The Sporting Club is the hot new restaurant lighting up Washington – Houston Chronicle

The owners of The Sugar room are opening a new dining and bar concept, The Sporting Club, at 5102 Washington. Shown: Interior. Photo: Corin Michel

The owners of the chic Sugar Room have doubled down on the Washington Corridor with an upscale dining and drinking space intended to wow patio bar fans.

SoClutch Group will officially open The Sporting Club on Oct. 22, a snazzy new indoor/outdoor space at 5102 Washington in the same block as Sugar Room, which recent reopened.

Houston foodies will see a familiar face in the kitchen: executive chef EJ Miller, formerly of International Smoke, Riel and Clark Cooper Concept restaurants, is overseeing the menu of uptown takes raw bar and bistro fare. The cocktail menu comes from the Ladies of Libation veteran beverage consultants Laurie Sheddan Harvey and Kris Sowell who already worked their spirits magic at Sugar Room.

The Washington Corridor is in no short supply of drinking haunts, but The Sporting Club was designed to outdo them all. the 8,000-square foot bar was built with retractable walls to a patio fronting Washington. Theres a retractable roof in the main bar/dining area tricked out with crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors, a 360-degree marble bar, and a variety of seating and lounge configurations. The patio features an additional bar in the form of a converted Airstream trailer dispensing frozen and bubbly cocktails.

While the space was clearly designed to party, Millers menu makes The Sporting Club a true dining destination. Starters such a seafood towers, broiled oysters, and snapper ceviche are smart starters before tucking into salads, pizza (one, the Houston Pie, is made with Feges BBQ, Redneck cheddar and Lone Star barbecue sauce), and indulgent dishes such as steak frites and a lobster roll dolled up with avocado mousse and caviar. His weekend brunch menu offers dishes such as New England Benedict with lobster, a bagel board, breakfast pizza, crab and avocado toast and chilaquiles.

Creative cocktails rule the bar. But groups of revelers will no doubt indulge in bottle service and oversize batched cocktails dispensed from pretty mini kegs. One example of the tabletop party-size cocktails is Ladies Who Brunch, made with grapefruit vodka, elderflower liqueur, vanilla, rose and edible flowers.

We are excited to bring the all-new concept of The Sporting Club to the Washington Corridor, said Dan Wierck, SoClutch Group owner. The high-energy restaurant is sure to be a food and drink destination in the area, providing a unique dining experience for each guest.

The Sporting Club, 5102 Washington, 713-714-6051; soclutchgroup.com. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. serving lunch, brunch, dinner and a late-night menu.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.

Greg Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 years before joining the Houston Chronicle as food editor in 2009. He writes about food, restaurants, spirits, travel, fashion and beauty. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Community.

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The Sporting Club is the hot new restaurant lighting up Washington - Houston Chronicle