Making Merry

Boasting both Big Easy flair and old-school Montrose neighborhoody charm, new Eugene’s is a must-hit for the holidays.

Leah Wilson
Fresh Oysters_1
Fresh Oysters_1

One of Houston’s most famous purveyors of rich regional food has reappeared after a brief hiatus — in one of Houston’s most old-school neighborhood spaces. Just in time for the holidays!


The former Danton’s on Montrose Boulevard, a bastion of traditional preparations of seafood and steaks that packed in chatty regulars nightly, has reopened as Eugene’s Gulf Coast Cuisine in the cozy environs of the beloved former Mockingbird Bistro, on a residential corner of Welch Street, on the western edge of Montrose that some folks swear is actually River Oaks. And so far, says owner Kyle Teas, who named the new place after his dad, it’s been a runaway hit, with big crowds breaking down roughly 50/50 between the old Danton’s faithful and the former Mockingbird set from down the block.

The menu and the gold-gilding-happy space itself — the latter currently festooned with even more glittering regalia than usual for the Yuletide — call to mind the best old family-run haunts of New Orleans. (One feels nearly naked without a tinkling bourbon drink in hand.) Which is funny, since neither Teas nor anyone in his family orbit is from the Big Easy. But try telling that to the sautéed Shrimp Kyle with lemon and garlic and Parmesan bread “for soppin’,” says the menu. Many of the best apps and entrees make use of similar combos of butter, garlic, acid and fresh Gulf goodness; many others are straight from Louisiana lore, as in Red Beans and Rice, the spicy seafood stew called Courtboullion, and oysters baked on the half-shell with cured tasso ham and, again, garlic butter.

It’s easy to predict that enjoying a festive holiday meal at Eugene’s may well become a new holiday tradition. Who could argue that a luxurious seafood feast, in a festive room packed with revelers, isn’t in the spirit?

Food+Travel
The Latest in Anti-Aging Tech Now Available in River Oaks

Dr. Edward Lee and Nuveau

DR. EDWARD LEE believes in bringing the most advance treatment options to his patients at Nuveau. At the River Oaks practice, he performs the latest nonsurgical rejuvenation procedures, such as BOTOX and fillers, various laser treatments, and other nonsurgical treatmetns such as CoolSculpting and EmSculpt. He also does facelifts, upper and lower blepharoplasty, brow lift, and rhinoplasty for facial rejuvenation. Plus, he can achieve natural results with breast augmentation and breast lift surgery, as well as body contouring, such as liposuction, abdominoplasty, Brazilian butt lift and mommy makeovers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Nancy Gonzalez, Denise Reyes, Christina Jack, Destiny Fernandisse (photo by Emily Jaschke)

WHEN THE GRANDE dame of Houston philanthropy steps up to chair the annual gala for one of Houston’s most elite cultural institutions, expect high elegance to abound and big bucks to roll in.

Keep ReadingShow less

Debbie Festari, Ann Carl, Alicia Smith and Edward Sanchez (photo by Jacob Power)

A FABULOUSLY FASHIONABLE crowd of more than 650 turned up at the American Cancer Society’s annual Tickled Pink luncheon at the Post Oak Hotel. All wearing pink, because of course, they came to raise money for breast cancer research, and also to support some of Houston’s most generous and beloved ladies — chair Sippi Khurana and honorary chairs Leisa Holland-Nelson-Bowman, Donna Lewis, and Beth Wolff.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wellness+Giving Back