A First Look at Credence — Houston Chef Levi Goode’s Newest Live-Fire Restaurant

The restaurant and its accompanying speakeasy Sidebar are the Goode Co. CEO’s first solo venture and personal ode to Texas

Since the early 2000s, Houston chef Levi Goode has been a leader of his family’s iconic Houston-based restaurant group Goode Co., where he has overseen 11 restaurants, including Goode Co. Barbecue. and Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina. But this fall, the three-time James Beard Award semi-finalist will branch out with two new ventures of his own: Credence and Sidebar.

The side-by-side establishments, which are located in Memorial City at 9757 Katy Freeway, open on Tuesday, August 20, inviting diners to experience Texas cuisine cooked by live fire and a speakeasy that serves as the ultimate getaway.

“Texas has always been my home and always will be,” Goode says, but the landscape of the Lone Star State is changing rapidly. Credence and Sidebar are Goode’s attempt to capture the food, history, and spirit of Texas — both “what it’s been and what it could be,” he says.

Inspired by South Texas and Ranch life, Credence builds on Goode’s combined classical training in French culinary school and his perspective as a fifth-generation Texan, with a design that guarantees that every seat is the best in the house, Goode says. “We wanted an experience that didn’t just serve great food but also created a socially vibrant, fun space,” he says. The open kitchen operates like a stage, giving diners a full view of the 12-foot-wide hearth and wood-fire oven that burn Texas woods and coals to prepare some of its central dishes, like its fire-roasted seafood tower and Credence’s version of pan de campo, Texas’s official state bread, which is often cooked in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over live coals.

Diners can also catch glimpses of live-fire action as Credence’s whole Sweetwater duck for two slow-roasts over the custom-made hearth before it’s served tableside with heirloom dirty rice and duck fat-killed lettuce. Steaks grilled over mesquite and Post Oak woods, half-chickens, and heart-roasted tuna will also be on offer, along with pasta dishes, like black truffle linguine, made in-house, and fancy cart service for its salads and desserts. The raw bar also offers an impressive showcase of Gulf Coast seafood and front-row views of staff shucking oysters. For those who want to start the evening in a more laid-back ambiance, the lounge area features casual bites, roaming martini carts, and riffs on classic cocktails, including the Redheaded Stranger, a spirited Old Fashioned that includes bourbon, Texas red corn, molasses, and aromatic and cacao bitters with a husk of corn for a playful garnish.

Sidebar, Credence’s adjacent reservations-only speakeasy, is also a product of Goode’s imagination. Inspired by 1930s post-Prohibition when Texas oil fields made some residents overnight millionaires, Goode says he created Sidebar as an indulgent playground with live music where American oil tycoons like Glen McCarthy and T. Cullen Davis might have liked to hang out. Catered to people who don’t want to leave the bar for food, the speakeasy also offers a limited menu with roasted oysters topped with caviar and a classic bar steak, plus a bevy of drinks, including bold wines, Champagnes, and cocktails galore.

The space itself also tells a story. Goode teamed up with architecture and design firm Gensler to create spaces that pay homage to his travels, with furniture and decor sourced from around the world. Both Credence and Sidebar feature classical European architecture with double barrel-vaulted ceilings, locally crafted tabletops, wood floors, brass inlays, penny tile, antique rugs, and a massive shared outdoor patio that offers views into the surrounding McKinley area. The Houston-based Weingarten Art Group curated works by Parisian photographer Kourtney Roy that depict remote highways and deserted towns in Southwest Texas for Credence, while Sidebar features works from Patty Carrol’s famous “Anonymous Women” photography series that aims to challenge the viewer’s perception of women and domesticity.

Credence and Sidebar are two of the newest dining establishments that have cropped up in the Memorial City area in recent months. Bar Bludorn, chef Aaron Bludorn’s third restaurant, opened in March. The second and largest location of Houston barbecue joint the Pit Room opened nearby in April, and Texas-themed Haywire, a Dallas import, opened in May. Credence is also one of the many restaurants this year that have incorporated live-fire cooking techniques.

Goode says both Credence and Sidebar have been a large undertaking, requiring at least three years of planning. “It’s been a fun, ambitious journey,” he says. But Goode assures that his involvement with Goode Co., his family’s legacy and brands, isn’t over. Far from it, he says. “I have all intentions to continue to be the bearer of that torch.”

Brian Kennedy

Credence is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Sidebar is open from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday., with live music starting at 7 p.m. 9757 Katy Freeway, Suite 170, 77024 in The McKinley at Memorial City. Reservations are already available through OpenTable.