Mel B Gushes About Her Return to ‘America's Got Talent': ‘This Feels Like a Triumph'
Mel B couldn't be more excited to be back at the judges' table on America's Got Talent after a seven-year absence. 'We're pulling out all the stops,' she says of the upcoming 20th season. Her return — alongside Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara — is an emotional one: The 49-year-old Spice Girls singer (real name: Melanie Brown) was still dealing with the fallout of a messy divorce from ex Stephen Belafonte when she stepped away in 2018, and she's done a lot of healing since then.
'In my final year on AGT, I was not in a good place,' says the mom of three (she shares Phoenix, 26, with Jimmy Gulzar, Angel, 18, with Eddie Murphy and Madison, 13, with Stephen). 'So, this feels like a triumph for me. There is hope. You can piece your life back together with the support of good people around you.' Here, she talks to Life & Style's Fortune Benatar about her wedding plans with her hairdresser fiancé Rory McPhee and the latest on a Spice Girls reunion tour.
You've said you were going through a rough time toward the end of your last stint on the show. What has your healing process been like?
MB: It has involved a lot of hard work. I had to resolve issues with my family — as I was isolated from them for so long — and be totally honest with myself and others. [Back then] AGT represented a safe place. I could put on a Mel B mask and enjoy myself.
How are you feeling now?
MB: I see this current chapter in my life as a continuation of the work I've done. You don't just recover overnight.
Tell us about your fellow panelists.
MB: I love to play pranks with Howie. Sofía has been a revelation. She's so gorgeous, but she's also incredibly warm and really, really funny. Simon and I have known each other since he turned the Spice Girls down when we tried to get him to sign us. I love reminding him of that!
You're turning 50 on May 29, 2025. Any party plans or goals for the year?
MB: My goal for the year is to be happy and to do what I love, and AGT is part of that. I've made no plans, but I think there may be a little surprise in store for me!
How has Rory changed your view on love?
MB: Rory enabled me to trust a man and believe in kindness again. It was a slow romance, because I wasn't looking for a partner. He's a family friend — the best friend of my cousin — so he's known me and my family all his life.
Tell us about your wedding.
MB: We're getting married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where Princess Diana was married. I'm allowed to be married there because I was awarded an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire] by the late Queen [Elizabeth II] for my services to survivors of abuse and abused women. We've had many meetings with the dean and the bishop and have talked about the spiritual and religious importance of marriage and why we want to be married. I can promise my wedding will be a very happy day.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Keep it down – the president is talking to Xi': The golf club acting as Trump's summer White House
On a hot summer's day in August 2019 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, members lounging by the pool were startled by an unusual announcement. 'Can you please keep the noise down because the president is talking to President Xi [Jinping] of China?' a club worker said through a megaphone. 'It was a phone call, not a visit, but it was pretty funny,' recalls one Bedminster member, speaking on condition of anonymity. Now that Trump is in the first summer of his second presidential term, expect more surprise diplomatic moments from Bedminster – dubbed the 'Summer White House' thanks to the president's habit of spending weekends and much of August at his plush, Georgian-style, 500-acre estate, one of his three official presidential residences. The Trump Organisation owns 15 golf clubs, but in summertime Bedminster becomes the crown jewel of the president's real estate empire, eclipsing Mar-a-Lago until September. 'It's his happy place,' the member added. 'He's always relaxed. Even at Mar-a-Lago there are wealthy 'Never-Trump' spies and enemies [conservatives backing anti-Trump Republicans]; at Bedminster, you get none of that. Everybody is known.' 