Houston’s New Mediterranean Restaurant Brings Serious Chef and Bread Power to Montrose — Októ Arrives With a Splash

The name must have been Kismet. That’s the only way to explain it. You see when Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy, owners of Sof Hospitality, were approached about occupying a vacant space in The Montrose Collective at 888 Westheimer Road in Houston, plans to open a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant weren’t exactly in the works. But inspiration struck as the duo pondered the address, and the name Októ, Greek for the numeral eight, suddenly came to mind.

Actually, this sort of name fate had come about before when the duo opened Hamsa, the Rice Village restaurant located at 5555 Morningside. Its moniker inspired by the palm-shaped, five-fingered talisman used throughout history as a sign of protection, peace and prosperity.

The Houston-based restaurant group, recognized earlier this year by the James Beard Foundation in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, operates four different restaurants, including the steak-centered Doris Metropolitan and Badolina Bakery next door to Hamsa.

“All of our concepts have evolved from one another, influenced by our deep cultural roots, and come to life by our talented players,” Ben Eli says. “Októ emphasizes the boutique nature of our brand and the intimate feel of the Mediterranean dining scene.

“It is the product of the dream team we have at Sof Hospitality — with extensive collaboration on everything from the design of the space to the finishes on our cocktails.”

Októ is helmed by chef Yotam Dolev (who does double duty behind the range at Hamsa) in collaboration with Doris Metropolitan lead chef Hai Avnaim. This talented team has created a well-constructed menu of original dishes that pay homage to the ingredients found throughout the seaside regions of Greece, Italy and Spain.

Swing by and sit at the bar or reserve a table and be cossetted in one of the plush velvet channeled booths. The moody-lit dining room and adjoining bar are awash in emerald tones with glints of golden brass and solid marble accents created by interior designer Lindsay Madrigal of LM Designs. When the weather cools, sliding glass doors allow you to drink and dine outdoors on the expansive patio too.

Diving Into the Októ Menu

The Októ menu features dishes meant to be shared by family or strangers who will soon become friends. One of the signatures of all of Sof Hospitality’s restaurants is the crave-worthy house-baked breads. Here frena, a Moroccan fluffy cousin of pita, is paired with a pistachio studded whipped butter, an array of olives and pickled red peppers ($9).

Do try Októ’s inspired take on a Greek salad. Composed sans lettuce, the chefs tosses cucumbers, Roma and cherry tomatoes with shaved shallots in a classic vinaigrette, while smearing the inside of the bowl with a delectable herb-scented whipped feta ($22). The eggplant carpaccio ($18) features its charred, subtly smoky flesh topped with roasted tomatoes and toasted pine nuts with a shaving of the snowy white Greek Myzithra cheese. This is akin to ricotta salata when it’s fresh, and as it ages, it is much like a hard Parmigiano Reggiano.

The octopus ($25) is prepared sous-vide before it’s seared and placed upon a spicy rendition of romesco sauce with chives and bruleed onions, while the tuna crudo ($22) is topped with an olive and parley gremolata with a sprinkling of feta.

Entrees (again, I’d suggest one share them) include a squid ink pasta ($32), jet black noodles napped in a rich sambal butter sauce with lump crabmeat. The branzino en papillote is steamed in a parchment paper envelope with roasted tomato, artichoke and asparagus with dill oil and a fennel pollen beurre blanc. The Colorado-raised lamb chops ($60 three to a portion) were cooked to a perfect medium rare, the tender marinated meat laid atop a silken puree of cauliflower and sunchoke skordalia (traditionally a thick puree made with potatoes, garlic, stale bread and nuts) with balsamic glazed pearl onions.

The bar menu includes classic and new craft cocktails, as well as a producer-driven wine list. Gin lovers take note: the signature drink is the Októ G&T made with shishito pepper-infused gin. Other tinctures include an olive oil martini, pajarote punch made with guava and house-made sangria.

End your Greek feast on a French note with unctuous, souffle-like Basque cheesecake set on a pool of strawberry tomato coulis or the pistachio four-ways dessert with pistachio gelato, halvah disks, pistachio-scented ganache and the Persian nut both salted and caramelized. All the desserts at Októ are $16 each.

Októ is located at 888 Westheimer in The Montrose Collective mixed-use development. It is open Mondays through Thursdays from 4 pm to 10 pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 4 pm to 11 pm.