Superstar San Francisco Chef Chris Cosentino Will Open a Houston Restaurant

Later this year, superstar San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino will open a new restaurant called Rosalie Italian Soul in Houston.

The chef, who currently operates multiple restaurants in California and Oregon, will make his Texas debut inside Downtown Houston’s C. Baldwin Hotel in fall 2019, according to a press release. The restaurant, which will boast seating for 145 diners, will boast a chic midcentury Italian vibe created by design firm Rohe Creative, complete with Murano glass chandeliers and vintage shelves set into walnut shelves. Its name is an homage to Cosentino’s great-grandmother Rosalie, an Italian immigrant who had a formidable influence on the chef’s cuisine.

“Rosalie taught me how to hand crank pasta,” Cosentino said in a statement. “She had a full basement in her three-story tenement in New York filled with tomatoes that she’d jarred and canned herself. Everything was personal, and she did everything by hand. She’s the inspiration for this restaurant and my inspiration my entire career.”

For those who are unfamiliar with Cosentino, the chef rose to acclaim while working at offal-focused eatery Incanto, and has since opened multiple critically acclaimed restaurants, including Cockscomb in San Francisco and Acacia House in Napa Valley. He also operates Portland’s Jackrabbit, and is a frequent flyer on food television, especially competition shows like Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters, the latter of which he won in 2012.

In keeping with his old-school inspiration, Cosentino will serve a menu of “classic red-sauce dishes” like manicotti stuffed with blue crab, eggplant parmesan, pizza, and Gulf shrimp fra diavolo fired in a wood oven. Cosentino tapped sommelier William Sherer, who also develops the wine lists at the chef’s other restaurants, to put together a list of more than 100 “fun, value-driven” wines. Negronis will have a prominent place at the bar, with multiple varieties planned for the menu.

When Rosalie debuts in September, the restaurant will be open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Stay tuned for an official opening date, and scope out more renderings of the space below.

ROHE Creative

ROHE Creative