Lucille's gets a Valentine's Day menu makeover

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- One of Houston's most romantic restaurants recently revamped its menu, just in time for Valentine's Day. Lucille's, a locally owned restaurant in the heart of Houston's Museum District that specializes in well-refined Southern cuisine with infusions of international techniques and flavors, announced it is taking a new culinary direction.

Nestled in a 1923 Mission-style home on the quiet, tree-lined section of La Branch Street, the restaurant includes three dining rooms and an open kitchen that maintains the original structure's gracious and welcoming southern charm. The backyard and outdoor patio feature raised garden beds, where chef Chris Williams grows varieties of tomatoes, as well as basil, collard greens and various herbs to create his fresh flavorful dishes each night.

The restaurant itself is a labor of love, where executive chef and owner Chris Williams pays homage to his great-grandmother, Lucille B. Smith, an educator, culinary innovator and successful entrepreneur who founded her own food corporation in the 1920s. The walls are covered with historic black and white photos of Lucille serving her famous hot rolls to celebrities like Joe Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr.

A piece of art at the center of this cool space pays tribute to Lucille with a collage of all her original recipes from her first cookbook she published in 1937.

"She was a trendsetter back in the day and her famous hot rolls are still one of our best-sellers each night," said Williams.

"Lucille's is edible history. We serve 100-year-old recipes from my great grandmother and the new menu items we are launching now is progressive southern. It's one of the most unique restaurants in Houston."