Austin’s Detroit-Style Pizzeria to Deliver Crispy, Cheesy Pies at New Houston Area Outpost

Plus, the first food order from the rescued scuba divers, restaurants with new locations, and a celebratory wine dinner — this is your afternoon intel

Austin pizzeria Via 313 has made a name for its doughy Detroit-style pizza, and this summer, it’s opening a second outpost in the Houston area. Located just a short drive away from the NASA Johnson Space Center, Via 313 will launch its Webster location this August. The grand opening event, slated for August 9, will feature a photo booth, giveaways, and 25 percent of the day’s proceeds going to Target Hunger, a local charity that aims to tackle hunger in the Houston area. The Webster locale will be Via 313’s 20th restaurant in the country and will serve its signature rectangle-shaped pies, including the Ambassador Bridge — a saucy pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, fresh garlic, and homemade ricotta.

Scuba divers lost at sea headed straight to this Houston institution for comfort

Following a hospital visit after nearly 40 brutal hours of floating under the sun in the Gulf of Mexico, scuba divers Nathan and Kim Maker made their first pitstop at Houston’s Kenny & Ziggy’s Delicatessen. Houston Chronicle reports that the married couple was rescued by Coast Guards last week after being swept away by a current that separated them from their diving group. The two avid scuba divers stayed alive by floating on a surfer marker buoy for nearly two days, swimming to avoid hypothermia, and catching fresh water from rain in their mouths. Sunburnt, exhausted and stung by countless jellyfish, the two were treated at St. Luke’s Hospital in Lake Jackson; when they were released, they had a relative drive them straight to Kenny & Ziggy’s. Their order? Soothing matzo ball soup, onion rings, the triple-decker Fiddler on the Roof of Your Mouth sandwich, which is stuffed with pastrami and corned beef, and two different types of cheesecake — all of which were on the house once owner Ziggy Gruber found out what they had endured.

New Village Green development to welcome four new dining establishments

Real estate development company Howard Hughes Holdings announced in a release that its 70-acre mixed-use development Village Green, which is located in Bridgeland Central, a master-planned community northwest of Houston, will welcome a new location of Jonathan’s the Rub. Slated to open next fall, the 5,500-square-foot restaurant will feature an expansive dining room, bar, and two outdoor patios that account for nearly half of the restaurant’s space. Jonathan’s the Rub will keep to its reputation with a menu of American classics, as well as wines and beers on tap and a cocktail menu. It will be later joined by locations of Sweet Paris Creperie & Cafe, Texas-based pizzeria Crust Pizza & Co., and Gelato & Co., which sells Italian-style gelato, in 2025.

Street to Kitchen hosts a wine dinner with a charitable twist

James Beard Award-winning chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter will celebrate Street to Kitchen’s fourth anniversary with a celebratory wine dinner on Sunday, August 4 at 6 p.m. The event will feature a four-course meal, with four different dishes per course, plus a selection of white, red, and sparkling wines, according to the chef. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Southern Smoke Foundation, which helps support food and beverage workers around the country.

Poke bowl restaurant opens third location in Spring Branch

Known for its spam musubi and poke bowls filled with proteins, toppings, and homemade sauces, Seaside Poke will open its third location in Spring Branch on August 3. The newest outpost, located at 7670 Katy Freeway, Unit 80, in the Marq’E Entertainment Center, will host a grand opening party on the day of the opening with live music, lion dancing, giveaways, and bites from other establishments, including Kohiko Coffee House and Yeti Sunshine. Seaside’s other locations are Downtown and East Downtown.

Benny Chows ventures into lunch

Ben Berg’s American-Cantonese restaurant is now open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a modern take on a Japanese staple. Its executive chef Jett Hurapan has launched the restaurant’s “Benny” boxes, bento boxes featuring a choice of seven main dishes, including crispy orange beef served with care cara oranges and chili oil, black pepper beef, General Tso’s chicken, spicy Sichuan beef, and panang vegetables. Each box, priced between $21 and $25, comes with iced tea or a soft drink, flower blossom egg drop soup, vegetable fried rice, Asian slaw, a crispy spring role, and sticky coconut rice and mango for dessert.