May 28, 2026 | 10:15 am
When Carriqui shuttered in October 2025, Pearl developer Silver Ventures promised the building wouldn’t stay vacant long. A year later, it will be revived by a marquee name. Bludorn Hospitality Group (BHG), the outfit behind Houston favorites Navy Blue and Bludorn, will take over the space in the fall.
The move brings three seasoned restaurateurs to the high-volume space. Chef Aaron Bludorn served as the executive chef of Manhattan’s world-famous Café Boulud when he met his now-wife, Victoria Pappas Bludorn, the scion of Houston’s Pappas dynasty, herself classically trained in French cuisine.
Cherif Mbodji crossed paths with Aaron when the former was the general manager of Café Boulud, but didn’t hesitate to move South to join the team at Bludorn restaurant. The restaurant turned out to be one of Texas’ buzziest post-pandemic debuts — and the creation of a growing restaurant group that now includes Navy Blue, Perseid, and Bar Bludorn. Three of those restaurants — Bludorn, Perseid, and Bar Bludorn — hold Recommended designations in the Michelin Guide…