Montrose Restaurant And Bar Scene - More Coming

[htownproud]

Fairly certain you guys are talking about the same building.

[rgr]

apparently the owner or owners of shade will be opening a new restaurant on montrose called canopy. good news for all their fans. the new restaurant will occupy the right corner space in the strip mall just north of dirks--formerly salud winery. pastries and coffee in the morning, table service at lunch and dinner. since i've been in houston, that space has had a higher turnover than the rest of the strip mall. hope this fares better.

Edited November 25, 2009 by rgr

[kylejack]

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/index.php?showtopic=21893

[rgr]

sorry about that. didn't look well enough.

[sevfiv]

Topics combined

[dbigtex56]

Good times, for a change...

According to the Culturemap Houston website and the River Oaks Examiner, this property is no longer scheduled for demolition, and will soon open as Ocean's, "a casually sophisticated oasis for cocktails and a price-friendly menu of modern Mexican cuisine inspired by the brothers' [Jorge and Isaac Alvarez] international upbringing."

The restaurant will feature a cerviche bar, and attention has been paid to retaining original period details, while updating kitchens and bathrooms and bringing the gardens back to their original glory.

Ocean's is scheduled to open May 21st.

[sidegate]

Huzzah for restoration!!

Hmmm....opens not too long before my birthday....

Edit: some weird Internet thing happened and my text appeared twice.

Edited May 12, 2010 by sidegate

[Fringe]

This place is great. Went to a wedding there and it was fabulous. Held the dinner inside and they got married on th patio.  So glad it's still a restaurant. 

[sevfiv]

My parents were also married on the patio (with dinner either inside or out...can't remember!)

[AtticaFlinch]

This place is great. Went to a wedding there and it was fabulous. Held the dinner inside and they got married on th patio. So glad it's still a restaurant.

It's great unless you live across the street as my wife and I once did.

Let me strike that. It was great unless the bride and groom went cheap on the band or worse, entertained their guests with karaoke. Some evenings my lullaby was sung by the human equivalent of a rutting tomcat.

[Fringe]

It's great unless you live across the street as my wife and I once did.

Let me strike that. It was great unless the bride and groom went cheap on the band or worse, entertained their guests with karaoke. Some evenings my lullaby was sung by the human equivalent of a rutting tomcat.

LOL. Exactly why I choose to live in a place that has zoning laws. Still, that's what makes Montrose unique. 

[rsb320]

We tried it out yesterday evening. They're just doing soft openings now since it's not fully up and ready to go. The interior is not fully furnished yet, so the service was set up outside in that lovely space. The food and beverage selections are limited at this point.

Our waiter, Randy (the only one) was very personable, but there seemed to be a disconnect between the kitchen, bar and waiter-to-table flow. Things like drinks going to the wrong table and such. Things I fully expected, being amounst the first to arrive at a new restaurant opening.

We ordered the ceviche first and then two other items. All arrived at the same time

We got the Ocean's Ceviche. On that day it was made with flounder, which I found odd, but it was very fresh. So fresh, that it was almost tasteless. Those used to the traditional presentation will be disappointed. It was served on a 18"-24" x 12" rectangular plate. You can get 4 filets out of a flounder, so I estimate that the serving of fish was about half (if) of one of the 4 filets. Most TEXANS I know would be pretty disappointed at the site of a minuscule portion of fish on a the giant plate.

The Ocean's Taco was served flat on a flour tortilla topped with black beans and such and then grilled lobster tail across the middle. The empty tail shell is presented on the side. Toppings included bits of avocado and shaved parmesean. The taco was quite tastey.

The Maxamilano Tostada was our fave. Grilled shrimps and various other toppings, but the bomb for this dish is the house homemade red sauce. Give me a bowl of that and some dipping chips and I would go-to-town.

The second two items were to be served with pomme frittes with various dipping sauces. They never came.

We left the table and did a quick tour of the inside of the building. When furnished, I'm sure it'll be as quaint as it always was, but perhaps a little brighter. Those gorgeous wood floors have remained the same.

