Houston’s own James Beard award-winning chef Chris Shepherd has announced his latest concept here in our city. Underbelly Hospitality, led by Shepherd, signed a lease for a 5,000 square foot standalone space with a rooftop terrace at Regent Square, an urban infill development within the Allen Parkway corridor.
The focus will be on live fire cooking, which Shepherd has spent much of the past year cooking with, on various smokers and grills in his backyard. He’s become fascinated by the flavors and nuances of different kinds of wood, and he’s bringing this into his latest creations.
In this new restaurant he will explore the cuisines around the world that focus on live fire cooking and also using various types of wood as a key flavor component in his dishes.
Shepherd is excited to be part of phase 2 of this development. Acclaimed Boston-based architectural firm CBT is working in conjunction with Houston’s OJB Landscape Architecture to build out Regent Square. It will ultimately span 24 acres along W. Dallas between College Memorial Park and Waugh. It’s scheduled to debut in late 2021, with eight acres that will incorporate 50,000 square feet of prime, pedestrian-oriented retail plus a premier 600 unit multi-family building.