Country French Restaurant Rustic Oak Opens This Weekend

After a soft opening last weekend, Rustic Oak opens officially for brunch only this weekend. Chef owner Wendell Price says dinner service will begin on June 1. By July 1, they will add lunch service and everything will be in full-swing.

As you may know, Price has lived a storied life nothing short of a movie script. A native Houstonian who traveled the world as a young man with the Merchant Marines as a Celestial Navigator, Wendell’s course led him on a culinary tour from France to Singapore to Los Angeles. Ultimately he returned home to Houston. His new cookbook Watermelon Dreams and this latest project are the fruits of this labor and journey that we all get to enjoy.

Rustic Oak has its roots in French peasant cuisine: crusty breads, flakey pastries, grilled fish and meats, hearty vegetable accompaniments — all with Price's own slight twists inspired by the American south. See his savory shrimp pancakes or bacon and bleu cheese quiche. Rustic Oak is smallish, with just 60 seats, which mostly have a view of the open kitchen layout in the back of the house. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

—Wes Griffin