heights_yankee

I totally understand soft openings, HY. However Lola seemed to take forever to get it right (have they yet?), and some of the Creeks never seem to...well, get hard. As I said about PitS in a previous post, "Glad for their coming to the 'hood. We'll give it time to settle out."

It's unique to the Heights, because we are victims of the joyful lack of chains. When you open an Applebee's, you've done it 2,000 times. We enjoy the uniqueness and freshness of the food. However, service is key.

In this girl's opinion, Lola has worked a lot of it out. Are they flawless? No, but I've paid a lot more at much fancier restaurants and still had dishes come out wrong. It did take a while, but again the didn't have a soft opening. They just hit the ground running- trial by fire. The thing that's great about Lola is that they have really listened to feedback and made changes according to what their customers want.

I think if you want great service in a super casual atmosphere, Big Mamou is the place to go. I don't *love* their food but the staff is so friendly and helpful and go above what anyone should expect from counter service and poboys.

THe service I had at Pie was great. A dish taking a long time and "service" are not necessarily the same thing. Not saying this is the case with some of the experiences recounted here, but your meal can take forever or not even come out, but the waiter can still give you great service. After all, they're not cooking the food KWIM? i've been to Pie 2x and both were good experiences. Great? Not yet but full of promise and that buffalo chicken sandwich alone is enough to go back for

Heights restaurant with huge delay and awkward service when it's just opening. Why does this sound familiar?

this isn't a "heights restaurant" issue. this is many, many (probably most) new restaurants. there is always a period of working out the kinks, testing the new kitchen, etc... a place at the price point of Pie or Lola will not go through the process of a soft opening because it's not worth it. i've opened several restaurants (in dallas, on staff). i was a great waiter but you never would have known it on a couple of nights in a new restaurant. and that was even after a soft opening...

Porch, You want the lesbians for yourself! I knew they were acting strange... O.K., I'll leave them to you, but keep your hands off my Zin! Lol!!

Sounds like Heightsfamily had a bad run... Hmmm I suddenly started hearing that old song in my mind...." So, bye - bye Miss American Pie..."

Or, " Turn out the lights - the party's over....". Both would probably be appropriate.

Mismanagement, and poor business planning. I've seen this broken record before ... wonder why no one learns?

Well, fellow Heights'ers, I'm not going to quit going there just because of these complaints. I can still B.M.O.W., get drunk, and fall on the patio area on a really beautiful night, and be trampled by stalkers of all ilks. What do you guys want... Tony Valone's?

does Pie have a patio area? or are you discussing Lola here?

I think the house is safe. That's why they moved it.

right, but will it be renovated and used as a residence or will it be left to rot from neglect or will they use it for commercial? after all, the original plan had them jacking it up and using underneath for additional parking according to posts on here.

The house has been mover and now the corner lot is for sale.

http://search.har.co..._HAR8179857.htm

From the Listing:

Recently cleared, important commercial ''once in a lifetime'' Heights corner. Property was replatted to commercial, unrestricted reserve. Perfect for retail or office use. Beautiful frontage on 11th as well as Heights. Approved curb cut on Heights Blvd. Owner can provide plans for a 4,000 S.F. retail center.[/

quote]

It appears that plans for commercial development at that corner are not completely off the table.

not surprising. i wonder what's going to happen to the original house now?

I saw that as well...

I also saw that there is a new coffeeshop/art gallery going in on 19th next to the Friends for Life shop.

not to hijack but Love Street Coffee Shop- some details from their press release (C&P from The Heights Life)

The Grand Opening is expected to be late summer of this year. 242 West 19th St.

Houston native Katy Whelan has been dreaming of opening her own coffeeshop for the past 15 years. She will be incorporating sustainable and green practices in the business, and will focus on showcasing music and art by Houston artists.

The name was inspired by Love Street Light Circus and Feel Good Machine, a Houston club open in the late 1960's that had psychedelic music with bands like the 13th Floor Elevators and The Moving Sidewalks.

i did a little write up for my blog if anyone is interested. admittedly, it was 1 adult and 1 child so it's not a real "review" as much as a heads' up....

