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Dessert Shoppe Opening On 19th Street

More good news in on the horizon for food-lovers and Heights residents as Dessert Shoppe is coming to W. 19th Street. 

Dessert Shoppe is an original concept, unique to Houston and locally owned.  It will be located at 512 W. 19th St., in the same strip as Collina's and Penzey's Spices.

Co-owners and sisters, Sara and RaeMarie Villar are fourth-generation Heights residents who say they have wanted to open a bakery since childhood.

"It started with my great aunt's cookie, [which] to us, in our family... is the best and it was only given to us on our birthdays plus holidays," shares Sara.

Inspired by the family recipe, Sara studied with Alain and Marie LeNotre at the Culinary Institute LeNotre and then landed a position as pastry chef at the old Warwick Hotel (now Zaza).  After the Warwick, she spent time in the kitchens of Rao's Bakery, as they expanded from Beaumont to Houston.

Finally, with her sister at her side, she will get to command her own ovens. 

The "Dessert Shoppe is a dream coming true," says Sara.  It "is going to be the place where I can make, bake, & create quality desserts, which is one of the things I enjoy most after The Lord."

Featuring an "array of desserts from whole cakes and pies to individual desserts, along with assorted breakfast pastries, cookies, quiches, cupcakes, and some breads," Dessert Shoppe will be open daily from 6:30am - 8:00pm starting in early December.

We'll be waiting. 

Loving Chantal

I love to cook.  If you have been a reader of this blog then you know how much I enjoy the process of cooking and how I feel it helps me connect with the other cooks in my family who have gone before me.  I find it both relaxing and rewarding to spend time in the kitchen creating things from recipes old and new.

I am not a chef.  And truthfully, the vast majority of my culinary experience has come to me vicariously through my family and the chefs with whom I have worked.  I have very little direct training, but I have been watching in kitchens, both at home and at work, all my life so I guess I have gleaned a thing or two.

In my growth as a cook I have come to the same understanding that all artisans know to be true.  That the quality of your work is greatly impacted by the quality of your materials and tools.  As my father, a master carpenter, used to say "The right tool makes a hard job easy.  The wrong tool makes an easy job hard."  The same holds true in the kitchen.

Chantal is the right tool.  Chantal cookware was founded in 1979 by Heida Thurlow, who has received 26 international patents for her line of kitchen tools.  Chantal cookware combines high-quality with dramatic color and state-of-the-art science to form a line of environmentally friendly cookware that is second-to-none.  

My first piece was a 4 Quart Dutch Oven that my Mother-In-Law gave me last year.  I had never really used a Dutch Oven, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with it.  I have used it more than any other piece of cookware that I own.  As you can tell from the baked on stains.  (I like to think of them scars of love.)   I have made everything from roasts to soups and even bread.  From this fantastic recipe I found on the Amateur Gourmet.

With that in mind it is easy to understand the excitement I felt when I got the invitation to the Private Previewing Party at the Chantal Warehouse here in Houston.  The preview party was Thursday, November 4 and it featured everything from the new collections to a clearinghouse of odd and discontinued pieces.  I was like a kid in a candy store.

We picked up an enameled cast iron skillet from the Talavera Collection  for $29!  An 8-quart Talavera Dutch Oven for $69!  A set of Pure mixing bowls for $9!  Plus, we got a few Christmas gift, as well.

The party continues all through November as the Outlet Store opens Fridays through Sundays to the public.  The line of products available at the Outlet Sale includes the new Cast Iron Talavera Collection not yet available in most stores or online!  Plus, the discounts are up to 70% off retail prices and far, far below the Le Creuset collection featured at places like Sur La Table.  (Their 7.25 qt Dutch Oven goes for $270.)

If you have never used Chantal cookware you owe it to yourself to try it out.  It is quite simply the best cookware at the best price you will find.  I usually don't pimp products with such enthusiasm, especially for free, but in this case I am making an exception.  After all, I love my Chantal. 

And my Mother-In-Law got me hooked.

Update: Table Seven Bistro

I have received word from Shelley Elham, owner of Table Seven Bistro and District 7 Grill, that the space on Durham which was formerly Rare Bar will become Table Seven Bistro. 

When I first reported the transition here a few days ago I had not yet received word from owners Shelley and Babak Elham about their intentions for the space at 700 Durham.  Today, I can confirm that it will, in fact, be the second incarnation of Table Seven Bistro.  The first, located at 720 Fannin, opened in 2008.

Table Seven is an elegant restaurant unique to Houston.  The menu features steak, fish and pasta in the $15-$20 range. 

"We will be open for lunch and dinner [daily] and brunch on the weekends,"  explains Elham.  "The menu for lunch and brunch will be the same" as the other location, but "our dinner menu will be a whole new menu."  

Executive Chef Anthony Bolt, formerly of Daily Review and Shade, is at the helm in the kitchen so it should be delightful to explore the new creations.

The transition promises to be relatively quick. 

"Our target," say Shelley Elham " is to have a soft opening around November 15."  

I, for one, will be looking forward to it.

Blame The Manager

Good service is hard to find.  Unfortunately, bad service is not.  

There are just so many ways that service can go wrong.  Bad service can be created by a bad attitude.  Sometimes is the result of inattention.  It can be the by-product of a lack of knowledge or a lack of attention.  It could be inaccuracy.  Or simply bad timing.  

There are so many variables.

Ultimately when we receive bad service it is our initial reaction to blame the server.  That is, we blame the messenger.  But sometimes we must look a bit deeper.  Sometimes we should blame the manager.

On several recent dining occasions that has been just the case.  Despite having a good-natured, friendly  and intelligent server, decisions that were made by management have led to my wife and I being the victims of bad service.

There are a number of ways that management, through it's decisions, can negatively impact service. 

The first and most often made blunder is under-staffing. Either on the floor or in the kitchen.  Simply put, the manager staffs too few people to deal with the level of business.  Usually in an effort to save labor or sometimes due to an under-estimation of expected business, the scheduling manager staffs lightly.  This can lead to major problems when more guests show up than expected.

Under-staffing in the kitchen leads to high ticket times because there are not enough people to execute the number of orders being placed.  This leads to longer table turns and an increased wait for guests at the door.  Under-staffing in the kitchen results in mistakes on orders as personnel are rushed to produce orders and don't take the time to be accurate.  It also makes for slippage in presentation as the mindset shifts from get it right to get it done.

On the floor, under-staffing is more obvious.  Servers have too many tables to cover which also translates into missed opportunities.  When a server has too many tables he or she will be absent for longer periods.  Orders take longer to be placed and filled.  Drinks go dry.  Plates stack up and in the end, the guest is waiting for the waiter instead of the other way around.

Cutting corners can also lead to bad service.  There are many ways to cut corners from cutting back on supplies to trying to save on energy bills.  In the end, cutting corners is often hurting your business.  A very successful restaurant company I used to work for used the mantra, "prepare to be busy."  If you don't you are planning for failure.

For example, if a manager orders lightly on food supplies, then the result generally leads to a guest being disappointed when the item is ordered but out of stock, or "86'd."  This disappointment is greater than getting an order wrong.  When a guest orders something and is told that the restaurant no longer has that item, the negative effect on the guest experience outweighs the financial savings the restaurant might have made. 

A great example is boiled crawfish.  When in season, people plan their dining around them.  When a restaurant runs out two hours before closing, the excuse "We were so busy, we sold out" is more offensive than it is comforting to a guest.  He or she feels like the restaurant let them down.  Next time he or she will likely go somewhere else.

I have also seen restaurants attempt to cut back by closing sections of tables on slower shifts.  In one place I know, the management routinely closes a small section off to one side.  They keep the air and the lights off and do not assign a server.  Which is fine if it is slow, but when the restaurant gets busy, they seat these tables in order to avoid a wait.  The result is seven tables, all seated at once ,in a hot room with no single server responsible for their care.  It is a disaster.  As a guest, I would rather have stayed home.

Further examples of cutting back can be seen in details of service.  When coffee spoons are served with iced tea; when extra lemons are brought on a saucer instead of on a side plate; when salads that are normally served on chilled plates are served on warm plates it is usually the lack of proper supplies that lead to these substitutions.

The only other possible explanation is poor employee education or a lack of attention to detail.  Two more signs of bad management.

When I see these things happening it is difficult for me to forgive, because these situations are all completely preventable.  A great manager I once worked for said that management is about avoiding fires.  Preventing them rather than putting them out.  With that in mind, it is hard to excuse these mistakes.  Bad service is easy enough to find without the management fostering it. 

If a server makes a mistake, I am willing to forgive and forget.  It is what it is.  But when management is at fault, I'd prefer to spend my money elsewhere.

Fast Food - Guilty Pleasure Or Vice?

I like to think of myself as having a refined palate.  And that I am a fairly qualified judge of what is good and fresh and worthy of praise.  In fact, my obsession with service and quality has caused me to be labeled a snob from time to time.

So what does it mean that I scored a perfect score on the Fast Food Jingles Quiz?

Scoring a perfect score is usually something I would take great pride in, but this accomplishment has not brought a sense of achievement.  Instead, it has caused a bit of introspective contemplation.  Do I really eat that much fast food?

Truly, I must admit that I love me some fast food.  I don’t get it often.  I do my best to keep the lid on Pandora’s Box.  But, there are times when the craving for a  Filet-O-Fish or Two Crispy Tacos is so great that the pull on my car towards the source is as strong as gravity between celestial bodies.

What’s more, the yearning is not like the tinge of hunger pangs but more akin to the jonesing of an addict.  At these moments, nothing else will do.  I do not want to eat, I need a fix.  A healthy snack will not fill the void.  I need something from a Dollar Menu!

And, when I do give in to the craving and let myself go, I don’t enjoy the meal as food.  The consumption is an experience of relief.  The satisfaction is excellent.  And then after – there is guilt.

But is it simply guilty pleasure?  Or vice?

They say the first step on a person’s road to recovery is to admit there is a problem and that one is powerless over their addiction. 

I’ve done that much.  

Rare Closes. District 7 Grill/Table 7 Bistro To Open

Rare Bar, which occupied the location at 700 Durham, has closed.  After a short lived appearance on the Washington scene, Rare closed for good in October. 

Rare was a concept bar that never really materialized.  The intentions were quite grand but the ownership and management could never bring the dreams to fruition.  The idea behind Rare was to be everything from a great breakfast spot, to a happy hour lounge and even an after-hours club serving food until 4AM.  But those ideas remained just ideas.

Problems plagued Rare from the start.  The hours of operation varied widely.  Sometimes they were open at lunch, at others they were not.  Some days they didn't open at all.  The phones were often "down."  The valet, which cost $6, could best be described as sporadic.

In the end, a lack of direction and clear definition as to what Rare was and wasn't turned people off and led to the demise of the bar.

In the meantime, District 7 Grill/Table 7 Bistro has occupied the space.

