Heights CPA

I tried Down House this morning. The sceince theme seemed more like an accent than a theme. However, it was pleasant enough. I had a beakfast taco and latte. The taco was great. The bacon in it was very very good. The latte was OK. My two friends were also very pleased with their meal. The prices were generally reasonable. The exception was the bacon. Although it was great bacon, $6.00 for two strips is a little steep.

Have you actually been to Revival Market? It's pretty awesome.

Also, I've asked you to articulate why you think it doesn't have long-term staying power, could you go ahead and do that?

Of course I have been there. I will detail the reasons for my opinion after April 18th.

Yes. People will soon come to their senses, and be satisfied with Heinz, French's and Oscar Meyer.

Yes, Revival and the brands listed are the only choices we poor Heights residents have. If only we had internet access or could leave the Heights, we might be able to shop the whole world for our desires. But alas, we are stuck with Heinz and French's and Oscar Meyer. Oh, the humanity!

Glad everyone has liked it but after the novelty wears off, it will not have the traffic to survive long-term.

It's in the Heights (bad sign), is a Cajun place that serves wine, is planning on hosting cooking lessons, offers "Pan-Asian" catering services, and will host a special Easter brunch; therefore it is most likely tainted by The Great White Culinary Plague, a voracious strain of suckage that affects WASPy communities in denial of their cultural identity and that lack taste buds.

I have been here several times but not recently. The food is OK but is priced too high. If the food was outstanding or the prices were lower, I would frequent it more regularly.

New housing development planned near Walmart.

Where have they been kept out of in Houston? I know Wal-Mart has been kept out of New York City, but that is a city with zoning and more restrictive laws. Houston has no zoning. This may still be a PR issue for Wal-Mart, but the store is going to be built.

If they aren't willing to talk to Wal-Mart and ask them to build the store a certain way, they are out of luck.

I was the Vice Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission for a small town. During my tenure, Walmart proposed to build a Super Center in a residential neighborhood. At that time, I opposed it and was able to convince enough of my fellow commissioners to vote it down. Of course the city council approved it unanimously a week later. I opposed it because it was out of character with the neighborhood.

If Houston was zoned and I were in the same position, I would vote to approve it. This is because a Walmart is not out of character with the surrounding neighborhood. In fact, I think that if you hit that area with several B-52 strikes it would improve property values. I think a Walmart will also improve property values. The fears about traffic and crime are overblown. I support the Walmart.

last time i went to vietnam it was average as well. i think the food paid the price for the renovation...

Went to Big Mamou today instead. They have some work to do. Meat pies were good but miniature. I have never seen then that small and was surprised. The dipping sauce was excellent. Had oyster po-boy. Got shell in more than half the bites I took. Bread did not hold together and sandwich fell apart.

I went to Big Mamou the other day as well, it was okay.

I had the half grilled shrimp po-boy and cup of gumbo. Poboy was decent, gumbo had good flavor but was more like a jambalaya as it wasn't really a soup (more thick than gumbo should be).

We also had the fried green tomatoes... not bad.

Wife had the oyster poboy and it was good.

Service was excellent. Everyone was extremely friendly. That being said, there isn't room in this town for mediocre food, they need to step it up a bit.

Also... tried Vietnam yesterday and it was pretty good.

We had some Tres Leches from El Bolillo at work the other day... it was excellent. I will be going there this weekend to try other items.

I will try Big mamouu tomorrow. I tried Vietnam and saying it was average is a compliment.

i'm not saying art deco will be an eye sore or shouldn't be considered, but i think its silly when people say things like art deco (or new orleans revival) "fit" the neighborhood when it's not an art deco neighborhood. while this isn't the worst, an arts and crafts style would be really cool and fit the neighborhood at the same time. i love all the modern takes on a&c we are seeing in the hood, like the 2 great houses on 16th around nicholson...

The tenants in 2802 White Oak moved out this weekend after 13 years there. The owner was making noises about re-leasing the property. They had talked previously about tearing it down so now I am not sure what they will do. It seems that the partners may not all be on the same page.

As I said, I could only rember those couple things, and it's been about 2 years since I've been in there. I also remember they had a lot of jarred items on the far wall, too - chutneys and the like. I can't remember if those were local or not.

I went in to get mango chutney. They had an 8 0Z jar for about $12.99. I ended up getting a 9.5 OZ jar, from Hawaii, for $9.00, including shipping. Their pricing did not take the internet into account.

That's a shame.. I wasn't really sure what market they were going for however.. Sandwiches, coffee, nick nacks, and meats and fish.. hmm..

Went there once for coffee.. was decent enough.. Went back another time to check out the meats.. WOW that was expensive.. we were entertaining for 6, and it would have been cheaper to head to Taste of Texas than buying and cooking at home..

We have a saying in the tax business that applies: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

I only went in once or twice. The only things I remember being somewhat unique were Texas venison (which, I know, is not that unique if you hunt or, like me, schmooze people who hunt), and, if I remember correctly, some local, hothouse produce.

The local concept for food has been a big thing of late. However, McCain's positioning in this realm made them just a fancier, more expensive version of a farmers market, of which Houston now has plenty.

I do feel bad for its failure. My only surprise at the closing is that it has taken this long.

The Heights will support stores like this if they have something different to offer and their prices are not outrageous. They can be higher than the grocery store - just not over the top. A good example is Penzey's Spices on 19th. I went by there on Sunday at 12:30 PM and it was packed. If you have not been there, do yourself a favor and go.

Stopped by McCain's on Heights today and its closed... the sign on the door says "due to market conditions... closed until further notice". Anyone know if they are out of business or restructuring? Can this neighborhood (south of 11th) only support a run-down Kroger?

It is their own fault. You can get most of what they sell somewhere else much cheaper. I went in there once a month or so just to support the neighborhood. Had they not been so greedy, I would have gone in once or twice a week. It is not a matter of affording it, it is about getting hosed for the sake of perceived status.

I have a client who has been leasing the building at 2802 White Oak. They have been advised to vacate as demolition of the building will begin in 60 to 90 days. This is the building just east of the closed BBQ restaurant.