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Rice Box At 300 W. 20th St.


CrockpotandGravel

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This thread was originally created January 17, 2016. I'm reposting / reupping this because this post and other content from me are no longer available on the forum.  An archive link  will be posted soon.
 




 

Previously posted in the Lack of Restaurant Diversity thread but deserves its own thread so we can all keep up with updates in one place.

 

New development, rumored to be a restaurant or bar, taking over the old Chirps Chicken acquired by Braun Enterprises.


 

On 6/24/2015 at 9:33 AM, s3mh said:

Chirps Chicken is closing.  Property is up for lease. 

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6065-restaurant-diversity-in-the-heights/?do=findComment&comment=504222


 

On 6/24/2015 at 3:49 PM, Angostura said:
On 6/24/2015 at 9:33 AM, s3mh said:

Chirps Chicken is closing.  Property is up for lease. 



 

Saw this last week. 

 

I wouldn't mind seeing the whole building come down and something more dense go up in its place, but given our parking requirements we probably don't deserve anything more interesting than a Chipotle.
 

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6065-restaurant-diversity-in-the-heights/?do=findComment&comment=504245



 

On 7/1/2015 at 8:09 AM, Angostura said:

 

Sign now indicates this is Braun. No details on their site yet.

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6065-restaurant-diversity-in-the-heights/?do=findComment&comment=504769




 

On 12/28/2015 at 4:56 PM, s3mh said:

Something called "Black Dragon" has a TABC private club notice up at the old Chirps Chicken on W 20th.  I cannot get any further information on the TABC website search engine, but I have always had a hard time getting everything formatted just right to get a response.  So, no clue who is doing this or what it will be other than a place called Black Dragon that serves some alcohol.

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6065-restaurant-diversity-in-the-heights/?do=findComment&comment=521022
 


 

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This was originally posted  August 24, 2016 in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 


 

Harris County Appraisal District's website shows the property is owned by 320 W 20th Realty, a shell company established by Braun Enterprises this summer. It's listed on Braun's website under 300 W 20th. I hope it's another Eight Row Flint type of place or something cool and unique for the Heights.

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19280618/300-W-20th-Street-Houston-TX/

 

 

Here's the updated marketing brochure link.



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iAEMUt7.jpg


 

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This was originally posted  August 24, 2016 iin the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 

 

 

 

A friend of mine who lives nearby confirmed that a rumor posted in the Lack of Restaurant Diversity In the Heights thread:
 

 

  On 1/6/2016 at 10:57 AM, CrockpotandGravel said:

Another food truck is opening a storefront in the Heights according to this tweet:

 

@HoustonMatters @kshilcutt @DavidLeftwich68 @esandler and @BBs_Cafe is rumored to expand to Pearland & @RiceBoxTruck to Heights. Exciting!

 

Has anyone heard about this and any idea where Rice Box will locate to? Is their food any good or just over-hyped hipster food?



 

After asking around they were able to find out that The Rice Box is opening at 300 W 20th St. This was a food truck that expanded to a brick and mortar in Greenway Plaza's food court last year. Looks like this will be their first real full-scale restaurant.


 

 

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This was originally posted  January 14, 2016 in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 

 

 

 

After reading about this place in Houston Chronicle, I would assume Collaborative Projects will be designing this space.

 

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This was originally posted January 23, 2016 in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 



 

From The Heights Life on Facebook several days ago:


Rumor Mill Alert: A TABC notice in the window of the former Chirps's Chicken & Rice on 20th shows the applicant as "Black Dragon Private Club," which traces back to The Rice Box Truck, who also have a brick and mortar in Greenway Plaza.


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 



Originally posted by Angostura, January 25,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.


 

  On 1/23/2016 at 10:04 AM, CrockpotandGravel said:

From The Heights Life on Facebook several days ago:

Rumor Mill Alert: A TABC notice in the window of the former Chirps's Chicken & Rice on 20th shows the applicant as "Black Dragon Private Club," which traces back to The Rice Box Truck, who also have a brick and mortar in Greenway Plaza.


 

...and which, it turns out, mostly serves chicken and rice.

 

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 25,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.


 

  On 1/25/2016 at 9:35 AM, Angostura said:

...and which, it turns out, mostly serves chicken and rice.

 


Yes but I'm hoping they'll do more. I know the space will look cool but the novelty of overpriced Americanized Chinese food can only last for so long. I'm glad to see Chirps and its signage gone.