District 7 Grill and Table 7 Bistro are sister concepts with locations in Midtown, Downtown and Chinatown.  Attempts to contact ownership have proven unsuccessful, but both concepts are owned by Babak and Shelley Elham.  District 7 was the first concept to open with locations on Pierce and Hutchins.  In 2008, the Elhams refined the concept a bit with the more elegant Table 7 Bistro, which opened on Fannin.

Both concepts offer friendly and comfortable atmospheres with menus that boast fresh, quality ingredients at reasonable prices.  District 7 Grill, the more casual of the two, serves lunch and dinner seven days a week with a nice weekend brunch.  The more mature Table 7 Bistro serves all three meals daily. 

No word yet on which concept will make its home on Durham.

The opening date is not confirmed but work is progressing on the transition. 

I'll share more details as they become available.

Art Festival Favorites

The Bayou City Art Festival was held downtown October 10 and 11. Artists from all over the country gathered to showcase and sell their works at this "sister" festival to the Bayou City Art Festival that is held each year in Memorial Park in the spring (March 26-28, 2010).

If you didn't get a chance to attend the festival, you should definitely try to get out in the spring.  The art is fantastic and there is always something for everyone - from jewelry to sculpture, from photography to oil painting.

Some of the artists are at both festivals, but there is always something new to see.  Below are a few of my favorites from this fall's event.

Larry Stephenson - Stephenson's art is both whimsical and nostalgic mining in me memories of my childhood and a yearning for a piece of yesterday.  You might recognize Mr. Stephenson's work from the billboards for 2009 Memorial Park festival.

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The Spoon Mill - Christopher Fry of Denham, Louisiana sculpts beautiful serving pieces from wood,     accentuating the natural flow of the wood rather than planing it out.

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JDH Art - J.D. Hillberry works miracles with pencil and ink.   I am simply in awe of the work done by Mr. Hillberry.  From portraits to still life images, the detail is amazing.

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Jay Long Studio - Prolific artist and native Houstonian Jay Long works out of Austin and produces truly stunning images.  I am not an art scholar but something speaks to me in Mr. Long's art.  Judging by his many awards and accolades, I am not alone.

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ArtAvodah - Critically acclaimed artist, Solomon Kane mixes the mundane and the surreal in this "football fish" sculpture, Spike.  Working in both two and three dimensions, Kane's work evokes in this observer thoughts of Peter Max.

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Gabor Koryani - Hungarian born artist Gabor Koryani's simple yet complex images flow with a silky fluidity.

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Smith Map Studio - Christopher Smith blends his three passions - art, geography and maps - into incredible hand-crafted maps using the painstaking and brilliant stipple technique.

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Iona Handcrafted Books - Using the same techniques as ancient Venetian monks, the owners of Iona hand-make each book from rugged leather and archival papers produced of recycled fabrics.  In fact, they make them at the festival before your very eyes.  Simply holding the books in your hands gives you a sense of the care and quality that goes into each one.

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There's a glimpse of my favorites from the downtown festival.  With hundreds of artists and artisans showcasing their wares at the Bayou City Arts Festival, I could easily go on and on about the wonders I took in while visiting.  Instead, I suggest you mark you calendar and visit for yourself when the festival returns in the spring.

Pie In The Sky Coming To 19th Street

 
When I first moved to the Heights a few years ago it seemed that a great local dining scene was just a "pie in the sky" notion.  But, slowly and surely that distant hope is coming closer to fruition.  The addition of Marlene Stubler's Pie In the Sky Restaurant to the addresses on 19th St. will certainly help bring the dream even closer to reality.

The phrase pie in the sky was originally coined as a lyric in a song by Joe Hill and over time has come to be "used figuratively to refer to any prospect of future happiness which was unlikely ever to be realized." 

Much like the dream of having a successful restaurant. 

But, for Ms. Stubler that prospect has been realized.  And then some.  Her first store in Conroe has been a big success and now she is bringing her talents to the Heights.  "One of my slogan's is 'What's your pie in the sky?'  This was one of mine, a pie shack in the Heights," she says.

Ms. Stubler got her start baking pies in her father's gas station, believe it or not.  "We had the best smelling gas station in the world.  My first flavor of pie to sell was cherry.  Cherry lattice pies are so pretty and tempting right out of the oven." 

In the fall of 2004, when her father decided to retire and close the station, Marlene and her father agreed to use a half-acre of land to build the first Pie In The Sky.  She and her sister opened in October 2005 and they have never looked back, baking over 40,000 pies since then.  Today, their pies are available at all Rice Epicurean Markets and the restaurant menu now features much more than just pies.  In fact, the original Pie In The Sky now offers cakes and casseroles and even helps with event planning and fund-raising.

Opening in mid-November, Pie In The Sky 2 will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and will feature the same menu as the original store dishing up everything from fresh pies and pastries to burgers and fried bologna sandwiches. 

Marlene and her husband, a builder in the Heights, bought a home and moved their family here a few years back.  "I love the Heights.  The sense of community is so great.  The phrase 'sit long, talk much and laugh often.' (from her website) rings true here."

"I have been looking for a place for about two years.  Finally, I found the perfect [one]," she beams.  "I will enjoy riding my bike to work in the mornings."

Washington Avenue Keeps Building

This year has witnessed an explosion of growth along the Washington Corridor.  As fall sets in, there is no sign that things are slowing down.  Below is an update on a few of those projects plus a couple of new ones.

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Roosevelt

Located at 5219 Washington(originally reported as "Blue Book"), Roosevelt is an ultra-upscale concept by Saleem Hernandez, owner of Pandora.  This "25 and up" uber-posh lounge will cater to a "Fortune 500, River Oaks-type" clientele, according to Hernandez.  A "suit-and-tie" dress code and "exclusive pricing" will set the tone.  "This is not a club," says Hernandez.  "It's the next step."

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Brixx

The sign on the door still says Busty LaRue, but part-owner, Rod says the name Brixx was eventually chosen as an homage to the aged exterior of this spot nestled in between Taps and Eight.  "An upscale patio bar" is the vision.  Complete with outdoor service windows and a large back-porch.  The interior has been completely re-done and will be decked out with wall-to-wall flat-screens.  A DJ booth and small kitchen lend even more promise to the place which has a targeted opening of October 16.

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Shotzky's

Shotzky's is a "country-themed shots bar."  The shot menu will boast "over 1000 shots," says owner Andy Aweida, who also owns Kobain, Taps House Of Beers, Whiskey Creek and the adjacent club, Nox.  On Nett Street near Shepherd, Shotzky's will feature "roulette and Plinko at each table" so that revelers can let Lady Luck pick their poison.  Shotzky's will be open four nights a week, from Wednesday through Saturday, but promises to be a party every night!  Opening in mid-October.

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Phil's Texas Bar-B-Que

The old Southwest Muffler and Brake building at the corner of Heights and Washington will become a Bar-B-Que house.  Heights Blog first shed light on this change and the permits for Rampart Builders which hang in the window lead in the same direction.  At 7,000 square feet, Phil ain't messin' around!

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Where's Waldo? Alive And Well In The Heights!

If you read last Monday's post, The Starbucks Triangle, it was clear that not only was I guilty of libertine spending at the ubiquitous coffee peddler, but also, that I had realized the level of my Starbucks' debauchery.  In the end, ashamed at my own lack of discipline, I committed to change.  I suggested that I try to explore the coffee world rather than falling back on routine and habit.  I was to search the local Heights coffee dens and find alternatives to the evil giant.  On Tuesday, I started in earnest on my quest of discovery.

Waldo's Coffee House, located at 1030 Heights Blvd., was my first stop on the trip. 

The cute little shop just before the intersection with 11th Street is a gem of a find.  Nestled in the frame of an old Height house, Waldo's could as easily be located in Chappel Hill as in Houston. 

Waldo's is at once warm and inviting.  The front porch has space to sit and enjoy your latte with the afternoon sun, while inside the house is left divided into its original rooms with several tables in each for relaxed sipping.  The tables are numerous and the windows gaze out on an actual neighborhood.  The quiet comfort is far more charming than the mass-produced Starbucks dining rooms.

The coffee room in the back is clean and well tended.  The staff is friendly and welcoming.  Dana, the day manager, knew me by name after only two visits.  Although, I must admit that I frequented the shop more than twice this week.  Happily, supporting my neighbors.

Waldo's features Houston's own Katz's Coffee in all it's drinks and further sustains the neighborhood featuring a posting board where neighbors can leave notices or drop business cards for others to find.

Free wi-fi throughout the shop mixed with "movie nights" and live music on weekends nurture a zen that is part 60's coffee house and part campus hangout.  Low key, personal and inviting.  A vast improvement over the assembly-line schtick of the baristas at 'Bucks who wantonly echo each order at high volume as if performing theatre of the absurd

With its prime location in the heart of the Heights, Waldo's is never far from wherever you are and with street parking and a lot in back, Waldo's provides easy access for it's patron's and neighbor's.

Next time you need a caffeine boost, stop by and check out Waldo's for yourself.  Not only will you be happy with the flavor of the joe, you'll find true satisfaction in contributing to the success of a neighbor and the Heights, itself.

Starbucks Triangle

Recently, Chron.com posted a piece on the bizarre triangulation of Starbucks locations at the intersection of Shepherd and West Gray.  The short video in the piece films locals marveling at the notion that one merchant would open three stores so close together.  Imagine three Burger Kings at one intersection.  It would be mind-boggling.  Well, it would be for a burger joint, but burgers are not coffee.

After viewing the short video, I was more amused than anything.  Consumers in the clip ponder aloud over the seemingly inexplicable turn of events, all the while unconsciously sipping their $5 coffees.  The plain truth is the if the three stores weren't each doing good business, the Seattle giant would cull one out of the herd.  But the apparently baffled public need look no further than into a mirror for the true explanation as it, itself, keeps the registers chiming.

One couple in the clip questions whether all three can possibly survive a year, while in the next moment another customer admits frequenting all three in the same day.

Personally, I have no doubt the trio will continue to flourish.  Americans are obsessed with the legal and socially acceptable speed-drug caffeine, so there is absolutely no shortage of demand.  And frankly, each of the three locations has its own allure.

If you are traveling North on Shepherd, the location on the SE corner is most easily accessible.  If you prefer drive-through service then the choice has to be the NE corner store.  And naturally, if you are already inside Barnes&Noble, why on Earth wouldn't you get your coffee there?  After all, to Americans, convenience is truly a virtue.

And let us not forget the distinct pull of loyalty.  Addicts are loyal folks.  I, myself, live closer to the Starbucks at Durham and I-10 East, but routinely drive North to the store on the North Loop East at Nicholson because I feel it is more a apart of the neighborhood.  I am loyal, you see.  Oh, and it sports a drive through.  I am lazy, too.

But the more I think about it, I, as a Heights resident, shouldn't be going to Starbucks at all.  By doing so, I am sending my money - a whopping $657.57 so far this year, not including what my wife has spent, which she assures me is much less - to far off Washington state rather than supporting our local merchants and neighbors.  Where is the loyalty in that?  I need to be going to Waldo's or Cricket's.  If more of us were making the same local choices, we wouldn't have to question the cosmic meaning of three separate Starbucks sharing nearly identical addresses.

