callisthenes

I can wait in line for good Tex/Mex or Mexican, but this is Tacos Yucatan del norte: "now open in OKC, Ft worth and the Woodlands". Kind of reminds me of the Tamale Factory on Studewood/11th that had the “best tamales south of the border”. We'll see, their website description suggests a mishmash of Latin American culinary stereotype-branding that could appeal to the late night White Oak crowd, but The El will have them locked up.

People can complain about on street parking if they want. It just doesn’t seem to be brought up when the “right” businesses are opening up around here, and dealing with it is a minor part of living in a city. In my case, I am betting if a restaurant or gym opens up in the building at 11 ½ and Studewood it will impact parking on the street around my house. And I am sure that people not wanting to go to River Oaks, City Center or Sugar Land (suburbs, ew!) will park there too when Ruggles Green opens up and brings the suburbs to the Heights. But whatever, I don’t have an issue with people legally parking on the public streets. But if problems do ensue from it, I’ll pursue remedies to get the COH to manage the city street better. BTW the mechanics at Tommy Vaughn park on the street along 12th, blocking two full lanes and forcing my bike into traffic. Maybe you can stop by and tell them to stop making bikes get in your way?

Not sure what the Historical District’s restrictions are on those parking lots. I suppose if Victorian homes are razed to make way for the lots, they would have to be paved with cobblestones and have Victorian-era hitching posts along the perimeter. If it’s Craftsman style homes removed to make way, maybe Prairie style fencing and concrete or tarmac paving with era-appropriate gravel. No painted lines designating spaces on either one, unless it’s era appropriate lead based.

I live nearby, there's been work going on there. SilverJK's observations of worker comings and goings is accurate. Not sure why they're having trouble getting a business to commit to the location, but I've always wondered about the business model of selling $400,000 + condos in a sea of $300,000 homes. Remains to be seen if that works out. There's an interesting practical effect of the construction that I've noticed. Initial worries were expressed about the building blocking sunlight from surrounding homes. That may be happening, but what definitely happens on the east side is that in the morning, the highly reflective windows cast beams of light onto the street below. Walking through them is sort of like being an ant under a magnifying glass!

Well OK. All the fulmination against HAHC wrt the petition made me think the committee had ruled previously, and the owners were in some sort of appeals process after that. But I couldn't get info on that from the petition, other than an appeal for the Mayor to exercise some authority in the matter. In the interest of understanding the process, I wonder if planning staff based the recommendation of rejection on general standing city codes/restrictions or restrictions specific to the Heights district/HAHC. I think the ambiguity of some of the Heights historic restrictions was one of the worries dicussed on here, could this be an example of capricious application of the rules.

I got interested in the 1207 Harvard part of the thread this morning. Anybody know if it got approved at the Jan 24 meeting? The minutes are not yet posted. Also, in regards to the petition, it's not clear to me when HAHC first denied the 1207 Harvard plans, because the property is not listed on minutes from previous meetings, at least I couldn't find it. If it wasn't brought to the HAHC prior to Jan 24, were the owners responding to hearsay from their developer rather than HAHC action in posting the petition?

From the article: <The number of big-box retailers in a community can have social and economic effects that lead to the formation of hate groups, a recent study found… “We’re not trying to pick on Wal-Mart,” said Goetz. “In this study, Wal-Mart is really serving as a proxy for any type of large retailer.”> Walmart hate-groups only appeared in the Heights after the Target opened. Hypothesis confirmed!

Their business model has changed. <But Flickinger, who has followed the chain for decades, said the company is seeking to expand the size of its shops by building new stores and also renting bigger retail spaces in new markets. A 13,000-square-foot Trader Joe's opened in Hollywood last year. Some stores, such as a location in Silver Lake and another in Eagle Rock, have already expanded. The average Trader Joe's store probably will increase from between 10,000 square feet and 15,000 square feet now to 15,000 square feet and bigger, Flickinger predicts. "Trader Joe's can make double or triple the sales volume per week at a bigger store than at a small store, while checkmating competitors," he said.> http://articles.lati...r-joes-20111027