'Occasionally Trump will put on a show – in his last visit to Bedminster before Covid, he landed by helicopter 10ft from the pool and everyone watched him arrive. But mostly the calmness couldn't be more different from all the drama in DC.' Trump bought the club in 2002 from National Fairways, a golf course developer that had acquired it from another colourful, scandal-ridden businessman, John DeLorean, when it was still known as Lamington Farm. He has long had a soft spot for Bedminster, a rural town in New Jersey's Somerset Hills – the most popular fox-hunting area on the East Coast. According to the Wall Street Journal, Christopher 'Kip' Forbes, son of the late entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes, once overheard Trump arguing with a Pan Am executive at a party at the Forbes estate in Bedminster in 1987 over who had the biggest plane. Today, his Bedminster club boasts a helipad, swimming pool, tennis courts, a spa and yoga centre and pickleball courts, alongside two 18-hole golf courses renowned for their spotless greens and manicured fairways. 'Whatever you think of how Trump runs a country, he knows how to run a club,' the member says. 'The main people running Bedminster have been there for over a decade.' While Trump's White House has hardly been short of acrimonious personnel exits and political drama, 'at Bedminster he doesn't fire people.' (Bedminster general manager David Schutzenhofer has been at the club since 2006; director of golf Mickie Gallagher joined the same year.) The president stays in a cottage next to the club's pool, which contains an office and a second-floor balcony and porch. Don Jr also has a cottage there, as do Eric and Lara Trump, and Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner – who married at the location in 2009. All are expected to stay there this summer. Ivanka and Jared Kushner's cottage at Bedminster It was to Bedminster that Donald Trump returned in July 2023 – receiving a hero's welcome after pleading not guilty at a Miami federal court to 37 charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents – and it was Bedminster where he stayed the night after he was shot in the right ear at a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024. The club also features in the president's social media posts. A video of him playing a round at Bedminster with American golfing star Bryson DeChambeau garnered 15 million views on YouTube in the run-up to last year's presidential election, while a recent fake video of him hitting persistent critic Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball has racked up 81.9 million views on X. In reality, Mr Trump tends to play golf at Bedminster with a core group of around two dozen friends. One of them is Tom Bennison, a sports business executive. 'He uses golf in his position as president of the United States the same way he did as a businessman – as a relationship-building tool,' Bennison tells The Telegraph. 'I've played with him when it's been with friends of his, and it's like any other round of golf with three buddies who talk a lot about sports.' 'And then I've played with him when he has been with people in the political circle, congressmen or senators. He plays really fast. A round of golf with the president takes between two and a half hours and two hours 45 minutes because he's trying to get every minute out of every day that he possibly can.' Criticism that Trump spends too much time golfing at the expense of his presidential duties is wrong, according to Republican strategist Matt Parker, co-presenter of the Golf & Politics podcast. 'One of the first weekends after the inauguration, he was playing at Trump International West Palm Beach,' Parker says. 'When he teed off, he was working on a trade deal, and by the sixth hole the trade deal was done. Between shots, he's making phone calls and sending messages.' 'Nobody has had as big an impact on the game of golf as a president than Donald Trump,' Parker adds. 'He loves the game, and with his single-digit handicap he's arguably the most talented golfer we've ever had in the White House.' Rich Levine, another golfing pal of Trump's, told the Golf & Politics podcast that Trump is a most congenial club owner: 'He'll never criticise anyone… he is so positive to every member, every employee. [He] will tell you that you played great golf, even though you played terrible that day.' Yet beneath the surface bonhomie, Bedminster is a factional court where today's Republican politicians rise and fall. Betsy DeVos, US secretary of education in the first Trump administration, recalled how he chose the venue as the backdrop for assembling his cabinet. 'Apparently the president-elect had decided it made for better theater [sic] for his visitors to greet him on the [Bedminster] front steps,' she wrote in her memoir Hostages No More, adding: 'Trump had commandeered the clubhouse at Bedminster to have his meetings with potential cabinet secretaries […] Mitt Romney was in an interview when I arrived. James Mattis, Trump's future secretary of defense [sic], was in the green room.' One member says that Howard Lutnick, Trump's commerce secretary and architect of his controversial tariff agenda, endeared himself to Trump by being an active presence at Bedminster. Conversely, Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general between 2017 and 2018, made a less favourable impression. 