The words say it all: ‘Hand crafted, on the go, fresh, local’

What stands out about the OTG offer as one walks the United terminals is the often startling visual impact of the various new restaurants and bars. Everywhere you see passengers taking photos or posing for selfies, as dining and design concepts are transformed into social media moments. A prime example is Ember, a stunning ‘ode to Texas’ featuring a wooden plank ceiling, chandeliers made of copper pipes and exposed Edison bulbs, all topped by a breath-taking canopy of 10,000 copper stars (see next page for more details).

Discover an ‘ode to Texas’

“Ember is our flagship,” says Brinker. “The stars are the big design moment as we are of course in the Lone Star state of Texas.” But OTG is not just about design and technology. The provenance, quality, innovation and consistency of the food and drinks offer is also integral to the company’s approach. “We have a huge cocktail and beverage programme that’s in place,” here says Brinker. “So we have a cocktail focus, while offering chops, steaks, fish and burgers from a full open display kitchen, and we’re cooking with live fire.”

OTG used the expertise of well-known local chef and multi-restaurant owner Chris Shepherd to create the tavern’s mouth-watering menu, featuring locally-sourced meats including hand-cut steaks and Texas-sized burgers. His lofty credentials include the James Beard ‘Best Chef: Southwest’ award and, being recognised as Food & Wine’s ‘Best Chef in America’.

OTG partners with Grillworks, an acclaimed American producer of artisanal grill featuring signature cast aluminium crank wheels that allow the chef to adjust the height of the cooking surface with the rise and fall of the flames. “Grillworks are in a lot of the most celebrated American restaurants but they’ve never been in an airport before,” says Brinker. “People know it’s a real kitchen when they see it. And our culinary team loves it and gives us the ability to start food from scratch.”

In keeping with its commitment to CSR and sustainability, OTG will be removing all plastic straws from its Houston operations and introducing a new CIBO Express paper bag. “It’s really cool, very innovative,” says Brinker. “Our CIBO bags are seen everywhere in airports across the US – the good news is that everybody sees them and recognises them. The bad news is that they’re plastic. We think these new bags are going to be iconic. They have a totally new paper design. It’s a recycled and recyclable paper that has a strong brand message and a unique caring design.”

Next stop on the journey is Pala, a Neapolitan pizza concept introduced to the airport by Chef Ryan Pera. Anchored by a central tower clad in porcelain tiles from Capri, Pala features three turbo pizza ovens at the tower’s bases. “These ovens cook amazing Neapolitan pizza in about three minutes and they look stunning,” says Brinker.

We move on to another showstopper, Bam Bam, a 70-seat Vietnamese-Cajun beer garden featuring a long, continuous bar, fluted bamboo columns and pops of red. The corrugated aluminium bar references the Cajun influences while the back bar sparkles with gold mirror panels and red lacquer framework. The neighbouring market (another OTG hallmark) offers jerky and Cajun-seasoned chips features custom rickshaw-style carts covered in Vietnamese newspaper print graphics. A neon sign reads, “We were made pho each other”.

Bam Bam offers a fusion of Cajun seafood staples and Vietnamese cuisine. The offer includes oyster nachos from Chef John Nguyen’s renowned Cajun Kitchen, Vietnamese-Cajun boils, Po-boys, gumbo, boudin sausage and steaming pots of étouffée, all paired with a rotating selection of local and regional beers. The market offers an eclectic range, including bags made out of recycled rice bags, beauty products made with green tea, jerky and Cajun-seasoned chips.

Only in Houston: Vietnam meets Cajun meets Texas

Unlike the new C North Concourse which opened in 2017, Terminal E was an existing terminal space that OTG took over and retrofitted. But whether it’s old or new infrastructure, the focus is also on reimagination, says Brinker. “Part of what Rick [Blatstein] has been so great at doing is discovering or reinventing real estate in airport terminals,” he comments. “So, just like Newark [Liberty International Airport, where OTG introduced 15 chef-led concepts within the Global Bazaar, a vast food hall -Ed], the United terminals in Houston were filled with moving walkways. They’ve all been removed and we’ve put concepts in place of them. Instead of cost centres, we’ve created revenue centres.”

Some of those concepts are among the most innovative in the airport culinary world, featuring outlets that are transformed in look, branding and offer according to the time of the day. By gate C33, for example, we discover Little Purse Dumpling Den, offering a taste-bud tempting range of dumplings. But if we had come here in the morning, the site would have been branded Poppy’s Bagels, featuring a variety of bagel sandwiches. When I suggest to Brinker that OTG might be the world’s only airport restaurateur deploying this approach, he replies: “It just makes sense. You know, 30% of the people in this terminal come through between 5am in the morning and 11. Why offer pizza? They don’t want pizza, they want breakfast!”

Vida Taqueria is a retrofit of a former Tex Mex concept, all designed in-house, and another visual knock-out with a netting structure hung above the gently curved bar. The outlet was introduced in conjunction with famed Houston chef Roland Laurenzo whose mother Ninfa is credited with introducing fajitas to the United States via Houston in the 1970s. Here you’ll find spicy, savoury cuisine including the family’s signature selection of tacos, fresh seafood, enchiladas and guacamoles, all complemented by a brilliant, well-ranged back bar.

Forno Magico Neapolitan Pizza is another winner, with its black and white floor tiling, iPads and bright, naked lighting luring passengers. It offers a selection of Neapolitan style pizzas, salads and small plates, including Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe and Burrata & Roasted Peppers served with pizza bread

It’s time for another wow factor. By gate E23, the Tanglewood Grille draws inspiration from the city of Houston, offering a range of hand-cut steaks, build-your-own burgers, fresh seafood and farm-to-table greens, all of which can be washed down with classic cocktails and a variety of craft beers. It’s a stunning look with great food to match.

But there’s an even more tantalising prospect in sight – and in aroma. “Can you smell our barbecue?” asks Brinker. “That’s coming from Q [by Gate 2].” We’re about 30 metres away but already there is the unmistakeable rich, smoky scent of barbecue food at the Q Texas BBQ Smokehouse. It’s what the Houston Chronicle dubbed ‘Texas perfume’ – the scent of low-and-slow barbecue infused with pecan and oak wood smoke. As evidenced by its FAB award, Yume Asian Kitchen & Market [at gate E11] has become the backdrop for thousands of photos and selfies each week, a social media beacon. “As you stand here you will see a continuous flow of people taking pictures as they walk by. It’s amazing,” says Brinker.

So is Yume. With its canopy of lanterns rising toward the ceiling, Yume is designed to exude the vibrant energy of an Asian night market, softened by the “dreamlike glow of lantern release ceremonies”, as OTG lyrically puts it. The effect is both beguiling and beautiful (see next page for more details).