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A Bay Area-based quick-serve restaurant brand specializing in Thai-style poached chicken and rice, is opening its first Houston location this week in Garden Oaks.

Rooster & Rice, opening June 8 with a grand opening June 9, is located in the Stomping Ground, 1223 W. 34th. Its signature menu item is khao mun gai, poached organic chicken over jasmine rice or organic brown rice. The menu also includes tofu with brown rice and vegetables, rice porridge, fried chicken cutlets, and fried chicken skins. The Houston location, the first outside California, will also offer a new item, Thai chicken salad.

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“We specifically picked Houston, as we always admired the food culture and energy of the community and we wanted to bring our classic khao mun gai dish to the Texas area,” said Min Park, chief financial officer. 

Rooster & Rice was founded in 2015 by restaurateur Bryan Lew and chef Thomas Charoen. It now has 14 locations in California.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.

Greg Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 years before joining the Houston Chronicle as food editor in 2009. He writes about food, restaurants, spirits, travel, fashion and beauty. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Community.

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