Drake's Hollywood Restaurant At 1100 Westheimer Rd.

[sevfiv]

Via Swamplot:

http://swamplot.com/swamplot-street-sleuths-chances-are/2010-07-13/

and the Commgate listing:

http://www.commgate.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=property.detailFS&ln=192832

Quote

Entire block in busy Midtown commercial area with frontage on Westheimer and street access on Waugh, Waughcrest and California streets. Prime retail/ restaurant/ redevelopment space with already existing building, currently in use as a nightclub.

Anyone think the buildings will stay? Is Chances relocating?

[porTENT]

Is there a negative connotation to the term Montrose? Why say "Midtown" ?

[barracuda]

I hadn't heard they were closing or moving. Kinda sad to hear, as Chances is a fun and very welcoming environment, not to mention a Montrose institution.

[Subdude]

Is there a negative connotation to the term Montrose? Why say "Midtown" ?

Real estate agents seem to think so. That's how they came up with "Neartown".

[RedScare]

Real estate agents seem to think so. That's how they came up with "Neartown".

Not true. This myth has been debunked numerous times on this very forum.

Neartown's creation

Edited July 15, 2010 by RedScare

[kylejack]

It doesn't say that Chances is closing...Just that ownership of the property is being offered, right?

[ricco67]

It doesn't say that Chances is closing...Just that ownership of the property is being offered, right?

Once a new owner looks at the area and does some rough studies, he could keep it as a club, change it to a restaurant, or bulldoze it to another strip mall.

[sidegate]

Ah....was wondering when this would be up for grabs. With the pending redevelopment of the marquee opposite there is an opportunity here for the bend to develop into something....he said hopefully....

[musicman]

Is there a negative connotation to the term Montrose? Why say "Midtown" ?

yes. both are hanging on. feel sorry for the midtowners esp post the rich's takeover by the state.

[Astro]

I remember when it was a 24/7 diner in the 90's, called Charlie's I believe? It's a great old landmark building in a very prominent location across from the Tower Theater, on the curve of Westheimer. Anyone know what the original use of the building was?

[brucesw]

I remember when it was a 24/7 diner in the 90's, called Charlie's I believe? It's a great old landmark building in a very prominent location across from the Tower Theater, on the curve of Westheimer. Anyone know what the original use of the building was?

I remember coming across a newspaper ad a few years ago when I was doing some research in the 1940s for a restaurant on the curve across from the Tower called Angelo's, a seafood restaurant/oyster bar. I remember thinking that must've been Charlie's but I didn't compare addresses so I don't know if it was that same building or if that was the original use.

I think that Angelo's may have later moved out on South Main outside the Loop where it was known as Angelo's Fisherman's Wharf.

[sevfiv]

In the early forties to mid fifties it was an auto service/repair place. HCAD lists the building as built in 1954 but who knows what was what and when since there are multiple buildings (1955 directory lists "Tower Auto Service and Repair," 1942 lists "Romeo's Service Station").

The only listing I could find for 1976 was 2715 Waughcrest (the back end of Chances now) - it was an American Legion post..

I remember going to Charlie's once in a while. I think the bar behind it (on Waugh - the American Legion space) was called Bacchus (II?) in the 1990s..

In 1942 Angelo's Cafe was at 1012 Westheimer (about where the Burger King parking lot is located).

[NenaE]

IMO - That bldg. design looks much older than 1954. Would be a shame to see it fall. That whole area has some very nice old structures.

[ricco67]

In the early forties to mid fifties it was an auto service/repair place. HCAD lists the building as built in 1954 but who knows what was what and when since there are multiple buildings (1955 directory lists "Tower Auto Service and Repair," 1942 lists "Romeo's Service Station").

The only listing I could find for 1976 was 2715 Waughcrest (the back end of Chances now) - it was an American Legion post..

I remember going to Charlie's once in a while. I think the bar behind it (on Waugh - the American Legion space) was called Bacchus (II?) in the 1990s..

In 1942 Angelo's Cafe was at 1012 Westheimer (about where the Burger King parking lot is located).