 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by Angostura, January 26,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Could this finally be the nail in the coffin for Happy All Cafe?
 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 27,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



 

  On 1/26/2016 at 3:50 PM, Angostura said:

Could this finally be the nail in the coffin for Happy All Cafe?

 


I don't like to wish the worse of a small business because of what's at risk for the owners and employees but I don't think so. I don't care for their food but some do and are loyal customers. So maybe not yet.

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by Angostura, January 27,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Not rooting for failure, it's just that I never see anyone in the place. I assume it's a front. 


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by Heightsfamily, January 27,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



OMG, I have been telling my husband the same thing! There is never more than a handful of people there and food is sub-par at best.  Property would be a dream to revive with something good despite being in the dry area.
 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, March 8,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




The Rice Box is making an announcement soon.

A blurb from The Leader about the former Chirps Chicken property at 300 West 20th St:



In other Braun news, the former Chirps Chicken & Rice 300 W. 20th St. will have a new tenant shortly. Dan Braun said they have leased to a local operator who will make an opening announcement soon.



 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, July 27,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Previously posted in the Lack of Restaurant Diversity thread :



https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6065-restaurant-diversity-in-the-heights/?do=findComment&comment=536351

On 7/27/2016 at 11:05 AM, s3mh said:

New restaurant from Rice Box folks has finally gotten underway at the old Chirps Chicken spot on Rutland and 20th.  

 

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, September 3,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.


From Swamplot:


 

Empty Chirps Chicken and Rice Box Getting Filled Back Up in the Heights



A reader caught sight of some recent stirrings at the southwest corner of W. 20th St. and Rutland, where food truck The Rice Box looks to be setting up a second non-mobile operation in the former home of Chirps Chicken and Rice. Braun Enterprises snapped up the 1,584-sq.-ft. building in mid-2015, when Chirps flew the coop; a TABC permit for the dry zone address was issued to Black Dragon Private Club — an entity listing The Rice Box as a trade name — in early May. Braun also owns the retail strip across Rutland, which replaced those Baptist Temple buildings that were demolished in 2013; the photo above was taken from the Zoe’s Kitchen at the corner.

http://swamplot.com/empty-chirps-chicken-and-rice-box-getting-filled-back-up-in-the-heights/2016-08-10/




xHT0WJ5.jpg

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, October 27,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




From CultureMap today, which listed The Rice Box as one the anticipated openings for the fall and winter:


The Rice Box
Owner John Peterson has been quiet about his plans to open a stand alone restaurant in The Heights, but City of Houston permits and a TABC license indicate that the popular food truck will open in the former Chirps Chicken space on 20th Street. The restaurant’s Greenway Plaza location has made a number of improvements that bode well for the second location, including cooking all of its food in woks and adding beer and wine. 

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/10-27-16-44-top-houston-area-bars-and-restaurants-are-expected-to-open-before-super-bowl-li/

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by s3mh, October 28,  2016 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



They did a lot of work building out the interior and then a few weeks ago they put up a big plywood shell around the building.  Since then, it seems like things have slowed down.

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 17,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




Signage up for The Rice Box at it's new location in the Heights @ 300 W 20th Street:

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iM4Hw6s.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/houstonsignmaker/photos/a.278590292275806.1073741829.260849900716512/964437253691103

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by Icemanhorns84, January 17,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



I was about to post a picture. I talked with the owner on Sunday and he said they should be open in a couple weeks. The construction looked almost complete.

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by mkultra25, January 18,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



I just noticed the new signage while driving down 20th last night. It's much more visible after dark than it is during the daytime. 

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by IronTiger, January 18,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



What is up with that sign structure, though, it's like someone built a smaller stock rectangular sign and then a second custom sign structure was built around it sometime later.


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by mkultra25, January 18,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Looks like they just used the framework of the previous sign that was there and modified/augmented it. I believe this allows them to use the existing sign permit instead of having to jump through the regulatory hoops to get a new one - I seem to recall some discussion about this when the old Cactus Music sign at Alabama and Shepherd was repurposed. 

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by Angostura, January 18,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



 

  On 1/18/2017 at 12:02 PM, mkultra25 said:

Looks like they just used the framework of the previous sign that was there and modified/augmented it. I believe this allows them to use the existing sign permit instead of having to jump through the regulatory hoops to get a new one - I seem to recall some discussion about this when the old Cactus Music sign at Alabama and Shepherd was repurposed. 

 



Yeah, that's the same sign. The old sign said "Fried Chicken" on the lower left, and "Chirps" (and some other text) on the upper right.


