The Howard Hughes Corporation
® is turning the tables in The Woodlands® with a new culinary concept. Back Table Kitchen & Bar is poised to tee up a casually stylish, festive and family-friendly gathering place for seasonal, southern-inspired fare with global accents in a standalone building on the grounds of The Woodlands Resort. Formerly the site of acclaimed Robard’s Steakhouse, the 5,413-square-foot waterfront venue with an 800-square-foot terrace overlooking the 18th green of the Panther Trail golf course is being reimagined to capture the charm and aesthetic of the coastal south.
“With Back Table Kitchen & Bar, we are excited to bring a flavorful new addition to north Houston and The Woodlands Resort. Responding to market demand, our goal was to reposition the previous Robard’s Steakhouse and rethink how the space functioned both for the community and our guests,” said Gregg Harper, General Manager, The Woodlands Resort. “We wanted to continue our priority of offering a standout, signature restaurant that draws visitors from The Woodlands and across Greater Houston while creating a lighter, brighter and more relaxed and accessible environment for all day and more frequent dining. Ultimately, that set us on a path that led us to Back Table Kitchen & Bar.”
For this project, Howard Hughes’ in-house design team chose to partner with notable Houston-based firm, Collaborative Projects – known for their work on award-winning Bayou City spaces such as UB Preserv, Julep, The Rice Box-River Oaks, The Pastry War and Goode Company Armadillo Palace – to execute their vision of bringing the allure and laid-back vibe to life.
According to Gregg Harper, ”Back Table Kitchen & Bar really embraces the best of The Woodlands by spotlighting the beauty of a natural setting and treating guests to an experience that feels like a real escape from the every day.”
Part of the escape – for parents and kids at heart – is an enclosed game room off the entry with a little something to keep every age group occupied during courses, including foosball and darts.
While the design of Back Table is entirely fresh, it brings new emphasis to the best of the structure’s existing features: windows overlooking the green and pond, plus a main dining room with soaring ceilings and interesting architectural details like a framework of beams leading to a cupola. The addition of exposed brick veneer walls – antique red in the main and private dining room and cream in the bar area – play off a sealed concrete floor and are accented by pops of blues and greys spanning from Graham & Brown crane wallpaper to the striated brick veneer base of the bar.
The expansive, three-sided bar, topped in white quartz and incorporating steel and glass shelving, is a focal point of the restaurant, reinforcing its easygoing character. Distinctive lighting offers a modern take on schoolhouse-style pendants from landmark diners. A dozen taps will be split between local, micro and domestic brews, complementing a well-curated selection of New World wines, plus a clever assortment of hand-crafted cocktails and decadent milkshakes, served with or without alcohol. Look for later additions of tableside sangrias and Bloody Mary’s introduced with brunch.
The seating distribution includes 111 in the main dining room, split between taupe banquettes, black walnut tables with Imperial blue upholstered chairs and high tops with Italian walnut bar stools; 48 in the bar with stools and high tops; 18 in the game room with stools and high tops; 40 in the private dining room with dining tables and a banquette bench; and 40 on the “porch” including dining tables and lounge areas with fire pits. Back Table Kitchen & Bar can also host private parties including corporate events, wedding rehearsal dinners and other festive occasions.
Conceived by resort consulting chef David Morris, the menu will showcase an array of comfort foods and staples with a twist. Signature mains include Louisiana Shrimp and Grits, Duck Leg Confit and Handlebar Beef Short Rib. Smaller plates range from Duck Gravy Poutine and Voodoo Beer Batter Fish Sticks to Cane Syrup Braised Pork Belly and Tennessee Tonkotsu Ramen. Diners can also choose from a lineup of gourmet burgers and sandwiches such as the Oxtail Chili Dog and Bif’s Patty Melt, plus a daily gumbo and a variety of seasonal salads like Country Ham & Summer Melon and Coal Roasted Beets & Farmer Lee’s Spinach.
