The Woodlands Gets Its Own Rise Souffle Restaurant — and It’s a Worthy French Retreat With Patio and Soup Power

As the saying almost goes, you can’t make a souffle without breaking some eggs.  In the case of Rise, a new souffle and wine bar in The Woodlands modeled on a French bistro, so far that’s up to about 7,000 eggs a week.

Rise’s souffle and wine bar in Creekside Park in The Woodlands is a homecoming of sorts for head chef Cameron Achee. A Louisiana native and graduate of the Louisiana Culinary Institute, Achee moved to Houston with his family to work with Rise in Houston.  After a move to Ohio, Achee has brought his wife and daughter back to The Woodlands to become the head chef of the township’s new Rise restaurant.

The original Rise opened in Dallas in 2008 (George W. Bush is a fan), with Fort Worth following in 2017. Now, The Woodlands gets into the breakfast fun. Rise is the creative vision of founder and Francophile Hedda Gioia Dowd and executive chef Cherif Brahmi. Brahmi’s goal centered around “bringing the French classic to our diners in a comfortable, casual environment.”

The Woodlands’ Rise

The interior of this new Rise in The Woodlands transports you immediately to France. Even the light fixtures throughout the restaurant are chateau sourced and hand crafted for the restaurant. Diners are welcomed and wait to be seated amid antique whimsical French treasures — hot chocolate pots, French dinner knife sets and the softest torchons. These modern-day tea towels are created on antique French looms and all are for sale — towels to Towle.

There’s a bar area with seating for 16, and inside and patio dining.

“Some guests will come in and love the whimsical cozy, dark interior,” Rise CEO Chris Florczak says. “And then some want a brighter seating area so we can do both. We want you to feel like you’re you’re in the French countryside inside.”

The view from the patio of this Woodlands’ Rise is refreshing — nothing but trees — and allows you to forget you didn’t need a passport to get here. While the patio is bright and open, it has windows that are closed during this latest summer Texas heat wave. But they will be opened for a fresh air experience when weather permits.

This Rise patio even has a private area that can be draped off and reserved for small groups.

“We’ve had book signings, we’ve done clubs, baby showers,” Florczak says.

Tables in the Birch Forest area, a small set of tables bounded by birch twigs and lighting, use antique French school desk reproductions as tables.

It is a “very popular place for people to reserve and sit,” Florczak says. “We’ll probably do some cooking classes on Saturday mornings where guests learn how to make souffles.”

The Rise Menu

Rise’s menu is best known for souffles, but another must-try is the marshmallow soup. It’s a tomato and carrot bisque, with three mini goat cheese souffles and a drizzle of pesto. It’s a consistent “Best Soup” winner in Dallas, and will be a favorite in The Woodlands too, no doubt. But the soup power does not end there. The onion soup has a dense slice of bread afloat in a rich broth heavy with sweet onions.

Each souffle at Rise is whipped to order and arrives at the table in under 20 minutes, thanks to the restaurant’s custom French ovens. Right now, souffles are the most popular menu item and account for 70 percent of the orders at Rise, according to Achee. Light as air, a souffle is perfect in hot weather. Savory and sweet souffles are menu staples, and none of them are more than 550 calories.

The food arrives on handmade ceramic plates.

“Each piece is unique, made by hand painted, uniquely made for us in Waco,” Florczak tells PaperCity The Woodlands.

Rise’s salads are available as starters and entrees — greens, blue cheese, pecans and green apple are served with a pecan vinaigrette that is tart and smooth.

Seasonal wine flights with four pours are available — from a selection of red, white, dessert wines and champagnes.  A refreshing iced tea is also on the menu, along with soft drinks, lemon and limeades, and coffees.

Bon appetit! Yes, The Woodlands continues to be on the Rise.

Rise has some special events coming up, including Bastille Day on July 14 and Julia Child‘s birthday on August 15. This new Woodlands Rise is open from 11 am to 9 pm Sundays through Thursdays and 11 am to 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays. Rise is located at 23465 Kuykendahl in Creekside Park. Reservations are available here.