Carlo and Casa Carlo are two new concepts that may very well fill the void left behind following the closure of Paulie’s. The two new eateries come from the great mind of Brasserie 19 owner Charles Clark, who shared that both will open this fall. The two new Italian concepts will open in the former Paulie’s and Camerata spaces at 1834 and 1830 Westheimer.
After 27 years of service, Paulie’s unfortunately had to close when an agreement with the landlord to continue operating in the space could not be reached, according to the Houston Business Journal.
But don’t fret, Clark had two great concepts up his sleeve.
“I’m bringing two different identities to the neighborhood: a casual concept that people can walk in in shorts and flip flops, and then you can walk in on a perfect date night or a perfect anniversary night next door,” Clark said in an interview with What Now Houston.
Clark has had an amazing career that he shared he’s excited about winding down while he remains focused on Brasserie 19. But, he also has two talented chefs he’d like to keep on board.
“He’s really good, and he’s been getting job offers left and right, from different cities, and I don’t want to lose him. So, I came up with the idea to open two little small restaurants and make them owners,” Clark said.
“I didn’t really want to do it. But, it’s exciting, and I think this will catapult them to do more things, and I’m just going to concentrate on Brasserie 19, that’s my baby.”
Michael Hoffman is the Executive Chef of Brasserie 19 and will be running the kitchen at one of the two concepts. Italian-born chef, Davide Deangelis, will be running the other concept.
The menu will pay homage to Clark’s previous concepts. Yes, that includes the loveable Paulie’s cookies. Carlo and Casa Carlo customers can also expect pastas, pizzas, and table-side dishes.
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I want to do classic things, but make it of the best possible ingredients, the best craftsmanship. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, but I want to do things right,” Clark said.
“I definitely want to do a classic risotto that you bring out tableside in a beautiful copper pot, and you portion it for the customer, you share it, and then they have the leftover risotto in the copper pot that they can have. That’s one thing I really want to do.”
Clark shared that there will likely be other tableside dishes served at the more refined Casa Carlo. Customers can also expect a cocktail menu that will feature a classic Bellini.
“One is casual, one is a little more fine dining. There’s a school across the road. These kids getting out that are 14-years-old, they can come over and say ‘I want pasta with butter, I want a cookie,’ we’re going to keep the same kind of style of cookies from the previous restaurant, Paulies, and just show homage to that: do the cookies, do the pastas, same price point, do the salads, counter service where you’re in and out in 25 mins for a pizza,” Clark said.
“Next door, say your kids are next door eating. The mom and dad can go to the wine bar, have a glass of wine, they can order a beautiful pasta, and have a more of a fine dining experience. But, it’s a small restaurant, it’s only going to be about 50 seats, which I love because it makes it a little more cozy.”
Carlo is anticipated to open at 1830 Westheimer by September, while Casa Carlo is expected to open at 1834 Westheimer by November.
