In case you haven’t heard, Feast, Houston’s first notable snout-to-tail restaurant,  announced it will close its doors for good in August 2013 after their five-year lease comes to an end. The shocking shutter announcement came via Twitter last week: “So the bad news is we’re closing in 9 months but the good news is you have 9 months to come eat at Feast! Thanks for all of your support.”

In July 2008, Pat Sharpe selected Feast as Pat’s Pick, and had this to say about the restaurant: “Given the amount of cajoling it takes for most people to even try organ meats, why would restaurant owners go to so much trouble? Because they think it’s important. Richard and James are big proponents of ‘nose to tail’ eating. This is a notion popularized by their highly regarded compatriot Fergus Henderson, of St. John, in London, who advocates using every part of an animal, inside and out. But in the end, while it’s fun to dine on the edge and admirable to be a conscientious carnivore, the main reason to go to Feast is for the flavors. Yes, you will be part of something significant, but mainly, you’ll eat very well.”

So why is the restaurant closing its doors? “There were not enough people coming through the doors on a regular basis,” James Silk, co-owner of Feast, admitted to the Houston Chronicle.

Feast received numerous accolades through the years, recognized by Bon Appétit, Texas Monthly, The New York Times, and even the James Beard Foundation. The restaurant was a pioneer in the snout-to-tail movement that has since taken over the Houston culinary scene. Restaurants like Underbelly and Oxheart have followed in their footsteps. The restaurant will be sorely missed.

Tagged: Feast, Houston, Layne Lynch, Oxheart, snout-to-tail, Underbelly