Pasta” or wood-roasted 44 Farms sirloin with potato puree and red-wine reduction are entrée options.

“Just as we created Local Foods to feature all the great purveyors we knew, we created Lees Den to highlight the unique skills of Chrissana and Maria, and their expertise clearly shines through this new concept,” said Levit in a statement.

Food
As Escape Spa Expands in 2025, Owner Has Advice on Personal Growth: ‘Focus on Intention Setting’

CHANGE IS A good thing, and with the start of a new year, I always like to reflect on how far I've come and start fresh by setting self-care goals for the coming months. Personal growth is a passion for me, and also something I enjoy. Guiding a business through growth and change is also one of my passions, so I am very pleased to announce that Escape Spa is going to be expanding in 2025! We’re honored that we’ve built such a loyal following since opening in Cypress in July of 2022, and we’re thrilled to be in a position to grow our wellness and recovery sanctuary just outside of Houston.

Keep ReadingShow less

Concert of Arias finalists on the Wortham stage, including first place and audience choice winner Geonho Lee of South Korea, third from left. (Photo by Michael Bishop)

LONG ONE OF the HGO’s most exciting evenings on the calendar — Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers called it the best night of the year — the 37th Annual Concert of Arias and gala dinner afterward dazzled and inspired opera fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment

The lobby of White Elephant Palm Beach

COVERED IN VERDANT vines and flanked by tall palm trees, the entrance to the White Elephant Palm Beach feels like passing into a stately home, rather than one of the island’s newest resorts. The building is 101 years old, and while the original footprint and façade remain, the interior has a decidedly updated, ultra-luxe beach vibe.

Keep ReadingShow less