Old habits die hard is the cliche that comes to mind, but I am also reminded of the timeless Smithereens' lyric, "It is time for us to look for something new..."

To Insure Proper Service

The word tips - as in gratuities - is said to have originated as an acronym for these four words.  And without question, the best way to insure that you receive good service is through tipping.  Being generous with regards to gratuity will leave an impression on server.  And when you return to dine on subsequent visits you will certainly reap the benefits of your unselfishness.

But while the combination of generosity and patronage is the most sound way of insuring the quality of your dining experiences, there are other ways to improve your odds of getting good service.

The key to consistently getting better service is understanding how servers thinks and work.

Servers are busy people with many tasks at hand.  Greeting guests, getting drinks, taking orders, running food, etc.  In order to better your experience you need your server to consciously prioritize you and your needs above other guests and other tasks.

One way to gain that priority is to mentally engage your server.  That is, to make a connection.  To draw their interest.  Compel your server to care about you, your companions and your experience.  Make him want to take care of you.  When your server cares, you win.

Getting the waiter to take an interest in you and your party is really as simple as taking an interest in your server.  Rather than viewing him or her as a simple conduit for the delivery of food from the kitchen to your table, think of the waiter as a liaison of service.  The waiter has a job to do beyond simply taking orders and returning with plates.  He or she is your host or hostess for your visit.  A diplomat, if you will.  Too many diners dismiss their waiters as mere servants.  They do this to their own detriment.

Service is a two way street and you often reap what you sow in terms of attitude.  Think of The Golden Rule.  Be polite.  Make eye contact.  Say "Hello."  Ask your server's name.  Listen to the offerings.  Don't interrupt.  Say "Please" and "Thank you."  A bit of common courtesy truly goes a long way.

Remember that you are dependent on your server and that your server can make or break your experience.  So show him or her the respect that the responsibility carries.

Show your server that you honestly care about what he is doing, and in turn, he will truly care about the service he gives.

Ninth Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival!

"Peace, Love and Peppers."  That's the theme for the 2009 Ninth Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival being held this weekend, Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 at the Stafford Centre - about a mile and a half south of Hwy 59 on Wilcrest.

Presented by Miller Lite and a host of other local sponsors, the festival brings you "hundreds of award winning hot sauce, salsa, chips, dips, peppers, spices, jams/jellies, marinades, rubs, wing sauce, and more."  Vendors from all over Texas and from as far away as Ohio, Maryland and California gather to showcase their secret recipes that promise to light your lips on fire!

Live music headlined by bands like Cattle Prod, Willie B. And The Silver Backs and The Zydeco Dots will keep the place rocking! 

Feel free to bring the kids.  Those under 12 get free admission and there's even a children's area with such free activities as face painting and moonwalks!

A $5 adult-ticket gets you all-day admission and free samples of all the good stuff.  "Sample the items before you buy - there's never a charge for sampling."

The vendors will have plenty on hand to sell to the hungry public, but get there early because the best stuff sells out quickly!

PLONK! Beer and Wine Bistro

 "Wish you were here, In Beautiful Oak Forest!" proclaims the postcard on the front of each wine list at this new bar located at the intersection of 43rd and Ella.  And that same fierce neighborhood pride emanates from owner and longtime Oak Forest resident, Scott Miller, who says in creating Plonk! he sought "to make the perfect neighborhood bar...especially for Oak Forest."  In fact, Mr. Miller explains that he employed local artisans, craftsmen and merchants exclusively during the design and construction of Plonk!  No surprise when talking to the cerebral Miller who meticulously planned and executed every single aspect of his North Heights incarnation. 

Even the name Plonk! was very carefully chosen.  Plonk is British slang for cheap wine.  More than merely "cheap" wine, it is more truly evocative of thoughts of swill - the very bottom-of-the-barrel juice that was all but forgotten (and certainly neglected) during production.  But Miller, a self-described wordsmith,  "loves the word and its onomatopoeia."  Admittedly, it is fun to say and quite easy to remember.  But even more effective is the juxtaposition created when one compares the mental images conjured by the word plonk to the finely conceived and executed bar that is Plonk! Beer and Wine Bistro.  Of course, that is also no accident.

Plonk! - located at the edge of Oak Forest near Garden Oaks - is easily one of the most enjoyable venues I have visited since moving north of the city.  A classy, upscale atmosphere geared toward the residents of the neighborhood who enjoy savoring fine beer and wine with company in a clean, comfortable and safe setting.

In every detail there is a demonstration of Miller's perfectionist nature.  The former wine director at the renowned Pappas' Steak House has spared no expense in bringing his dream to fruition.  Every wine - from the simplest house wine to the most exotic selection - is at all times cellared in a glass library held at the optimum temperature of 55 degrees.  The beers are also treated with love and stored in a specially designed cooler with a frosty holding temperature of 31.8 degrees.

The architecture of the bar also reflects Miller's mindful diligence.  From the soothing granite bar top - once part of an actual riverbed - smoothed by running waters and lifted from nature to form Plonk's centerpiece to the impressive stone pizza hearth to the hand-laid hickory plank floors.  Plonk! is progressive without being impersonal.  The bar is spacious and intimate in the same moment.

The beer-and-wine list is equally well conceived.  Every palate - and budget - is accommodated, whether you are an enophile or prefer a refreshing brew.  An eclectic mix of tradition and hidden gems, the list will change with the seasons, mirroring the natural evolution of wine itself.  Mr. Miller confidently intimates that his list will always have something for every taste and promises to help you discover your new favorite if you don't find what you thought you were looking for. 

A food menu is in the works and the kitchen should be open in a month or two.  Pizza will be a major focus, but Miller has no designs on becoming a pizza joint.  Instead his culinary goal is to enhance "the Plonk! experience" for fans and followers.  In the meantime, Miller and chef Michelle Salek will satisfy eager crowds by having "Steak Nights" periodically.  The first such event was held September 8 for a sell-out crowd treated to bacon-wrapped filet, grilled shrimp and more, for a mere $20.

News and notices of upcoming events about Plonk! will be shared via email to subscribers.  No advertising is planned.  The only way to join the fun is to get on the mailing list by visiting the website and signing up.

The reason for Mr. Miller's passion is obvious.  Plonk! is truly his life's work.

"Not only did I want to build the best bar in Oak Forest," he says "I wanted to create a place that I would  want to come to every day."  Miller is more than a bartender, owner, chef and host.  He is a visionary and devoted Oak Forest resident bent on bringing his brand of experience to the neighborhood.  Based on what I have seen, Plonk! is exactly what Scott Miller intended it to be.

The Dying Art Of Customer Service

 

Customer service is a dying art. 

I suppose this really isn't news to most people.  The death knell began tolling long ago.  The slow and painful demise of service has been dragging out in America for a generation and a half.  So, maybe I am stating the obvious here.  But like an addict coming to terms with his addiction, it is not easy to admit.  And the reality seems so much more painful when I say it out loud.

I imagine it was inevitable that we would get here.  From the installation of the first self-service gas pumps to the ubiquitous self-checkout stands and the automated ticket kiosks at the cinema, anywhere and everywhere labor-saving machines have replaced people as efficiency and profitability have been prioritized over service and the human encounter.

Sadly, it seems the disease afflicting commerce has spread to the remaining human populations in the retail world as the attitude and concern of most service people now echoes that of the impersonal machines.  Aside from the obligatory "Hello" and the perfunctory "Goodbye", today you are most unlikely to have any meaningful interaction while shopping or dining in many American businesses. 

From floor personnel to the few human cashiers left, it appears in many retail establishments as if the customer is treated more and more as a distraction or burden rather than as the focus.  On the sales floor, you usually have to track someone down for any assistance and when you do you will be greeted as if you are interrupting them.  At checkout, you often will not be spoken to at all, as employees ramble on with their own personal discussions.

It is the customer who pays the bills, but that seems lost on so many of today's workers.

Recently while shopping at Target, I asked a saleswoman in the electronics department if she could help me find a cashier.  To which she simply responded "No" and then walked away.  I was stunned and infuriated.  When I relayed my experience to someone I was met with disbelief rather than an apology.

At a local Heights eatery last week, my wife and I waited seven long minutes before being greeted by our waiter.  When he finally arrived, his first words were not "Hello" or "Welcome", but "You will have to hurry and order because I am really busy."  Why we stayed, I am not sure.

The current disposition of many employees makes you wonder how they keep their jobs, or how they ever found work in the first place.  As a service manager myself, I simply cannot fathom allowing these interactions to occur between my staff and my guests. 

Lamentably for consumers, the demeanor of the staff is a reflection of the mindset of management.  Just as a child is a mirror of his parents.

The conventional wisdom among HR types is that you hire for attitude and train for skill.  (You can't coach a smile, after all.)   Beyond good hiring, employee development and accountability are tools employers use to uphold the standards of good service and a quality customer experience.  But those seem to be forgotten concepts.  

Which begs the unfortunate question: Is customer service a dying art or a lost cause?

Houston Food Bank's Happy Hours For Hunger

In case you have not already heard, this month the Houston Food Bank is teaming with several local bars and restaurants to bring you Happy Hours For Hunger.

September is Hunger Action Month and area pubs and eateries will feature special drink and cover promotions along with traditional food and donation drives all benefiting the Food Bank and Houston's hungry.

Local participants include Beaver's, Sawyer Park, South Beach, Absinthe and more.  For a complete listing of dates, participants and activities click here!

One in four Houston families has difficulty affording the groceries necessary to feed itself.  Let's stamp out hunger by pitching in to help our less fortunate neighbors.  Hunger Bites.

Laurenzo Family To Open Laurenzo's Sports Grill On Washington

The Laurenzo family, the folks responsible for bringing Houston such favorites as El Tiempo and Cantina 1308, is branching out with the latest addition to their collection - Laurenzo's Grille Dello Sport. 

The newest restaurant will be in the building at 4414 Washington and the renovation is in full swing.  I stopped by and found Dominic Laurenzo personally supervising the work.

Laurenzo's Grill, as Dominic calls it, is the first in the family of eateries that will focus on food that is not uniquely Mexican.  The Grill will feature more traditionally American fare.  Dominic described it to me as a "full-service, upscale burger place" that will also showcase high-end staples like "prime-rib, filet mignon and lobster rolls."

But, that's just the tip of the iceberg.  The full menu is available at the website and features such other delicious offerings as Maple Smoked Salmon, Baby Back Ribs and Colorado Lamb Chops.  Along with salads and plenty of burgers and sandwiches.

The space at Washington and Patterson is quite roomy and should provide for a very comfortable dining room.  Parking will not be an issue as Dominic informed me that they have leased the spot next door (the old Taqueria La Flor) in order to get its back lot, as well. 

When asked when he expected to be open, Dominic says he is "hoping for December 1."   Barring any unforeseen delays, of course.

As longtime fan of the Laurenzo family, I am hoping it's right on schedule. 

