James Beard Award-Winning Chef Jumps Into Houston’s Food Truck Scene With an Elegant Mobile Restaurant

This is No Ordinary Bus

BY Shelby Hodge // 04.07.20

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Chef Robert Del Grande will offer some of his classic dishes at The Annie Café & Bar food truck, which will be parked at the restaurant on Thursday afternoon.

Chef Robert Del Grande's iconic crabmeat tostados

Benjamin Berg and chef Robert Del Grande at B&B Butchers & Restaurant during the barbecue fundraiser for restaurant workers displaced by COVID-19. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

The Annie tortilla soup, available at The Annie Café pop-up food truck.

Chef Robert Del Grande's bacon-wrapped quail breast, available from The Annie Café pop-up food truck.

The three amigos of Turner's and The Annie Café & Bar — Sam Governale, Chef Robert Del Grande, Ben Berg — celebrating at the opening. (Photo by Jacob Power)

Pork crown roast is on the B&B Butchers Easter take-out menu. (Photo by Felix Sanchez)

Sliced-ham dinner is on the B&B Butchers Easter to-go menu. (Photo by Kirsten Gilliam)

Roasted prime rib dinners are on the B&B Butchers Easter to-go menu. (Photo by Felix Sanchez)

All hands on deck: Kim Stitham and Sam Governale for Berg Hospitality's Drive Through Barbecue fundraiser at B&B Butchers on Washington Avenue. (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Chef Robert Del Grande will offer some of his classic dishes at The Annie Café & Bar food truck, which will be parked at the restaurant on Thursday afternoon.

Fasten your seatbelts, food-truck fans and fine-dining aficionados: Berg Hospitality Group is raising the bar on the city’s food-truck scene by introducing The Annie Café & Bar on wheels, set to debut in a pop-up Thursday afternoon in front of the restaurant on Post Oak Boulevard.

This is not your Sticky’s Chicken, The Waffle Bus, or Eatsie Boys genre of the food truck. The elegant all-white truck will feature classic dishes from the vaunted repertoire of James Beard Award-winning chef Robert Del Grande. While The Annie Café‘s executive chef mans the grill, general manager and popular figure Sam Governale will be on the scene, ensuring that all safety and health guidelines are in order.

“Honestly, I never imagined I would be cooking out of a food truck, but Ben [Berg] already had the truck, so we thought it was the perfect solution to the current COVID crisis and restaurant restrictions,” Del Grande tells PaperCity. “Although we aren’t reopening The Annie for dine-in service until April 30, we wanted to create the ultimate drive-through and provide a quick and safe opportunity for our loyal guests to enjoy our classic dishes.”

Favorites on the special menu will include Del Grande’s iconic crabmeat tostados, bacon-wrapped quail breast, The Annie tortilla soup, coffee-crusted filet mignon, and The Annie frozen margarita.

The hungry throng is advised to remain in their cars as they arrive via the La Table parking-lot entry and pull past The Annie to Ambassador Way. Orders can be made on arrival for as long as supplies last, or they can be reserved ahead via email (eat@theanniehouston.com) or via telephone (713.804.1800).

Benjamin Berg and his team are ever busy creating new ways to deal with the devastating restaurant fallout from COVID-19. While the food-truck enterprise has been in the works, the B&B Butchers team has also been working with Del Grande to create special Easter menus in either ready-to-roast or pre-cooked fashion. Entree options include pork crown roast, roasted prime rib, and ham, served with a collection of sides and desserts. The orders must be placed 24 hours in advance of pick-up or delivery, with meals available Friday through Easter Sunday.