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Eggplant

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Eggplant last won the day on January 25 2012

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  1. Let me know if the names Walter and Skylar White appear anywhere on the purchase agreement.
  2. I can’t imagine how they could shoehorn something so large in that space.
  3. I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Star Fish last night. Appears that everything is back to normal.
  4. That would be Reed’s Key Shop. There’s another shop with the same name at 3601 S Sandman St. I assume, but don’t know, that they’re related.
  5. Whew guys . . . cool it. We're not discussing some life or death issue here. Whether or not MarkSMU chooses to dine at Mexican restaurants has no bearing on, well, anything! I don't give a rat's ass if his comments have some holes in them. The issues are tangential at best to anything seriously being discussed here. Mark - go enjoy whatever meal at whatever restaurant you choose.
  6. Thanks for the reply. It's surprising they would feature such meaningless values so prominently on the page. In the case of 337 W 22nd, the "rough idea" is a 90K range. Not very helpful if we're trying to get a feel for how listing price and final sales prices compare.
  7. Those are both beautiful homes. I would be lucky to live in either one of them and would enjoy seeing them in my neighborhood. Marksmu - can you please explain the relevance of the "sales price range" that appears in HAR listings of sold homes? Based on the "What is Sales Price Range" blurb on the website, it's a pretty meaningless number. Why do they bother listing it?
  8. Brie - thanks for the clarification. I didn't know or had forgotten that the commission opening was closed. Thanks also for your detailed and thoughtful response to s3mh's questions. Many of us here appreciate solid discussions of the issues unencumbered by personal attacks.
  9. Brie - I am looking forward to your post as well. Your approach has always been reasonable and level-headed. That is appreciated by the many people who read this board daily but rarely post. The board leaves little room for nuance and respect for the other side. Posters often claim that everyone on their block is one thing or another; i.e., pro- or anti-ordinance. I'm sure that's a pile of bullcrap. We all tend to congregate with like-minded people so it's not a surprise they believe everyone is on their side. A while back we saw blue or yellow signs adorning Heights properties signaling the owners' take on the ordinance. It's my belief that while many HAIF regular posters are either all blue or yellow, many Heights residents are shades of green with leanings toward either the blue or yellow corner. My story: I'm a relatively "seasoned" individual (I've been around), have lived in many cities both in and outside the U.S., and have never lived in a place without rules limiting our design choices when building or remodeling our homes. I have loved that aspect of each of these cities because the neighborhood spoke a consistent design language that everyone understood. Sure, there were times my neighbors fought the rulings of the governing boards, but people respected an appeal process that was seen as an extension of the historical commission, not (as it is often perceived here) as proof that the commission members are a bunch of idiots. While many posters here refer to the ordinance as "me telling you what to do", we saw it in a different way; i.e., that it is "we" agreeing to abide by a set of design rules in order to promote a consistent look throughout a neighborhood. And yet I did not have a yellow sign on my lawn. I recognized then that a major difference between all the other places I've lived and Houston is that the design rules were in place for generations. Most people were either born into a home or chose to live there with the rules already in place. I have concluded that the manner in which the ordinance was introduced here was inappropriate and may or may not represent the will of the residents. I am concerned about friends and neighbors who bought homes in the Heights as recently as a few years ago with the expectation of enlarging the homes to provide for growing families but now cannot do so. I felt that the ordinance provisions should have been phased in over a longer period of time and that the rules should have been more accommodating to existing homeowners needing to expand. Brie . . . like anyone running for a public position, you are attempting to appeal to many different contingents. I only ask that you take a firm position in favor or against the commission you want to join, and recognize that a large number of people will be threatened by it. Also, please don't take the comments of the folks on this board (including me of course) as representative of anyone other than the poster. Many of the people on this board who have supported your efforts on-line and at the hearings want only one thing . . . that the ordinance be repealed or the Heights historic designation rescinded. However, many of your supporters in other venues (primarily the Nextdoor discussion boards) are not of that mindset.
  10. I never forget about Pondicheri; it's in my Houston Top 5! Their "Texas Chaat" is a family favorite. I didn't mention it because of the 15 minute driving constraint I used for the post. Although close in distance, the drive to Upper Kirby can be a nuisance for some people at rush hour whereas the trip downtown is relatively painless. Regardless, we do it all the time. That chaat is amazing. (Note to anyone clicking on the link - the actual dish doesn't look very much like the photograph. They've perfected the presentation over the last year.) Back to the Heights . . . one roadblock I encounter when talking to restaurant owners about expanding here is the assumption that the only viable Heights option is Washington Ave. I see Washington in the same way I see downtown or Kirby or Rice Village; i.e., driving destinations with lots of good options, but outside the definition of a neighborhood restaurant from a geographic and walkability perspective. Whether it's the alcohol prohibition or misconceptions about our demographic, it seems that alternatives on 19th, Studewood, 11th, White Oak etc. were not even considered. I suppose my (cautious) optimism stems from the belief that the growth we've seen in the last year and the anticipated (keeping my fingers crossed here) success of Zelko, Liberty Kitchen and the other newbies, will inspire others to follow suit.
  11. Despite your protests to the contrary, I'm going to stick with "abundance" at the intersection of wishful thinking and cautious optimism. Realistically I believe we've crossed the line between glass half empty and glass half full. I can't argue with you on that one, although I do find comfort in the fact that my favorite Indian and Indian fusion restaurants in Houston are easily accessible downtown. Both Korma Sutra at 706 Main St and Bombay Pizza nearby at 914 Main are excellent (in very different ways) and only about 10-15 minute drive assuming you're not hankering for curry during the morning rush hour. I recommend them highly if you've never been, and hope you'll join me in convincing the owners to franchise in our direction. Thanks for the comments on the Asian Market. I've passed it a thousand times and didn't give it a second thought. The menu options on the website look promising.
  12. With news that the folks at Ruggles Green have announced their takeover of the 11th Street Cafe, I thought it was time we officially retired the "Lack of Restaurant Diversity in the Heights" thread. It has served us well as a deserved dumping ground for disappointment since the first post in 2006, but things have changed over the years. "Abundance" may be a bit of a stretch, but we're well on the way. Let's celebrate.
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