REVIEW – The Kennedy Restaurant Houston

A new upscale piano bar is raising the standard of luxury dining. The Kennedy, is an American cuisine restaurant located right next to Downtown Houston. Blending the luxury of River Oaks with the livelihood of Montrose, Kennedy offers a special combination of fine food and live entertainment that gives guests a unique, sophisticated dining experience. The name itself is an ode to former U.S President John F. Kennedy. Representing a staple in time when the idea of a fancy night out was a bit more classy and refined. The grand opening in November has chauffeured in a new social scene for people who enjoy this type of ambiance. Their day-to-night menu was created by Chef Andriana Maldonado, known for her groundbreaking work introducing new food styles in New York. Her creativity is seen all throughout The Kennedy’s menu. Choices for appetizers include truffled deviled eggs, and mozzarella sticks topped with crème fraiche and caviar. Main course meals and weekend brunch options have a wide range of premium cut specialty meats like wagyu, lobster, cod, and lamb. These tasty combinations align perfectly with the vision that Andres Q. Castro, the owner of The Kennedy, had in mind before opening its doors. Texas Trend Magazine was able to speak exclusively with Mr. Castro about bringing this gem of a restaurant to life.

From Vision to Brick and Mortar

Born and raised in Houston, Andres Castro is a University of Houston Downtown graduate with over a decade of experience in hospitality. His start in hospitality began long before he became a restaurant owner, as he was raised with parents who attained success in the same industry. “My parents were always kind of in hospitality and service areas. Just seeing how they interacted with their customers and clients, and always catered to the 1%. Having that elevated experience with guests and clients got me into it. I kind of stumbled into the nightlife because in high school I really liked to party. I started throwing parties, eventually night clubs started wanting me to work with them. I was bringing friends from college, packing out clubs, that got me into the night life industry. I had a vegan food truck for a bit. I’ve just always enjoyed interacting with people, and creating experiences for people.” Castro’s passion for bringing people together continued to grow as his professional life progressed. In the planning stages of The Kennedy, he knew this would be a place for people to share a late night with friends, dates, or family, but also a time capsule in a sense, to make one feel as if they have stepped into a different era for the evening. The live singing and glamorous rustic décor amongst delectable food and drinks are all ingredients for what Castro calls an adult playground.. “I feel like a lot of places opening up nowadays are too modern and too edgy. I wanted Kennedy to feel rustic but still give that new affect. Even down to the chandeliers, the color of the plasters, the grand piano, the curtains, it is all vintage, antique. When I started coming up with the idea of the Kennedy I kinda wanted to transport guests back into the 50’s, and 60’s, when the Kennedy family was a prominent family in the U.S.; back when Marilyn Monroe was a thing. Elvis Presley. Very rich, less edgy, more textured.”

The restaurant’s design keeps guests with an eyeful of artful eye candy without being overwhelming. Over 40 pieces of original art were hand-picked by Castro himself. Tremendous consideration was put into every detail of The Kennedy in order to create the full ambiance of being in a place fit for the President. He plays up the time capsule reference with a piano at the entrance. Throughout the week, live music and singers perform while guests enjoy their drinks and meals. A less common form of entertainment found in modern restaurants that adds another layer of decadence. “The whole point of the piano was, everyone thinks of that myth that JFK and Marilyn Monroe were a thing. Everyone is familiar with Marilyn Monroe and her singing ‘happy birthday’ to him. So I definitely wanted to lean into singers, just kind of transport back in time to piano singing. Just the piano. The singer. The rich feeling, the wood, the colors, where you feel almost like JFK is going to be there, or Marilyn Monroe is going to come out and sing Mr. Kennedy. Definitely wanted to transport time without it looking too old.” One of Castro’s ideas for service revolves around the idea of a tapas. Tapas restaurants typically serve appetizers and drinks with expectation of them being shared, adding to the fun and intimacy of eating with people you want to spend time with. “We are going for more of a topless style cuisine, where plates are on the smaller side but are meant to be shared. We are leaning more into the drinks, the cocktails, less garnish, better ingredients. I definitely have been teaching people what tapas are. I just kind of educate guests that we are a formal sit down dinner, but we’re not a formal sit down dinner. Plates are meant to be shared. Gather around the table.”

Just The Beginning

The first few weeks of being open has been a success with people from all sides of Houston visiting The Kennedy to experience it’s unique dining options and atmosphere. “We’ve been very blessed with being busy. Were definitely a place where you don’t just go once a month or once every other month to celebrate. We want guests to come 2-3 times a week, enjoy the live entertainment, small bites, and good cocktails.”

A couple of the most popular cocktails are the Lychee Martini, Lalo tequila with lychee puree and lychee syrup. The Elderflower Garden Martini made with unique ingredients like botanist gin, St. Germain, and egg white. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 3:30 pm. Through the week, the dress code is casual until 6pm, then only “sunset attire” is allowed.

There are 25 signature cocktails with unique garnishes. Some of the most popular signature dishes are the wagyu smash burger and wagyu tartare. The gremolata lamb chops were cooked to perfection and the lobster bisque was thick and flavorful. The Kennedy Ice Cream Sundae was top tier, made from burrata ice cream with peach compote and whipped cream. It’s easy to assume the rest of the menu items are equally tasteful. The lunch menu for Fridays offers tempura fried cod, presidential pot roast, and turkey clubs amongst other options. Walkins are welcomed, but for parties of 3 or more reservations are preferred.

The Kennedy had attentive staff, great food, reasonable wait time, and plenty of seating indoors, and outdoor seating with a rooftop terrace. The restaurant will be hosting a black tie event for New Year’s Eve with special music guest, The Ape Drums.

Great experience, great food, pleasant staff, The Kennedy should definitely be on the list of places to visit for anyone living in the Houston area.