Two Pauls - Miller and Lewis - team up for Paul's Kitchen

Paul Miller, the owner of Houston's Union Kitchen restaurants, had an idea for a new restaurant concept; all he needed was a new chef. For a number of reasons, he had his eye on Paul Lewis of Osteria Mazzantini, where over the course of several weeks, Miller happily ate through the entire menu.

When Miller finally approached Lewis about a job, the restaurateur felt he already knew the chef based on all the meals he took in at the Galleria-area Italian restaurant. "I've been interviewing you for the last four weeks, and you didn't even know it," Miller said he told Lewis at the outset.

In a series of dramatic turns that affected a number of restaurants and a number of chefs two months ago (Osteria was to be sold, then it wasn't; Union Kitchen scooped up the much-loved Haven site), Lewis found himself paired with Miller for a new concept called Paul's Kitchen.

That restaurant, which opens in the former Haven space this week, is Miller's attempt to one-up his own brand and create a new one. If Paul's Kitchen resonates with Houston diners, there could be another in the works; already, Miller is shopping for new locations for a new project, which could include an Italian theme.

Good thing Lewis knows a thing or two about Italian food. In fact, he knows about a lot about many cuisines, and those flavors and techniques are shown in full measure at Paul's Kitchen. Infusions of Asian, Indian, Mexican, German, and Moroccan - some pronounced, some subtle - can be found on the American bistro menu that proudly proclaims its "globally inspired, locally sourced" leanings.

"We have flavors from everywhere," Lewis said. "We are having fun."

That includes Miller, who calls himself the "lucky guy who gets to pull it all together." He's overseen the renovation of Haven's interior to make it more warm (wood floors, rich wood finishings, brick veneer walls, neutral colors) and inviting to customers. He built out the bar area to provide more room for cocktail and wine enthusiasts. And he worked with Lewis to realize a menu fit for Miller's upscale intentions.

The dinner menu starts with a variety of small plates: Braised-goat empanadas with avocado, arugula and charred tomatillo salsa; a "country plate" with shelling pea hummus, marinated feta, pimento cheese, country ham and toasted Kraftsmen bread; roasted Gulf oysters with herbed chili and garlic butter; pork belly with jalapeño and peach jam and potato salad; oyster BLT; and barbecue shrimp with preserved lemon and Worcestershire sauce.

Entrées include: Gulf snapper on a ragu of andouille sausage, hominy and field peas; chicken breast with English mustard spaetzle and port wine jus; proper fish and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce; Gulf grouper in Malaysian coconut broth, egg noodles and bok choy; pork shoulder with cilantro-lime crema, sweet potato purée and poblano peppers; and butcher's cut steak with tater tots, green beans and grain mustard demi glace.

Lewis was able to persuade two key Osteria Mazzantini staff to join him at Paul's. Sous chef Matt Lovelace, Lewis' able lieutenant, is making sausages - Italian, bratwurst, andouille - and curing meats. Pastry chef Kelsey Hawkins is creating sweets that are both thoughtful and creative: a multi-layered banana cake with praline buttercream, bourbon butterscotch and bananas; lemon pound cake with Meyer lemon curd and toasted meringue; chocolate cake with chocolate stout ice cream and Bombshell Blonde agrodolce; and a "milk and cookies" presentation featuring Mexican hot chocolate (which diners froth up in a pitcher using a molinillo - a Mexican wood whisk), fresh hot churros and dulce de leche.

While Miller has created a team he's proud of, he also wants Paul's Kitchen to be a place that recognizes the often faceless and unsung heroes of Houston dining - the local ranchers, fishermen and farmers who supply the restaurant with the best foodstuffs. Their names appear on the menu like stars in a culinary Playbill. Felix Flores of Black Hill Meats, Lindsey Schechter of Houston Dairymaids, Jimmy Evans of J&J Shrimp Co., Heath Wendell of Slow Dough Bread Co., Mike Atkinson of Atkinson Farms and Stuart Veldhuizen of Veldhuizen Family Farm are just some of the names and companies listed.

Miller, who apparently has a nose for talent, has had his eye on them, too.

Braised pork torta with charred onions, charred poblano peppers, lime crema and queso fresco

Southern Style Dobos: multilayer banana cake with praline buttercream, bourbon butterscotch, bananas, candied pecans and fried plantain

Gulf red snapper with andouille, hominy and field pea ragout and Tabasco mash crema