Today we’d like to introduce you to Martin Stayer.
Chef Martin started his cooking career at the now shuttered Aries under Chef Tycer. He relocated, when of the 13 resumes he sent out, only Moto in Chicago responded. He worked under Chef Cantu and it was at Moto he learned that great food should still be fun and playful. Martin continued working in fine dining for the next few years until he, his wife and new son decided it was time for a new city (and a new climate!). Back in Houston, Martin bartended at Coltivare while searching for the perfect place for his own restaurant. The day he walked into 2048 Colquitt he knew he had found the perfect place. The tiny little 1930’s era house has the feel of your cool grandma’s house, so he named it after his very cool grandma Nobie aka Nana. Vintage hi-fi sound system, great records, creative stiff cocktails and serious food taken not too seriously provide the warm feeling of a house party every night.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With every opening there are struggles but we have been pretty fortunate so far. We stayed dry during Harvey and it was a great feeling to be a place for friends to gather during a pretty rough time in Houston.
Nobie’s – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We pride ourselves in working with other small businesses. Local farms, ranchers and fisherman are not just our purveyors but also our friends. We are really proud of the food that we are able to work with. In the bar you’ll also find that commitment to small businesses. Working with naturally made wines and locally made spirits really sets us apart. What we are most proud of though is the people that work here. We are so lucky to have a level of commitment that is extremely hard to come by. We do our best to support our coworkers by providing health care, which is surprisingly rare in the restaurant industry.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We just celebrated our one year anniversary!
Pricing:
- On “Whiskey Wednesday’s” all whiskey is 1/2 off all night
- On “Thirsty Thursday’s” all sparkling wine by the bottle is 1/2 off
Contact Info:
- Address: 2048 Colquitt St
Houston, TX 77098 - Website: nobieshtx.com
- Phone: 346-319-5919
- Email: nobieshtx@gmail.com
- Instagram: @nobieshtx
- Facebook: facebook.com/nobieshtx
- Twitter: @nobieshtx
Image Credit:
Taylor Byrne Dodge, The Butchers Ball
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