My hope was for restaurant tenants like Cafe Express, La Madeline, Amazon, and that ilk. But the demographics obviously did not bear it out. All in all though, it's pretty handy.

Speaking of El Rey, anyone here ventured out to their new location at Bunker Hill and I-10. Pretty nice...

i think this was discussed before but the big issue with the demographics is they are a decade old. the area has changed considerably in the last 10 years. apparently, target didn't make the store a super target b/c of these outdated demographics and now they are stuffing produce on any shelf they can because their food sales are through the roof. they made their decision based on the heights/washington corridor of 10 years ago. too bad for them.

the problem is the location is so good that even the bad places do well. this shopping center services a pretty underserved population- like downtown, the heights, rice military, etc... even the snobbiest yuppie will grab a panda express or taco bell on a night when they worked until 8 and they don't have to get out of their car...

Our breakfast was really delicious and very well priced, "Dad's Plate", which consists two eggs, breakfast meat, potato/grit, and toast, for $5. That same meal is $8 at Dry Creek and I think $11 or so at Lola.

One highchair in the entire place is a problem, personally speaking, but the food was really good. I also snuck in a "cake ball", delicious.

funny that you mention the high chairs. there were 2 on friday night but they're the white plastic ones from Ikea so i can imagine one being a loss by sunday. lol! anyway, that was the 1st thing that i said to the owner when we chatted- "you're going to need more highchairs." Lola pretty much doubled their highchair inventory recently.

also, i heard through the grapevine recently that Lola lowered their breakfast prices. they did make the portions smaller but it was way too much eggs. i think they have listened to their customers and brought their breakfast dishes more in line with what people expect- both in price and portion.

We went there for breakfast Sunday morning. They were working out some kinks and seemed a little overwhelmed, but I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. I had a very good veggie omelette and helped out with some pancakes (wow, good pancakes).

had dinner with my kids on friday night. really enjoyed it. love the atmosphere. can see becoming regulars

This Target complex and associated properties had so much potential but it is becoming a corporate franchises mecca. Sadly, my prediction is this Target is enroute to becoming the next ghetto Target.

I have never eaten at all the strip mall chain restuarants in this Target area because why would you want to when we are blessed with so many local places in this area.

i agree with Red's assessment. sure, i think there are local chains that could have done better (southwell's is one, after all) but it is what it is. i support local businesses as much, if not more, than a lot of people but somedays my kids just need marble slab.

as far as ghetto target, i hardly think so. it's one of the highest earning Targets in metro Houston and they carry a lot more of the "designer" clothes and jewelry than even the san felipe store. any given day every luxury car maker is well represented in the parking lot. i just can't see that prediction coming true...

Was the original home a craftsman style home? The image on google maps doesn't look like a craftsman.

so i took your question to an architect and he said it's "a stripped down english cottage. The technical term is a tudor revival - more form than detail." there are many of these around the heights but they only exist in this neighborhood around the park, i think. i could see one being approved (for any project, not just pizer) if it was in harmony on scale and materials. but who knows. the notion of "confirming" generally (this is just my opinion of how things are interpreted) goes to the majority of houses, not the minority or one off.

there is a huge oak tree next to southwell's that the developers were smart/kind enough to keep. they have the area sectioned off with a fence and a couple picnic tables. we ate under that tree on sunday and it was so nice. i really like southwell's but agree it will never be Someburger

Just to clarify, the white modern victorian is not my house. I wish it were.

ha! i guess i completely read your post wrong. good thing i didn't DM you to come over and take pictures for my blog

either way, i love that house and love my bungalow just the same

None of this makes sense to me. I can understand the need for deed restrictions that limit setbacks, space between homes, and maintenance and upkeep. However, imposing subjective rules of aesthetics as trivial as the home design being craftsman or not is suppressive. Who's to say which color, or column style is beautiful or not? What arrogance is that?