Charlie's was actually pretty good, but I can vouch that the bar's name was "Bacchus" after the god of wine and drunkenness. The Waugh side was, at one point (90-92?), a stage. The whole thing was converted into a club sometime in 96 or so.

Used to go eat at charlie's quite a bit, and I only missed the Cheesecake shooting by an hour.

.

[sidegate]

Charlie's was actually pretty good, but I can vouch that the bar's name was "Bacchus" after the god of wine and drunkenness. The Waugh side was, at one point (90-92?), a stage. The whole thing was converted into a club sometime in 96 or so.

Used to go eat at charlie's quite a bit, and I only missed the Cheesecake shooting by an hour.

.

From the bend down to Montrose has the potential to really become one of the cool places in Houston, but there's so much tired stuff there at the minute. If there is any development here, I really hope it's of the sort that can spark something.

[NenaE]

Leon Hale's Houston book says the Charlie's location was actually one of two Sinclair service stations, in the 1930's, that Glenn McCarthy owned and ran, before he struck it big in oil.

[dbigtex56]

In the early forties to mid fifties it was an auto service/repair place. HCAD lists the building as built in 1954 but who knows what was what and when since there are multiple buildings (1955 directory lists "Tower Auto Service and Repair," 1942 lists "Romeo's Service Station").

The only listing I could find for 1976 was 2715 Waughcrest (the back end of Chances now) - it was an American Legion post..

I remember going to Charlie's once in a while. I think the bar behind it (on Waugh - the American Legion space) was called Bacchus (II?) in the 1990s..

In 1942 Angelo's Cafe was at 1012 Westheimer (about where the Burger King parking lot is located).

1981 recollection: the Chances building was covered under a sort of shingled A-frame, and was called the Booby (Boobie?) Rock (seriously), and was a .... , well, not a gentlemen's club. It was a tittie bar.

Across Waugh Dr, the parking lot next to (east of) Mary's (1022 Westheimer) was occupied by an abandoned carwash. The site now occupied by Burger King was Dorsey's Auto Glass, and appeared to be a converted 1920's-30's gas station, in the Spanish Mission style. East of Lincoln St (present site of Velero) was Prince's Hamburgers.

Might Angelo's Cafe have been located on Mary's parking lot?

Some previous posts on this topic:

[ricco67]

Don't forget "tribal hut" was located on the corner of California and Lincoln streets.

Someone once told me that charlies was a T-bar at one point, but thet didn't tell me the time frame.

Not a gentlemans bar?? For leboneses only?

[brucesw]

I looked through my notes and found the reference I was remembering: "Big ad for Angelos Cafe (Oyster Bar) opposite Tower Theater. Grand cabin (?) dining room w/2 (...some kind of...) fireplaces, meat counter too." (my handwriting can be a little hard to read, even for me).

This was p. 17, 10/4/46 - Houston Press, if someone has access to the papers and wants to look it up. I think there may have been a picture of the restaurant in the ad that I intended to go back and get a copy of some time.

I'm almost certain this was the Press although this particular page of my notes I didn't remember to write the name of the paper I was scanning at the top; if it had been the Chronicle, there should have been a section citation along with the page # and the Post was virtually worthless in that era for my subject matter so it's not likely the Post.

If it was where Mary's was 'opposite the Tower Theater,' i.e., caddy-corner, would have been appropriate but I took it to mean directly across.

[dbigtex56]

Don't forget "tribal hut" was located on the corner of California and Lincoln street.

Tribal Hut is now Tribal Grounds 2404 Montrose. Still a cool place for authentic hippie products.

Not a gentlemans bar?? For leboneses only?

Ironic, isn't it? that a cheesy strip club was taken over by a women's bar. They've hosted some great live music acts, and I've always been treated with respect on my rare visits.

[HoustonMidtown]

New restaurant coming to the old Chances bar...

http://swamplot.com/thanks-for-the-mammaries-chances-bar-closing-restaurant-moving-in/2010-11-19/

[kylejack]

And Chances closes Saturday, for those who didn't click through.

[roadrunner]

If this turns out to be a high end restaurant then that's kind of cool. That stretch of Montrose is turning into quite the restaurant-row. Too bad the actual intersection of Westheimer and Montrose is still terrible.

