21 Waterway Ave: Office Building For The Woodlands

[woody_hawkeye]

Diversity is intended, both income and ethinic. The plan is coming to fruition.

[Jonah]

i'll put my camera in the car. there is a new apartment complex going in on the waterway called "the boardwalk", a new upscale retirement community and more condos. town center is about to have over a thousand new residents.

goose's acre is the first pub/grill to open on the waterway level and its packed on weekends. churrasco's and baker street pub are to follow (baker street pub is open now). last weekend at goose's acre, i met a couple from san francisco who are here to buy property. they were trippin' at what they could buy for a million. the woodlands is on "the map" and it scares me. people are gobbling up townhomes and condos in east shore over 400K. it's freaking crazy. there are still fixer-upper homes along north millbend that are selling for under $120K. north millbend is across woodlands parkway from town center (east shore, the waterway, pavilion, etc.).

Any news pics?

[bachanon]

sorry. pc maintenance issues. camera software wasn't high on the list. should have it hooked back up this weekend.

[RedScare]

So, I had to head north on Friday to have a client sign some paperwork. We decided to meet at a bar on the waterway to see what the hubbub was about. I parked in the surface lot and walked over to Goose's Acre. The place is almost empty, but happy hour is just starting, so I did not think much of it. We grabbed a table near the bar downstairs and waited for service...and waited....and waited. No one ever shows up, even though there are plenty of bored waitresses walking around.

So, my buddy decides to order from the bar. He asks the bartender standing behind the bar doing nothing for a drink. The bartender says we will have to wait until he is finished doing what he was doing. It is unclear what he was doing, though. My buddy comes back to the table and tells me what he said. Because I have this unnatural expectation that waitstaff should wait on you within, oh, 10 or 15 minutes of you entering their establishment, and because we figured it would get worse once it got crowded, we left.

We went up the steps to Baker Street. There, staff said Hi at the door, and helped us to a seat. They actually still allow smoking in the Woodlands, so we got a smoking table. The ventilation sucked the smoke straight up, so there was no fog in the air. The place was crowded, but we never waited for service. Eventually, 5 people from another table came over and said they saw us at Goose's. They left, too. They said no one goes there because the service is horrid. Actually, they said a few rabid non-smokers go, but it is largely empty, while Baker Street stays busy. The staff told me that, if not for the few non-smokers that suffer through the bad service, Goose's would already be closed.

As for the general look of the place, it was pleasant enough. Baker Street did a fantastic job on their interior. Outside, it certainly looked better than a strip center, and the waterway was OK, though I cannot say that I would drive 35 miles just to hang out there. The chicks were decidedly attractive, and the people hanging out in our smoking section were friendly...one table even bought us a round. The area will continue to do well for a number of reasons. One, it is new. The strip of bars on Sawdust are old, smelly and full of trashy regulars. Two, the cops around there wait outside the Sawdust Road bars, as well as the bars on the east side of I-45, looking to bust anyone who leaves. This is never good for business. Because Town Center does not have such obvious exits, and because the clientele may be leaving a movie theater as much as a bar, the cops cannot target bar patrons as easily. Three, the clientele just looks better.

So, overall, not a bad time. Town Center is pleasant, if not spectacular, Baker Street was very good, Goose's Acre is the SUCK.

[bachanon]

goose's acre is usually packed on weekend nights. during the day, the wait staff is aloof. also, i think the food is better at the acre. i heard that goose's acre wants to move away from baker street. but, i don't know how reliable the source is. glad to have you in the woods red.

[RedScare]

goose's acre is usually packed on weekend nights. during the day, the wait staff is aloof. also, i think the food is better at the acre. i heard that goose's acre wants to move away from baker street. but, i don't know how reliable the source is. glad to have you in the woods red.

Thanks, if I would have known sooner, I would have PM'd you. I don't know how much more weekend you can get than Friday night. I left the area around 10, and it was clearly not full, especially compared to Baker Street, which was standing room. If their solution to bad service is to move away from nearby bars with better service, they are doomed. And, mind you, I thought my experience was unusual at first. It was the non-stop negative comments from everyone else that stunned me. I waited 10 minutes before leaving. All of the other complaints from the locals were 45 minute waits, wrong food, etc....much worse than my tale.

[bachanon]

Thanks, if I would have known sooner, I would have PM'd you. I don't know how much more weekend you can get than Friday night. I left the area around 10, and it was clearly not full, especially compared to Baker Street, which was standing room. If their solution to bad service is to move away from nearby bars with better service, they are doomed. And, mind you, I thought my experience was unusual at first. It was the non-stop negative comments from everyone else that stunned me. I waited 10 minutes before leaving. All of the other complaints from the locals were 45 minute waits, wrong food, etc....much worse than my tale.

that's too bad. i like the acre alot. i haven't had a bad experience there. americas, next door, is supposed to have a nice bar area, when they open. many more options to come.

[Captain Impossible]

Went to the Goose's Acre a few weeks ago with a few friends. Our experience was less than stellar. In fact, our experience at Baker Street a couple of months before that wasn't so great either, but for different reasons. If I'm going to drive all they way from Huntsville, I'll go the extra forty five minutes to Flying Saucer downtown.

[wxman]

Went to the Goose's Acre a few weeks ago with a few friends. Our experience was less than stellar. In fact, our experience at Baker Street a couple of months before that wasn't so great either, but for different reasons. If I'm going to drive all they way from Huntsville, I'll go the extra forty five minutes to Flying Saucer downtown.

If it takes you 45 minutes to get DT from The Woodlands on Friday night, then you don't drive very fast. But that is a different subject for a different topic.

I love Baker Street. I have had great service, with great food, with a great atmosphere. I just wished Goose's and Baker St. were switched that way Baker could be on the waterway. Doesn't really matter at this point being that the Waterway is dead anyway, but in the future, I think Goose's will do better than Baker St...if it lasts that long. They way you guys are talking on here with bad service (I haven't been there yet), then I surely won't go and I'm sure others won't either.

[Captain Impossible]

...with a great atmosphere.

If by "great atmosphere" you mean yuppie hangout, sure.

[bachanon]

i'm not what one would call "yuppie". perhaps looking like an ice house patron or saturday night bowler is the reason i get better service than most yuppie types that hit the acre. i've been attended to by the chef and the manager on more than one occasion. perhaps you have to become a regular.

i'd say try it again.