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The Houston family-owned restaurant group Goode Company has operated some of the most iconic restaurants in the city for nearly 50 years, but now its head CEO and restaurateur is branching out.
Goode owner and James Beard Award-nominated chef Levi Goode is launching a separate lifestyle brand and will debut two new fine-dining restaurants slated in the McKinley apartment complex in Memorial City next summer, according to a release.
Inspired by his family recipes and his passion for pastimes like hunting, Credence (9757 Katy Freeway, Suite 170) will pay homage to Texas culinary traditions, with live-fire cooking at the centerpiece of the regional American menu. Many dishes will be designed to share, including the fire-roasted seafood tour; the swordfish and the bone marrow — both of which are cooked on a custom-made hearth; and the dry-aged duck served for two. The restaurant also promises thoughtfully sourced and seasonal ingredients, with meats purchased from Texas ranches, plus a bevy of cocktails, including spins on classic drinks like Palomas, Negronis, and vermouth and sodas.
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Located next door to Credence, its sister Sidebar — a reservation-only speakeasy restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by the Texas oil boom in the 1900s — will be brimming with champagnes, wines from around the world, and cocktails made with house-infused spirits and hand-picked garnishes. Though drinks will be the focus, Sidebar will also serve American cuisine, with dry-aged steaks and bites like oysters topped with caviar.
Both restaurants, umbrellaed under the new Levi Goode lifestyle brand, will also offer tableside service for particular dishes, including their salads, carved hearth-roasted meats, and desserts, and will feature both indoor and outdoor patio seating.
Levi Goode said in a statement that both Credence and Sidebar are an ode to his family heritage but are “unlike any Goode Co. concepts,” with a deeper emphasis on sustainability, creativity, Texas culture, and his own interests.
Levi Goode took over the Goode Company business in the early 2000s, continuing a legacy his father Jim Goode started, first with the founding of barbecue stalwart Goode Company Barbecue. Levi has since spearheaded and overseen all 11 of Goode Company’s restaurants, including its two seafood restaurants, a Mexican restaurant, a taqueria, and a live music venue.