[dbigtex56]

If this turns out to be a high end restaurant then that's kind of cool. That stretch of Montrose is turning into quite the restaurant-row. Too bad the actual intersection of Westheimer and Montrose is still terrible.

For such an iconic intersection, I agree - it's not pretty.

To be fair, Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine (northeast corner - 912 Westheimer) is pretty good. review

[Fringe]

Listen up, fans of craft beer. Anvil's Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd — the beer guru at the cutting-edge cocktail bar — plan to open a beer bar just down the Westheimer Curve, in the former Chances location.

Should be good.

Cook's article

[kylejack]

It's going to be awesome. There's more technical data here: http://barleyvine.blogspot.com/2011/01/hay-merchant.html

I mentioned cooler space earlier, so let's talk about the cold box at Hay Merchant. There will be 3 different and separate cold boxes. The first cooler box will be the cellar held at around 55 degrees F. In this cellar there will be kegs and bottles that Kevin would like to age. There will be no tap lines, just aging. Having a cellar will allow Kevin to host beer vertical events after a few years. The other cold box will be held at 55 deg F and will serve warmer beer like strong ales and casks. Finally, the last cold box will be the true cold box held at 35 degrees and will house, lagers, pilsners, blond ales, wheat beers, etc. Kevin's plan is to have a 60/40 split of ales to lagers. He is going to keep his keg lines as short as possible, straight taps, and short draws to reduce any chance of contamination or stale beer. As with Anvil, tap lines will be cleaned by hand at least between each time a keg is swapped out and sometimes more frequently depending on how quickly kegs are rotated. Each keg will have individual gas regulators as well. [...]

[ricco67]

Uh-oh..

Does this mean the Dbaggery is coming to montrose? I certainly hope not.

[20thStDad]

Hells yeah! Definitely my kind of place.

[sidegate]

Uh-oh..

Does this mean the Dbaggery is coming to montrose? I certainly hope not.

I like & make craft beer. I live in Montrose. To the best of my knowledge I am not a d-bag.

[ricco67]

I like & make craft beer. I live in Montrose. To the best of my knowledge I am not a d-bag.

Boy, you take it personal, don't you?

Maybe your household has a low dbag factor, but the ratio goes up if you put some trendy bar. I'd go, but I hope to negate a little bit of the d-bag factor, though.

[ToolMan]

Uh-oh..

Does this mean the Dbaggery is coming to montrose? I certainly hope not.

Why is it every time a new bar opens someone claims its going to be filled with d-bags? This isn't going to be a club or hip place to be.

[trymahjong]

I like & make craft beer. I live in Montrose. To the best of my knowledge I am not a d-bag.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm perhaps there is more home brewing being done in Montrose than one would imagine. . . . . We home brew also------------

Edited January 24, 2011 by trymahjong

[sidegate]

I like what they are planning to do in terms of salvaging what they can in the building, if there's anywhere that's to be encouraged, it's here. That bend is finally going to be something with this place and the new restaurant opposite. As to the beer, if I don't like it, I won't go. Regarding the d-baggery or otherwise, I've yet to hear a satisfactory definition of that moniker, so wouldn't really know one if I saw one. Now if it's a-holes we're talking about, then those creatures are present in nearly every bar I go to. There's little I can do about that other than never go out, and I'm not going to do that.

Let's just give the place a chance*....

*Unintentional play on words.

[ChrisPHous]

Shouldn't we embrace the D-bag? Are we not mature enough to ignore these people if they are in the same place as you or is it too overwhelming? Personally I think the "d-bag" guy who is going with his 5 bros spending 100 dollars each really helps these kinds of places. I can enjoy myself in the same place as those people...its fun people watching when someone is making themselves look like a complete idiot.

[ricco67]

Regarding the d-baggery or otherwise, I've yet to hear a satisfactory definition of that moniker, so wouldn't really know one if I saw one. Now if it's a-holes we're talking about, then those creatures are present in nearly every bar I go to. There's little I can do about that other than never go out, and I'm not going to do that.

Let's just give the place a chance*....

*Unintentional play on words.