I live near a home that's completely out of style with the neighborhood; the white modern Victorian at the corner of 22nd St and Harvard. Despite being incongruous, it's beautiful and admired by my neighbors. To me it makes a statement about soaring human intellect and ambition. Unfortunately such home would be ruled out in your neighborhood, and that's your loss.

You didn't buy your property in a deed restricted neighborhood.

Actually, Dan, I love your house and always have. I think there is a lot of room for modern homes in the Heights. I am in love with the new one on 8 1/2 near Antidote on the south side of the street. Don't know if you have seen that one. I'll try to get a picture. If you were to go back and read previous posts of mine, you would see that many times over I have said that I love seeing more modern homes being built. One of the things that is so special about the Heights is that it still looks a lot like it did when it was built. I like new homes that reflect the times in which they were built through their architecture. However, this doesn't apply when a neighborhood has deed restrictions that were set up with the primary purpose of protecting the style of home that was prevalent when this area was built and making sure new/modified homes "conform" (which I quote b/c that is the term used in the deed restrictions).

Proctor Plaza is roughly 1200 homes and the largest protected district in the city. Is there no value in historic areas at all? Should they all be demolished for redevelopment? I just don't understand that mentality. Should the day come when we can afford it, my husband and I would love to live in a house a lot more like yours, Dan, than the one we live in now. But we would never build it in this deed restricted neighborhood. we bought here knowing that there are limitations on what we can do with our property and we believe that is, over all, for the greater good.

while the deed restrictions do dictate what kinds of columns you can have that is because it was dictated by the original architectural style of the neighborhood. it's not a matter of what one or the other thinks is beautiful. it's about what was in the Crane catalog when these houses were built. also, the deed restrictions do not (and therefore the neighborhood board does not) say anything about what color you paint your house. my next door neighbor's house is electric blue with barney-purple trim. on the corner, a family just painted their house salmon.

i think the thing that is interesting is that we discuss Proctor and the issues here as though deed restrictions are this crazy one off thing that this one psycho neighborhood has. that's hardly the case. not to mention the fact that this area actually had deed restrictions when it was built. 50 or so years later, they had fallen prey to neglect and the neighborhood residents worked to revive and refine them, setting them up in such a way that they automatically renew every 10 years no matter what. for over a decade this neighborhood was able to quietly survive with a large majority of its original homes in tact. then development fever hit the heights and suddenly the notion that this area wants to stay how it is and how it has been is absurd and a loss to the people who live here. well, most of the people who live here do so because of this fact, not in spite of it. i think we all benefit from houses like Dan's being built in the Heights but also from having some areas, like Proctor and Freeland, left to be what they have always been.

Any comments or opinions on Dessert Shoppe on 19th street ? What about Whats up Cupcake ? located corner of 14th street and Sheperd street empty lot ?

It would be nice if the Heights had a great selection of ice cream,pies,cakes ,or homemade sweet desserts.

dessert shoppe is on my list of To-Dos for the week. heights kids group moms have had good things to say.

the heights does have a nice selection of sweets: MAMs (opening again in March), gelato at Crickets; Antidote has great sweets, many made by Jennifer Diaz of Porchswing Desserts, DaCapos, El Bollio... There is a Marble Slab accessible by the bike trail down by Target. Then you have all the new stuff: Dessert Shoppe, Pie In The Sky Pie Company (opening soon), Melange Creperie (mobile until- often sets up in front of Hello, Lucky), What's Up Cupcake, and rumored Happy Fatz to open on White Oak. That's a lot of treats in a couple square miles

Was the original home a craftsman style home? The image on google maps doesn't look like a craftsman.

you know, it didn't really have a distinct style that i am aware of. one the board members is an architect and he hasn't called it anything either. i am going to inquire but it was a Crane house, everyone is pretty sure. they are not going to replicate the original in any way (well, except that all houses around the park have to be brick) so to conform they either need to mimic the houses around the block, which it doesn't seem like they intend on doing, or go craftsman, which is their plan but nothing is finalized yet.

the house doesn't have to match what was torn down but it does have to match the majority of homes in the neighborhood, which are craftsman. if it is going to go outside of the perimeters of traditional craftsman style, it would have to be almost a exact duplication of something else that exists to qualify as conforming. does that make sense?