More Good Eats Coming On Shepherd

At 510 Shepherd, the old Cue and Cushion Pool Hall has been sold and is seeing some major changes.  The billiards tables are gone and a dining room is under construction.  The new place will be Cue Restaurant.  Though unconfirmed, the on-site rumor is that it will be a New York style deli - something like Katz's or Kenny and Ziggy's, I am told.  I'll keep you posted.

Update: Not a NY Deli, but an updated, Americanized London Gastro Pub.
More at VisitHoustonTexas.com

*****

 

Across the street, the old Midtown Monuments building is getting a face lift in preparation for the opening of BRC Gastro Pub.  The spot at 519 Shepherd is being gutted and expanded for a completely new look.  Cleverly.com reports that the ownership group consists of a team of true restaurant veterans - Lance Fegan and Shepard Ross (both from Glass Wall),  Lee Ellis (Tonic, The Social, Belvedere) and builder Carl Eaves (Belvedere, The Social, Daily Review and Shade).  Given the track record of these guys, this place should be a great addition to the local scene.

(Perhaps more exciting for residents of the Heights is the revelation by Cleverly that the same group, with Will Davis, has plans for a burger spot called Burgerzilla to be located at Eleventh & Studewood!  The corner is already home to 11th Street Cafe, Someburger and Houston Tamale Company, so it's hard to predict Burgerzilla's exact location, but I can't wait to find out!)

UPDATE: A reader pointed it out that The Houston Tamale Company is now closed and that might be the home of the new Burgerzilla.  Thanks, RBM.

Meatloaf And Mom

I love meatloaf.  More than the sum of its simple parts, meatloaf transcends its ingredients and is, to me, the quintessential comfort food.  At dinner it is a delicious main course.  The next day, between slices of spongy white bread, it is the perfect cold sandwich.  

I guess, I am a bit of a meatloaf aficionado.  I have sampled loaves from the kitchens of restaurants and relatives from New York to Texas. I have tasted many a delightful interpretation of this classic, but through all my trials, my mother's meatloaf is the best.  Dense, rich and savory, it stands unrivaled to this day.  

Sadly, when Mom passed away, it seems she took the recipe with her.  In the years since Mom's death, I have scoured her cookbooks, her binders and her notes, but the formula is not among them.  It is truly nowhere to be found.  In fact, I have come to the conclusion that there likely never was a written recipe in the first place.  The basics were probably handed down to her from her mother.  And Mom, in her lifetime, had executed the recipe so many times that the original combination had changed and become her very own.  Unfortunately, she never put it on paper.

In the last half-decade I have tried dozens of times to recreate Mom's meatloaf on my own.  All of them in vain.  I have followed countless recipes.  And worked through numerous variations.  But, none come close to what I remember.  

Much like her crispy fried chicken, her cole slaw dressing, and her Yankee chili, meatloaf has become one of my mom's lost treasures.

Today I wish that I had taken a moment to ask her to show me her secret methods.  I am sure she would have been delighted to share.  But, I never did.  So, I am left trying to recreate a memory - from memory. 

Of course, I doubt I ever will. 

But, I'll keep trying.  Because with each failure, I succeed.  At remembering Mom.

Dharma Cafe

Dharma Cafe was recommended to my wife and I by a colleague who dines there regularly.  After last night's visit, I am sorry that we didn't heed her advice sooner.

Located in the historic Kessler building at the corner of Houston Avenue and Crockett Street, Dharma is a completely unique experience.  Owners John Gurney and Susan Ralph have infused their own life philosophies into this little restaurant, and the result is dining that is at once as soothing as it is rewarding.

Dharma, as explained on the website, is a Sanskrit word that is "best defined as the spiritual work that you do in your life to return to yourself, your center."  To John and Susan, that work is being of service and "feeding their friends."  There is the source of "Food for Life."

Dharma Cafe's dining room is small but very comfortable.  The tables, which look out over Houston Avenue, are quaint and intimate at the same time.  White linens and fresh flowers adorn each one.  The chairs are an eclectic mix of American country nostalgia, with no two seeming to match.  A small bar, flanked by a tiny lounge, lines one wall with seats for about eight folks to enjoy a cocktail and conversation.

The food is simple and delicious.  The freshest ingredients are used with subtle seasoning to highlight, rather than confuse, their natural flavors. 

From the homemade focaccia brought at the start to the cinnamon vanilla ice cream we ordered to finish. 

The crab cake, ordered as an appetizer, is lump crab - and little else - served in a sassy beurre blanc sauce that melds perfectly with the sauteed seafood.  Our salads were crisp and cold with beautiful tomato and cucumber and perfectly salty kalamata olives drizzled with a delightfully simple balsamic vinaigrette.   

My entree was Cedar-Planked Salmon with seasonal vegetable and new potatoes.  The glaze on the salmon was enough to hold its own without competing with the fish.  Very nice.  The vegetables were crisp and deftly prepared.  My wife had the homemade shrimp and pasta special.  The shrimp were large and plentiful. The pasta, itself, was outstanding.  Smooth in texture and tossed in a lightly creamy sun-dried tomato sauce which managed to be rich without being weighty.

A wide-ranging wine list that offers selections from around the globe complements the fare beautifully. Plus, Dharma offers a full bar and after-dinner selections that can sate any craving.  I suggest the Barros 20 Year Tawny.  Smooth and luscious with the cinnamon vanilla ice cream.

The service was also a tremendous highlight.  I am not easily satisfied, but here I was blown away.  Intuitive, intelligent and technically very sound.  Our server and his back waiter worked flawlessly together.  We were never in need of a single thing.  No detail was missed.  While I do not remember being offered his name, our check was initialed "D".  To him I offer my compliments.

Providing great dining can be a challenging task.  The folks at Dharma Cafe make it simple.

Namaste, John and Sarah.  Namaste.

Jason Gould Leaving Gravitas

It's sad news for the Houston (and Heights) restaurant scene.

In an unfortunate turn of events, Chef Jason Gould, the culinary mind and co-founder of Gravitas, is leaving his kitchen.

The story, originally revealed by Gould during an interview with Cleverley Stone, is that a riff has developed between Gould and Scott Tycer (owner of Gravitas and Textile) which centers around ownership.  Mr. Gould was under the impression that he, as the driving creative force and chef of Gravitas, was also part of the ownership group.  Apparently, that is not the case. 

When Mr. Gould realized that he did not, in fact, have a stake in ownership, he decided it was time for him to move on. 

While, I am not privy to the true details of this divorce, it does seem foolhardy for Mr. Tycer to let such an accomplished, award-winning chef get away.  

I figure greed and egos have met an impasse.

It is, after all, an all too common truth in the restaurant business that ownership rides its talent without proper reward.  Whether it is a front of the house personality or a kitchen genius, too often, ownership takes these people for granted, using their skills happily until they seek their just rewards.

While Mr. Gould has stated publicly that he hopes to remain in Houston, it will be interesting to see where he lands.  It will also be compelling to see what happens at Gravitas and to the local dining scene as the fallout from this break-up becomes clearer.

Sources: cleverley.com; 29-95.com; examiner.com

Jukebox Hero

Since moving to the Heights a couple of years ago, I have learned that the best things about being here are the shops and the neighbors.  Often, I have found that they are one and the same.

Shopping in The Historic Heights is an experience that is unlike anywhere in the city.  As opposed to the large chains that dominate the suburban landscape, the stores in The Heights are mostly small, privately owned places - from the antique shops to the furniture stores to the art galleries. 

They are spots where most likely the person behind the counter is not just another employee, but the owner himself and usually, a local to boot.  The very heart and soul of the parlor working day in and day out, living their passion and trying to make ends meet at the same time.  A neighbor, fully invested in the work he does and the neighborhood in which he lives.  And if you spend a moment or two talking to these folks, you are likely to hear tales that tell the rich history of our town.

I met one such fellow recently.  More than a neighbor and local entrepreneur, he's a lifetime resident, local historian and, as it turns out, a jukebox genius.

Tom Patronella - cousin to the Judge - is the owner and man behind The Trading Post on Fourteenth Street across from Reagan High School.  (In fact, Tom graduated from Reagan himself, some three-plus decades ago.)   The Trading Post specializes in the sale, trade and restoration of American nostalgia.  Street lamps, old pay phones, antique radios, clocks, vintage ad signs, Coke machines and more line the shop that seems more like a museum than a place of commerce.   

At a spry 56, Tom has had his shop in the very same place for some 37 years.  If you stop by The Trading Post you are likely to find him - and his pal Dixon - sitting inside keeping watch of the old neighborhood.  And, if you ask, he can tell you just about everything that has happened on the streets north of downtown in the last half century.  With old photos and faded news clippings to chart the way.

In addition to the history he holds in his head, Tom has another wonderful tale to tell.  His own. 

Tom is truly The Jukebox Hero.  An absolute expert on the coin-op machines of days past.  Boasting a collection of 38 fully-reconditioned jukeboxes, Tom calls it a "sickness" rather than an expertise.  "I just can't help myself," he says when asked how he assembled such a large collection. 

These are the dazzling machines that brought life to the diners and cafes of yesterday.  Relics of a simpler time before computers and lasers ruled the musical world.  Seeburgs, Wurlitzers, Rock-Olas.  All are represented in this astounding array of musical memories.  These beautiful behemoths, with lights aglow, all turn vinyl.  The 45 singles that today are as rare as the machines themselves.  And Tom has them all spinning happily thanks to his careful hand.

The assemblage is easily one of the most amazing I have seen.  Tom is just as intriguing.

When I inquired if he sells these beauties, he simply said "No."  Once restored, he doesn't part with them.  He keeps them home.   It is a "sickness," after all. 

But if that is so, it's an ailment I certainly admire.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Throughout most of The Heights, Thursday is the new day for garbage collection.  Recently, you received a mailer from the City informing you that instead of putting out your bin on Sunday night, you should now place it curbside on Wednesday night.

The City explained that the change was intended to improve service and make the collection efforts more efficient. 

That City had good intentions.  Unfortunately, we all know where good intentions lead.

Garbage collection in The Heights is not efficient and not improved.  In fact, looking at the photos below it is easy to see that in more than a few cases, the garbage is not so much collected as it is redistributed.  On the street.  

I took these photos yesterday between Twelfth Street and 610 North.

 

 

How does the City allow this?  If you or I were to strew garbage about in the street, we would not only be vilified by our neighbors, we would likely incur fines, as well. 

It is absurd that we citizens have to clean up after the garbage trucks!

The City needs to address this problem and find a solution. 

My family produces very little garbage because we, like so many other Heights residents, recycle everything we can.  Some weeks we don't even have enough garbage to put the can out on the curb.  We are doing our best to be clean and green, but seeing this makes me feel like the City is working against us.

The lighter garbage loads created by recycling efforts mean fewer full trucks, more expeditious routes, and less land-fill use.  That all amounts to big savings for the City.  Additionally, most of the recycled materials collected are sold to different industries adding even more to the coffers.  Those monies, combined with the labor dollars the City saves by using the automated trucks (whose cranes are the source of the mess in the first place) and the tax dollars collected from the public, all add up to a nice sum.  A sum large enough to fund a solution that has the City cleaning up after itself.