A job well done. I can only speak for myself, but as a child-free adult, I have no real problems with children, at restaurants or out about town. Obnoxious children do get noticed, but I can tell you that one of the most salient memories I have of child behavior at a restaurant is that of a lovely, less than two year old girl, who behaved angelically sitting at a table at Glass Wall with her parents. One point of the most recent posts in this thread is that it is parents who want to take their children to these restaurants. I find it implausible that children are crying out for Gulf seafood with local brews, for example. Young children are at the mercy of their parents’ culinary preferences, but given the right coaching can probably be convinced that anything from the simplest box of mac-and-cheese to the $25 crab legs entree is the best thing ever. Another point is that children’s behavior in restaurants is the direct responsibility of their parents. Children only tear through Berryhill and swim in the fountain because their parents allow them to do it. Parents who are reaching for “child-friendly” signs, such as a Berryhill management resigned to rambunctious children, cocktails named after schools, kid’s-sized beer glasses, or who view themselves as an aggrieved minority ignored for too long by the restaurant industry are taking things a bit too far. They don’t need to organize and picket local restaurants, or require that I be either for or against their children. Managing your children’s behavior in restaurants, and in other public places for that matter, is just one of the job requirements of parenthood. Most parents do that, and if you do it in my presence, you will at least get a gold star on my mental checklist for doing your job.

They might be the typical homes young couples buy when their parents sport the down payment. After kid(s) make the scene, making a quick switch to a $150,000-250,000 mortgage in the Burbs isn't so hard with the equity the Heights market has been producing. I thought I cleared up the kid's drinks/school cocktails thing earlier. Now I'll have to go to Down House to police their menu.

The report of the Liberty Kitchen cool/funky bar with “kid-friendly” menu and cocktails named after schools was dissonant to me, especially understanding that the layout of BRC (the group’s last venture) is bar-centric. I am probably a bit paranoid about the “Berryhillification” of local joints; if you really want to expose your children to alcohol early in life, cut to the chase and go hang out at Shiloh Club . So I reconnoitered the place last night, since it’s only a block away from my lair. As the name implies, Liberty Kitchen is kitchen-centric. The bar is actually more of a diner counter, or their upscale take on it, with the kitchen immediately behind it. With a fair number of booths, the layout and vibe are more conducive than BRC is to the tastes of Heights parents and their kids. So is the menu, as others have observed. If your kids are screaming for an upscale dining experience to salve the proletarian sting of another night of mac and cheese, chicken fingers or Whataburger, then by all means make reservations now. Drinks are good, and they are named after local personalities (i.e. Hogg, Reagan) or schools if you prefer. Wine selection is extensive enough for fickle palettes. Karbach beers are on tap. The food is also good, the dishes on offer are reminiscent of BRC. It will take me some time to get a fair and broad sampling, but I had a shrimp remoulade sandwich that hit the right notes. And the menu says they are open for breakfast from 8am on weekends. Service is also good, and that’s a sign of good staff and management, considering they are still in the first week. They are still working through some things, but the place is sure to settle into a groove soon.

My fifth-of-bourbon sense is kicking in. I prefer partaking in cocktails without children, and am wary of the company of parents that bring their children to adult/bar settings. We’ll see how it pans out, if the bar's vibe is too cool to pass up I may just have to recon when to sneak in a drink in between the play date times.

I'm not buying that rumor. The corner lot has more value than just a parking lot. If they wanted more parking, I think they would negotiate a contract with the real estate office with the large parking lot next door to Someburger.

Damn pushers. Is the CIA somehow involved in distributing this "gift card largesse" drug in urban areas?

I live about 1/2 a block away from the development, my neighbor (who is three houses closer) said he talked to the foremen on site the other day. The foreman described it as an 8 story project, we surmise two stories for the ground floor retail and six stories for whatever else. Have to monitor site to see how big the excavation for the piers are. It seems pretty big from my vantage point, but I'd like to see drawings; wonder if they'll match colors with Someburger? Another thought about the "new developer", wondering if it could be a front/spinoff for an established company, since I imagine a start up design firm might have a hard time getting the financial backing for a project this size right off the bat.