s3mh Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Waldo's coffee house is becoming Boulevard Coffee. They are renovating to add a bakery and more outdoor seating. https://www.facebook.com/heightsblvdcoffee Waldo's was nice, but not up to the quality of Boomtown, Revival or Catalina. But, Waldo's did open up back when no one was interested in the Heights and was a nice place to stop on walks along Heights Blvd during the cool season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 i saw a few good blues bands play at Waldos, great experiences there, but the coffee was just mediocre. I'm really looking forward this change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatline Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Anybody go down to Torchy's this morning? How's the build-out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Not this morning, but I had dinner there tonight. It was still packed at 9:30. That stretch of 19th used to be essentially deserted later in the evening, but that's about to change. Nice to see the old Harold's sign hanging inside, and one of the employees told us they were going to be getting some additional Harold's memorabilia (photos, etc.) soon. They have a full bar that extends out into the front patio area, which is pretty nice now that it's no longer the hottest part of the summer. Mostly a hipster crowd, as expected, but that will probably vary depending on the time of day. The only other location I've been to is the one in the Village, and I like the build-out better at this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Chron reports that the chicken and doughnut place by the Liberty Kitchen folks will start building out/renovating this month and hope to be open next month. http://www.chron.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/BRC-Gastropub-broadening-its-brand-4879335.php?cmpid=entertainmenthcat Heights General Store is shooting for early November opening. Fat Cat Creamery is mostly finished, but has some utility issues to resolve. Things are plugging away at the Coltivare location, but no promises made on opening. I could see them getting opened before the holidays. Good Dog is shooting for an October opening. Add in Torchy's and we will have a half dozen new places to eat open potentially by the end of the year. Not too shabby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Restaurant opened last night. Anyone go? Reports? Fuzzy pictures of the menu in this slideshow look promising. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I have not been to the restaurant, but friends went and thought it was very good. Similar to Shade in that it has upscale food with a casual atmosphere (but not as laid back as Down House). The cuisine is Gulf Coast/Southern comfort food. I wondered whether there is too much overlap with Zelko, Liberty Kitchen and Down House. But my friend responded: "Have you ever tried to eat at Liberty Kitchen on Friday night?" Point taken. If the food is good, there are more than enough people looking to eat out in the Heights to support the restaurant. I did go to the market just to snoop and get some coffee. Basically, if you squished Whole Foods down into about 3-4k sq ft and pumped up the prices, you have the market. The coffee was about on par with what you get at Starbucks/Whole Foods. Not in the same ball park as Catalina, Boomtown or Revival. There were a number of interesting items that you cannot get from Whole Foods. There was a nice selection of cheese, some bread and pastries from a local bakery that looked good and some unique brands here and there in the general groceries. It will be interesting to see how the market concept evolves. My first impression was that it was a significantly better version of the ill-fated McCain's Market, but still had similar issues of high prices on items that you could get for much less nearby at Kroger or Whole Foods. I definitely like the idea of having somewhere to get a few things for dinner instead of having to go down to Whole Foods or Kroger when the stock from the weekly trip to the grocery store runs out. The café in the market looks pretty good. So, they may not have to hit the ball out of the park with the grocery section in order to make money. But unlike McCains, this place will get good foot traffic on weekends. I think that might translate into the ability to sell more specialty items and food-gift items. Like Revival, I suspect that they will do a lot of tweaking to find out what works. It will be interesting to watch as the concept could catch on as the inner loop gets more crowded, creating the need for smaller neighborhood grocers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I would not conflate Whole Foods coffee with what they serve at Starbucks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Went for dinner Friday night, and there was a pretty big crowd. It was their second dinner service, so some inevitable front-of-house problems can be forgiven and will almost certainly be corrected in time. The food definitely showed promise. We live close enough to walk, and saw a number of our neighbors that did the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Cricket's 2.0 closed. A sign on the door hints at some sort of reboot/renovation, but I have not heard anything further. The original Crickets was quirky and in no way a James Beard contender. But, it had a very unique vegetarian menu with some good dishes that you could not get anywhere else. It was also just a fun place inside, especially with kids. The successor seemed to just suck all the life out of it, leaving the interior devoid of anything on the walls and putting out a very uninspired new menu. While there are more than enough people in the Heights to support more restaurants on 19th, the location in and of itself does not guarantee success. Hopefully, the reboot will be much better or someone else will come along and do something good with that space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Isn't Scott Tycer involved with that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Isn't Scott Tycer involved with that one? Yes, he bought it from the previous owner. I was pretty surprised to see it closed