Because we all agree that a cleaner Houston is a better Houston.

The Fine Art of Complaining

 I was reading a discussion forum recently, and a poster posed this question: "How do you complain in a restaurant without seeming like a pain?"

Oddly enough, this is not an uncommon question.  Many diners, in my experience, would more likely sit quietly displeased than vocalize their feelings.  I cannot count the number of times I, as a manager, would realize that something was amiss at a table, ask the guest how their experience was and get a neutral, or even positive, response.  I often had to coax the story from a guest as if she was admitting wrongdoing rather than exposing a problem with the store.

The thing that people don't seem to realize is that I want you to complain.  Of course that sounds odd and, in fact, I hope that you have no reason to complain.  My goal as a manager is to ensure that your dining experience is flawless.  From the hostess, to the table, to the food and service.  But, when it isn't, I want to know.  I need to know.

When there is a problem, please, speak up.  Feedback helps a restaurant grow.  We use it to improve our food.  We use it to teach our staff.  We use it to evaluate the experience from the guest's perspective.  So silence, in this case, is not golden.

A few tips on how to "talk to the manager."

1. Don't Complain.  Communicate.  Don't be intimidated.  The truth is, restaurants need your feedback.  Positive and negative.  It is an important tool.  One whose value is impossible to over-state.  If you have something to say, don't feel self-conscious about doing so.  Communicate.  The manager wants to hear it.  To her you are a coach, not a complainer.
    
2. Speak Up Immediately.  If something is not right, tell your waiter right away.  The sooner management realizes there is an issue, the faster they can address it.  The longer you stew on the problem, the harder it is to turn the situation around.
   
3. Don't Take It Personally.  Even in great restaurants, things go wrong from time to time.  Out of the hundreds of plates that leave a kitchen on a given day, a small percentage will not be perfect. No matter how great the kitchen and the staff.  When something goes awry, realize that it is simple chance.  You were not chosen.  Some guests tend to feel insulted when something is wrong.  This attitude makes it difficult to correct the problem and often serves to exacerbate it.  Be calm and speak to the manager as an ally rather than making him the object of a tirade. 
   
4. Satisfaction Is The Goal.  Realize that the restaurant wants to make you happy.  You have chosen to dine there and getting you in the door is half the battle.  The other half is making sure you leave satisfied.  Great dining is, after all, the promise of a great restaurant.  

Taking the time to talk to the manager lets the restaurant know that you care as much as they do.  Which is a quality that sets you apart as a diner.  A problem solved can be a great icebreaker.  Good restaurants look to cultivate relationships with their patrons and in order to do so, there must be dialog.  As is true in any successful relationship, communication is key.

A disgruntled guest is 10 times more likely to share his story than a satisfied one.  But the most powerful ambassador is the guest who has an issue resolved.

White Linen Night - Redux

White Linen Night was a blast.  It was my first time to actually participate, but it seems as if it was the biggest White Linen Night in the history of The Heights.  People flowed through the streets and filed in and out of the shops.  Some places had lines literally streaming out the door.  Live music was rockin' in the road and vendors of all kinds were happily hawking their wares.

As the Heights continues its rebirth as a neighborhood filled with active young couples and families, the sky, it seems, is the limit.  

But is the crowd too much for this normally quiet neighborhood to handle?  In addition to the people, trash lined the streets and we saw our cozy hometown slowly turn into a garbage dump as the night wore on.

I have a few suggestions that might make future events more manageable and, possibly, more successful.

1. Close The Streets - Close 19th Street.  Close Heights Boulevard.  Close Yale and shut down Studewood, as well.  Take a hint from the many downtown festivals and close the streets to traffic.  Allow vendors, performers and craft booths to fill the streets and the medians.  Let revelers wander freely back and forth across the streets and enjoy themselves without having to crisscross the roads amid a stream of stop-and-go traffic.  There are plenty of alternate routes in and around The Heights to accommodate this and not hinder travel.  And it would be much safer. 
   
   
    
   
   
2. Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler - Let the good times roll and extend the hours of the festival to 11:00 PM or midnight. Four hours is hardly enough time to visit half of the places that were celebrating.  The party is just getting started at 10:00 PM, the official end to the festivities.  I understand that White Linen Night has, in past years, started earlier, but I believe it would be more fun for everyone if the extension in hours came at the end of the night.
    
3. Sell Beer - It instantly sounds like a sacrilege to many long-time residents.  But what is worse: having an accountable, experienced  company like Budweiser (a member of the neighborhood to the near-West) set up a booth or two and sell beer to party-goers or, having shop owners (folks not versed in the TABC laws for responsible service) give away refreshments to anyone who comes through the line at the back of their shop? 
   
   It would be better for everyone if the ban on alcohol sales was lifted for this yearly occasion. 
    
   A).  Youths are served as no one is "carding" the people coming through the lines.  The shop owners aren't trained to serve alcohol according to the law.  How can they possibly be expected to do so on this night?
   B).  As unfortunate as it is, some people were entering shops strictly to get the freebies to be had, without any regard for the property or the staff.  As the night wore on, I noticed drink cups leaving water marks on antique furniture and, in several cases, the crash of breakage could be heard as people streamed through these fine shops on their way for another round.  I can't believe it wouldn't benefit the shops (and the merchants) to have the alcohol stand somewhere other than in their stores. 
   C).  It seems that people were left to "do their own thing" when it came to drinking in the streets.  Some folks went so far as to set up lawn furniture on the corners and had coolers on hand, well-stocked with beer and wine.  Not exactly responsible and far from the norm in the Bayou City.  Shouldn't the city take charge of alcohol sales, police the action a bit and, in the process, get the proceeds from a huge profit center like alcohol sales?
   
   
4. More Police - Seriously.  A larger presence in blue would be beneficial.  I am not saying that there were no police on duty.  There were.  But, our little city-within-a-city was not set up for the crowd this year's function drew.  Next year could be even bigger.  With more people, more problems are inevitable.  A more visible police representation makes the party safer and deters problems before they start.
   
   
5. More Shuttles - It would have been great if there were more shuttles and if the stops were more obvious.  Yes, the shuttles were donated. (Thanks goes out to Carey Shuttle and Limo.)  And, yes, there is a limit to what donations may be expected.  But alcohol sales would generate more than enough income to help fund an expanded travel set-up.  White Linen Night is not just one party, it is many.  It is as if there are three festivals in one, as there are different festivities on 19th Street, on Yale Street and Heights Blvd and then on Studewood, with other places scattered here and there in between.  The shuttles are the safest way to travel.   Routes could easily be established through the Heights that would not require travel on the closed streets and done so with minimal inconvenience to the revelers or the neighborhood. Incidentally, closing the main streets would also aid the pedi-cabs attempting to navigate through the sea of people.
   
   
6. More Trash Cans - People don't want to litter, but it seems they did.  The mess will only get bigger as White Linen Night grows.

I had a ball at White Linen Night.  We residents of The Historic Heights like to think of ourselves as citizens of a smaller neighborhood.   And that mentality usually serves us well by creating a closer-knit community.  But, once a year, we should think bigger.  White Linen Night, like The Heights, is booming.  Why not channel that energy rather than stand in its way?

Dungeness Crab at The Boiling Crab

We wanted so much to like this place.  And normally, I don't share negative experiences.  But this one bears some discussion.

We decided to try The Boiling Crab on the West side on Friday.  Though it is part of a chain of restaurants - a major red flag - we were dying for dungeness crab and had read some decent reviews, including a great review by Alison Cook of The Houston Chronicle.  Unfortunately, we had a different experience.

My wife and I arrived about 7:00pm and were quoted a twenty-minute wait.  We were seated well within the twenty minutes and the hostess was efficient.  But, throughout the wait in the very small entry, we had to listen to the hostess telling her friend, another patron, about how she and a friend go to Dave and Buster's and get "the hook-up" on free drinks from the bartender, although they are underage.  That may seem insignificant, but to me it is offensive.  Not only are they stealing and drinking underage, the young lady is bragging about it while working in a restaurant, a very public forum. A complete lack of discretion and class.

When two tables came available at the same time, she called the first name and pointed to an area of the restaurant to her left and told the first couple to pick a table.  She then turned to my wife and I and said, "You can take what's leftover back there" and pointed us in the same direction.  We then had to stand and wait while the first couple moved back and forth between the two tables.  She seated neither of us herself.

Once seated, the table service was quick and friendly.  My wife and I each ordered gumbo (big bowls), but we each had only two shrimp amid a ton of sausage.  The shrimp were fine, but they tasted as if they were added into the gumbo when ordered as opposed to being cooked in the soup.  I realize that is the case in many restaurants - done to keep the seafood from breaking down - but knowing this made it even less tolerable that we each got only two shrimp for $5.99 a bowl.

For dinner, we both ordered a dungeness crab.  The flavors were excellent, but mine was served with three legs missing and one claw (and leg) gone.  Is it house policy to serve crab like this?  (I sent an email asking, but have not yet received a response.) We asked for large crab, and they were small.  Both, according to the check, weighed 1.8 pounds, which is not possible.  My crab was clearly smaller than my wife's and was missing 4 legs!  How could they weigh the same?  Again, not a value at $26.98 each.

They did not offer dessert and we did not ask.  Why prolong the misery?

As advertised, the flavors were great.  Spicy and bold, the recipe delivered as promised.  But the experience as a whole was too inconsistent and, in ways, inexplicable to recommend the place to anyone.  My wife and I drove out from The Heights because we love dungeness crab.  We left feeling as if the restaurant had short-changed itself as much as it had short-changed us.  It was not worth the trip.  We had hoped for so much more.

White Linen Night Is Here!

The much-anticipated night is here.  White Linen Night hits The Heights tonight. 

It's a full-scale showcase of life in the Heights!  Shopping, dining and getting to know your neighbors are the focus of this once-a-year festival that goes on after hours in The Heights.

Nearly 100 local shops, restaurants and area businesses keep their doors open late to welcome the public.  Many of the venues, normally closed on weekends, will be open this evening especially for the event!  Not to mention great pre- and post-parties extending the fun from 4pm til midnight!

Plush Carey of Houston Shuttles will operate FREE air-conditioned shuttles which cruise the circuit all evening.  Other transportation options will be available as well, so you can leave the car at home and relax.

If there is a spot you've been meaning to check out or you just want to get out and see the sleepy neighborhood stay up late, tonight is the night! 

See you there!

The Barbecue Inn

All I can say is "Count me Inn!" 

Honestly, with all of the press and accolades that The Barbecue Inn has received over the years, I couldn't add anything new.  A quick Google search will bring dozens upon dozens of hits - but no website - all singing the praises of The Barbecue Inn.  Saying something that hasn't been said about this landmark Houston eatery might be impossible, but I'll definitely chime in.

