The owners of two Houston restaurants have died in an apparent murder-suicide. Thy and Matthew Mitchell, the owners of Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart, were found dead in their home by the Houston Police Department, CultureMap news partner ABC13 reports.
Police were called to the family’s home at approximately 5:30 pm on Monday, May 4 after a babysitter couldn’t reach them. Upon entering, they discovered the bodies of four people, including two children, ABC13 reports.
A representative for both restaurants declined to comment on the situation. Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart are both open for business as usual on Tuesday, May 5.
The Mitchells opened Traveler’s Table in 2019 as a testament to their love of experiencing cultures through food. The restaurant has earned wide recognition, including an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Chef Stanton Bundy won an episode of Beat Bobby Flay with his take on chilaquiles.
They followed it up with Traveler’s Cart in 2024. More casual than Traveler’s Table, the restaurant is devoted to global street food, serving anything from tacos to burgers to steak frites and chicken parmesan.
Thy Mitchell also created the Foreign Fare fashion brand with items designed for travelers on the go. The online brand offers dresses, pants, and other items that are meant to be both comfortable and stylish.
No announcement has been made about a memorial service. CultureMap will update this article as more details are made available.
Anthony’s New York Italian is now open near Central Market. Courtesy of Anthony’s New York Italian
One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.
While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.
“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”
With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.
The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.
Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.
And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.
“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We’re bringing fresh lobster. We’re bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don’t think anybody’s doing that in town right now.”
The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.
Anthony’s New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.
The martini has forever been a symbol of celebration. It’s the cocktail for the hard day, the power lunch, the old-school steakhouse dinner, and those nights where you just want to feel a little bit fancy. It’s elegant, timeless and let’s be honest — you look pretty damn good holding one.
It’s crisp, refreshing, and somehow always feels right for the occasion. Not that the martini ever went out of style, but I feel like I’m seeing it everywhere again these days. Maybe that’s just my orbit, but I’m completely here for it.
I love the ritual of a pre-dinner cocktail or that first drink before settling into a bottle of wine. Hell, I love a martini anytime it feels appropriate, which honestly can be pretty often.
The martini is this massive world of choices, and that’s part of what makes drinking one so much fun. It’s one of the few cocktails where you can truly tailor it exactly to your taste. Shaken or stirred. Dry or wet. Olive or twist. Gin or vodka — or maybe both. When you start getting into the different styles and brands of spirits, the possibilities feel endless.
Can you imagine trying to customize an Old Fashioned with that many variations? The bartender would probably stare at you sideways while slowly pointing toward the door.
But at its core, the Martini is beautifully simple: spirit, vermouth, ice, and garnish. That’s it. A few ingredients that somehow create this entire universe of possibilities.
The Martini Capital of the World
A while back my wife and I went to London on vacation and fully committed ourselves to running the martini gauntlet. And why wouldn’t we? London has such a deep history with the cocktail, especially dating back to the 1920s when it really became part of the culture.
One stop we absolutely had to make was Duke’s Bar, which might be one of the most famous martini bars in the world. Legend has it that Duke’s is where Ian Fleming found inspiration for James Bond’s famous “shaken, not stirred” line, although technically Bond was drinking a Vesper, but we can save that conversation for another day.
At Duke’s, the martini is made tableside and it’s beautifully simple. Frozen gin or vodka, an ice-cold glass, a few drops of vermouth, and then the spirit gets poured straight from the freezer. A fresh lemon peel gets twisted over the top so the oils hit the surface and that’s it. No shaking. No stirring. No dilution. Just ice-cold booze served with intention and confidence. It’s clean, powerful, and honestly kind of perfect.
And while you’re in London, you have to make your way to the Connaught Bar, where the martini service is next level. It’s theatrical without being over-the-top and incredibly thoughtful. They even use their own house gin and prepare everything tableside with a precision that somehow still feels relaxed and welcoming. You understand very quickly why this bar is considered one of the best in the world year after year.
Three Houston martinis
I have different martini orders depending on where I am, what mood I’m in, and what kind of night it’s shaping up to be. Houston has some spots that are absolutely crushing it right now.
First up is The Marigold Club, which has a true dedication to the ’tini. They offer five different martinis on the menu, and every single one feels intentional and polished. If you’re a gin martini person, go for the Marigold Martini which uses three different gins to balance all those botanical flavors together beautifully. If vodka is more your thing, the Mayfair Martini uses the same thought process with multiple vodkas layered together for texture and balance. They really take this stuff seriously in the best possible way.
During Golden Hour, served daily from 5-6 pm, you can grab a martini for 10 bucks, add a shrimp cocktail for $12, and suddenly life feels pretty damn good.
Then there’s Navy Blue, where I recently sat down and immediately got distracted by joy when I opened the bar menu and saw an entire section titled “The Martini Program.” It felt like finding a treasure map. The whole thing is designed so you can build your own martini, and they even offer mini versions so that people can experiment a little bit without fully committing. It’s smart, playful, and delicious. Order some Clams Casino while you’re at it and settle in because that’s living right there.
I’m not usually an espresso martini guy, but if that’s your lane then you absolutely need to get over to J.A.M Viet Kitchen & Bar for their Vietnamese Egg Coffee Martini. This thing is wild in the best way possible.
Egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk get whipped into this rich luxurious foam that sits on top of a Vietnamese coffee martini. It’s decadent, delicious, and one of those drinks you immediately start texting people about after the first sip.
In conclusion
To me, the Martini just symbolizes fun. Simple as that. It’s celebratory, a little indulgent, and always tied to a good moment.
It happens all the time when my wife and I sit down at a bar. Maybe I order a Negroni because that sounded right in the moment. But then I hear that unmistakable sound of the cocktail shaker working away behind the bar, and I see that cold frosted glass waiting for that silky smooth pour.
Suddenly I’m sitting there thinking…Damn it. Why didn’t I order a Martini?
Have fun out there and be safe. Cheers.
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