Bryan Caswell's Stella Sola Shutters; Is Killen's Moving In?

Bryan Caswell's Houston empire shrunk by one restaurant Sunday when Stella Sola served its last meal. Caswell told Eating Our Words that the impending departure of chef de cuisine Adam Dorris and an uncertainty about the future of the building where Stella Sola was leasing were two major factors in the decision to close. But there seems to be more to the story.

Katharine Shilcutt, author of the post announcing Stella's closure, later responded in the comments that someone "who's very well-known for his steaks" is "one of the tenants who's looking to move into the space."

Chef Ronnie Killen of Killen's Steakhouse announced back in January that he was exploring expansion options inside the Loop. It was also rumored that Killen's might be moving into the former Gravitas space, but the Pilot Light chefs beat him to it with The Pass and Provisions. Which means he's still on the hunt...maybe.

Coincidentally, chef Ronnie Killen recently participated in a friendly steak-grilling competition with Bryan Caswell in a Walmart parking lot.

Of course, this is all speculation and another Eating Our Words commenter JB mentions he or she has "heard from investors that Shepard [Ross] from Glass Wall has a concept for that space." It's anybody's guess now.

· Stella Sola Closed Its Doors on Sunday [EOW]
· All Bryan Caswell Coverage on Eater Houston [EHOU]
· All Ronnie Killen Coverage on Eater Houston [EHOU]