A black comedy: Genesis Steakhouse in Meyerland to rebrand
A hyper-local confluence of rhetoric, religion, drama, and acceptance.
Genesis Steakhouse
There was a Jewish steakhouse in Meyerland Texas named Genesis Steakhouse which to put it lightly I always found off-putting. It had a page dedicated to the differences between Kosher and Halal where they provide some useful information which, while somewhat interesting, seemed both out of place and bizarre. Genesis reasons you can source gelatin and enzymes from swine and still be kosher — I have no idea whether this is true. They combine pork enzymes and pork gelatin, with kosher wine to create an argument which distinguishes kosher from halal and concludes with,
Muslims in non-Muslim countries should strive to follow the Islamic injunctions in their diet (as well as in every walk of life) and establish their own businesses and institutions to cater to the needs of the Muslim Ummah. By doing so, not only the identity of the Muslims will be preserved, but they will be recognized and respected for their beliefs and practices.
The Jewsplaing Halal bit is at the least very bizarre. But my problems with this go deeper. Telling others — like Muslims — to establish their own businesses to preserve their own identity is apartheid-esque rhetoric that I want nothing to do with. As a Jew, I wouldn’t patronize a Christian shop that for any reason told me to “create my own businesses and institutions.” In the same vein, I don’t expect Muslims to patronize shops that tell them to do that either. I enjoy diversity and integration, and this is not the world I want to perpetuate.1
However, it’s amusing that the substance behind this directive is very explicitly pork gelatin, pork enzymes, and kosher alcohol. It would seem very easy for even the most devout Muslim to get a steak at a steakhouse without those ingredients: “medium-rare ribeye no cheese, please don’t cook it with kosher alcohol.” I’m not chef — but this doesn’t sound like rocket science. It’s also how I like my steaks. Instead, the message was clear Genesis assumed the most hard-line interpretation of Islamic dietary laws, and told Muslims to fuck right off and create their own businesses and institutions.
Fish gate, and Jew squabbles
On Jan 27, 2025 Genesis Steakhouse lost it’s Kosher Certification. The accounts here are pretty scattered. It seems the owner claims it’s about the failure to account for fish stating
HKA Rabbi Nosson Dubin entered the restaurant and asked Goldstein to produce an invoice for a package of fileted fish he found in the restaurant’s freezer. […] Without talking to those employees, he was unable to link an invoice to that specific package of frozen fish filets.
Previously unbeknownst to me, the invoice for fish must act as an affirmative defense that the fish were purchased from a kosher source. It’s apparently a defense you have the be able to make at all times when called upon by the certifying religious authority. However, on Facebook we find the rumor mill giving us something with more meat on the bone. The claim is elevated from procedural and accounting, to having been busted with non-kosher fish and on multiple occasions,
Which seems to be in alignment with JVH Online,
A source with knowledge of the situation told the JHV that there were multiple food violations and the governing boards had no choice but to revoke the license of the restaurant, which is located at 80 Braeswood Square.
But this is explicitly denied by someone who is later revealed to be family, Ultimately the religious sanctioning body called Houston Kashruth Association (HKA) withdrew their approval of Genesis Steakhouse — and they’re staying tight lipped about their reasoning, saying little more than this
After extensive deliberation and consultation, the Vaad Harabanim (rabbinic council) that oversees kosher certification for HKA has made the challenging decision to terminate HKA’s contract with Genesis Steakhouse & Wine Bar and withdraw HKA’s kosher certification
And this from Facebook
As part of HKA’s standard written operating procedures (which each merchant understands and agrees to uphold in electing to become certified), we share alerts of certifications, terminations and food products found in retail stores in as close to real time as possible. We do not publicly disclose specific infractions or why a termination decision was made in order to protect merchants or individuals from lashon harah (evil speech).
One of the comments there summarizes it all pretty well,
A truly disappointing and nebulous response from the HKA that did nothing to explain itself or address what led to its abrupt decision to decertify Genesis Steakhouse […]
Whatever the reason, HKA went dirty ass gangster on the verdict. Check out their website: they dedicated a whole popup to Genesis Steakhouse. You can’t see anything on their page or retrieve any information without closing out of the popup.
According to the the CultureMap article,
Goldstein acknowledges that not being certified has already hurt his business. He claims to have lost $500,000 in private dinners and catering contracts since the HKA announced its decision last week.
Oy vey, $500,000 lost. I guess the gofundme has a lot of work to do. I didn’t realize there was that much moolah in a stamp certifying beef isn’t swine. This left the steakhouse in a tough position.
Abandon their old clientele, or
Try to undermine the authority of HKA. Perhaps, I’m wrong, but the way I read this HKA decides what is kosher for the Elite Super-duper Jews in Houston. And, that regional religious authority isn’t easily challenged.
I do have to say after following the comments on the Facebook thread, this one appeals to my sense of dank,
are you serious man [HKA] sounds like gambino family running things
The Revenge of the Sith Steakhouse
I think most businesses would pivot, but Genesis did the awesome and went to fight HKA. They said,
Since inception, our goal has always been to uphold the highest level of kashruth, but we will no longer be bullied with senseless regulatory reform and increased fees.
Further, they sought to undermine HKA with an external certification. This gets them one point for interesting internet drama, from their Facebook post on Feb 9, 2025,
Genesis Steakhouse and Wine Bar is proud to announce that we have successfully upgraded our kosher certification to the more stringent Beit Yosef standard, setting a new benchmark for kosher dining in the state of Texas.
