tanith27

This could be interesting...

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2011/09/food-truck-park-without-the-wheels/

what happens if they fail again because of weather or a hidden manufacturing defect a couple of years down the line?

Then they dont get put back up. Not sure what the big deal is about it. If my name was on such a liability I'd make the same decision as would you. The blades were rated to withstand very heavy wind gusts. They came down in 40mph winds, something Houston sees quite regularly. Hess is leasing the building, so if it goes back up I'm sure the lawyers will be explicitly taking note of who will be to blame should this happen again.

Isn't an average "floor" approx 12 to 15ft in height including all the space between floors? Six stories plus rooftop amenities seems like it will exceed 75ft.....

Actually it makes some sense. Given that the city is requiring 8 parking spots per 1000 sqft, that doesn't leave much room for anyone wanting to build anything. Its an awkward space, absolutely perfect for a burger shack, but not a lot of room for much else.

I think its clear what happened to them in the past, but John Hess was adamant that they are to never return unless the builder can guarantee 100% this would never happen again. Last I heard, they are being re-engineered and will return, but I have nothing official, just whispers.

Its pretty nice inside. Good views over Disco G from the main lobby. Folks are gradually moving in through August. Still construction going on though.

Tried Happy Fatz over the weekend. Super cozy place. They have lots of good hot dogs (I had a frito shiner chili dog which was amazing...wifey had something that I can't remember but it was more lady like with fancy cheese and other non manly stuff). Nice selection of teas as well. We had a cheesecake appetizer, but not the sugary cheesecake most of us are familiar with. Its a cheesecake that acts more like a spread for crackers. It was extremely good. Not sure if they're byob, assuming they'd have no problem with that, but bringing a bottle of vino and sitting at a table eating their cheesecake and crackers sounds just about perfect to me. Owners were super nice, we'll definitely be back. Desserts looked awesome, but aforementioned frito shiner chili dog + cheese and crackers filled me up. Menu is primarily hot dogs but look out for their special of the day which for us was a philly, so options are possible for the non dog folks.

Agree with the pro BB's comments on here. Been there more times in the past 2 weeks than I did Mamou in the past year. I hate saying that, given how much I love the Mamou concept, but the food is decidedly moo and twice the price it should be. BB's is a fraction of the cost, larger portions, and better quality. To me at least.

Christians is great too. We took over the inside for Game 7 and as good as the burgers are, I totally love their chicken strips. OC has TOTALLY gotten full of themselves, I'll be more than happy to spend my money at a place that actually has someone come to my table and ask me if I'd like a refill of my beer.

As an aside, retail lease rates for this building are around $28/sqft. About on par with Rice Village area. Seems rather pricey for an unproven area that I would argue gets significantly less traffic (foot and vehicle) than the Village...

There are still some remnants back in the brush that nature has reclaimed, but you can get a little bit more info here: http://www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org/index.htm

Someburger might not be long for this world....just sayin

I'm amazed that folks still think there aren't enough good restaurants in the neighborhood. Seriously? Only in rare cases do wifey and I ever feel the need to leave the neighborhood at all (waiting for good Indian food to make it way in though).

Plus I suspect there are several gems many have not tried yet. Heights Asian Cafe is really good, and a heck of a lot better than the boarded up Long John Silvers it used to be. Jus Mac. BB's Cajun opened up this past weekend on White Oak as did Happy Fatz just down the street. Pinks and Chicago make great pizza. Shade, Glass Wall, Stella Sola are the more upscale wine and dine establishments. Chilosos rocks the breakfast burrito. Tampicos for seafood, mexican food...well, thats easy to find. Comfort food? Zelko Bistro...amazing. And I really do enjoy Lolas as well. Casual outdoor setting? Pick a Creek, we have 3 of them. Jennies Noodle House on 19th, Thai Spice, and dont forget about that little Asia Thai grocery store up on West Cavalcade. Carter and Cooley or Dacapos for sandwiches, plus the newest lunch option Revival Market. Heights Ashbury on 19th has a good vegetarian component.

And how many folks are aware that Sweet Tea up on 19th serves up really good italian dishes on Friday night with live acoustic guitar? Talk about awesome. Capellini's is another good local Italian option and Collina's always seems packed.

