Introduction to Agnes and Sherman
Agnes and Sherman explores a fusion of American and Chinese dishes. When Nick Wong was growing up in San Francisco, dining out with the family often presented a dilemma. His dad, who was raised in America, would typically suggest steak or fried chicken, but his mom, who grew up in Hong Kong, would request Chinese and Cantonese food. And she always won the battle on where to eat.
The Concept Behind Agnes and Sherman
But with Agnes and Sherman, he’s able to bring together the best of both worlds. The long-awaited diner has finally made its debut in the Heights, in the former home of Alice Blue. Wong, previously the executive chef of the now-closed UB Preserv, under Chris Shepherd’s Underbelly Hospitality, teamed up with business partner Lisa Lee to introduce their take on Asian American cuisine. “This food is kind of like, if my parents were to have a restaurant [where] they could both get something that they both really want, this would be the restaurant for them,” Wong says.
Menu Items
The restaurant is named for Nick Wong’s parents, Agnes and Sherman. Wong’s exploration of fusion food is exemplified in menu items like the savory scallion waffle, his take on a scallion pancake, a popular Chinese starter made with a wheat dough folded into layers to make the flatbread flaky. To home in on the American Asian aspect of the diner, Wong tops the waffle with sambal honey butter. “I didn’t want to put syrup all over this thing because it’s fermented for like eight hours, and has scallion oil and scallions in it,” Wong says. “I have to be very thoughtful about how I incorporate the sweet thing. Well, Texans also love honey butter, and that does definitely go with some more savory dishes, so [I thought] let’s incorporate this into our sambal butter.”
Fusion of Cultures
Wong also blends the two cultures with the wedge salad, a combo of Chinese sausage, ginger scallion ranch, and Chinese doughnut croutons. Houston-inspired dishes are on the menu, too, to pay homage to the city he’s called home since 2018: the al pastor fried rice, which is made with achiote, pineapple, and cilantro; the egg foo young, a dish with crawfish, gumbo gravy, and rice; a chicken fried steak made with Vietnamese gravy; and a masa corn cake for dessert. Sandwich options include a smoked onion patty melt on rye and a Chinese BBQ club with char siu.
Beverage Program
David Perez, previously of Lei Low and Maven, is Agnes and Sherman’s bar lead. The beverage program includes cocktails like the Heights Ball, made with gin, yuzu, and sparkling soda; the Pandan Colada with vodka, pandan, and coconut; a frozen margarita; and the Dr. Wong, a mix of rum, hibiscus, passionfruit, lime, and spice. The drink Wong and Lee are most excited about is the Lean Kwai Fong, the restaurant’s house old-fashioned. It’s a play on the Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong district and lean (“purple drank”), made with Pei Pa Koa, an herbal Chinese cough syrup.
The Story Behind Agnes and Sherman
When the business partners met as undergrads at the University of California, Berkeley, they never would’ve imagined their careers would circle back to each other. After graduating, Wong went on to attend New York’s French Culinary Institute, while Lee’s career zigzagged within the tech world before she ended up in human resources—gaining knowledge that would become important to their new business. Lee’s goal is to create an inclusive place not only for its customers, but also its employees. “I really feel like creating a great place to work where people come to work and feel really safe—where people can learn and grow,” Lee says.
From Concept to Reality
The plan to bring Agnes and Sherman to Houston began to fall into place in 2022. Despite being from the Bay Area and having experience on the East Coast, Wong was adamant on opening the restaurant here because of the sense of community and generosity he’d experienced in the city’s culinary industry. “Feeling the warmth and love from the community has been such a huge draw to build here,” Wong says. After driving by Alice Blue multiple times, Wong says he felt a pull to it—its character and ability to attract good foot traffic appealed to him.
Conclusion
To help bring the space to life, the two worked with 2X Studio and Dong-Ping Wong, of AD100 fame. Lee says they intentionally chose primary colors like red and yellow, ones used in the logos of mainstream American food brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. Agnes and Sherman is decked out in classic diner vibes with retro tilework, large booths, photographs of both Lee’s and Wong’s parents, and an old rice cooker from Wong’s family. Although the food might be the star of the show, Wong says he hopes guests leave with an experience filled with tons of laughter and new memories made alongside their loved ones. “We’ve already had so many folks coming in from the neighborhood who were regulars at Alice Blue who are now telling us that they are so looking forward to making Agnes and Sherman their regular spot,” Lee says. “It just means a lot to us.”
