James Beard Award-Winner, Chef “G” Benchawan Jabthong Painter and Graham Painter Announce Move to The Plant in Second Ward with Thai Concept, Street to Kitchen
Also moving is Chef Angelo Emiliani with NY-style pies concept into the space formerly known as How to Survive on Land and Sea
Concept Neighborhood – the Houston-based real estate investment, development and management company behind the authentic walkable neighborhood, The Plant in Second Ward – announced that Street to Kitchen, the nationally recognized East End restaurant serving “unapologetically Thai” fare, will relocate its restaurant into a 2,800-square-foot space at 3401 Harrisburg Blvd.
Though initial plans called for Chef Angelo Emiliani’s Angie’s Pizza to occupy the space, Emiliani has chosen to relocate his New York-style pies concept – now branded Neighbors Pizza Bar – into the space formerly known as How to Survive on Land and Sea, also located at 3401 Harrisburg Blvd.
“Street to Kitchen and Neighbors Pizza Bar celebrate authenticity in how they approach their respective crafts and truly embody the types of creatives we’re looking to attract to The Plant in Second Ward,” said Jeff Kaplan, managing principal of Concept Neighborhood. “Graham, Benchawan and Angelo are young, but already storied hospitality leaders who are highly respected in Houston. Their decision to operate in The Plant in Second Ward will accelerate the vibrancy and achieve our goal of creating Houston’s first inclusive, walkable corridor.”
Street to Kitchen co-owners Graham Painter and Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter will soon begin interior renovations with plans to open their new location in November with the capacity to serve 100 guests – almost triple the amount of its current space – offering an expanded beverage program, which will now include cocktails.
In addition to lunch and dinner service, Street to Kitchen plans to introduce its Thai omelets – currently served on Saturdays at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market – out of the new location’s signature walk-up window. An outdoor patio is also in the works and is expected to be complete before end of year. In the interim, Street to Kitchen will continue to operate out of its existing space at 6501 Harrisburg Blvd.
“Jeff [Kaplan] has been one of our biggest supporters from the very beginning. He would bring countless people into the restaurant who were all creatively wired and would talk so passionately about the neighborhood and about the city itself,” noted Graham Painter. “I just thought he was a total connector and never even knew what he did for a living. I had no idea he was even a landlord, much less the visionary behind the idea of an authentic urban corridor in the East End. It wasn’t until we were looking for a bigger space, that his indelible role in the neighborhood became apparent to us.”
“As a big fan of my adopted home, the great city of Houston, and with humble gratitude for the recognition from the James Beard Foundation as ‘Best Chef: Texas,’” added Chef G. “I am thrilled to be able to expand Street to Kitchen, so that we can not only serve more Houstonians, but bring our unapologetically Thai food and our philosophy of fun to the HTX food scene.”
For Chef/Owner Angelo Emiliani, the 2,385-square-foot space formerly occupied by How to Survive at Land and Sea represents a homecoming of sorts. After all, it was at the corner of Harrisburg Boulevard and Sampson Street where Angelo originally launched his wood-fired pizza concept with pop-ups at the East End wine bar, after relocating to Houston from Los Angeles.
The menu at his newly rebranded concept will serve 18-inch New York-style pizzas by the slice and whole pies, spotlighting locally sourced ingredients along with Italian ice and a beverage program that includes cocktails, wine, and beer. In partnership with Neeraj Tandon, Neighbors Pizza Bar currently operates Thursday through Monday from 11 am to 11 pm with plans to operate seven days a week. The menu will continue to expand as the concept develops over the coming months.
Street to Kitchen and Neighbors Pizza Bar join other well-received food and beverage concepts in The Plant in Second Ward, including Little Red Box Grocery, POPSTON, The Re-Up Juice Bar and Eden Plant Co.
In 2022, Concept Neighborhood unveiled plans for The Plant in Second Ward, billed as Houston’s first authentic 15-minute neighborhood. Stretching from the light rails on Harrisburg Boulevard to the bayou trails along Buffalo Bayou East, The Plant in Second Ward will integrate the local community by connecting the right density of creatives, shops, restaurants, gathering places and public amenities.
Photos courtesy of Street to Kitchen