Cafe del Beso

"The anticipated Cafe Louie — an all-day bistro from brother-sister chef duo Angelo and Lucianna “Louie” Emiliani — is now open in Houston’s East End. Located at 3401 Harrisburg, Suite G, in a renovated warehouse known as The Plant, Cafe Louie opened Wednesday, May 11, and is serving flaky pastries, roasted coffee, and inventive French, Italian, and Mediterranean fare with a Texas twist. Cafe Louie’s menus include breakfast items like the McLouie, a sandwich stacked with cheese, house-made maple sausage patty, cheese curds soaked in beer, a sunny side up egg, and dijonnaise, plus the gluten-free adventure bread, which is topped with cheese and a soft-boiled egg. The cafe’s all-day menu features a veg “sammich,” with yuba, sesame dressing, herbs, and broccoli; a ham sammich, and braised garlicky greens with a chickpea puree. Dinner features family-style plates, including the suppli “carbonara” made with pork jowl, pecorino, egg yolk, and black pepper; a shrimp cocktail made with a verde salsa and lemon aioli; and a crispy chicken liver parfait with toast, plus a beer and wine list highlighting local breweries. The pastries, in particular, are something to behold, with an assortment of croissants, a date and sesame sugar morning bun, “Cinni rolls” with cream cheese frosting, a sausage kolache stuffed with cheese and caramelized onion, a pecan crackle cookie, and pine nut coffee cake. Cafe Louie’s baked goods will also be available for purchase at Giant Leap Coffee’s Uptown Park location. The 2,300-square-foot cafe can seat up to 60 people in its dining area and bar, and features a fresh design with terracotta bricks, and a hand-painted mural by Daniel Cardoza that evokes the 55 layers of a croissant, according to a release. The cafe will also be home to nonprofit grocery store Little Red Box Grocery; a 30-person patio will feature a walk-up window from 7 a.m. to noon daily once construction is complete. The cafe joins a host of other vendors in The Plant, including the first brick-and-mortar location of popsicle cart Popston, natural wine bar How to Survive, Second Shop’s vintage clothing store, HAM Barber Studio, and sneaker shop Frost Town. Cafe Louie is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with plans to expand its hours to 11 p.m. in the coming hours. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to noon." - Brittany Britto Garley