capnmcbarnacle Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Saw this today on Swamplot.... http://swamplot.com/the-commotion-at-the-corner-of-westheimer-and-dunlavy/2012-04-16/ Something needed to happen to the old Carppets by Joy and impressionist painting place. This could be worse, and it could be much, much better. Hard to imagine anything much less inspired to plop down on that spot. At least they run up to the sidewalk. I wonder what we'll see there retail wise. Anyone know if this is all on spec? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceAngelWuteva Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Remembering 1/Gyro Gyros (before Carpets by Joy), 2/Budget Signs, Ankar's Grocery and a 3/ A bicycle shop on 3 outta 4 of those corners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldlyman Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I really liked that French Art Gallery . That corner really looks bare and awkward without the old houses right now. I hope they do intend to put that proposed structure up close to the sidewalk. Hate to see those old houses go but at this point they need to really fill that gap between Agora and Bacchus. Whatever they may put up there (up to the sidewalk) is certainly better than the thought of a parking lot at that corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 The sidewalk between Park and Dunlavy feels short with nothing surrounding Agora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnmcbarnacle Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 In the FWIW department, they have been moving dirt around and have set up the forms for the permieter of the building. Looks like the footprint will be what we saw in the earlier plans -- 4k feet of space with 36 parking places behind it. There was an application for a liquor license up there on the fence awhile back. Whatever is going in there appears to be getting started. Here's hoping they do something interesting with the building. The rendering was awfully blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 In the FWIW department, they have been moving dirt around and have set up the forms for the permieter of the building. Looks like the footprint will be what we saw in the earlier plans -- 4k feet of space with 36 parking places behind it. There was an application for a liquor license up there on the fence awhile back. Whatever is going in there appears to be getting started. Here's hoping they do something interesting with the building. The rendering was awfully blah. Again, for what it's worth, the application on the property listed the applicant at Leaven and Earth.  The only Leaven and Earth I could find was a sandwich shop in Sacramento.  Doubt the two are connected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 I noticed that the foundation is being laid for a new building at Westheimer and Dunlavy. A long time ago there was a thread with a rendering but I could not find it so I am starting a new one. Looks like the parking will be in the back which is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff8201 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Whatever it is, it sure has a lot of drain pipes stubbed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryDierker Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Public Toilets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 It's like an international caliber cafe or something like that. I think the piece was in Culturemap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 a cafe? because there are only, what, 5 cafes within a block? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 a cafe? because there are only, what, 5 cafes within a block?  I don't think people start businesses based on contributing to the diversity of the neighborhood, not usually anyway.  Anyway, here's the piece.   In an interview yesterday, Roy Shvartzapel explained his plan to take the experiences he has garnered at restaurants such as elBulli, Bouchon and Pierre Herme to bring Houston its first truly world-class cafe. He describes it as an "avant garde and modern approach to the cafe experience which encompasses the savory, the bread, the pastry and the gelato all executed and conceived at the highest levels." The still unnamed shop will be located in the building currently being built at the corner of Dunlavy and Westheimer in the heart of Montrose; needless to say, the concerns that it would be used for a Dunkin Donuts can be put firmly to rest. Shvartzapel says, "I've spent the past 12 years traveling the globe, making it a point to work with the best, most accomplished, creative chefs in the world." Judging by his resume, that's a goal he's achieved. After Shvartzapel graduated from the University of Houston and the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he helped launched Bouley Bakery. After a year there, he moved to Paris and worked with Pierre Herme, who he refers to as "the Michael Jordon of the pastry world." He spent 2006 at elBulli, which many chefs and critics considered to be the best restaurant in the world. From there, he moved to Italy and learned to make panettone from Iginio Massario, the "Godfather of traditional panettone." After a year or so in New York, Shvartzapel spent three-and-a-half years as the pastry chef at Cyrus, a Michelin two star restaurant in the California wine country. During that time, he mentored Matt Marcus of the Eatsie Boys and worked with Grant Gordon, the chef who helped revitalize Tony's. Finally, he achieved his goal of working for Thomas Keller when he helped open Bouchon Bakery's Beverley Hills location in 2011. Chilling at elBulli Although Shvartzapel hasn't lived in Houston in over ten years, he's noticed the way the city's dining scene has changed. "I was shocked, but very pleasantly surprised, to see that chef-owned restaurants are beginning to thrive and flourish. We have restaurants like Oxheart and Triniti, but there is one area of dining that remains untouched .... It's a shame that the fourth largest city in the United States