Longtime Houston Chef Now in Residence at Memorial Restaurant & Club

Chef Jason "Big Sexy" Hill at Scott Gertner's Rhythm Room.

Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room at 5535 Memorial in Houston’s Bayou Bend neighborhood is an entertainment venue and supper club from three-time Grammy Award-nominated musician and local business owner Scott Gertner. It opened at the start of the pandemic, and more recently secured the services of longtime Houston chef, Jason “Big Sexy” Hill

Scott Gertner's Rhythm Room in Bayou Bend. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.
Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room in Bayou Bend. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

Much like Gertner’s previous concepts (Scott Gertner’s Skybar & Grille, Scott Gertner’s at Houston Pavilions and Scott Gertner’s Sports Bar Live), the Rhythm Room offers live music, dancing and more in addition to dinner and cocktails. Hill is now guiding the restaurant’s menu, which is described as “contemporary Louisiana cuisine.” A U.S. Army veteran, Hill joined the Rhythm Room at the beginning of March and brings years of experience as both a chef and an owner/operator. The menu is not a stretch for him by any means, as he served similar items aboard his first food truck, H-Town StrEATs. However, Houstonians may best remember him from his time as a founding partner of Hugs & Donuts in the Heights or from his Luv Me Tenders truck which eventually grew into a brick-and-mortar location that lasted a tragically short time. 

A half order of lemon pepper wings. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.
A half order of lemon pepper wings. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

In the time since, he has had stints at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Del Vista Local Bar & Grill and Kamp Houston. When I talked to Hill, he told me he was having a blast at the Rhythm Room and excited to add his own flair to the menu, which includes shareable appetizers such as fried oysters, Boudin Egg Rolls, Wings & Tenders and Crab Hush Puppies. I started with a half-order of Lemon Pepper Wings, which came with nine impressively large and well-seasoned pieces. 

The evening’s specials included a pasta of the week (Italian sausage and ricotta ravioli in this case) and blackened catfish on a bed of dirty rice with crawfish étouffée and garlic spinach with lemon icebox pie for dessert. I had my own plans, however, which included the new Peacemaker Po’ Boy –12 inches of fried shrimp and oysters on an overstuffed French bread loaf dressed with pickles, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, and served atop a pile of seasoned waffle fries. 

Chef Hill's Peacemaker Po' Boy. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.
Chef Hill’s Peacemaker Po’ Boy. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

The other entrées are equally decadent and include belt-busting options such as Gulf Fish Tchoupitoulas, Monday Red Beans, “Scottie’s Smash Burger”, Chicken Fried Pork Chops, Nashville Shrimp & Grits and fried seafood platters. A meal can even be made from the sides, with soulful additions including but not limited to Collard Greens with Turkey, Jalapeño Cheese Grits, Gumbo and Honey Cornbread.

The patio at Scott Gertner's Rhythm Room. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.
The patio at Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

Additionally, Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room offers frequent events and specials like Sunday crawfish boils on the patio with live Zydeco music, Wednesday happy hours with DJ Big Daddy and Thursday R&B steak nights. The restaurant also has a full bar with a cocktail menu that leans on the sweet and boozy side with a number of frozen drinks and flavored martinis.

The restaurant and club can also host large groups for which Hill can design custom menus  offering everything from small bites to multi-course dinners. VIP sections and bottle service are also available. 

The interior of Scott Gertner's Rhythm Room. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.
The interior of Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

The kitchen at Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room is open Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m.11 p.m., Thursdays from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. until midnight and Sundays from 4 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. It is also available for special events on Mondays and Tuesdays. Reservations are strongly recommended. Gratuity is automatically applied to all tabs.

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