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The Heights Restaurant And Bar Scene - More Coming


Freelander

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Went to Mardi Gras Grill (not the first time) tonight, always good stuff. Somehow among a bunch of places who try but fail they got the whole Louisiana seafood place thing right. My only qualm is I wish they would stuff their poboys just a bit more. But that's our place to go for a taste of home.

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I wondered how the whole "dry" thing came about.....I thought Houston never had any of that stupidity when I was a kid and they reserved that for dallas which has some of the dumbest wet dry areas around

I thought all of Houston was wet, but the annexed part explains why the Heights was not

usually wet dry goes by county precinct or city borders or county borders or a precinct in a county/city borders and it is either all that precinct, all that county, all that city, or none, but since I am not sure if the Heights is all one precinct then I am not sure how that would work for them since it it might not be its own precinct and is no longer a city of its own

if you have memberships it can really be the same as wet (plus or minus package sales) and since there are no rules on membership charges they can be handed out for free or sold for a penny ect and since 100% of any revenue from membership sales goes to the fools at TABC there is no incentive to charge for them to the club owner....the only thing is since the TABC is a pack or worthless idiots they will check memberships even if given for free because idiots need to find a reason to keep their idiot job....but that usually only cuts down on the "pack them in bars" where a waitress will be so busy she will forget to check, get tired of checking, or give some "hipster" a break only to find she has been set up and the bar is getting fined

if you have membership now and the heights is not its own precinct then it will probably be extremely difficult to change since in 90% of the cases dealing with anything other than sales to minors TABC can't even really tell you what their laws and rules are because they are all morons and their laws and rules are so poorly written that different areas will interpret the same rules and laws differently

I know people that have sat in TABC meetings with wholesalers and the wholesalers (who are part of the reason TABC stays around and stays so stupid) would ask them about specific rules and the answer was (multiple times) "you don't want me to answer that because if I answer it then I will have set the precedent and it is much easier for you to just do what you need to and it will not be looked at and if it is then you can fight it based on not knowing the interpretation and then the rules can be set in the courts

when dealing with TABC it is best to go with "if it is not broke and you can work around it then don't ask" because if you ask and they have to set a rule or make a change usually it will come out on the side of lack of common sense and stupidity....because that is what the do best!!!

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My only qualm is I wish they would stuff their poboys just a bit more.

20th - Have you had any of the poboys at Jazzie Cafe on 19th? I can't recommend them b/c I haven't tried them, but I've heard some good things.

I wondered how the whole "dry" thing came about.....

Some history notes regarding the dry portion of the Heights.

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when dealing with TABC it is best to go with "if it is not broke and you can work around it then don't ask" because if you ask and they have to set a rule or make a change usually it will come out on the side of lack of common sense and stupidity....because that is what the do best!!!

I never had any of those issues when dealing with TABC, either in applying for my permit, or once I had it. Yes, they have many arcane rules, but the TABC employees I dealt with knew it, and also were very helpful in suggesting ways to get around them without getting into trouble...exactly what I would hope a government officer to do.

Edited by RedScare
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20th - Have you had any of the poboys at Jazzie Cafe on 19th? I can't recommend them b/c I haven't tried them, but I've heard some good things.

Jazzie definitely does it right, it's just tough to remember when they are open. Go for the shrimp or other seafood poboy, they use pretty big shrimp and fry them up right. I had chicken wings from there one time and they weren't the best (same oil as the shrimp I'm guessing...mmm...seafood flavored chicken), so I'm going to stick to what I know they do well.

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I never had any of those issues when dealing with TABC, either in applying for my permit, or once I had it. Yes, they have many arcane rules, but the TABC employees I dealt with knew it, and also were very helpful in suggesting ways to get around them without getting into trouble...exactly what I would hope a government officer to do.

I know multiple people in all three levels of the alcohol industry; manufacture, wholesale, and retail that have had a number of issues with them over and over and I also know someone who contacted them twice in regards to how to follow the rules for a college kid party only to be set up and then mocked after arrest for not contacting them about how to follow the rules......he did twice

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Not exactly in the Heights, but has anyone tried Wild Wild Wings on 18th Street near W. T. C. Jester? I see it in the strip center but couldn't find any reviews.

Also, has anyone tried the new Chachos on 45N at the Tidwell exit? We go to Aunt Bea's a lot for breakfast on the weekends and saw it there. I love the one over on the SW side but it's a lot of traffic to get there.

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Not exactly in the Heights, but has anyone tried Wild Wild Wings on 18th Street near W. T. C. Jester? I see it in the strip center but couldn't find any reviews.

Also, has anyone tried the new Chachos on 45N at the Tidwell exit? We go to Aunt Bea's a lot for breakfast on the weekends and saw it there. I love the one over on the SW side but it's a lot of traffic to get there.

Haven't tried the wing place, but I saw it and I want to. Hopefully I will in the next couple weeks and I'll post a review.

Haven't been to that Chacho's, but the one on Westheimer was a popular lunch spot for us when our office was by the galleria. Huge burritos, pretty cheap. And huge margaritas.

