Houston’s Newest Tasting Menu Destination Has Arrived

ReikiNa, the much-anticipated new tasting menu destination from former Uchi cook Thomas Stacy, will open its doors this week.

The restaurant is set to arrive at 799 Town & Country Boulevard, Suite 200, inside the CityCentre development. The restaurant occupies a 3,500 square foot space on the development’s second floor, perched directly atop an outpost of Urban Outfitters. As previously reported by Eater, ReikiNa will seat only 20 diners at each service, an homage to Stacy’s experience preparing intimate private dinners for friends during the restaurant shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The space’s interior is decked out in limewashed walls, painted by the chef, “upcycled” furniture and dishes, and an 11-foot communal table that Stacy built from 200-year-old white oak barn siding, according to a press release. The restaurant will also boast a massive gallery wall to display an ever-rotating selection of work from local artists. Music will also be a major part in ReikiNa’s vibe, with a collection of 400 vinyl records that will serve as its soundtrack.

Kat Ambrose for ReikiNa

In the kitchen, Stacy will be joined by pastry chef Carla Briseño and chef de cuisine Jacob Larimore, both alums of Spanish restaurants MAD and BCN Taste and Tradition. The menu at ReikiNa will rotate every six weeks or so to ensure that Stacy and his team are able to source the most seasonally appropriate ingredients. Initially, dishes like oyster with sake mignonette and cilantro oil, smoked buttered eggplant with goat cheese and sesame honey, and char siu pork with cherry bao, pickled fennel, and eggplant will be on the menu, along with a matcha and white chocolate mousse served with nectarine sorbet for dessert.

In addition to the tasting menu, Stacy also has plans to add two more casual ways to dine at ReikiNa. The first, called Lombok, will be a patio bar with snacks and cocktails influenced by the flavors of Southeast Asia. The second, a small bar and seating area t the front of the space, will serve an abbreviated four-course menu to diners who don’t have reservations. No word yet on when those will open, but expect them to arrive soon.

When it arrives on July 14, ReikiNa will be open for dinner service only, Wednesday through Saturday, with one seating each night at 7:30 p.m. Take note: Reservations for the restaurant are open now via Resy, and ReikiNa is BYOB-only for now.

• After a Year of Takeout, Houston Diners Are Hungry For Elaborate Tasting Menus [EHOU]