Bunkhouse Hotels is known for boutique properties like Hotel San Jose and the Carpenter Hotel in its hometown of Austin, Texas, and it also has a presence in San Francisco, San Antonio, Louisville, and Mexico. The group just opened its first property in Houston, with a popular local chef helming its marquee restaurant.
The 71-room Hotel Saint Augustine is located on Museum Row in the heart of Montrose, a vibrant neighborhood packed with bars, restaurants, and cultural institutions. The property’s flagship restaurant, Perseid, added to the area’s dining options when it debuted on Jan. 16.
The restaurant is led by Aaron Bludorn, the chef behind the eponymous Bludorn, as well as Bar Bludorn and Navy Blue. He’s joined by director of operations Cherif Mbodji, who also works for the chef’s other three concepts, and head bartender Thomas Hardy, who oversees the beverage program.
Before moving to Houston in 2019 to open his own restaurant, Bludorn served as executive chef at Café Boulud in New York City, learning from top chefs like Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen. This is his first collaboration with a hotel group, and he explained that the opening and ensuing operations have been a collaborative effort.
The restaurant sits inside the Saint Augustine Hotel, a new property from Bunkhouse Hotels. Photo credit: Nicole Franzen
“When we open restaurants, I am used to having complete control with the buildout, menu, pricing, everything,” he said. “Here we have to align visions and work towards a common goal together.”
The result is a 118-seat bistro that merges Texas Gulf Coast flavors with French-inspired accents and techniques and serves three meals per day, plus weekend brunch.
Breakfast includes classics like omelets and quiches, a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, and salmon gravlax. Brunch adds shrimp and grits and beef short ribs with eggs and chimichurri.
Perseid serves food all day, including breakfast staples, salads, a burger, and coq au vin. Photo credit: Julie Soefer
Lunch and dinner see a broader menu, with appetizers like tuna tartine, duck and foie gras terrine, Caesar salad, and cauliflower soup. Standout entrées include a burger topped with duck liver mousse, pickled carrots, and cucumbers; blackened grouper with long beans; duck frites; coq au vin; and a hanger steak with pommes Lyonnaise.
Original cocktails are named after Houston icons, like the Noble Night Heron, a nod to Houston’s official city bird. The drink features two types of rum, lemon grass, pineapple, and lime. The bar is also pouring French wines from small producers and eclectic wines sourced from around the world.
Perseid is joined by the Augustine Lounge and Listening Room, which is situated within the hotel’s lobby. It serves breakfast, sharable bites, sandwiches, and desserts via an all-day menu, and drinks from the full bar.
There’s also a lobby lounge serving snacks, sandwiches, and drinks. Photo credit Grant Pfifer
Bunkhouse plans to open a second hotel in Houston’s Museum District this fall called Hotel Daphne. It will have 49 rooms and suites, an all-day restaurant, and a ground-floor bar and lounge, plus a courtyard, library, and retail shop.
The group is also expanding its Jo’s Coffee concept, which has multiple units in Austin, into Houston for the first time, with a target date of winter 2025. It will serve the same coffee, breakfast tacos, and pastries as its Austin counterparts.