Deed restrictions dictate what can be built or improved... not whether or not you can demolish.

Deed restrictions have yet to come into play.

right. the owners of the property at 801 pizer have not yet turned in completed plans for the home they intend to build. when they submit those plans, the deed restrictions will then come in to play regarding if the style of home they plan to build "conforms" with the neighborhood as dictated by the deed restrictions. it will be a craftsman style home as there is really no other style that would conform. smaller details will also become important, like window and door style as well as size and materials. while it will undoubtedly be larger than other homes in the neighborhood, deed restrictions do set some limitations on that as well.

Looks like a pretty ugly house and not particularly historic. The new construction will undoubtedly be an improvement.

actually, it was a very pretty house from the front. the addition was terrible but the front was in excellent condition. as far as it being historic, north and east norhill are historic districts and every original home in the area is a contributing structure to that designation. everytime one is lost, the area inches closer to no longer being able to maintain it's historic status. right now, protcor plaza (which encompasses east and north norhill) is the largest continuous historic district in the city of houston. surely anyone can see at least some value in that and therefore some value in each original home in the area.

I think they are just going to push it as far North on that lot as possible then sub-divide the lot.

yes, that was the last plan i heard. there is *another* thread about it on here somewhere but i think it started out as another subject and kinda got hijacked. anyway, the owner was going to build another strip mall but then decided to build another house.

Clearly, the 3 lots have not progressed beyond dirt work, either because of the state of the housing market, or the ability of the builder to obtain construction financing. The lot at Beauchamp was used as a staging area during the reconstruction of Beauchamp. I do not think it was ever being prepared for new construction.

and with main st in it its current condition, i can't see anyone building anything on that lot soon...

well, glad i am not the only one. but, if you edit you can see your whole post...

i have safari on my computer. i wonder if that will work.

Oh, I see. You went back and edited your post.

ah- i figured out that i can see what i am writing if i start something, post it and then go back to edit it. i think you were confused by the original statement (rightfully so) while i was typing out the rest in edit mode.

basically, what's happening is when i click reply, i can see a sliver of the boxon top, then the menu for posting (font style, etc) and then more of the box on the bottom but where i am typing is always where the formatting menu is. i can see the cursor moving acorss the blue edittiformat space but not what i am actually typing. i am guessing i am the only one iwth this problem but anyone out there know how i mighgt fix it?

I'm sorry, but this is just too confusing. I can't make sense of you.

i gave an example of how i prefer streets to highways, then explained that i don't think you should have to give me a cut through in your neighborhood b/c i choose that kind of route. i'm sorry it was perplexing.

So your position would be that it is OK that you have the means and the inclination to cut through other peoples' neighborhoods to avoid congestion because it saves your time, but it's not OK that other people have the means and inclination to cut through your neighborhood because it saves them time? Your time is more valuable, and so is your neighborhood, therefore others should be denied the conveniences that you enjoy.

i neither said nor implied any such thing. i typically prefer to take the streets than the highway. ex: although i could easily take 45 to get downtown, i always take studewood to washington /houston or even allen parkway. i certainly never suggested anyone should do anything to make it easier for me. if i want to deal with the pain in the ass of the streets, that's my call. if i take richmond rather than 59 to get to the galleria, that doesn't mean you should give me an unencumbered way to do so through your neighborhood. i stop, drive a respectable speed and even yield to pedestrians and bikes when i can. but i also live in the city and have respect for others that do. i don't see any neighborhood as a mere cut through and i am not using your neighborhood so i can make sure to be out of houston city limits before dark at all costs.

Sorry, Hartmann. It was not aimed at you specifically. It's just that I tire of the same comments over and over that have no basis in reality. It is a common trait of neighborhood fights, and Heights residents are kings of it. An example is the claim as fact that people would use Yale to short cut from I-10 to 290. The distance from downtown to 290 is 7.5 miles along I-10, but 8.6 using Yale. Additionally, I-10 speeds only drop to the mid 40s during rush hour, while the speed limit on Yale is 30. It is impossible to run Yale without hitting a red light. Therefore, it would take longer to get to 290 via Yale than via I-10, even though 610 is congested. But, in spite of that, people continue to insist that it will be a cut through. Well, if that were the case, it would be a cut through NOW.