'When Jeff Sessions showed up at Bedminster, he was like a deer in headlights,' the member added. 'It's not the main reason he fell out of favour with Trump, but it didn't help that he looked way over his head and was never seen at Bedminster again.' Critics of Trump say he treats Bedminster primarily as another moneymaking venture. Initiation fees are reportedly $350,000. 'If one person joins as a member, he's covered most of his property taxes!' says Pulitzer Prize-winning Trump biographer David Cay Johnston. 'Trump loses money with his British golf courses, so clubs like Bedminster become a further extension of anything he can do that will bring in money.' Eyebrows have also been raised over the club quite literally being a cash cow, qualifying for agricultural tax breaks by harvesting hay and maintaining a small herd of goats. Then there are the allegations from celebrities that Trump cheats at golf, frequently deploying mulligans (a rule allowing a player to retake a shot). Rocker Alice Cooper told Q Magazine in 2012: 'The worst celebrity golf cheat? I played with Donald Trump once. That's all I'm going to say.' Actor Samuel L Jackson said in 2016: 'We clearly saw him hook a ball into a lake at Trump National [Bedminster] and his caddy told him he found it!' Sportswriter Rick Reilly recounted a tale about Trump allegedly declaring himself the winner of a Bedminster tournament in his 2019 book Commander in Cheat: 'Trump happened to walk into the Bedminster clubhouse just as a worker was putting up the name of the newly crowned senior club championship winner on a wooden plaque. Trump had been out of town and hadn't played in the tournament, but when he saw the player's name, he stopped the employee. 'Hey, I beat that guy all the time [Trump said]. Put my name up there instead […] I would've beaten him.'' However, Trump's friends refute suggestions of foul play. 'He's 100 per cent a gentleman,' says Tom Bennison. 'I've played over 125 rounds of golf with him, and I've never personally witnessed any of that.' Yet Trump's devotion to Bedminster cannot be questioned. 'This is my real group,' Politico reported the president saying in leaked remarks to club members at a Bedminster cocktail reception in November 2016. 'These are the people that came here in the beginning, when nobody knew what this monster was gonna turn out to be.' Ivana Trump, his late first wife, is buried in a private plot on the club's estate. According to David Cay Johnston: 'Donald Trump's assertion is that he too will be buried at Bedminster. It's really his refuge.' One outstanding ambition for the president is for the National Golf Club Bedminster to host a PGA Championship. The club has hosted two LIV Golf tournaments – the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway championship – but plans to hold the 2022 PGA Championship there were scrapped after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol. Members say the president's family has since attempted to mend fences with the PGA. And given the way Donald Trump has confounded his critics over the past decade, who would bet against Bedminster? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
This beloved Bay Area pasta shop is expanding
A beloved Bay Area destination for fresh pasta is expanding. Oakland's Belotti Ristorante is opening a new pasta shop at 5317 Martin Luther King Way in 2026. The expansion was first reported by Diablo Magazine. Owners Michele and Joyce Belotti did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They first opened Belotti, one of the Bay Area's top Italian restaurants, in 2016. Michele Belotti, a native of Bergamo, Italy, channeled his Northern Italian heritage into unfussy but soulful dishes like ear-shape scarpinòcc de Pàrr stuffed with bread crumbs and cheese. They later added Belotti Bottega, a casual pasta shop on Piedmont Avenue. The new location will be similar to the original Bottega but much larger, according to Diablo Magazine, stocked with an array of fresh pasta, sauces, antipasti and desserts. Former Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho raved about Belotti's pastas in a 2020 review, writing: ''Perfect' is a dangerous word in criticism, but, I assure you, that's what this pasta is, within the limited scope of its ambition.' The Food & Wine team also ranked the restaurant's Bergamo-style casoncelli — delicate pockets filled with beef, prosciutto and pork shoulder, then topped with crispy smoked pancetta and a sage-butter sauce — No. 7 of the region's 15 best pasta dishes.