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by s3mh, January 18,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Building a new sign from scratch is very expensive, especially if you want something creative.  Many businesses will lease their signs from the company that made them instead of buying because of the cost and to not end up leaving a lot of sunk money if you move or the business doesn't fly.  Repurposing a sign is a big money saver.  


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 20,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




 

The Rice Box is opening at the end of the month. From Houston Food Finder:


 

After 18 months of development, The Rice Box, which started as a food truck, is about to have a street level brick-and-mortar location. It is slated to “soft open” on Chinese New Year, which is on Saturday, January 28.


Owner John Peterson’s first expansion of the truck’s Chinese-American style food was at a counter-service spot in the food court of 5 Greenway Plaza (where it exists alongside Greenway Coffee and Kuma Burgers—other notables in the unlikely location). Peterson says that the menu of the new storefront, located at 300 West 20th in The Heights, is modeled after the Greenway location. The features include General Tso Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Mongolian Beef and top notch crispy fried dumplings.


On a bittersweet note: “hello” to the new restaurant means “goodbye” to the food truck. This Saturday will be the last night the familiar, bright red Rice Box truck will take up its familiar station across the street from Poison Girl bar on Westheimer. After that, it will be kept for catering gigs. It will always be known as one of the true survivors of the gourmet food truck trend that took hold in Houston six years ago and then dwindled a few years later. Peterson started The Rice Box in 2011; it has been here for the duration.


Much like the truck, though, the Heights location is geared heavily for take-out. There’s no formal dining room, although there will be nine barstools along the counter and rather spacious patio seating outside. “How many places in the city of Houston do you know of where you can sit at a bar and eat Chinese? I just want to go in for 15 minutes and get an elevated tea and have some Chinese food,” pointed out Peterson.


The streamlined space will guide patrons from the magnetic menu board to the order/payment station, then down to the taps. That’s where visitors will find that “elevated tea.”

The tap system has five beers on draft as well as some eye-opening “nitro tea” in Thai, black and green varieties. The mixing of the pressurized nitrogen gas with the tea creates tiny, cascading bubbles as it is released from the tap. That lends creamy texture—no added dairy required. The Thai tea especially benefits from the process. Instead of a heavy, dessert-like feel, it is closer to ethereal, with all the expected seductive, spiced fragrance and flavors.

 

Peterson, who lived in China for a time, has long had an interest in pop culture, including anime and dystopic sci-fi movies. The design of all of The Rice Box projects have been heavily influenced by “White Dragon Noodle Bar,” the restaurant in Blade Runner where Harrison Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, is first introduced. Of all three though, none channels it so heavily as the new storefront. Peterson called it, “Neo Chinese Take-Out.”


Inside the streamlined glass space is an enormous, triple-tubed red and blue neon The Rice Box logo. The windows on the opposite sides reflect the glowing visage. Outside, another neon sign, with the restaurant name in both Chinese and English, beckons in visitors.


Yet, with all the modern trappings, Peterson’s goal is very simple. “I grew up on mounds of General Tso’s chicken. When I started The Rice Box food truck, I said, ‘I want to have the best General Tso’s chicken.’ That’s what I want to have. I am super, super passionate for bringing this style of take-out to people. It’s very coherent with fast-paced, take-out culture.


For fans of this style of Chinese food, the welcoming glow of The Rice Box sign is likely to set up an instant hankering.



https://houstonfoodfinder.com/2017/01/20/forthcoming-the-rice-box-storefront-channels-neo-chinese-takeout-vibe/

 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 20,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.



Photos of the Rice Box from Houston Food Finder/Chuck Cook


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https://houstonfoodfinder.com/2017/01/20/forthcoming-the-rice-box-storefront-channels-neo-chinese-takeout-vibe/


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 22,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




Pictures of The Rice Box's exterior and patio from CultureMap


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bQiSUde.jpg



http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/01-20-17-chinese-takout-restaurant-rice-box-heights-john-peterson/

 


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, January 23,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




Pictures of The Rice Box at 300 W 20th St from Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook:


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http://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/First-look-Rice-Box-to-open-futuristic-takeaway-10876735.php


 

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This was in the previous thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights. It's being reposted / reupped since the original thread and other content from me were removed. 

 




Originally posted by crockpotandgravel, February 5,  2017 in the thread for 300 W 20th St | The Heights.




Pictures of The Rice Box and the completed patio ( 300 W 20th ) from Swamplot:


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http://swamplot.com/former-chirps-chicken-rice-now-open-as-the-rice-boxs-most-blade-runner-esque-takeout-spot-yet/2017-02-01/



 

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