And lets not forget Christians Tailgate is a couple weeks away from opening, the newly remodeled King Biscuit isn't too far away either. Taco's a GoGo and D'Amicos are being built out now. And whatever restaurant that will be on the corner of Studemont and 11th seems to have most of its infrastructure done so it can't be too far away at this point. Becks Prime...sooner or later they'll start the remodel.

I have no lack of great food options around here....not sure why others don't see it.

The KB closed its doors on Saturday night. The pub was sold to Sarah Fitzgerald (yes, the same one that sold her namesakes live music venue last year) and supposedly she and her son will be reopening it in the near future. No idea what it will look like. Hope they keep the jazz and bluegrass though. Nice place, I liked it. Should be interesting to see what it becomes.

Climate: Cool in summer, warm in winter? Hmm....either its global warming or the heavy emissions depicted at the back of the map.

I've been twice already. I really like what they're putting together here. Honestly its what McCains should have been but never was. Morgan and Stacey are family friends so I AM biased, but this place really fills a well needed niche in the area. My father-in-law spent thousands upon thousands of dollars getting his cattle ranch certified as 'organic' and it was a very costly and stressful event for him, and a process that I now feel is probably best suited for the big farms with deep pockets. So even though Morgans farm (and his farm suppliers at Revival) may not be organically 'certified', I have NO problems buying there because I'm confident that their methods are respectable and humane.

Morgan also mentioned he's planning on having butcher classes and organizing field trips down to the farm. I think that's a fantastic idea.

Groupon just informed me that Terlinqua has closed. Guess I gotta find another spot that has those potent formaldehyde margaritas.

@crunch: I was wondering the same thing

White Oak is definitely changing quickly. New restaurants and pub destinations are moving in quick. D'Amicos Italian, Tacos a go go, Christians Tailgate and now BB's Cajun are soon to open.

I have also heard that 6th St Bar and Grill will soon become the latest addition to the Little Woodrows clan.

"Is White Oak Drive becoming a cozier, more walkable version of nearby Washington Avenue as a restaurant-entertainment hub? One local real estate agent thinks so.

White Oak is more concentrated with restaurants and bars in a much smaller area, said Jeff Trevino, a local commercial real estate agent who has done work on both streets.

Washington is three miles long and the restaurants and bars are spread out, he said. By comparison, White Oak is about a mile long, and many of the restaurants are popping up along a quarter-mile stretch between Studemont and Oxford."

http://blogs.chron.c.../entertainment/

I had a close friend who worked for Hess at the time they moved into One Allen Center. They did the same thing with that move-in where the IT department moved in first while the rest of the build-out was going on. One day, John Hess and his entourage walked through for a tour and stated that the green color in the carpeting was not the correct Hess green. All of the carpet was subsequently ripped out and replaced. And one other quirky thing: employees were allowed to have one "tastefully framed" photograph of a family member on their desks, but wall calendars and other "clutter" was strictly prohibited. In the cubicles, the file cabinets had top doors that opened out over the top of the file cabinet so it would knock off any items that were placed up there.

But they did have a killer dining facility with all kinds of great food, including a grill where you could get chicken, hamburgers, or even mahi-mahi, a deli for sandwiches, gourmet entrees and soups, etc. And I think it was only like $3 per meal for employees. I guess if you can keep employees in the building for lunch, they'll have more time for work!

True at one time, but not today. Ties are no longer mandatory, casual dress now rules the roost. Clutter abounds depending on the individual and no one cares. The food is good, $2 for all u can eat breakfasts, $5 for all u can eat lunches. The new restaurant will be tricked out even more as far as lunches go. The green is a Hess color and has a specific RGB/CMYK combination and yes, John Hess is very picky about that and where it is displayed. Notice the NY Jets have the same color? Not coincidence. Hess used to own the Jets.

I always find myself entertained my Niches 2am postings.

I do like the place as well. The owner/cook is from Louisiana so it is 'authentic' Louisiana cooking. What I think people may be getting confused over is that this is not cajun cooking. Its creole. Creole cooking uses more of a tomato base so things like jambalaya have a heavier tomato taste than cajun jambalaya which is mostly spices and seasonings. I prefer cajun over creole, but regardless do enjoy the food here.

The IT guys are going over next month, summer for the rest.

Canada via Houston

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7374522.html

I've had the pleasure of being to Morgans house and having them cook dinner for us, and yes thats residential. There's been a lot of activity on the McCains site, so they're busy prepping the storefront.