Eater
2 hours ago
- Eater
A Whopping 24 New Houston Restaurant and Bar Openings You Should Know About
This periodic column highlights notable restaurant openings in and around Houston. Catch up on more news about Houston restaurant openings right here. Know of a new or soon-to-open restaurant that should be on Eater Houston's radar? Get in touch by emailing houston@ King Steaks 2200 Post Oak Boulevard, #140, Galleria area There's a new steakhouse in town. Johnny Vassallo, the owner of the three locations of Mo's Irish Pub in the Houston area, opened King Steaks in May. The meat-focused restaurant prides itself on its Texas theme and a menu that uses beef tallow rather than seed oils for frying. Chef Eric Aldis, formerly the culinary director of Federal American Grill, keeps the menu short and sweet, starting with a selection of salads and appetizers, including shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped scallops, cheesy flatbread, and caviar service. For entrees, there are three types of steaks, most notably a 14-ounce Texas strip (that's a New York strip for those new to the party), plus a 20-ounce rib-eye, and a filet that's available in three sizes with the optional sauces and toppings, including a blue cheese fondue. Other beefy mains are a short rib in a red wine sauce, the 10-ounce wagyu King burger, and a French dip. The selection of sides is extensive, with nearly a dozen to choose from, with dishes like crispy Brussels sprouts, loaded baked potatoes, jalapeño hashbrowns, creamed spinach artichoke, foie gras, and beef tallow fries. Nan Xiang Express 13126 Farm to Market 1960 Road West, Cypress Those looking for a new spot for dumplings that's outside of the loop, you're in luck. Founded in New York in 2016, this restaurant opened in the Cypress area in May. It serves Shanghainese comfort food, including its signature soup dumplings in various styles, and Shanghai-style dim sum, like crispy bottom buns filled with pork and/or crab. Other highlights on the menu include beef-filled scallion pancakes and a variety of rice and noodle dishes, such as Shanghai stir-fried noodles. Drinks include flavored green teas and soy milk served hot or cold. Good God, Nadine's 33 Waugh Drive, Heights Channeling the energy of an eclectic and sometimes over-the-top auntie, this Southern restaurant and cocktail lounge aims to be your new party spot. The menu primarily focuses on drinks, with tropical and frozen cocktails and wine on tap. Still, the food doesn't disappoint, combining flavors from the American South (think Creole, Cajun, and Southern) with those of Caribbean, Mexican, and Vietnamese traditions. Diners can share plates like the Prawn Party, an assortment of cold boiled shrimp prepared in various ways, including shrimp salad and Sichuan-style salt and pepper. Be sure to look out for the Blue Plate specials — spins on comforting classics, including meatloaf Wellington and pho-spiced pork chops. La Cabra 300 Sharpstown Center, #1080, Sharpstown Former MasterChef: Legends contestant Joseph Manglicmot opened a soccer-themed sports bar in a strip mall in Sharpstown in May. Named for the phrase 'the G.O.A.T.' in Spanish, La Cabra welcomes bar goers with various seating styles, including green booths, a U-shaped bar, and plenty of TVs to watch upcoming games. Along with cocktails, beer, and shots, patrons can secure crawfish (while still in season) and other dishes from Lafitte's Seafood and attend karaoke nights on select Saturdays. Succulent Fine Dining 1180 Dunlavy Street, Regent Square, River Oaks For a slice of California's Napa Valley, head to Regent Square. Succulent Fine Dining opened on Monday, May 19, inviting diners into a charming, quaint space that channels the West Coast dining scene. Shawn Virene, the restaurateur behind Champagne-focused hotspot a'Bouzy, combines his passion for wine and hospitality with a menu focused on seasonal produce from the West Coast and local farms, including Round Top's Huckleberry Farms, also owned by Virene. Highlights from the menu include a pani puri filled with chicken liver mousse and served with huckleberry, a caramelized onion tart, and a Berkshire pork chop served with chiote, citrus agro dulce, and gigante beans. Formerly the home to Underbelly Hospitality's now-shuttered Italian restaurant Pastore, the space has been transformed into a plant-filled oasis with a palette of greens and creams merged with reclaimed woods and antiques. The second-floor patio is just as lush, with a vintage greenhouse that serves as a private dining room and a full-service bar shaded