{"id":210380,"date":"2025-09-08T14:17:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T14:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210380\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T14:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T14:17:09","slug":"houston-fine-dining-restaurant-parts-ways-with-longtime-chef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210380\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston fine dining restaurant parts ways with longtime chef"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Austin Simmons<\/strong><\/a> has a lot to say about his new restaurant, Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons<\/strong><\/a>, but he wants to make one thing abundantly clear about the establishment that\u2019s scheduled to open in January in the former Local Pour space at Hughes Landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not collabing with Aaron [Bludorn] on a restaurant. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve heard that,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

Blame some of people\u2019s confusion on the decision to announce both Simmons\u2019 new restaurant in Hughes Landing and Bludorn\u2019s second outpost of Bar Bludorn in The Woodlands Waterway simultaneously. With that resolved, people who loved what Simmons did at Tris, the restaurant that closed after he resigned his position as executive chef<\/a> in January, will find a lot to be excited about by his plans for Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, it will serve as a showcase for Chef & Rancher, the beef company that Simmons started in partnership with Texas rancher Larry Ludeke. All of the beef served at Charolais will be from cows that Chef & Rancher has cared for from birth to harvest. As far as Simmons knows, it\u2019s the only restaurant in the world that has full control of the beef it uses, including the animals\u2019 genetics. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to leave you with an education about the healthiest beef in existence. I\u2019ll be able to prove that scientifically in the next 12 months,\u201d Simmons says. <\/p>\n

Diners who really like the beef \u2014 or who don\u2019t want to wait for the kitchen to cook their dinner \u2014 can buy raw beef from the restaurant\u2019s adjacent butcher shop. Cuts will be cryovac\u2019ed and ready to take home, just like Simmons ships them currently to destinations all over America via Chef & Rancher\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, premium beef doesn\u2019t mean fine dining. Simmons wants diners to be able to afford a meal at Charolais weekly. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mid-scale, modern, casual, and polished,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can dress up for date night or come in with shorts and boat shoes and feel comfortable on the patio.\u201d<\/p>\n

That \u201ccasual\u201d aspect will appeal to people who appreciated the value of Tris\u2019 happy hour but could only commit to a full dinner there on special occasions. For example, Charolais will serve three burgers every day for lunch and dinner, which allows Simmons to serve a less expensive meal and gives him an outlet for all the ground beef the restaurant will generate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be as expensive as Tris was,\u201d Simmons says. \u201cOur average price will be at least $30 less than Tris per person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, those looking for a more premium experience may opt for one of Simmons\u2019 signature steak boards. Made famous by Joe Rogan<\/a>, diners will be able to watch Simmons slice the boards from an area near the open kitchen. <\/p>\n

Those who order a steak board will not only be able to select the cuts of beef that come on it \u2014 they\u2019ll also have a choice about the fuel source and method used to cook the steak, such as live fire or cast iron. When a diner opts for a bone-in cut, they\u2019ll be invited to the butcher shop to witness the steak being cut from a primal. <\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Rogan got a standard steak board. He didn\u2019t even get the cuts that I\u2019m going to show off here,\u201d Simmons says. \u201cThe flat iron is what changed my life in this program. It\u2019s what brought me all in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, he adds, \u201cThe cuts off the ribeye end of the chuck eye, you almost never want to eat ribeye again. My chuck eye will absolutely smoke everyone\u2019s spinalis [ribeye cap].\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of design, Simmons promises that the almost 300-seat restaurant \u2014 dividend into a main dining room, a bar\/lounge area, and a climate-controlled patio \u2014 will have enough bright colors and other touches to make it appealing to both men and women. Everyone will appreciate the private dining spaces that will host corporate clients and those celebrating special occasions. <\/p>\n

Making the leap from chef to owner\/founder hasn\u2019t been easy, but Simmons appreciates the trust that Howard Hughes, the company that developed The Woodlands, has shown in him by partnering on the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoward Hughes is pivotal in the sense that I needed a stage to showcase this,\u201d he says. \u201cI cant think Dvid O\u2019Reilly and Jim Carmen enough. I never thought I\u2019d be in this position. Those gentlemen understood what I was trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the restaurant is under construction, Simmons will be popping up at Houston-area H-E-Bs with a mobile kitchen that can serve burgers made with beef from Chef & Rancher. He\u2019ll be at the Creekside H-E-B this Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, from 11 am-6 pm (or until sold out) and again on September 21. More dates and locations will be announced in the weeks to come. <\/p>\n