Magnolia Kitchen had its grand opening Feb. 17 and in the short time the restaurant has been open, it already has a number of regulars who come in for lunch, sometimes multiple times a week. “I have one guy, he’s tried everything on the menu so far,” owner Jessica Shazil said. “He just keeps changing his order and told us, ‘I’m going to try everything.’” Shrimp po’boy combo ($7.99)[/caption] Jessica and her husband, Shaz, had lived in the Magnolia area for 17 years before deciding to open the business. She said the couple ultimately plans to hand the restaurant over to their oldest daughter, Alina, when she is old enough to take over. “She designed a lot of the menu with help from her dad, and she helps at the restaurant a lot,” she said. For now, Shaz cooks everything on the menu, from their signature fried fish and shrimp to burgers and sidewinders—thick-cut curly French fries. The Shazil family opened Magnolia Kitchen on FM 1488 in mid-February.[/caption] “He cooks with love, [and] we cook to order—everything’s fresh,” Jessica said. “We even have a sign up that says, ‘We don’t make it until you order it.’” Jessica said some of Magnolia Kitchen’s most popular items are its cheeseburger, fried okra and fried fish, which is also available as part of an all-you-can-eat daily special for $9.99. The eatery has also begun serving hand-scooped servings of Blue Bell Ice Cream in multiple flavors, including cookies and cream, strawberry, vanilla and rocky road. Jessica said the restaurant can also be rented for private parties and events. For now, the restaurant is located on FM 1488 in the heart of the downtown area, but Jessica said the family would one day like to see the eatery move to a larger location to allow them to expand and serve more customers. “It would still be in Magnolia,” Jessica said. “But it would allow us to add more seating and maybe a bigger patio in the future. Right now, we’re just trying a little bit of this and a little bit of that [with the menu] so we can see what people like.” Magnolia Kitchen 18602 FM 1488, Ste. 100, Magnolia 281-789-4861 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.