Ouch, poor HKA. Genesis counters with a left. They went super-Jewy with a new certification that takes into account “halachic rulings based on Sephardic tradition.” Also from the above linked post,
Unlike standard glatt kosher which ensures that meat is free of adhesions in the lungs a Beit Yosef certification enforces additional stringencies to meet the highest standards of Jewish law.
Shots fired. Those weak liberal Jews stopping at ensuring meat is “free of adhesions in the lungs.” Hilarious.
Kosher is Rocket Science
In case you’re wondering what “additional stringencies” mean there is a whole page devoted to it which Genesis links. Interestingly, I don’t think Genesis read the page. Saving you 9,000 million words and adding bullet points
If the lung was found to be free of adhesions after the shochet’s bedikos, the animal is deemed to be Beis Yosef Glatt kosher. Beis Yosef Glatt typically2 means that there were no adhesions to the lungs at all.
Glatt kosher means that any adhesions found were exceptionally thin (like a sewing thread) and the adhesion peeled off easily, leaving no hole in the lung wall, and the adhesionless lung passed the air/water test.
Kosher means that the lung had adhesions which were thicker or wider in nature; however, upon removal they did not leave any hole in the lung wall and the lung passed the air/water test.
From my reading of the source material, if they went from Glatt Kosher to Beit Yosef Glatt Kosher, they went from meat with possible adhesions that “peeled off easily” to adhesion-free which would make the Facebook post factually incorrect. This is what the Facebook post said,
Unlike standard glatt kosher which ensures that meat is free of adhesions in the lungs
It seems that “glatt kosher” does not ensure that and only Beit Yosef Glatt Kosher does. But whatever. I’m no authority. Who am I to critique these warring tribes of kosher certification and the restaurant that lost half a mil for failing to appease them? I don’t get the drama here even after trying. But I’m writing about a venue that felt it necessary to elucidate the finer points of Halal and Zabiha in juxtaposition to its prior certification by HKA of Glatt kosher; so I would expect them to do a better job of explaining this.
The Houston War of Kosher
The obvious question was: how would this play out? Would the Houston community accept this? Nope. From their post on April 17, 2025
After 12 incredible years, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of Genesis Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Our final day of service will be April 30th.
More great Facebook drama though. The comments are gold.
While the Houston Jewish food mafia won this battle you will win the War. Keep your head up. We will be there to support you in any of your next endeavors.
“Houston Jewish Food Mafia.” This is great.
The Return of the Sith Steakhouse
So what is Palpatine’s Porkless Proteinbar going to do? Rebrand of course, except now they’re out of the kosher business entirely.
They went from,
Despite the upheaval, Genesis Steakhouse remains committed to providing high-quality kosher food and serving as a trusted space for the Jewish community.
To abandoning all kashrut certifications in three months. But who blames them? I can only imagine the amount of stress this whole situation must cause a restaurateur. If I was Goldstein, I’d be halfway through the shahada and finding a new source of cheese. I’m not sure how far off he is, after all what does he call the new place after Genesis? “Exodus.” The new venue is named “Exodus Bar and Grill.” The CultureMap article goes on to say,
Operating as a non-kosher restaurant comes with some notable advantages compared to operating a kosher establishment. Most importantly, the restaurant will be open on Friday nights and during the day on Saturday, which is strictly forbidden by the HKA. In addition, non-kosher meat is less expensive than kosher meat, which means Exodus’ menu will offer a lower price point than Genesis did. Exodus will be able to serve dishes that mix meat and dairy such as a chicken alfredo pasta, a cheeseburger, or even something as simple as mashed potatoes with butter. Finally, it will also serve non-kosher ingredients like shrimp and other shellfish.
Glorious. Here is the kicker though…
Jewish diners who prefer a kosher steak or kosher chicken will still be able to get it at Exodus for an additional fee. Goldstein says those items will be cooked in separate pans and served on different plates with different utensils than non-kosher dishes. Since some kosher mindful Jewish people already follow those standards at other restaurants, Goldstein thinks they’ll appreciate being able to dine that way at Exodus.
Good on the new Exodus Steakhouse. That’s the right attitude. I mean, I don’t understand why he doesn’t release the HKA correspondence and blow the whistle on the failures that caused the loss of the HKA certification, and their demands. But, I really like the attempt here to continue to accommodate the dietary needs of Jews.
Irony, my love
And this gets me back to my moral problem with Genesis Steakhouse. Why is that you’ll go out of your way as a non-Kosher restaurant to cater to “mindful Jewish people” with “different plates,” “different utensils,” and “kosher meats” but you told all Muslims to “establish their own businesses and institutions” over far less substantive discrepancy (pork gelatin, pork enzymes, and kosher wine)? Isn’t it interesting that you couldn’t similarly offer up a steak at a steakhouse to Muslims under those terms.
The irony of telling Muslims to “establish their own businesses and institutions” while the Jews in Houston — your community — disaffect having determined you were not their “own business and institution.” With more irony: making a lot of drama about enzymes and gelatin to deter Muslim patronage while now trying to retain Jews that hold kosher ignoring that the venue will now be selling shrimp, shellfish, and cheeseburgers. And, on the sabbath.
And that’s the most I’ve ever written about a restaurant I have no desire to go to.
“Typically” there is a weasel world. But just for fun..