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Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.
Guy Fieri goes on surprise restaurant tour of Houston
Flame-shirt enthusiast and host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Guy Fieri was in Houston over the weekend, apparently filming for his show at a handful of local restaurants. The visit was unannounced, but a rep for the Food Network, which hosts Guy’s show, confirmed to Culturemap that the spikey-haired host was in town to film. Fieri hopped around the Montrose, visiting Toasted Coconut, The Pit Room, and Traveler’s Table, as well as Weights & Measures in Midtown and Fresco Cafe Italiano in Greenway Plaza, according to CultureMap.
He also reportedly hosted a birthday dinner for TV actor Lee Majors, star of ‘70s tv show The Six Million Dollar Man, according to Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who was a guest at the party. Fieri last filmed for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Houston in 2017, and its unclear if any of the clips from this recent trip will appear on the show. No word on whether Fieri visited the Buffalo Speedway site of his Flavortown ghost kitchen while in town.
Amber Rose, Mannie Fresh, and AE Edwards dine at Riel
Model Amber Rose, legendary rapper and producer Mannie Fresh, and Rose’s boyfriend, music exec Alexander AE Edwards were in town last weekend and stopped for a two-hour meal at Montrose hotspot Riel.
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The trio ate butter burgers, truffle and caviar pierogies, and tamarind BBQ snow crab legs, according to a rep for the restaurant, and posed for a photo with chef Ryan Lachaine. Mannie Fresh, who is from New Orleans, is apparently a fan of the restaurant, as this was his second visit in the last month. It’s unclear why Rose and Edwards were in town.
Tex-Mex institution Irma’s to appear on Restaurant Recovery
Yet another reality TV food show was in Houston recently to film. Restaurant Recovery, the brand new Discovery+ show in which Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves helps restaurants that have struggled due to the pandemic, will feature Downtown restaurant Irma’s on an episode that will air on May 6. Irma Gonzalez Galvan, who founded her restaurant in 1988 after the murder of her husband, has struggled due to the lack of foot traffic Downtown during the pandemic, as office buildings closed and places like the George R. Brown and downtown stadiums canceled events. The episode will be available for streaming starting on Thursday, May 6 on Discovery+.
