Duck N Bao, 5215 Kelvin, is coming to Rice Village this spring. Construction is already underway for this third location of the Sichuan restaurant from Grace and Leo Xia. The couple opened their first Duck N Bao concept in Cypress in May 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. They not only persevered during the pandemic, they even expanded with another Duck N Bao near Memorial Park in October 2021. This past March the duo opened an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue venture, Hongdae 33, in Houston’s  Asiatown.

The pair have been looking for a Rice Village area to expand Duck N Bao for a while. With a number of residential neighborhoods nearby and a potential clientele of hungry college students, the new location will be serving its authentic Chinese cuisine which includes dishes such as its popular crispy-skinned Peking-style duck and xiao long bao (soup dumplings). Besides its dim sum and Sichuan dishes that are on the current menus, the Xias will introduce newly-developed items such as triple-cooked short ribs and duck fried rice plus upgrades such as truffle soup dumplings and a caviar accompaniment for the Peking duck setup. Other luxe dishes include lobster tails with three options for sauces and flavors or a lobster add-on for the mapo tofu.

While Leo is in charge of menu development, Grace is curating the bar program which will make use of baijiu, a fermented Chinese liquor, as well as other Chinese spirits. Guests can expect a more refined tea service as well.

The space will have both a 2,600 square-foot dining room plus a 1,000 square-foot patio. It will have its own unique look compared to the Cypress and Memorial locations with inspiration from Chinese design that is sophisticated and inviting at the same time with a color scheme of blue, gray, red and gold. Display cases will showcase Chinese artifacts, painted plates, teapots and bowls, with some available for purchase.

Like its sister restaurants, it will feature a viewing window in its semi-open kitchen for guests to admire the skill of dumpling making by hand.

Chick Houz, 20326 Tomball Parkway, had its grand opening December 29. It’s the third location for the Houston-based brand that serves Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken that has been marinated for 24 hours in 18 spices. It is then cooked over natural charcoal in an ecologic rotisserie oven. The chicken is served by the quarter, half or whole.

There are plenty of sides to accompany the rotisserie bird including coleslaw, black beans, French fries, green beans, fried rice (chaufa) and white rice. There are also a couple of side salad options like Greek or House. There are also Chick Sides such as sweet plantains, grilled veggies or yucca fries.

In addition to chicken on the bone, there are sandwiches, bowls, entree salads and burritos with beef tenderloin options for some items. There are fountain drinks along with house-made beverages like hibiscus-ginger lemonade, passion fruit and chicha morada, a Peruvian juice made from purple corn and spices.

Chick Houz is a family-owned business that first opened at 14838 Park Row in May 2020. Co-owner Rita Dyer owns it with her children Roberto, Rita and Yamila Castre. The family also owns and operates Latin Bites Kitchen.

Killen’s TMX, 9330 Broadway, had its last day of service in Pearland December 23. The announcement was made via its Facebook post. The Tex-Mex concept from pit master and Le Cordon Bleu graduate, Ronnie Killen, first opened in late December 2018. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Killen built his reputation on his Pearland and Houston steakhouses and barbecue restaurants. While TMX was a bit of a change for the chef and restaurateur, the dishes incorporated such Texan fare as smoked brisket into Mexican standards like enchiladas and quesadillas. It was even available in the chile con queso. Instead of prime steaks, TMX served high-quality fajitas. Short ribs showed up in empanadas and as an entree of barbacoa.

The listing for Killen’s TMX on Google says it is “temporarily closed” and its website says “We will see you again soon”.  So, what does that mean for the future of the Tex-Mex concept? Some of the dishes have already made their way onto the Pearland location of Killen’s Barbecue such as its tacos, nachos and quesadillas. Some of the more traditional Mexican food may make its way to Killen’s of the Heights, his Southern comfort food restaurant, according to CultureMap Houston.

Dak & Bop, W. 18th, closed its Heights location December 31 in preparation for returning to its original location at 1801 Binz. According to its Facebook posts, it is already hiring for the Binz location and is shooting to open this month.

Owner Jason Cho opened Dak & Bop in late 2014 at the Binz location, following with the Heights location in January 2020. He then decided not to renew the lease for the original location and closed it Memorial Day 2020. Eventually City Cellars HTX took over the space but it left that location this past August to prepare for opening in a larger space at East River.

The Korean fried chicken concept is famous for its twice-fried chicken brushed with a choice of sauces that include soy garlic, hot & spicy, truffle parmesan, sweet heat, mango pepper, Tajin and more. It also offers sandwiches, burgers, kimchi fries, bulgogi fried rice and Korean fish tacos.

Slowpokes, 13210 Memorial, will be opening soon. When we reached out for a definite date, we were told it is waiting on inspection. It will be the fifth location for the coffee shop whose mascots are a sloth named Patches (coffee freak), a tortoise named Mash (lover of beer) and a snail named Tasker (resident wine enthusiast). Inviting guests to slow down for a drink or grab breakfast and coffee to go, Slowpokes is also committed to sustainability and ethical practices when it comes to sourcing its coffee beans.

Besides coffee drinks, bottled brews, beer and wine, it serves food items such as breakfast tacos, croissant sandwiches, bagels, flatbreads, salads, cheese boards and pastries.

PostScript HTX, 2800 Kirby, is now expected to open in February 2024. Last month, we reported that it was shooting to open in January but it looks like Houstonians will have to wait a little longer for the upscale, lusciously pink restaurant from Dallas-based GAP Concepts.

Vine Memorial, 7951 Katy Freeway, is another one we are keeping our eyes on and we should have more information next week. The wine bar concept from Gr8 Plate Hospitality will have over 200 bottles from around the globe and a food menu to compliment the international wine selection.

Hero’s Bar & Grill, 3301 Louetta, opened December 1 in Spring. The veteran-owned neighborhood bar offers a number of daily food and drink specials as well as a comfortable place to hang with friends, play pool, drink a cold adult beverage and nosh on bar bites like boudin balls, fried jalapenos, chips, salsa and queso. The food menu also includes burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads. It serves a weekend brunch, too.

Pluckers Wing Bar, 8731 W. Loop S., is expected to open in early 2024. It will be followed by a location at 19302 Katy Freeway in the summer, then a location in Shenandoah at Interstate 45 and David Vetter Boulevard.

While awaiting the new locations, fans of the Austin-based chicken wing chain can take advantage this weekend of its annual “Pluck Your Diet” special. For the first week of January, the restaurant offers its Anti-New Year’s Resolution deal of half-priced desserts. Through January 7, customers can enjoy 50 percent off treats such as the Texas State Fair-inspired Fried Oreos and Cream which is served with a scoop of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. There’s also a brownie and fried Twinkies, so the resolutions for healthy eating may have to be delayed until January 8.