Located at Crosstimbers and Yale, The Barbecue Inn has been serving The Heights since 1946.  The decor, it seems, has changed little in those 50-plus years, but that simply adds to the charm.  Floor-mounted bar stools line the counter just like the diners of old.   A small window peeks into the kitchen where waitresses (no waiters) hand-write orders and then mount them on a spinning swivel.  No computerized ordering systems is used here.

The menu consists of classic American fare ranging from delicious slow-smoked barbecue and fried gulf shrimp to country-fried chicken and even filet mignon.  The barbecue is served either as dinner or a la carte with moist warm white bread slices.  Just like a picnic or backyard cook-out.  Entrees are served with a generous salad and home-cut fries.  Everything is cooked fresh and served fresh, right down to the pies at dessert.

We sampled the sliced pork barbecue which was excellent with a rich smoky flavor.  The house barbecue sauce was delicious, but the pork was tender and flavorful enough to stand on it's own.  The chicken-fried steak, topped with homemade country gravy, was tender enough to cut with a fork and the fried shrimp were big and juicy beneath a crisp, crunchy breading.

Our waitress, Beth, was cheerful and helpful, letting us in on menu highlights like which salad dressings were house-made and offering to make the sliced pork an appetizer since we intended to share it.  A relative newcomer when compared to the other ladies on staff, Beth could not have been a better ambassador for the restaurant. "I've been working here for a year and a half and I've never had a bad meal," she declared.  An endorsement far greater than the one I am writing here.

I have lived in Houston for nearly 30 years and had not heard of the Barbecue Inn until my mother-in-law suggested it a few weeks ago. 

To her I say, "Thanks, Mom." 

To the rest of you, I say, "Try The Barbecue Inn."  If you haven't been there yet, you'll be thanking me, too.

Note: The Barbecue Inn is closed Sundays and Mondays, so plan your visit accordingly.  Happy Eating!

L-O-L-A, Lola!

Ken Bridge is at it again.

The Heights restaurant genius (Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro, Pink's Pizza) is up to his usual tricks with a new venture which should add some culinary depth to the old neighborhood. 

Lola. 

Lola is located in the 1100 Block of Yale at the intersection with 11th Street.  Sitting on the NE corner, Lola will fill the space across the street from the post office that has been empty for many months.  (I can't tell you how many times my wife and I have commented to each other that it would be a great spot for a restaurant)  For years, Eckerd Drugs made the corner it's home, but the building was vacated when Eckerd closed and it fell into disrepair. 

Recently, however, the structure was purchased and fully renovated.  A health club has already moved into the North corner becoming the building's first tenant.

Mr. Bridge's vision is a full-service restaurant serving three squares a day to the neighborhood folks. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served seven days a week." he states.  A welcome change in an area where most places close on Sunday.

Fresh, local ingredients and on-the-spot preparation will be key, as in Mr. Bridge's other ventures.

The star at breakfast will be omelets "made-to-order" for patrons who will have a dazzling list of ingredient choices ranging from broccoli to prosciutto and everything in between.  Lunch and dinner will feature American comfort foods at "small-town" prices right here in the big city.

Mr. Bridge hopes to obtain a club license, much like Shade on 19th, so that guests will be able to enjoy an adult beverage with a meal by joining the club rather than having to carry a bottle along with them to dinner.  

An opening date is not yet firm, but Ken and his team can be seen daily working to get the space ready for business and the sign is already up announcing the new diner to passersby.

In addition to being a landmark hit song from the 70's, Lola, it appears, will soon be a landmark diner in The Heights.  I will be first in line.

The Chocolate Block 2007

It seems appropriate that I found the fantastic wine The Chocolate Block (2007) by Boekenhoutskloof of South Africa at the new Block7 wine store.  Although, in truth, the wine and the store are related only by commerce - the commonality of the names is mere chance - I am always tickled by the insignificant congruities in the world.

To be fair, I must admit that I did not so much find this wine as it was recommended by Block7's resident wine guru, Eric Hastings.  I asked for a big, fruity red under $30 and he did not hesitate to pull The Chocolate Block out of the rack.  

It was a lucky strike because left to do my own shopping, I would have most likely made the unfortunate mistake of passing over this bottle.  My limited tastings of South African juice have been rather, well, uninspiring.  This was certainly not.

The Chocolate Block is a captivating combination of Syrah(55%), Grenache Noir(20%), Cab(16%), Cinsault(5%) and Viognier(4%).  Winemaker Marc Carter Kent displays a magician's touch in the blending resulting in a remarkably perfect marriage of varietals.

Rich and ripe berry flavors at once flood the tongue.  Hints of currant and dark chocolate tickle the palate.  A generous mouth-feel, medium weight and soft tannins add beautiful complexity to the finish.  Round and soft, this wine dazzles.  Though it is ready to drink as soon as it is uncorked, it easily has the structure to be rested for several years.

Produced in a lot of just 586 barrels near The Cape Of Good Hope, this is easily my favorite South African wine and has sparked a desire to explore the terroir of the continent more fully.

The Chocolate Block can be had at Block7 for under $30.  It can also be purchased through several on-line shops or through the vineyard, itself.  But, beware - the price varies quite a bit.

The Chocolate Block is a simple bottle of complex wonders, reaffirming once again, the layman's rule of thumb with regard to wine: The simpler the label, the better the juice.

Penzey's Is The Spice Of Life In The Heights

In The Old World, spices were traded as commodities often as precious as gold.  Considered a luxury to the rich, the valuable spices brought a high price and were shipped round the globe from The New World back to Europe and from East to West. 

Today you can find that same reverence in a foodie treasure land called Penzey's Spices.

Penzey's Spices, located at 516 W. 19th Street (corner of Nicholson), even feels a bit like the hold of a cargo ship.  As you walk in, you see the spices cradled in wooden packing crates stacked on the floor and stored in simple glass jars.

But make no mistake.  Penzey's in the Heights, one of 42 locations nationwide, is no common spice shop.  The herbs and spices are truly showcased, usually in both whole and ground form, and the aroma of freshness is powerful and pleasantly intoxicating. (Herbs, by the way, are the leafy part of the plant, often dried but also fresh. Spices are the seeds, roots, fruits, bark or other vegetative plant substances harvested for the unique flavors they hold within.)

Walking around the store you can open lock-jars and inhale the true fragrances of the bounty within that are often lost or ruined in the versions sitting, sometimes for weeks, on the grocery store shelves.  I found myself giggling at the soft, supple, unexpectedly friendly nose of the whole cumin seed.  A spice I've often found to be overpowering in the store-bought ground variety.  The fennel, light and playful, reminded me of the black licorice my father used to eat, and the crystallized ginger smelled of sweet candy.  If you have ever tasted the difference between store-bought and fresh-ground pepper, I need say no more.

Founder Bill Penzey, an obvious foodie himself, has, with the help of a fine and very friendly local staff, built a playground for food lovers right in the Heights.  Not only does the store offer nearly every herb and spice conceivable at prices that are lower than your local grocer, but also an array of simple cookbooks, gift boxes, spice mixes and other tools and toys to tantalize the imagination of any gourmand.

I have lived in the Heights nearly two years and just today found myself venturing in for the first time.  Clearly it won't be the last.  Penzey's is a real chef's resource and a fun adventure for anyone who fancies themselves a devoted foodie.  Treat yourself to a visit.

(Of course, if you can't make it to the Heights to shop there is an on-line store available to satisfy your culinary and gifting needs.  Aromas not included.)

Benjy's - In The Village

Benjy's in the Rice Village was simply a fantastic experience.  I could leave it at that and avoid gushing, but you know I won't.

I decided to try Benjy's for the first time last week.  It has been a landmark of the Village for years, but for whatever reason, I had never made it over there.  (My wife had been on several occasions, but I had somehow missed those opportunities.)  We were planning a dinner with some very dear friends to celebrate our marriage and I was looking for a place.  I thought it was the perfect time to try Benjy's.  I was right.

Although there is a recently-opened Benjy's on Washington, I wanted to try the original first.  And from the very first phone call, Benjy's, located on Dunstan in the Rice Village, was first class. 

I called on Thursday to make a reservation for Friday evening.  Four people at 6:30.  I knew it was short notice and was hopeful that they would have a spot.  (Although 6:30 sounds early, parties at this time can be difficult to accommodate if the restaurant has a heavy evening in the books.)  I explained to the young lady, Mary Ellen, that it was my first time and that I was celebrating and hoping to impress my guests.  These are things an experienced host or hostess will pick up on.  First-time guests mean first impressions, which we know are lasting.  Guests who are looking to impress are in a way trusting the restaurant to do it for them.  In truth, I was asking for special treatment without asking for special treatment.  I was not disappointed.

I arrived at Benjy's about 15 minutes early on Friday.  The staff was there to open the door and once inside the smartly attired greeters were extremely friendly and very well organized.  They had my reservation and I was seated immediately, instead of being told to wait until my party was complete, which has become more and more the norm.

Although I was a first-time guest, I was taken to a very nice table with a lovely view of the dining room.  It was not too close to the door and was out of the way of general traffic.  Again, I was pleased. 

The dining room is very comfortable with a nice mix of tables and booths to satisfy any desire.  The lighting was cool, but not dark, creating a very comfortable atmosphere, perfect for dining.

I was quickly greeted by Mark, who was to be our server.  I explained that my guests would be straggling in one by one as they got off work and he seemed not the leased bit ruffled or antsy about this fact, which was welcoming.  As my wife and guests arrived, he came by to greet each person individually, although we ordered nothing until we were complete.  Once we were, we easily chatted for 30 minutes before ordering a bottle of Champagne.  Mark was accommodating and patient throughout.

It turns out that I had worked with one of the managers, Kerry Paulie, in the past.  He came by the table and met my guests and was genuine and friendly.  He even went so far as to send out four individually plated Goat Cheese Cakes, which were a delightful homage to today's ever-popular crab cakes.  They were seasoned with sun-dried tomato, coated with pistachio and served over a salad of carrot and golden raisins. They were simply delicious and a wonderful, unexpected treat.

We chatted and chatted and Mark was always present but never intrusive, picking up on our needs through eye contact and instinctive non-verbal cues.  Another hallmark of fine service.

When we finally ordered and were served dinner, we were blown away.

The menu, driven by Chef Drew Wilson, is a wonderful mix of comfort and quality.  Contemporary American food prepared with passion and care in a way that allows the ingredients to shine through without being lost or muddled.  A type of respect for the food that is a joy to find, but often missing in today's busy world.

To begin, we each tried something different.  From the Butter Lettuce Salad to the Spicy Tuna Tartar or from the Pan-Seared Pork Dumplings to the Mexican Chicken Soup, we were all delighted.

Dinner was equally tasty.  The Wood-Grilled Pork Chops were excellent with a rich and savory apple glaze.  My wife thoroughly enjoyed Milton's Warm 10-Vegetable Salad.  Our guests were equally satisfied with the Buffalo Hangar Steak and the Pan-Seared Sea Scallops.  Compliments all around.