by pergolas and plants. The experience doesn't stop there. Succulent also offers a unique to-go program, which includes curated picnic baskets, charcuterie, and wine pairings for those who want to dine al fresco. Shoreline Shrimp 18006 Park Row Boulevard, Suite 100, West Houston Shrimp lovers, eat your heart out. This West Houston restaurant specializes in crustaceans, serving them in Hawaiian-style rice bowls, salads, and tacos. Enjoy them doused in sauces like garlic butter, Korean barbecue, sweet chili, Polynesian, coconut, and teriyaki. The owners take special care in sourcing their shrimp from farms around the world that are phosphate-free and harvested seasonally, according to a Houston Chronicle report. On the sweet side, diners can cool down with one of its paletas, available in spicy pineapple, blueberry currant, mango, and black cherry. Pie Tap Pizza 3748 Westheimer Road, Suite 100, River Oaks From the owners of Dallas restaurants Evelyn and the Mexican comes a River Oaks outpost of the mini-chain, Pie Tap. Located on the ground floor of Novel Residences, this new pizzeria emphasizes its dough, using a sourdough that goes through a 96-hour fermentation process, and toppings that go far beyond Meat Lovers or Supreme. The Prosciutto is loaded with medjool dates, date sauce, pistachio, arugula, house ricotta, Parmesan, and a balsamic drizzle, while the Salami layers on calabrese salami, house fennel sausage, Biellese pepperoni, bacon, and Calabrian chili oil. Diners can also find other dishes, including rotisserie chicken, calamari fritti, garlic rosemary bread puffs, salads, and pastas. Drink options include 30 beers and wines on tap, cocktails, and wines by the glass, in addition to non-alcoholic options. Cecil's Pub 2405 Genesee Street, Montrose A beloved Montrose pub gets a second life. After closing in November 2024, Cecil's Pub reopened at the end of May in the former space that housed pizza and crudo restaurant ElRo in Montrose. reported that the new bar no longer has enough room for its signature pool tables or numerous beers on tap (it will only have four, a stark contrast from the 16 it offered in its old digs). But Cecil now has a larger patio space and a parking lot that it will share with cocktail bar Jethro's, which is located just across the street. The menu will center around pizza. Latuli 8900 Gaylord Drive, Memorial Chef Bryan Caswell, formerly of Gulf Coast-focused seafood restaurant Reef, teams up with Alison Knight to make his great return with his second coming, this time in Memorial. The restaurant similarly focuses on Gulf Coast cuisine, infusing Cajun, Italian, and Asian influences into dishes like the Double Dip (smoked redfish dip with pimento cheese), field pea posole with fried baby artichokes, roasted snapper slathered in tomato brown butter, wagyu barbacoa, steaks, and pastas such as spaghetti with tomato gravy and meatballs. Diners can pair the dishes with cocktails or a pick from Latuli's 100-bottle wine list. Suya Outpost 9502 North Sam Houston Parkway East, #114, Humble This new fast-casual Nigerian spot in Humble is worth the commute. Located in a strip mall in the North Houston suburb, Suya features a menu of burritos, bowls, sandwiches, salads, and empanadas. Named after suya, a nutty spice blend also known as yaji and a term for a popular Nigerian street food that consists of grilled skewered meats, the restaurant models itself after Chipotle's format. Diners can build burritos, bowls, sandwiches, and salads using popular West African ingredients and dishes, like jollof rice, plantains, couscous, stewed black beans, and braised meats. Exodus 80 Braeswood Square, Meyerland Houston's formerly kosher steakhouse, Genesis Steakhouse and Wine Bar, which closed in April, has been resurrected as Exodus Bar and Grill. In its second act, owner Jason Goldstein says the restaurant is not entirely kosher, but still features kosher-certified steaks and chickens, along with dishes like cheeseburgers, gumbo, sushi, and beef short rib. Soluna 100 West Cavalcade Street, in the Heights Hotel, the Heights Chris Cusack, the man behind the intergalactic, ironclad-style Houston pizzeria Betelgeuse Betelgeuse, returns with a new all-day restaurant in the Heights House Hotel. With a name that combines the Spanish words for 'sun' and 'moon,' the 10,000-square-foot bar and hotel restaurant features a full menu of dishes inspired by the dining scenes in Cuba, Miami, Florida, Mexico, California, and Texas. Dishes include shareable plates like papas rusticas served with jalapeño ranch, wings al pastor, and