Years Ago, They Planted a Seed. Now, the Marigold Club Is Poised to Bloom. (2024)

The Goodnight Hospitality restaurant group first announced in early 2022 its plans to open a restaurant in place of its rustic bar Goodnight Charlie’s, which shuttered in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. The Marigold Club would open in the fall, offering the casual energy of its sister Rosie Cannonball, but with the vibes and the exclusive feel of a supper club. The menu would be elaborate and detailed, like that of March, but offered in an a la carte format. In reality, the restaurant would be a long time coming — two-and-a-half years to be exact, with its team pouring over everything from its wallpaper to where the ducks used for its Wellington are sourced. But the wait seems to have been worth it.

Helmed by master sommelier June Rodil, Beard-nominated chef Felipe Riccio, chef-partner Austin Waiter, and hospitality partners Bailey and Pete McCarthy, the Marigold Club officially opened to the public on Tuesday, June 23, joining the group’s campus of food establishments in a corner of Montrose. The Marigold, however, is promising something entirely different — a London disposition with a Texas vibe, an atmosphere that gives “fancy, but not formal,” says Riccio.

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“The Marigold Club sits in that world between Rosie and March,” he adds. Where March is considered more of a special occasion restaurant with a substantial time and financial commitment, the Marigold is more relaxed with a bar that beckons diners to have oysters, martinis, and champagne, but with a dining room that exudes elegance. “It’s meant for you to feel comfortable but to dress up a little bit.”

“We’re really trying to get that culture and that feeling that you get from a soccer club or drinking club, but adding the touches of warmth and hospitality from Houston, which is unlike anywhere else in the country,” Waiter says. “Texans are known as warm, hospitable people, and I think that’s what we strive for here.”

Informed by Waiter’s experience staging in London, the 160-seat restaurant — the largest and possibly the most beautiful of Goodnight Hospitality’s establishments — arrests diners’ senses with its decor first; then, the food. Designed in collaboration with Texas-based architects Fox Fox Studios, the Marigold is ornate with green velvet upholstered ceilings, plush banquettes with tables dressed in flowers and lamps, and a Steinway baby grand piano that, void of a volunteer, plays itself. Visual artists like Illa Gaunt and Pauline de Roussy de Sales, who handpainted the restaurant’s intricate lampshades and the busy mural that wraps around the restaurant’s walls, add special touches to the space. Adhering to the floral and feminine theme, de Gournay’s hand-constructed wallpaper leads into the restrooms, which are just as showy and dendritic. Not to be outdone, the Murano chandeliers and sconces are instant conversation pieces: They were hand-blown by Vetreria Venier to feature elegant appendages shaped like blossoming marigolds or tulips.

The menu, bordering on extravagant, focuses on a playful combination of French, American, and English cuisines. Diners can expect Kaluga caviar sandwiches made with chive crème fraîche on housemade Melba toast; a picturesque raw bar that gives way to lavish seafood towers and a rotation of East Coast oysters that reference Waiter’s Northeast upbringing; plus different takes on crudo, including a tuna version that’s dressed in Earl Grey tea and kohlrabi. Waiter, the Connecticut native and executive chef, says a major highlight is the Crescent Duck Wellington, a newer take on the English classic but made with sauce au poivre vert and roasted maitake mushrooms. The club also pays homage to Goodnight Charlie’s beloved champagne-and-tacos special with its fancy “Get Chuffed” version, which comes complete with a dozen oysters and a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee for $350. The bespoke sundaes, however, are something out of a childhood dream. Delivered in special carts created by industrial designer Aaron Rodil, June Rodil’s husband, the tableside dessert service allows diners to coat their choice of chai, clotted cream, or chocolate ice cream flavors in toppings like candied hazelnuts, vanilla marshmallows, brownie bits, or a banana jam that master sommelier Rodil calls a “sleeper hit.”

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As expected, June Rodil, along with wine director Ryan Cooper, has incorporated her beverage expertise to craft a menu that showcases exciting champagnes and wines from around the world with special attention to French winemakers. And there’s more in store for the Marigold Club come fall 2024. In September, the restaurant will launch its brunch, which will feature a British high tea service.

Reservations for the Marigold Club are now open, but they might be difficult to snag in the early months. But Waiter says not to let this be an excuse to miss experiencing the Marigold. The bar accepts walk-ins.

“Come by for an ice-cold martini, some seafood, and oysters, and enjoy,” he says.

The Marigold Club is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, through Thursday, and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 2531 Kuester Street, 77006.