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Chachos, mmm good! I didn't realize they were in Houston. They were crazy popular in San Antonio. Especially for pre-drinking and eating before going out.

The first time I went to Chacho's, I wanted a burrito. They offered regular or half-size burrito. I thought, "Who the hell would want just a half-sized burrito?" When they handed me the giant burrito brick, I thought, "Ohhhh."

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We love the shredded beef tacos at Chachos--just wasn't sure if the one off Tidwell was as good.

Let me know about the wings place (especially if they have the boneless chicken that they'll dip for you). Hubby is reluctant to try any new places unless he knows someone hasn't keeled over from eating there.

We drove by the old place on Hempstead (Live Oak Grill) and it looks like they might be building a Brick House pub there (like the one on 290). I don't think it's open yet but the one on 290 is. The Live Oak Grill was wonderful to sit outside but their hours were terrible.

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My wife and I love the Heights area and have enjoyed our first year living here. One thing that we wonder about though is the lack of restaurant diversity in the area. We enjoy the new Thai Spice quite a bit...but find ourselves having to go to Montrose or Rice Village if we ever want anything other than a burger, sandwich, chinese food or pizza.

It seems like recently the Heights just started getting some new restaurants outside of the same old lines. We love Onion Creek...but Dry Creek, 6th St. Bar & Grill, etc. all serve up the same burger and fry options.

For example we love Indian food as many of our friends do in the area but it seems as if no Indian restaurants are venturing into the area. Just more burger joints.

Question...is the lack of restaurant diversity in the area from wanting to keep the small town feel or is it from restaurant owners not realizing there is a demand for this in the area? I think progress is being made. We like the recent additions of Glass Wall, Thai Spice, etc.

Your thoughts.

It looks like the Big MaMou is open now on Studewood. http://thebigmamou.com/index.html

Has anyone tried it yet? If it's good, then at least we now have a Cajun restaurant in the Heights.

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Vietnam Restaurant on 19th near Shepherd. Good vermicelli bowls, inexpensive.

Mrs. P. and I went had dinner at Vietnam last night. Food is still great, not to mention relatively cheap. They're still adjusting to the new set up a bit, and they got slammed with a big crowd. However, the service was very attentive and courteous.

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Mrs. P. and I went had dinner at Vietnam last night. Food is still great, not to mention relatively cheap. They're still adjusting to the new set up a bit, and they got slammed with a big crowd. However, the service was very attentive and courteous.

thanks for the update. VR is one of our fave places in the hood and glad to see a remodel hasn't gone to their heads :P

also, i noticed Bedford is open for lunch and brunch. anyone been at these times?

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Oh yes. Many times already. Both sit down and take out. The food is fantastic and in my opinion rivals many of the high dollar Italian restaurants in the city, but for a whole lot less.

Looks good.. Is it a "nicer" place? ie, glass wall, shade style? Or somewhere in the middle?

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Looks good.. Is it a "nicer" place? ie, glass wall, shade style? Or somewhere in the middle?

Oh, much lower than that. The decor is nothing fancy and the ambiance is nothing like Glass Wall/Bedford/Shade. Its on Airline which isn't even remotely on par with what you're seeing along Studewood, but this is a place where you go for the food, not the fancy artwork on the wall. It is a small place, decor is minimal, but unless you're in the hip, chic, trendy Uptown crowd, this place will appease your tastebuds.

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Oh, much lower than that. The decor is nothing fancy and the ambiance is nothing like Glass Wall/Bedford/Shade. Its on Airline which isn't even remotely on par with what you're seeing along Studewood, but this is a place where you go for the food, not the fancy artwork on the wall. It is a small place, decor is minimal, but unless you're in the hip, chic, trendy Uptown crowd, this place will appease your tastebuds.

Spiffy.. I'll have to check it out.. I've been looking for new places to check out around the 'hood..

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Oh, much lower than that. The decor is nothing fancy and the ambiance is nothing like Glass Wall/Bedford/Shade. Its on Airline which isn't even remotely on par with what you're seeing along Studewood, but this is a place where you go for the food, not the fancy artwork on the wall. It is a small place, decor is minimal, but unless you're in the hip, chic, trendy Uptown crowd, this place will appease your tastebuds.

We're gonna check it out Friday, will report back with impressions.

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Oh, much lower than that. The decor is nothing fancy and the ambiance is nothing like Glass Wall/Bedford/Shade. Its on Airline which isn't even remotely on par with what you're seeing along Studewood, but this is a place where you go for the food, not the fancy artwork on the wall. It is a small place, decor is minimal, but unless you're in the hip, chic, trendy Uptown crowd, this place will appease your tastebuds.

I like it too. Most importantly, it's BYOB - I don't think they even charged us a corkage fee the times we've been in there.

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My Table magazine's current issue features a "Foodie Guide to the Heights". They cover 30 establishments ranging from Andy's and Pink's to Bedford and Textile, and outlets like Penzey's and El Bolillo. Nice, short takes on each. They arranged the article geographically - 19th, Studewood, White Oak, Airline, and other.

If you're not a subscriber, they do have limited retail circulation. I think I've seen it at Sur La Table.

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