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Concept Neighborhood – the Houston-based real estate investment, development and management company behind the authentic walkable neighborhood, The Plant in Second Ward – has announced that Street to Kitchen, the nationally recognized East End restaurant serving “unapologetically Thai” fare, will relocate its restaurant into a 2,800-square-foot space at 3401 Harrisburg Blvd.

Though initial plans called for chef Angelo Emiliani’s Angie’s Pizza to occupy the space, Emiliani has chosen to relocate his New York-style pies concept – now branded Neighbors Pizza Bar – into the space formerly known as How to Survive on Land and Sea.

“Street to Kitchen and Neighbors Pizza Bar celebrate authenticity in how they approach their respective crafts and truly embody the types of creatives we’re looking to attract to The Plant in Second Ward,” said Jeff Kaplan, managing principal of Concept Neighborhood. “Graham, Benchawan and Angelo are young but already storied hospitality leaders who are highly respected in Houston. Their decision to operate in The Plant in Second Ward will accelerate the vibrancy and achieve our goal of creating Houston’s first inclusive, walkable corridor.” 

Street to Kitchen co-owners Graham Painter and chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter will soon begin interior renovations with plans to open their new location in November with the capacity to serve 100 guests – almost triple the amount of its current space – offering an expanded beverage program, which will now include cocktails. In addition to lunch and dinner service, Street to Kitchen plans to introduce its Thai omelets – currently served on Saturdays at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market – out of the new location’s signature walk-up window. An outdoor patio is also in the works and is expected to be complete before end of year. In the interim, Street to Kitchen will continue to operate out of its existing space at 6501 Harrisburg Blvd. 

 “Jeff [Kaplan] has been one of our biggest supporters from the very beginning. He would bring countless people into the restaurant who were all creatively wired and would talk so passionately about the neighborhood and about the city itself,” noted Graham Painter. “I just thought he was a total connector and never even knew what he did for a living. I had no idea he was even a landlord, much less the visionary behind the idea of an authentic urban corridor in the East End. It wasn’t until we were looking for a bigger space, that his indelible role in the neighborhood became apparent to us.”  

“As a big fan of my adopted home, the great city of Houston, and with humble gratitude for the recognition from the James Beard Foundation as ‘Best Chef: Texas,’” added chef G. “I am thrilled to be able to expand Street to Kitchen, so that we can not only serve more Houstonians, but bring our unapologetically Thai food and our philosophy of fun to the HTX food scene.” 

For Chef/Owner Angelo Emiliani, the 2,385-square-foot space formerly occupied by How to Survive at Land and Sea represents a homecoming of sorts. After all, it was at the corner of Harrisburg Boulevard and Sampson Street where Angelo originally launched his wood-fired pizza concept with pop-ups at the East End wine bar, after relocating to Houston from Los Angeles. 

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The menu at his newly rebranded concept, will serve 18-inch New York-style pizzas by the slice and whole pies, spotlighting locally sourced ingredients along with Italian ice and a beverage program that includes cocktails, wine, and beer. In partnership with Neeraj Tandon, Neighbors Pizza Bar currently operates Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with plans to operate seven days a week. The menu will continue to expand as the concept develops over the coming months. 

Street to Kitchen and Neighbors Pizza Bar join other well-received food and beverage concepts in The Plant in Second Ward, including Little Red Box Grocery, POPSTON, The Re-Up Juice Bar and Eden Plant Co.  

In 2022, Concept Neighborhood unveiled plans for The Plant in Second Ward, billed as Houston’s first authentic 15-minute neighborhood. Stretching from the light rails on Harrisburg Boulevard to the bayou trails along Buffalo Bayou East, The Plant in Second Ward will integrate the local community by connecting the right density of creatives, shops, restaurants, gathering places and public amenities. The company’s vision includes 250,000 square feet of authentic retail and creative office/urban maker space along with more than 1,000 multifamily units designed for a mix of market-rate, workforce housing.  

Concept Neighborhood was self-represented in lease negotiations by Kaplan and managing principal Jeremy Roberts.  

ABOUT THE PLANT IN SECOND WARD

In a nod to the nearby Coffee Plant/Second Ward Station on the METRORail Green Line, which services the East End area, The Plant in Second Ward represents the first real estate redevelopment of its kind in Houston to embrace the notion of walkable urbanism by connecting the light rails to the bayou trails in one of the most car-dependent cities in the world.   

Concept Neighborhood’s vision for The Plant in Second Ward includes 250,000 square feet of authentic retail, and creative office/urban maker space along with more than 1,000 multifamily units designed for a mix of market-rate, workforce housing. Initial plans for residential housing feature between 80 and 140 units of mostly small studio apartments spread over a series of 3- to 4-story buildings centered around community-focused courtyards. Additionally, the Houston-based investor group aims to use retail as a form of placemaking by repurposing most of the industrial warehouses it has acquired into hyperlocal retail spaces that reflect the rich culture and diversity of the Second Ward.