chicharrones served with white queso blended with cotija and queso fresco, plus tacos and sandwiches, including a burger, a chicken Milanesa torta, and a Cubano. Breakfast is served daily with steak asada, egg tacos, and burritos stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, black beans, and Oaxaca cheese. Those with a sweet tooth won't be left out — there's bread pudding, conchas filled with horchata custard, coffees, cocktails, and margaritas served frozen or on the rocks. Best of all, it's all available poolside. Ichijiku Sushi Houston 9393 Bellaire Boulevard, Asiatown The owners of Montrose cocktail lounge Jethro's opened this California-based sushi restaurant in Houston's Asiatown at the end of April. Diners can expect a similar menu to its West Coast counterpart, including classic nigiri and sushi rolls, sushi boxes, daily specials, Japanese omelets, spicy tuna crispy rice, and handrolls stuffed with spicy scallop, lobster miso, and salmon skin. The drinks menu includes a selection of sake, Japanese beers, and natural wines. Catch its $7 before 7 p.m. happy hour menu during the week, which features hand rolls, chicken karaage, truffle edamame, sake, wines by the glass, and more for $7 each. Pinballz Pizzeria 2240 Navigation Boulevard, Suite 800, East End From chef John Avila and the owners of barbecue joint Henderson & Kane General Store, this pizzeria aims to celebrate Second Ward with a side of fun. A nostalgic nod to East End Big Humphrey's pizza joint from the 70s, Pinballz slings homemade pizzas topped with locally sourced ingredients in a retro-styled atmosphere. Some of the most compelling specials include the Trompo Pizza, topped with slow-cooked pork and pineapple; the Chorizo Fuego, which features chorizo, salsa verde, and a cheese-stuffed crust; and a H&K Brisket pizza topped with Henderson & Kane brisket, blue cheese, balsamic, and caramelized onion. Diners can test their skills on the John Wick -themed pinball machine between cheesy slices, subs, wings, and tiramisu tres leches. Day & Night Cafe 5101 Almeda Road, Museum District This new 24-hour restaurant is one of Houston's hottest new spots for brunch. Day & Night Cafe, which opened on Sunday, May 11, launched with its $50 all-you-can-eat brunch, featuring Fruity Pebbles waffles, French toast breakfast sandwiches, frozen daiquiris, and bottomless mimosas, available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Lunch is served anytime, and the restaurant also features a full bar. Day & Night has already achieved significant success since its opening. Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth and former NFL player Chad Ocho Cinco have already given their endorsements, and it proved so popular on opening weekend that it temporarily shut down on Monday to restock. The restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday through Thursday and all day Friday through Sunday. Botonica 2031 Westcreek Lane, N1, River Oaks Alexis Mijares, the talented mixologist behind local pop-up bars like Cursed Caldron and Jingle Bell Bar and the novel cocktails at West African restaurant Chopnblok, has opened her first bar on Friday, May 30. Following a revamp of the former Aero Cocktail Co., Botonica explores the Latin American diaspora through 50 classic Latin-focused cocktails and signature sips, in addition to wine, tequila, mezcal, pisco, and lesser-known spirits like charanda (a Mexican rum) and cachaça (a spirit made from fermented sugarcane). Local chefs Andre Garza and Jarred Poor crafted the food menu, which features pan-Latin bar bites, including empanadas, campechana, and caviar served with chicharrons. Solarium 820 Holman Street, Midtown Rex Hospitality, the restaurant group founded by Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his team, has teamed up with the Kirby Group (Emma Jane, Heights Bier Garten, Pitch 25) to open what might be the city's newest and poshest pickleball hangout. Formerly Holman Draft Hall, Solarium features 9,000 square feet of entertainment, including an indoor/outdoor bar area with diverse seating options and an outdoor area with four pickleball courts, two padel courts, and five air-conditioned bays built from repurposed shipping containers. The on-site restaurant offers an all-day menu featuring burgers, wings, truffle grilled cheeses, skewers, and empanadas. For brunch, order favorites like pancakes, Belgian waffles, shrimp and grits, and shakshuka. Adults can imbibe with cocktails like carajillos, Old Fashioneds, daiquiris, spritzes, and margaritas, or indulge their inner child with