Houston chef Paul Friedman, who was first known for his South African cuisine at Peli Peli, the last one of which closed in August 2021, converted the original Peli Peli in Vintage Park into The Chef’s Table shortly afterward. Now, he and his team, which includes his son, Kyle and operating partner Chelsey De Crosta, are opening a second location of The Chef’s Table in the former Churrascos space at 2055 Westheimer in River Oaks. They’re estimating that the opening will happen in mid- to late-March (but it’s not at all unusual for Houston restaurants to bump against unexpected permitting delays and the like).

Some of The Chef’s Table’s specialties include South African dishes such as Vleis Pastei with curried beef and carrot bredie in a pastry crust with mango chutney, Karoo Lamb Porter seasoned with Chef Paul’s Dry Rub served over Five Cheese Whipped Potatoes, drizzled with Vanilla Balsamic Glaze and served with mint sauce, South African Kingklip fish with crab and lobster served on a bed of sautéed spinach with lemon beurre blanc and Ostrich Filet with Chef Paul’s Monkey Sauce.

The menu goes beyond South African influences with dishes like Chicken Pendurada, a Portugese-inspired dish served hanging from a skewer and dressed with curry, sweet chili, guava sauce or garlic butter, Jamaican-influenced Jerk Snapper, a whole fish dusted with chickpea and rice flour, deep fried and served with tropical salsa and scampi sauce, and a wide selection of steaks, such as the 8-ounce Madagascar Peppercorn Filet with butter and cream sauce.

Keep up with the opening plans by following @chefstablehouston on social media, and view the full menu that’s available now at the Vintage Park location by visiting the website. And, of course, you can keep up with Houston restaurant opening news in general by following us at @houstonfoodfinder.

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.