Chef Chris Cosentino of Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner Jackrabbit in Portland, Ore., will open Rosalie Italian Soul in early October in Downtown Houston's C. Baldwin Hotel. It's the first Houston venture for the chef, who owns two other restaurants in California, Acacia House and Cockscomb.

Cosentino named Rosalie after his great-grandmother, a first-generation Italian immigrant who taught him how to cook and inspired his culinary career. The cuisine is contemporary but still pays homage to Rosalie's traditional techniques, with dishes such as blue crab manicotti and Sunday gravy with parmesan and basil. Executive chef Sasha Grumman will lead the kitchen.