At dessert, Kerry again out-did himself and treated us to Grandma's Fudge Brownie (which apparently Grandma Levit, herself, still makes daily) and a Peach Cobbler featuring perfect seasonal peaches.  Both desserts were topped with real vanilla ice cream.  They were a fine conclusion to a sparkling meal.

Although we occupied Mark's table (Table 32, I believe) all night, he never left us for a minute.  We never wanted for a thing and never had to turn our heads to find him.  Down to the smallest details, like freshening our ice waters when they began to melt away, he was professional and spot-on.  He allowed us to enjoy our company and the meal, which made the dining all the better.

My experience at Benjy's has left me longing to return and eager to try the second incarnation on Washington, which promises to be more of the same.  The menus are slightly different, I am told, but the warmth and professionalism of the staff are a common language spoken at both locales.

I have not met Benjy Levit, but will extend a hand of genuine congratulations on a job well done, if I do.

 

Block7

The new kid on the wine block is Block7WineCompany, but with all it has to offer I am confident Block7 will be the Big Kid on the block in very short order.  

"When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew.  The best way to learn about wine is the drinking." 

This Alexis Lichine quote featured on the Block7 website is perhaps the best summary of what's happening inside the building at 720 Shepherd.

Recently, I was lucky enough to be given a sneak preview of the facility by Amber Roussel, Director of Marketing And Events.  Believe me when I tell you it is an impressive venture of quality and artistic style.

Located just south of Washington Avenue, Block7 has converted the old Western Appliance building into a true wine lover's mecca.  With 8,000 square feet of space, Block7 will offer Houstonians a place to buy, learn and enjoy.

Nearly 3,000 feet of space are devoted to a climate-controlled walk-in wine warehouse featuring 500 hand-selected wines from around the globe.  The wines, Amber boasts, will be retail priced as competitively as anywhere in the city, "even Spec's."  The bottle price is the same whether you enjoy it on premise or take it home.  And never a corking fee!

Additionally, Block7 offers a place to learn and taste.  Adjacent to the warehouse is a 35-foot stainless steel bar and tasting area for people to gather and sip on featured wines and enjoy complimentary aperitivo snacks.  Plus, look forward to free tastings on Saturdays, as well as educational classes scheduled regularly to help bridge the gap between what we know and what we taste. 

Beyond the casual space are tables for full-service dining surrounded by the modern stylings of some of Houston's best artists found through a collaboration with the non-profit spacetaker.org.  The first artist featured is Matt Messenger whose collection will run through August.  Live music featuring homegrown musicians like Peekaboo Theory and Come See My Dead Person add to the eclectic feel. 

Further still, there is a very large private event space nestled behind the kitchen that boasts availability for upwards of 150 guests.  Reservations for fall and winter events are available now.

Wow!

In converting the space, the crew at Block7 focused on maintaining the historical integrity and warehouse feel of the building by utilizing nearly everything that was left behind.  Old file cabinets are used as  checkout stands in the retail space.  The team uncovered some wonderful photos of Old Houston that they have had restored and will feature throughout the space along with pieces of modern sculpture from Houston area artists that enhance the industrial mood.  The stainless steel wine racks were custom designed by Alberto Bonomi,  who is also responsible for the design of the impressive tasting bar.

Sommelier, Eric Hastings, most recently from Denver has come aboard and along with Loren Root will lead the highly trained wine service team.  The focus is on knowing the wines on hand.  "Each and every wine has a story," as Amber states, "and the team will know them."  That is why they will have 500 wines as opposed to 2,000.  But, rest assured, if you want something specific, Block7 will be able to find it for you.

Wine tours and travel are also a big part of the picture at Block7 with Michael Housewright leading the way. In fact, Block7 is Texas' first and only full-service wine tour operator.  The first trip is scheduled to launch this fall with an expertly guided six-day trip through the Wine Country of Italy.

At the helm in the kitchen is Miguel Hernandez, formerly of Rainbow Lodge.  The emphasis here is on the "slow" food philosophy and regional fare from the Texas Gulf Coast and Texas' own farms.  Fresh seafood and local ingredients will highlight, but the All-Star of the menu promises to be the Block7 Burger made from 21-day dry-aged beef.  The best in town, I am told, but priced like a burger, not a T-bone steak! 

The vision is grand at Block7.  The philosophy is sound and the investment in quality and education are obvious from the moment you speak to the people inside. 

A soft opening is planned and people have already begun wandering in to take a peek.  If you are passing by, stop in and see for yourself what is new on the Block.

Dr. Duncan - Heights Hospital For Animals

If you have a dog or any pet you know how important choosing the right veterinarian is.  We Americans tend to treat our animals like children and place as much importance on choosing the right pet doctor as we do choosing a pediatrician.  We want someone we can trust, someone who understands our connection to our beloved.  We want someone who cares.

Recently my wife and I decided to adopt a puppy.  No small decision, really.

I have always had dogs.  (My parents showed Great Danes and my uncle showed Rottweilers.  I have also had German Shepherds and Chows.)  But, my wife had never had a pet.  Well, she had a gerbil many years ago, but it's hard to bond with a gerbil, so I don't really count that.  Anyway, it was a leap of faith for her in many ways.  Additionally, we had promised the kids a pet when we moved into the house and that was some twenty months ago, so it was about time we thought. 

Obviously, I had owned mostly pure breed dogs.  However, my son, who hopes to be a vet and is a budding conservationist, was a big proponent of adoption.  I myself had spent a summer working at the SPCA as a kid and after seeing the dogs sometimes meet an unfortunate end, I did not need too much convincing that rescue was the right option.  After a bit of research, I found a wonderful adoption agency called Pup Squad.

That is where we found our boy.  A German Shepherd mix (maybe Terrier?) who did not say two words his first night at home.  We named him Jackson, after the ground-breaking and controversial artist Jackson Pollack.  A fitting namesake for this little firecracker it turns out.  Since that first night he has become much more assertive claiming our house as his own.

Recently, it was time for his first visit to the vet.  He needed follow up shots to the ones administered by the adoption agency.  Plus, we had noticed that he had a few common puppy problems and needed a general physical, if not for his peace of mind, then for ours.

I wasn't sure who to call.  It has been so long since I have had a dog that my old veterinarian had passed away some years ago.  But, I had driven by Heights Hospital for Animals at 333 20th Avenue on dozens of occasions since moving in nearby and went with my instincts when I called them last week. 

My guts were good.  Dr. Duncan and his staff are awesome.

I called late in the afternoon, but they were able to see me that day.  When I spoke to Stephanie in the initial phone call she referred to Jackson as my "kid" and I was sold.  When I got to the office, I was equally impressed.  A large, clean (and clean smelling) facility with comforts for both owners and pets.  The entire staff was friendly and accommodating.  Some were exercising the boarders and others were tending to patients. 

From first contact you can tell these folks care about and understand animals.  Everyone goes out of their way to make owners and pets relax and make what is often imagined as a stressful experience easy and pleasant. 

The doctor, Dr. Duncan, is a tall, disarming fellow who seems to understands animals and people, as well.   The doctor is honest and open about treatment options from heartworms to hookworms to fleas.  I felt comfortable asking questions and felt even more sure that I was getting good honest answers, rather than a spiel or a sales pitch. 

Whats more important was the thorough, compassionate attention given to Jackson.  My puppy was at once relaxed with the doctor and staff, which is really not typical from what we've seen when we've introduced Jack to folks at home. 

They say dogs are a good judge of character and can sense what people are really about.  If that is the case then Jackson's acceptance was all the proof that I needed that I was in the right place.

Further still, they called a few days later to check on my boy and his progress.  A phone call may seem a small gesture, but it means big things to us, the concerned parents.

One thing I think I understand is that people are as loyal to their vets as they are to their own doctors.  If you have a pet and a vet that you love and trust, then by all means don't fix what isn't broken.  But, if you don't have a steady vet or if you have recently adopted or are thinking about it and find yourself looking for a dog doc, I give my highest marks to Dr. Duncan and the people at Heights Hospital For Animals.

Shopping Cart Drive

There are abandoned shopping carts all over the neighborhood.  Literally.  Every time I drive Durham or Shepherd between I-10 and 610 North I see dozens of shopping carts littering the sidewalks.  What's worse is that I see people pushing them up and down the streets as if the carts are their personal property.  From the store to the bus stop where they are  unceremoniously left.  Seemingly without any type of consequence. 

Am I the only one bothered by this?

It is not my intention to take aim at the homeless person who is collecting cans or carting around all their worldly possessions.  In fact, that doesn't even seem to be the case here.  Most of the carts are just lying around.  Forgotten by the person who pushed it there and left to clutter the neighborhood which I love and have come to think of as home.

Why is this OK?  If you were to go behind Kroger and try to make off with the milk crates you would meet with serious resistance if not theft charges by the store or the milk company.  So why are the carts of no seeming importance?

 Whenever I talk about this with friends I invariably hear how "the carts are supposed to lock up when you leave the lot."  Yes, I have heard of this technology but, obviously it is not stopping anyone, even if it is in use.  Besides, the carts are from a dozen different stores not all of which are chains large enough to afford the techno-carts. 

The carts come from everywhere it seems.  Some carts have migrated from as far away as Target, but looking closely you will see Lowe's, The Home Depot, Kroger and Fiesta represented, as well as a slew of unidentified carts strewn about.

The problem is really epidemic and I am not sure who is responsible for fixing it. 

Obviously the stores lose money when their carts are rolled away, so you would think they would have an interest in stopping the loss.  Maybe they should be held responsible.  Perhaps they should be ticketed when their carts are all over the neighborhood. 

The carts are obviously stolen property.  Maybe we should aggressively ticket the offenders who are cluttering our neighborhood.  A few stiff fines and word would spread quickly.  But the police seem to be nonplussed. 

So who is it that can fix the problem?  I am left wondering.

I moved to the Heights for the small-town lifestyle.  The feeling of a real neighborhood where folks cared about their homes and their neighbors.  Was I wrong?  Is it too much to want a clean neighborhood?  Or is this problem just West enough not to bother people? 

Let me know what you think.  Tell me: Am I getting all worked up over nothing or does this bother you as much as it does me?  Take a look below.  I took all of these photos in about ten minutes. 

One thing is for sure, right now, no one is rolling in to clean up the mess.

Barnaby's Cafe

If you have lived inside the loop for any period of time then you are no stranger to Barnaby's.  A true gem of a restaurant.  Casual, comfortable and inviting.  The menu is a variety of home-style favorites mixed with a genuine consciousness of good health and quality.

My wife and I used to frequent the Midtown (W. Gray) location, but since moving to the Heights we tend to visit the River Oaks location most often since it is just a straight shot down Shepherd.  Everyone seems to have a favorite.  Especially folks who visit the Original location (604 Fairview) and Baby Baby Barnaby's which is right next door (602 Fairview) but specializes in a fantastic breakfast.  The restaurant is small and always hoppin' and early morning dining (and people watching) is almost a rite of passage for Inner Loopers.  Now, Barnaby's has expanded across the border, outside the Loop on Woodway. 

