Led by the owners of Heights & Co. and Lazy Lane, The Green Room is expected to be a new, curated culinary destination that will debut March 5 in the Heights.

The setup: The Green Room will be helmed by James Beard Award-winning Chef de Cuisine Tom Cunanan, who operates the Bad Saint, an acclaimed 15-seat restaurant in Washington, D.C.

The restaurant is set up to offer guests a more intimate, technique-driven dining experience, according to a Feb. 20 news release. That means the restaurant's chef-driven dinner menu will change monthly, with an optional five-course Chef's Dinner Party experience that includes a complimentary wine pour or cocktail.

The menu offers items such as dry-aged duck with dark cherry jus and the chef's nightly steak with pommes dauphinoise, as well as tuna tartare and scallop crudo, a Ferrero Rocher tiramisu and profiteroles.

The drink menu: The Green Room will also offer a wine program that spotlights grower champagnes and iconic estates, as well as a rotating Cellar Series that features premium pours.

• 1343 Yale St., Houston

A major new natural gas power project in east Houston just cleared another state milestone, pushing a planned 455-megawatt plant closer to reality as Texas races to add generation amid rising demand.

What this means: Gov. Greg Abbott announced the new unit planned at the existing Greens Bayou facility has been designated a qualified project under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation program, according to a Feb. 17 news release. The plant represents $617 million in capital investment and is expected to start producing electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas region in 2028, according to the governor’s office.

The project is intended to strengthen grid reliability and create jobs, crediting state leaders and local partners for helping move the plan ahead, per the release.

What’s next: According to the release, with the JETI designation now in place, the focus shifts to the buildout and timeline leading up to the planned 2028 start date—when the additional capacity is expected to begin feeding electricity into the ERCOT grid.

Houston-area renters opened 2026 with more choices and slightly lower prices, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ January Rental Market Update released Feb. 18. 

A closer look: The average lease price for a single-family rental fell 3.3% from a year earlier to $2,214, which HAR officials said is the lowest level since December 2023. 

Even with prices easing, demand didn’t disappear. Leased listings rose 11% year over year to 3,447 homes, while new listings climbed 16.4% to 6,499 properties, giving renters more inventory to work with, according to the report. 
 

• 2026 Tour de Houston bike ride set for April 12
• Houston to apply for $80M in federal grants to enhance security at FIFA World Cup
• $617M NRG Energy power plant moves forward at Greens Bayou site, state says
• Houston City College launches workforce connection, reconnect programs
• University of Houston-Downtown to guarantee admission for Houston ISD graduates