Here's something else weird. North Main is currently undergoing the same renovation proposed for Yale. Even though it slashes through the Heights, and is closer to many of the Heights posters than Yale, not a peep has been heard about it. One must wonder why North Main's reconstruction will not cause the end of life as we know it, but Yale will. And, the reconstruction of Studewood has not cause death, destruction and terrorist attacks at Antidote, either. It is simply an illogical, irrational opposition to new concrete, and because I USE that street, I get annoyed at having to correct those misconceptions...usually to no avail.

In response to this I think there is a difference in the neighborhoods in regards to the 2 streets and what borders either side.

Along Yale you see a lot more residents that like to walk the Heights trail which for people residing on the west side requires a crossing of Yale and vise versa for the parks on the west side of yale for residents who reside on the east side.

Also, you have a lot more commercialization along N Main and it seems to be a bit of a Neighborhood dividing line. At least this can be seen when looking at property values. I think if the neighborhoods were more developed across N Main and there was more foot traffic you would see some opposition.

Furthermore, I support the repaving of the road and wish we were going with concrete instead of blacktop but I do oppose the destruction of so many trees and increases in speed limits. I agree that there is an underlying problem with inadequate enforcement of laws and insufficient speed control devices/markings...

Funny how someone commented about the eletronic speed/radar gun on a speed limit sign. I think its an awesome tool and scares the majority of people into slowing down. I want one in front of my house.

I'd just like to know where the city is in their plans for the construction on Yale... They were supposed to start last year. Of couse it was the same for the I-10 on and off ramp.

first of all, this is killing me b/c i can't see what i'm typing. i don't know what's going on here... i also can't see what i am quoting to make a well organized response but here goes...

i think stcyr made a good comment. main is more of a border of the heights, like montrose is to montrose for example. but main, in better condition, will take some of the burden off studewood since they meet at the same place on 20th. having a smooth, easy to drive main benefits the interior of the heights as a neighborhood keeping faster traffic on fringe rather than bringing it down the center like yale.

also, i have said (and i bring this up b/c i feel pretty certain i am in this group that red is so upset with. and we used to be so close ) many times in this very forum that personally, i wish studewood was not just in it's previous condition but still under contruction. sure, it was a pain for me to drive that mile on a torn up road but it was worth it to not have people doing 50+ mph and passing in the middle lane when i was driving on it, never mind trying to walk across it.

i am in no way opposed to yale being redone. rip it up and start from scratch, but i don't think that making it a major exit off 10 and routing traffic up yale will be good for the neighborhood or people who commute on it to get in and out of the area where they live. while it may be illogical to think that people will use it as a cut through, people are not logical in traffic. and when i10 is jacked due to some accident as everyone flees to katy, your drive timetraffic guy is going to say "katy freeway at a standstill. trying to get to the loop or 290, use yale." and then there are a lot of people who would rather meet a red light or 2 than sit in gridlock. i am actually one of them so a lot of people like me will use Yale, even if it defies logic.

in the end, no one can really say what is or isn't going to happen until the project is done but when one option (as currently proposed by the city) could significantly increase non-local traffic i would rather have it be rethought.

the misconception i get tired of having to clear up is that this is about doing nothing and keeping the status quo. that is not the case. it's about making improvements in an intelligent manner so as to best benefit the population that lives here. the current yale proposal and i10feeders do not seem to do that. they seem to be plans made by people who live outside the neighborhood, even outside the city, with no real caring or understanding how they impact the actual residents.

red, perhaps you have made up your mind 1st that it will be a good thing overall b/c you drive on it. you want it, therefore it's right. but again, no one can know until it's too late so i think people that oppose it just want to flesh out other options that both make it a better street and protect what is valuable about the neighborhood.