doesn't have anyplace that's not a bar or restaurant to go to at 10:00 p.m. or even 11:00 p.m. after a movie to have tea or coffee and a pastry." With the assistance of his business partner Brad Sanders, Shvartzapel intends to change that. When it opens later this year, the restaurant will feature pastry, fresh bread and gelato. There will also be a savory component with sandwiches that should, at the very least, give Local Foods a run for its money. He describes the setup as an "open kitchen that's completely transparent to the guest" and says fresh bread will be coming out of the ovens "every 30 to 45 minutes." Although Shvartzapel isn't quite ready to reveal the other chefs he's signed on for the rest of his team, he says that all have backgrounds similar to his and share his excitement about Houston's restaurant scene. As for the location, Shvartzapel says he used to sit on the patio at Brazil, look across the street and think "if I won the lottery, I'd tear down that building and take that space. That's exactly what happened." The goal, he says, is "not about wanting to be the best pastry offering in Houston. My intent is to be the best in America …. If we picked the place up and put it in Manhattan, it would be the best there, too." Expect to read much more about this project as it develops.  http://houston.eater.com/archives/2013/02/15/pastry-chef-roy-shvartzapel-reveals-plan-to-bring-worldclass-cafe-to-montrose.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Well it has peaked my interest in wanting to check it out once it is finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I meant more from a business perspective. Opening a cafe on lower Westheimer certainly makes sense, but does locating it near so much direct competition run any risks? I mean, this is literally next door to both Bacchus and Agora, across the street from Brasil, and an easy walk to Empire. Now none of those places aspire to this high of a level of food quality, but I'm not sure that's the most important thing in a cafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I'm not complaining, the more the better, hell NYC allows developers to cramp competition in nearly every damn hole in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Critical mass.... Lower Westheimer is quickly becoming a foodie/coffee/alcohol lover's dream... Uchi, HayMerchant, Underbelly, El Real, Anvil, Antidote, Poison Girl, Brazil, Empire, Fendee, Indika, Osaka, Royal Oak, Agora, and on and on and on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbates2 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Who is Michael Jordon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnmcbarnacle Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 I noticed that the foundation is being laid for a new building at Westheimer and Dunlavy. A long time ago there was a thread with a rendering but I could not find it so I am starting a new one. Looks like the parking will be in the back which is great. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1362854550.630352.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1362854583.529327.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1362854617.513269.jpg  The thread on this was in the Montrose section. I am pasting the link. The initial rendering was bland, but let's see what they end up with.  http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/26343-dunlavy-westheimer/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 The thread on this was in the Montrose section. I am pasting the link. The initial rendering was bland, but let's see what they end up with. http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/26343-dunlavy-westheimer/ Topics merged and moved to Going Up since it's the same building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 i think it sounds awesome and unlike any of the places surrounding it and i go to them all...(i never learned how to cook so thankfully i can afford to eat out every meal haha!)...and it speaks of staying open late with all the food it offers which Brasil closes fairly early...weekdays especially...as does Empire. (I wont count Agora since they dont have meals really...)...so this is a great idea for a great location! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 thanks for the updated pic! i am really looking forward to this opening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Name of the cafe and more details. Common Bond: http://houston.eater.com/archives/2013/07/25/more-details-about-worldclass-cafe-common-bond.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Dang they are really hyping this thing up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 yeah im really excited about it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 For a group so very into name-dropping everyone in the principals' rolodexes, I find it funny they need to hire a NY branding agency just to come up with a name. No doubt Dave Chang will thumb over a prototype menu on the sample paper and we can expect a press release over that, too. At any rate, I drove past today to see the glass/windows being delivered and it's starting to look nearly finished. Assuming it doesn't collapse under the weight of its own self-importance, this is a def a nice add to the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Grabbed a quick shot on my way past tonight  http://s78.photobucket.com/user/TscreamosoulT/media/IMG_0946-1_zps7bb03fdc.jpeg.html'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Looks better than I expected from the rendering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 yeah the color and material choices make a huge difference. this looks like it will be a rare example of a building actually looking better than the rendering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 ya i drive by this all the time and it is definitely a nice addition to the neighborhood. pretty pumped that it's going to be open late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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