We moved to the front where the temporary bar was set up, trying to get our check and get out of there. It took far too long and my neighbor-companion pretty much had a meltdown and had to walk out. I finally got the check and they charged the full price for the dishes that were to be served with fries. A 10% discount was given.

The "brothers" don't seem to have much American or especially Texas hospitality experience, unless you're a cleveage-weilding bombshell (as witnessed). We kind of got a DB red flag - not in this hood you don't!

All items are in the $10 range. I enjoyed the margarita, but everyone has their own preference, so I'll not suggest or recommend. I had one and then swithced to wine.

With the items mentioned above, 1 margarita and 3 wines, the total was $60.

Upon leaving, Jorge says "Please come back to see us". All I said is that it'd be a while, and we walked our merryasses home.

I wish them well, but we'll just have to wait and see.

(Oh, I toured the interior construction of the old Long Horn space behind the Lancaster yesterday, that is to be BB's. I'll try to update that site later.)

[dbigtex56]

We kind of got a DB red flag - not in this hood you don't!

"DB"?

Can you give me a hint?

[rsb320]

"DB"?

Can you give me a hint?

Hey Tex. Next time I see you on the train or Kroger, I'm going to holler you down. You've not made the last several haif-happy-hours.

DB = DOUCHEBAG! Ricco Suave, latin stereo-types, Jersey Shores, etc. Or, simply put, those that treat individuals differently based on appearance. (Did I spell Ricco's last name like the shampoo? Oh well.)

The lovely lady that accompanied me was truly offended by this display. Maybe next time she'll serve up her sizeable rack on a platter and wear heals so that we get the service expected. However, I don't see that happening with the arrival of the heat and the condition of the sidewalks.

[Fringe]

Thanks for the review. Menu sounds like it may be similar to Yelapa’s. 

[Flashman]

We tried it Saturday. Not a dissimilar experience, except there were no buxom blonds in attendance:

Eating at Ocean

There is a new restaurant just down the street from us called Ocean's. It just opened this past week. We generally try to avoid restaurants in the first couple of weeks of operation, but it was close (walking distance) promised some interesting food (Mexican Ceviche) and had margaritas.

So we wandered over about 5:30 on Saturday afternoon. Sure, that is very early for dinner, but we had our lunch/brunch of Trouta's waffles early (about 11:00) so we were both getting a little peckish.

As we walked in, they were just setting up the patio. We were greeted by Randy, the Maitre'd, and said we could sit anywhere. He told us that they just had their ceviches and some tacos and tostadas, and the the whole menu would be coming out in a couple of weeks.

We settle back, got some cold water, ordered a couple of house margaritas, and looked at the menu.

There were about six different ceviches on the menu, a couple of salads, maybe four tostadas and about six tacos. (I did not have my camera, so I have no photos. I am sure that their website will soon have the menu and food pics online soon.)

The margaritas came, and I was surprised by the neon yellow color. We tasted them, and I thought they were very good. Doreen thought them a bit tart, but that is not bad. They are colored by the real lime juice, real orange just, and agave nectar used. The house pour was Jose Cuervo silver, which was fine by us. We must have liked them, as we had five between us.

We settle on two ceviches (Ocean's Cechive, and the second one on the menu. I can't remember its name. Must be the margaritas). They were using flounder as the fish, and both ceviches were great. The eponymous ceviche was nice, crisp and simple. Good quality fish, lime, peppers, and onions. The second one used a chipotle reduction as well as the citrus juice. I liked that one better.

We ordered the Maximiliano Taco (Lobster) and the Ocean's Special (grilled shrimp) tostada. Both were served "open face" with the difference being that the taco was on a crispy tortilla, and the tostada on a soft one.

Both the lobster and the shrimp were excellent. Neither were overcooked, and the remoulade like sauce. These came with french fries (somewhat incongruously.) (The fries were OK.)

Finally, we had a Tres Leches cake for dessert. Too much icing for me, but it was a nice finish.