build-your-own sundaes. De Fortune 3515 West Dallas Street in Regent Square, River Oaks A glamorous new cocktail lounge with a global spin opened in Houston's Regent Square in late April. De Fortune aims to represent countries around the world in its cocktails with a display of flavors, including lychee for Japan, saffron for India, mastiha for Greece, rhubarb for England, and praline for the Americas. Aside from its six classic cocktails and 12 signature creations, De Fortune offers beers, wines, and charcuterie boards. Hudson House 2414 University Boulevard, Suite 100, Rice Village Sister to Drake's Hollywood, which opened earlier this year from the somewhat controversial Vandalay Hospitality, this Dallas-born restaurant already has a location in River Oaks. Now, it has expanded to Rice Village with a second outpost. Expect a menu that mirrors New England-style cuisine with oysters flown in daily, butter lobster rolls, fish tacos, sushi, and cheeseburgers that are a diner favorite. The drinks menu features Vandalay Hospitality classics, including its World's Coldest Martini, frozen bellinis, spicy Mexican margaritas, and more, while the dessert menu promises chocolate silk and key lime pies. Slide in for special deals during its weekday happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Handshake Speakeasy 2418 Sunset Boulevard, Rice Village Simone on Sunset was already a favorite Rice Village hangout known for its wine offerings, lush patio lit by string lights, and steak night. Now, it's upped the ante. Tucked inside the restaurant behind the guise of a bookshelf is Houston's hottest new cocktail lounge. Handshake Speakeasy offers a mix of elegant cocktails, wines, and a menu of bites. It's open Thursday through Saturday, and reservations are required. Trill Burger 6810 Louetta Road, Spring Co-owned by Houston's legendary rapper Bun B, this smash burger joint finally opened its second location in Spring, Texas, on Friday, April 25. Located roughly 25 miles north of Houston, in a space formerly occupied by a Dairy Queen, Trill Burgers' suburban outpost serves its seasoned fries and signature smash burgers, made with all-beef patties, pickles, caramelized onions, Trill Sauce, and American cheese on a potato roll. New to this location is Trill Lemonade, which first debuted its freshly squeezed lemonade at the Houston Rodeo this year. Additional drinks include classic lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and an Arnold Palmer. Trill's 3,023-square-foot burger joint in Spring features the same black-and-yellow color palette as its Houston flagship, with vibrant street-art-style murals and a neon sign that reads 'Keep It Trill' to invite diners in. The space accommodates nearly 80 people indoors and 32 on the patio. The Butcher's Grille 5740 San Felipe Street, #100, Tanglewood Michigan-based Mediterranean restaurant the Butcher's Grille opened an outpost in Houston's Tanglewood, serving a fusion of Lebanese American and Texan cuisine. Diner favorites include a Hot N' Spicy fried chicken sandwich topped with Butcher's Flaming Sauce, chicken or beef shawarma egg rolls, loaded fries, salads, burgers, and pita sandwiches. More traditional dishes include Lebanese mezze, including hummus, falafel, and vegetarian grape leaves, as well as platters of skewered meats and salmon, served with rice and grilled or steamed vegetables. There are milkshakes, frozen lemonades, cake, peanut butter mousse, and a lemon ricotta torte for something sweet. Provaré 5102 Washington Avenue, Houston, TX 77007 This Chicago-born restaurant brings its Creole spin on Italian cuisine to the Heights area, with Italian beef pizzas, salmon egg rolls, lemon-pepper chicken Alfredo, vegan bolognese, and smash burgers. Most intriguing is the ability to 'add on' certain ingredients to its handmade pastas, including crawfish, chicken, crab meat, lamb chops, and salmon. Dessert is simple: a butter cake served warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. Sneaks 3030 Travis Street, Midtown Coffee and sneaker culture collide at this new Midtown speakeasy. Formerly home to the country music bar Bandits, Sneaks pays homage to streetwear and 90s hip-hop and R&B, with walls lined with displays of unique sneakers and a clock crafted from Air Jordans. By day, Sneaks serves Native Coffee with homemade syrups, bagel sandwiches, baked goods, and affogatos using vanilla ice cream or the rotating flavor of the month from Underground Creamery. At night, Sneaks transforms into a cocktail lounge, with a full bar and live DJs. Sign up for our newsletter.
