bwj

A new development at Jackson and Stuart (map) in S Midtown next to Elizabeth Baldwin Park called Jackson Villas at Stuart broke ground recently. The sign says from the mid-300's.

http://static.flickr.com/19/106394946_cd8a973669.jpg

Anyone tried Dolce Vita (map) yet?

Believe it is owned by Damarco.

Went to Dolce Vita last night and loooooved the pizza. I got the proschuitto pizza and it was magnificent. The prices were very reasonable.

$4 appetizer (mushrooms in some type of cheese)

2 $7 glasses of nice wine

$14 great specialty pizza that filled 2 of us up (guessing 14")

I also found the ambiance and the service to be quite enjoyable. I'll be back for sure.

Well we stopped by on Saturday and had a great time. Nice selection of beers on tap, friendly staff, solid jukebox selections, and an all around good vibe. The crowd was nice mix of guys, gals, and the young and old. Welcome to the hood, we're glad to have you as the closest bar to our crib!

dup

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=4803

oops!

Merged topics - thanks, bwj.

dbigtex56

Ha Ha, a bunch of comendians in this forum. As of Wed, Feb. 15, we are officially open and will continue to be open every day of the week from 3pm-2am. About time eh!

it is aboot time, eh?! i'll try and stop by this weekend. welcome to the 'hood.

haha - my wife jokes at their "coming soon" sign every time we pass and says "coming later".

How right you are about the quality of Spec's produce! They really do have some amazing food there along with their selection of libations.

So, on Saturday midnight hit and I'm craving pizza like mad. I call around trying to order one and none of the usual suspects including Late Nite Pie will answer their phone.

Anyone know of a place that will deliver a pie past the midnight hour?

ah - I thought that was a private party so didn't even think about popping in. As I remember, I assumed this b/c their sign wasn't lit. Nevertheless, hopefully they'll be open some night this week so I can pop in.

Wild. I went down to the Cactus to grab some fish tacos and a rita the other night and noticed it was closed. Stopped by the Tispy Clover again and had a few pints. Found the staff extremely friendly (introduced themselves, a handshake as I was leaving) and once again and enjoyed myself.

nice - i see through the windows while driving by lately some good progress has been made getting it ready. look forward to checking it out.

Anyone tried Dolce Vita (map) yet?

Believe it is owned by Damarco.

I went here about a month ago and wanted to leave before I even ordered a drink. Did not like the vibe at all, and really couldn't put my finger on it. I expected it to be more upscale and relaxed, I think, but it was uber crowded, smoky, and busy. This is actually the first bar I've been in Midtown so far that I haven't enjoyed.

^^^ agreed. i see almeda becoming the next kirby - a vibrant and active corridor between hcc/midtown and the tmc.

I agree, too. We are about to move over to S Midtown next to HCC and are really stoked about being in the middle to all the action around the Gray and Brazos area to the North, along with having the Almeda area pick up equidistant to the South. Plus each area has its own unique vibe. Not only is it fun to cruise to those areas on the weekends, but also we'll pass through on the way to work in the Med Center and Downtown. We didn't really discover this area until after we decided on the house, so it was a great surprise. There is so much space in between Elgin and Hermann Park with outstanding potential.

I think (and hope) the traffic generated from High Fashion Home may spill over to this new retail space. HFH has enjoyed a good steady flow of traffic from my observation - I drive past it a couple of times a day. From the look of the folks walking in and out of there, they seem to have a nice amount of disposable income.

The fact the new place will have the parking garage for customers - around 300 parking places - should make it attractive for shops that tend to get a good amount of traffic.

The space in HCC seems a little hard to notice to me. If I were evaluating space, I wouldn't find that area as attractive as this new space popping up.

Yeah, the Cactus faces the back side of Specs on Brazos and the Clover is next door towards Bagby, but it faces Mcilhenney. They have a pretty cool little patio with a waterwall on the Bagby side.

I actually went in the day it opened after dinner next door and just hit it again for happy hour the other day.

The Tipsy Clover is a new little pub on the other side of the Thirsty Cactus. Pretty cool vibe - clean, with a masculine lounge feel. The staff and owner have been super friendly the couple of times I've stopped by.

It is @ Mcilhenny and Bagby.

Either I haven't noticed it before, or a new sign popped up at Louisiana and Elgin, next to the big parking garage. They are advertising commercial leases available in 2006. Hopefully it will be something comparable to the new High Fashion Home, which I've been impressed with.

I could always dream we could score a Trader Joe's in South Midtown, too.

Ah, yeah, saw the sign back up today. Good luck getting things rolling, I'll stop by once you open.

Whether or not you like the coffee at Starbucks, this is good news for the area. Starbucks' success is not only due to its fantastic marketing, but also its real estate brilliance. If they are willing to invest in a new shop, that is just another affirmation that there is a growing affluent population in the area.

Here is some more info on Startucks' real estate strategies - a review of a book by EVP of Real Estate with Starbucks:

http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautop...ucks_real_.html

500 Westheimer will be Dolce Vita Pizzeria Enoteca by DaMarco chef-owner Marco Wiles.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/d.../digest/3313419

They advertise in the Houston Press already, also.

That sounds like a great opportunity for the students, I'm impressed!