I hope they make it, as it is nice to have another place around the corner for an interesting meal.

They are also planning on hitting the Montrose Sunday Brunch market. With La Strata gone, and such a nice, big patio, I think they have a chance.

Oh, and the menu is much more limited than Yelapa. But they said that they will be moving to their full menu "soon"

[LTAWACS]

I must try this place out.

[dbigtex56]

Hey Tex. Next time I see you on the train or Kroger, I'm going to holler you down. You've not made the last several haif-happy-hours.

please do!

DB = DOUCHEBAG! Ricco Suave, latin stereo-types, Jersey Shores, etc. Or, simply put, those that treat individuals differently based on appearance. (Did I spell Ricco's last name like the shampoo? Oh well.)

d'oh! Shoulda known that. I was thinking of the dB's

[rsb320]

Yo, Flash! Very similar indeed. Except, the Lobster Taco is on a flour tortilla and the Maximiliano Shrimp is on a crispy corn tortilla. Um, I only had 1 rita.

[Flashman]

Yo, Flash! Very similar indeed. Except, the Lobster Taco is on a flour tortilla and the Maximiliano Shrimp is on a crispy corn tortilla. Um, I only had 1 rita.

So, do you think they will make it?

I think back to when Hugo's opened, and you couldn't get a table for love or money.

I guess time will tell.

[totheskies]

From Facebook newsfeed...

JazzHouston [News] via Scott Gertner :

hey guys, Skybar will be closing July 3rd due to the building closing it's doors. it's been 11 years of great fun, great friends, great fans. come visit this week to say goodbye! BTW, i'm currently looking at new locations, bigger to fit more patrons. thank you for making the skybar a legendary live entertai...nment location.

So what's going to happen to this building? Being demolished?

Edited June 30, 2010 by totheskies

[TheNiche]

So what's going to happen to this building? Being demolished?

Why would it be demolished? Nothing appropriate could possibly be built in its place right now (without the Dallas police and firefighters pension fund behind it).

Edited June 30, 2010 by TheNiche

[713 To 214]

The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System would never fund a project within a 150 mile radius of that location.

[citykid09]

From Facebook newsfeed...

So what's going to happen to this building? Being demolished?

Good to hear he is looking for a new location. There were some great views from there.

[KinkaidAlum]

Skybar isn't the only business in that building last time I checked. Are the other businesses closing?

If this building comes down, that would be a real shame.

[ricco67]

A friend of mine had a business there and they were talking about the building not meeting code and such.

If that is the case, maybe someone can rehab it. Maybe condos? That would be an awesome location.

[sevfiv]

Nothing showing up on permits but I did notice that John S. Chase (architect) offices there..

[rsb320]

If this is the case, get up there and check out the view... best view of DT. A shame. I remember watching 4th fireworks up there. You could see DT, Hermann Park, Sharpstown and Clear Lake - really cool! All that was probably when it was Cody's.

There's an old story about when it used to be a gay bar (way back) and some drunk queen knocked another one over the edge, to meet the ground and his/her death.

I think asbestos is the problem. There's a topic on here somewhere that takes the 'new' development from Montrose to Yoakum. No time to research now.

From what I can recall, is that the entire building would sell for $300k, but the cost of bringing up to code would be $zillions$.

Recent Flashback: Lighting hit the northeast corner behind the stage sometime last year. It blew off some bricks, onto the sidewalk. I spoke with HFD about it; they were shopping at the Disco K after their call.

I'll try to get up there tomorrow evening and get the scoop. Hope they still have the happy hour, free buffet.

Good luck, Scott.

[totheskies]

Indeed, good luck to Mr. Gertner. I have no doubt that he'll find a good location for the Skybar, or whatever new concept he comes up with. I'm going to go to the closing party on Saturday for sure though. Should be fun.

[Gary]

If true, this is a real shame. I've been going to Gertners since the old "Cody's" days. Back in the day I used to hang out there with Paul English, Herman and all the boys. Good times.