Go to bars often enough, and they will stand out.

Shouldn't we embrace the D-bag? Are we not mature enough to ignore these people if they are in the same place as you or is it too overwhelming? Personally I think the "d-bag" guy who is going with his 5 bros spending 100 dollars each really helps these kinds of places. I can enjoy myself in the same place as those people...its fun people watching when someone is making themselves look like a complete idiot.

Spending $100 each and hanging with your buds is no big deal, it's the guys that do it obnoxiously and annoy people around them.

Now kids, here are some examples. Remember, pay attention, this might help you enjoy your evening better if you avoid the following examples:

But here is the "Jersey Shore" variation.

For those that need a better definition, here's a fairly accurate chart:

[Fringe]

To me the d-bag is the one drinking lite beer and prefers quantity over quality, but that's just my opinion.

[sidegate]

I don't anticipate seeing any of these characters in a brewpub but if I do will surely give them a wide berth.

Go to bars often enough, and they will stand out.

Spending $100 each and hanging with your buds is no big deal, it's the guys that do it obnoxiously and annoy people around them.

Now kids, here are some examples. Remember, pay attention, this might help you enjoy your evening better if you avoid the following examples:

But here is the "Jersey Shore" variation.

For those that need a better definition, here's a fairly accurate chart:

[kylejack]

Boy, you take it personal, don't you?

Maybe your household has a low dbag factor, but the ratio goes up if you put some trendy bar. I'd go, but I hope to negate a little bit of the d-bag factor, though.

Douchebags drink rum and cokes, Bud Light, and Stella at best, not craft beer.

[capnmcbarnacle]

So I'm guessing that this is going to take up the space where Charlie's Diner was....

I am on the "this is going to be awesome" side of things.

http://www.29-95.com/restaurants/story/chris-shepherd-launch-underbelly-next-hay-merchant

[Fringe]

The space is going to need a LOT of work.

[Subdude]

Douchebags drink .. Stella.

In the UK Stella is indeed famous as the beer of chavs. It is nicknamed 'wife beater'.

[dbigtex56]

Douchebags drink rum and cokes

It's official. The Andrew Sisters were douchebags.

I notice that there's no female equivalent term - perhaps douchebaguette?

[20thStDad]

It's official. The Andrew Sisters were douchebags.

I notice that there's no female equivalent term - perhaps douchebaguette?

We never fault the women - we just sit there and jealously mutter under our breath that the hot chicks who hang out with douchebags would be better off with us.

[ricco67]

It's official. The Andrew Sisters were douchebags.

I notice that there's no female equivalent term - perhaps douchebaguette?

Actually, according to my daughter, the term is "tampon".

I stared at the phone not believing it.

[sidegate]

So I'm guessing that this is going to take up the space where Charlie's Diner was....

I am on the "this is going to be awesome" side of things.

http://www.29-95.com...xt-hay-merchant

This is exciting. Three brand new establishments under development in such close proximity to each other - with any luck the strip center on the south side of Westheimer will be next.

[htownproud]

i walked by Chances last weekend, and it is need of some serious repairs and frankly is an eye sore. while im all for perserving old buildings, Chances looks like it needs to be knocked down. i hope these guys can somehow make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[kylejack]

i walked by Chances last weekend, and it is need of some serious repairs and frankly is an eye sore. while im all for perserving old buildings, Chances looks like it needs to be knocked down. i hope these guys can somehow make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

That's their specialty. Did you ever go to Anvil when it was Sliders Bar & Daiquiris?

[sevfiv]

The "New Barn" is being torn down (wasn't this the old Bacchus II location?) to make room for Hay Merchant parking, I assume:

http://swamplot.com/daily-demolition-report-cutting-the-chances/2011-02-09/

I'll cross-post this to the other thread.

[sevfiv]

The "New Barn" is being torn down (wasn't this the old Bacchus II location?) to make room for Hay Merchant parking, I assume:

http://swamplot.com/daily-demolition-report-cutting-the-chances/2011-02-09/

I'll cross-post this to the other thread:

[LTAWACS]

Sounds like it's time for a new 30+ story mixed use tower.