with the vaguely-worded sign on the door, and hope that it does return soon. I do agree that some of the physical changes that were made prior to the closure were disappointing. I realize that when a business changes hands, new ownership often has a different vision that involves significant changes, but IMO the changes that were implemented (particularly doing away with the seats in the front window) were not for the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 What else has Tycer got his fingers in? Kraftsmen, and what else? I will be glad when the Tycer scourge is gone from Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I do not know all the details, but someone else was involved in this on both an ownership and management level. There was some sort of affiliation/partnership with Kraftsmen and Tycer. But I do not think he bought it outright or was running it. Still, with the two Braun developments and the overall strength in the Heights, there is a lot of potential on 19th street. Just serve some good food with good service and the line will be out the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I'd like to see more of a Cafe in the cricket location, and the Kraftsmen more of a bakery/coffee shop. Curious to see what actually happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Good Dog is open now in the old Big Mamou location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I saw that yesterday... no "open" sign but people definitely eating in there. I'm guessing they are in more of a "soft" opening stage right now? I'll get check it out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCR Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Went to good dog a little while ago. I had a good meal. The chili from the chillin' dog is now served on its own in a cup or bowl. The menu can be found on their twitter feed. https://twitter.com/GoodDogHouston There is more than just hot dogs. This is a very good addition to the 'hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 The record for truck to brick and mortar conversions is pretty strong in Houston. Eatsie Boys is great and Fusion Taco is also pretty phenomenal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 The record for truck to brick and mortar conversions is pretty strong in Houston. Eatsie Boys is great and Fusion Taco is also pretty phenomenal. Green Seed Vegan, The Modular became Goro & Gun, and Bernie's Burger Bus is on the way to brick & mortar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Fat Cat opens this weekend. Boulevard Coffee, Mam's House of Ice Snowballs and Coltivare look to be very close to finishing their respective buildouts. Htown StEats food truck is looking for space in the Heights for a doughnut shop. That could be very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Looking forward to getting some ice cream this weekend. With density and disposable income come restaurants and retail, and a lot of residential units are being added near 19th St. Hopefully over time, we'll see continuous walkable retail from Yale to Durham (Downhouse to Foreign Correspondents). This would require development/redevelopment of the following (for starters): - Sand Dollar at 19th and Yale- Former water storage and pumping station at Nicholson- Chase drive-up bank at Nicholson (this is a staggeringly poor use of valuable land)- Car Wash at Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 www.stellabakes.com/news-stella-bakes/ New coffee shop/desert bar coming on Studewood just south of 11th. TABC notice up in the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Awesome! Looking forward to this one. I went to Key West a few years back and there was a desert bar called "better than sex" which was a very adult "sexy atmosphere" desert bar. Although it sounds kitchy and cliche', there was a wait out the door every night I was there and it was a pretty cool place. (my wife and I went after a night out and managed to get a table somehow). Since then I've thought that would be something that would go over really well in The Heights where people love eating and drinking but not the "party atmosphere as much". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swtsig Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 has anyone tried heights general store yet? would love to hear other reviews. we went last thursday and really enjoyed the food but were shocked to see it practically empty 8pm on thursday night, particualrly with torchy's packed next door. now granted, although the food was good the decor was a little bland and the prices seemed fairly expensive. it was just odd that with all the press it had received recently that it would be so dead on a prime night out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I am hearing that Coltivare should be open in January. Build out is just about finished. Garden is gorgeous. Interior has an open kitchen and low-key rustic feel. Can't wait for this one to open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Mam's House of Ice Snowballs has opened their brick and mortar location on Cavalcade just east of Studewood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 That is awefully close to the snowcone place on Main that cost 1/4 as much... I went to FatCat and it was awesome. Great addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Fat Cat is very cleverly partnering with food trucks. Hopefully they'll be able to keep it up once the rest of the tenants in that center open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I went to Fat Cat the other weekend. A line of 8-10 people materialized as soon as I drove up with one lone hipster kid working the counter. I almost drove off when two other helpers quickly emerged from in back and got everyone's orders taken in no time. Took us longer to decide what to get than for the line to go down. The ice cream is great and there are a ton of different things to get (novelties, shakes, sundaes, soft serve etc.). They have rotating seasonal flavors and permanent standard flavors. I am going to gain 10 lbs this summer. Great addition to the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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