Killen STQ set to open Nov. 28

Killen's STQ, a new restaurant from chef Ronnie Killen, is scheduled to open Nov. 28. Shown: decor elements. Killen's STQ, a new restaurant from chef Ronnie Killen, is scheduled to open Nov. 28. Shown: decor elements. Photo: Kimberly Park Photo: Kimberly Park Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Killen STQ set to open Nov. 28 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

In the span of a single calendar year Ronnie Killen will have opened three restaurants. A year ago this month he threw the doors open to a large, lavish new home for his iconic Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland. That was followed by the June opening of his new Killen's Burgers, his eagerly anticipated burger joint, also in Pearland.

And later this month he will debut the restaurant he hopes to bring him his greatest acclaim – Killen's STQ – which he plans to open to the public on Nov. 28. Set in the former Bramble space at 2231 S. Voss, it is Killen's first restaurant in Houston.

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And in many ways, it might also be his most personal restaurant. Killen, who has long wanted a space in Houston, has thrown tremendous thought and effort into the new 60-seat restaurant that he says is neither a typical steakhouse nor a barbecue joint, although elements of both are invested in STQ.

Killen said the menu comes from foods that he has his staff developed during cooking competitions and culinary events over the past seven years. Those dishes stayed with Killen long after the often chaotic festivals and chef appearances. He loved them so much that he wanted them to have a home.

Some of the dishes show his brand's culinary reach outside of the formats at his Pearland-based restaurants Killen's Steakhouse, Killen's Barbecue and Killen's Burgers. Dishes such as a short rib tamale served with brisket chile, queso fresco, and micro cilantro. The menu also will include dry age pork long-bone chop; short ribs; burgers and steaks; cured fish; smoked fish; gumbo; smoked tomato bisque; smoked French onion soup; and his famous bread pudding.

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Many of the menu items will be touched by smoke or cooked over a live fire. And this is one of the elements that most excites Killen. "I've always been interested in live fire cooking," he said. "What we're doing is meat and fire. That's how I'm describing it to people: meat and fire. It's not a steakhouse. It's not a barbecue place. It's just food we've created in the past that never made it to the menu. It's foods I like to cook and I like to eat."

And even though the space is small and lends itself to a casual restaurant with a lot of wood surfaces, Killen is going to trick out the operations with a decidedly upscale, rustic elegance. He has ordered Frette linens, bone china, nice silverware and expensive stemware. The kitchen will use special glass cloches to present dishes encased in smoke.

"It's going to be about the fine details. I'm going all out on everything," Killen said Monday. "I want people to walk in and go wow. I want that thrill of the unexpected."

STQ may very well be the restaurant that Killen has been preparing himself for years. "I've put a lot of thought into it," he said. "I'm going to make something really special."

See for yourself come the week of Nov. 28.