Houston’s Most-Anticipated New Steakhouse Brings Luxury Dining and a Hot Chef to River Oaks District

Sometimes, opportunity doesn’t knock on your front door. So when Jeff Taylor discovered that an ultra-luxury steakhouse — Steak 48 — was breaking ground in River Oaks District, he took immediate action.

“As soon as I heard that Jeff and Michael [Mastro] were coming to Houston, I did my research and reached out to them. I admire their dedication to super-fresh products, premium-quality steaks, no shortcuts, and front-of-house service that blew me away,” Taylor told PaperCity. 

Shortly after his initial conversation with the Mastro brothers, the former Del Frisco’s Grille executive chef and master butcher was on a plane to Scottsdale, Arizona, (The Mastros’ home territory) where he began training for his dream job — as Steak 48‘s executive chef.

Plans for the steakhouse’s River Oaks District digs were announced in 2015, a mere four months after the shopping complex’s grand opening. Steak 48 will mirror the restaurateur siblings’ Phoenix-based restaurant, Steak 44, so named for its location on 44th Street. The 14,000-square-foot Houston location is slated for a June opening. (Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the U.S., hence the Texas outpost’s moniker.)

While the new menu hasn’t been finalized, expect prime steaks hand-cut in-house and wet-aged for 28 days, as well as a raw bar and comprehensive seafood selection. Also on the menu are items like ahi poke, burrata with grilled stone fruit, double-baked truffle potatoes, asparagus fries, corn crème brûlée, and, of course, the requisite wine and cocktail lists.

“This restaurant is above fine dining,” says Taylor. “I call it luxury dining, and I’m super excited to be a part of the Houston venture.”