The name comes from the name of the owner's childhood pet sheepdog and the puppy motif is prevalent in each store.  Paper menus and a seat yourself mentality (when not on a wait) lend to the comfortable at home atmosphere.

The service is always quick and friendly and the menu is high quality and high quantity.  The guacamole is superb, but you'll need a friend to share the generous portion.  The salads are always extremely fresh and definitely large enough to be a meals in themselves.  I tend to get one of the juicy, housemade burgers, but there is plenty to chose from including cold sandwiches, hot entrees and vegetarian selections as well. 

If you are in the mood, the wine list is small, but well rounded with a remarkably agreeable price range.

The place is well staffed, well managed and delightfully consistent whether dining in or taking out.  If you haven't tried Barnaby's you owe it to yourself.  Whatever the neighborhood, you won't be disappointed.

More New Places In The Neighborhood!

Recently, in this column we discussed the explosion of activity on the Washington Avenue and now it seems  as if the growth is rapidly spreading.  In a good way.  Check out some more new places in the neighborhood.  (I've included links to websites when available.)

Washington


The Dubliner
This place is opened across the street from The Lot and Pearl Bar.  The 4000 block of Washington.  Looking for a great Irish bar?  Try this one.  I hear the bartender is actually Irish!

*****


The Drinkery
This is in the old Daily Grind Cafe on Washington.  I never thought that place would go.

*****


Shepherd and Durham





Rare Bar
This is actually the Durham side, but there is access from the Shepherd side as well.  The Rare Bar shares the building with Bliss Salon.  Nice Car.

*****



Block 7 Wine Company
This could be interesting.  The location is just South of Washington on the East side of Shepherd.  Used to be an appliance warehouse of some kind.  These pictures are already a tad old as a large porch was on the front last time I passed.  From the website, it looks like the place is designed to take on all comers from the Houston Wine Merchant to Cova, just up the road.  I might have an in with these guys, I'll let you know what I turn up.  This is excitinig.

*****



Shuck Daddy's
This is where the old Mak Chin used to be.  (Anything will be better than that place.)  Crawfish, Oysters, Crabs and Suds.  It is supposed to be more family friendly than the bikes might imply, but I really liked the shot.  This is the West side.  The East side backs up to Washington with a patio.

*****



Pagoda Vietnamese Bistro and Bar
This place is really tucked away.  It's on the East side of Shepherd but nestled of the road.  This picture was taken from the Cadillac Bar parking lot facing South.  Looks like a fun and quaint little place.  Read the marquee.  $5 martini Wednesdays.  That alone is reason to check out The Pagoda. 

*****

It seems as if places are coming and going like wildfire.  A great thing for the Heights.  It sure would be nice to have a place or two North of I-10, though.  This week, I'll follow up on the progress on the Washington Avenue growth.  Stay Tuned.

Another Reason To Hate Plastic Bags

While I am not the first to champion the banning of plastic bags at retail stores, (in fact, the idea is gaining some serious traction according to this National Geographic article) I can't help but "pile on" and share another frustration with the "eco"-clogging trash we call plastic bags.

They promote waste.  They themselves promote their own overuse and waste.  They are so convenient that they are always the sacker's first option and they are so unreliable that they encourage the sacker to load only a few items into each one.  So the grocer uses them more often and uses more and more in each use.  This is the exact opposite of the brown paper sack of yesterday whose packing was nearly an art, with competition among sackers to see who could get the most stuff into the smallest space.  (Ask David Letterman if you don't believe me)

In our home, most often, we use the "re-usable" bag that we take with us to the grocery time and again, but, recently I visited my favorite Kroger on Shepherd and was in a bit of a hurry.  By the time I got my cart unloaded onto the conveyor, the sacker was fast at work.  Not even offering paper or plastic, simply taking the easy route by using plastic.  I did not stop her, but I should have because I was simply astounded to realize when I got home that my 28 purchased items were sacked into 13 separate bags.  That's barely two items per bag.  That shows a complete lack of concern and a lack of effort by the sacker. With as much as our household does to help the environment, I was truly angered by the waste.

Another Waste Note - Not dissimilar to this is the recent mailing I received from Chase regarding the transition from WaMu.  I held three accounts at WaMu and received a separate mailing for each account.  Each mailing weighed was about 4 ounces of paper and only one page in each was account specific.  Couldn't a bank, with ALL OF MY PRIVATE DATA on hand, figure out that all three accounts were held by the same individual and send just one comprehensive mailing?  What a waste.

Follow Up!! - On my next two visits to my favorite Kroger Signature I skipped the re-usable bags (for the sake of science) and made sure to insist on paper.  On the first visit I had 28 items in 2 bags and on the second I purchased 78 items which fit into a measly 7 bags (sodas not included in the totals).  Further proof in my mind that not only is paper more environmentally efficient, it is practicaly more efficient, as well!

Innovative Dentists Of Houston - Dr. Ney Neshan

I found a dentist!  I realize it seems contrary to be excited over any aspect of dental work, but I have been looking long and hard for a regular dentist and I finally found one!

I told you that I would fill you in as I became acclimated to my new surroundings here in the Heights and found new providers and purveyors local to my new digs, and this is another brick in the wall.

Unfortunately for me, the search for an excellent dentist goes back well before my move to the Heights.  I haven't had a dentist I really trusted in a decade.  (Dr. Shere, aside.  But he is an oral surgeon and not a general dentist so I won't include him here.)

Fortunately, my new doctor offices is in my new backyard.  Located on 20th Street in the Heights Medical Tower, Dr. Ney Neshan of Innovative Dentists of Houston is my new tooth doctor of choice.

Due to my own neglect, I recently had a root canal and crown as well as a perio-scaling (yes, it had been a while).  But, when life gives you lemons...go to Dr. Neshan's office for lemonade.

The office itself is serene and calming.  The staff is friendly and helpful from the front desk to the assisting staff.  They go out of their way to make you relaxed and comfortable, even providing blankets for patients who feel a chill.  The personnel seem genuinely concerned about you as a patient and are frank about your dental health and honest about the different options available and what the pros and cons of each are.  That is exactly what I want in a dentist.

If you have a great dentist then by all means stick with 'em, but if you are in the market for a dental doc, I would suggest you give Dr. Neshan an interview.

Tecate Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

This is a good place.  Simple words, but not really a simple place. 

From the outside, Tecate Mexican Restaurant and Cantina is unassuming, to say the least.  You might have been by and not really noticed.  I probably drove by the place five or six times (there on the corner of 27th and Ella across from my favorite Lowe's) before my wife pointed it out.  With short daily hours it seems we had been passing by when the kitchen was closed, but on this day there were cars in the lot. 

My wife had heard good things about the food, and being junior Taqueria aficianado's, we needed to investigate. 

The place is small and minimally decorated as with most authentic Mexican restaurants, but the staff was there at the door and offered a quick welcome.  We were seated at the nicest available table and were promptly met with chips and salsa both of which were refilled promptly throughout dinner.

The Margarita's are served in small wine glasses, but they are delicious and deliver the goods.  Don't be fooled.  Tart and sweet, they disappear too quickly.  Use caution.

The food, too, is very good.  We arrived at the restaurant with the recommendation to try the seafood soup.  Our server also raved on the soup and it's fresh preparation.  While we didn't follow those orders, what we had was very good. 

The appetizer Shrimp Vera Cruz is spectacular.  Jumbo shrimp sauteed with red bells and onion in a thick tomato roux.  The torillas on the side could make it a meal.  The Ground Beef Taco Salad was alos very good.  I like to order this salad in Mexican places to see how they treat it differently.  Some places treat their salads like dishes in themsleves, other places serve salads as an afterthought.  Tecate does it right.  It is fresh, well portioned and served with a sassy housemade vinaigrette, a very pleasant surprise from a kitchen with some obvious talent.  My wife had the Enchiladas Mexico.  Another smash.  We didn't even need a togo box.  Unusual for us and Mexican food.

There is no website for Tecate, the restaurant, that I can find but a quick google search will give you some leads on directions and location.  The hours seem to vary with early closing being the norm so call first.  713-868-5232.  Search Tecate Restaurante Ella Houston or just click my link.

If that doesn't work hop on Ella Boulevard, head toward 27th Street and look for these signs...

Town And Country Launches CityCentre

If you live West of the Galleria in the Memorial or Town and Country area you might have been wondering what in the world they've been working on for the past couple years there nestled behind the Mall along the East side of Beltway 8. 

The answer: A little bit of everything!

Houston CityCentre is shaping up to be the residential/retail/entertainment/hospitality mecca of the near West side.  (The website is full of photos and great information.)  Restaurants and businesses are actively hiring and the targeted opening date is sometime in August or September.  Whatever the final go date is this place promises the world.

Tucked in the Southeast corner of the Beltway 8 and I-10 Interchange, CityCentre is located in Texas' wealthiest zip code boasting a median household income over $200k per year.  And this new venture promises to give them just the place to spend it.  CityCentre could seriously rival the Galleria in terms of accessibility and sheer entertainment opportunities.  Class A office space, hotels, convention centers,  brownstones, lofts, penthouse apartments, upscale shopping, entertainment and dining, there just isn't much left out.

The list of committed ventures is impressive including Hotel Sorella (a 244 room luxury hotel by Valencia) The Norris Conference Center, Life Time Athletic and Amegy Bank.  Also included is a fine venue for sophisticated shopping at retailers such as Sur La Table, Anthropologie and Bailey Banks and Biddle as well as restaurants including Straits, Yard House, Eddie V's, The Wine Loft, Brio and a Studio Movie Grill (for those of you who just can't make time for dinner AND a movie).

This is very exciting.  Not just because it is a new place for me to explore.  This is very exciting for just about anyone who lives West of Downtown and North of 59.  Shopping and fun while headed WEST!  It will be fun to watch this develop.  Stay tuned for updates.

The Pearl Bar

The Pearl Bar on Washington is not a new place any more.  In fact, in the short year that it has been open it has gone from new kid on the block to the neighborhood hangout that goes back before cool.  This year marks the second in a row that Pearl Bar has won the Houston Press Award for Best New Bar.

Located about halfway between downtown and the Westcott circle, Pearl Bar is the perfect spot for the upwardly mobile casual night out.  This is not some foofy wine or martini bar that is selling as much pretense as it potables.  No, this is a clean, well-run take on the sports bars we have all loved for years minus the loud mouths and sports jerseys.

Pool tables, shuffleboard, ping pong, a great jukebox and 4 large flat screen TV's to be seen from any where in the bar.  A large bar with plenty of room indoors plus a great patio to take in Washington Avenue's revitalized nightlife.  A full bar, well staffed with friendly bartenders and a great team of floor personnel keeping the tables clean and bussed.  Oh, and of course, the restrooms -  large and clean - a detail often forgotten in bars. 

Whether you are just hangin' out and hidin' out or looking for a full blown get down, Pearl Bar is a great spot on the reborn Washinton strip.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!!

Whether it's burgers and dogs on the grill at home, a barbeque with friends at Hermann Park or perhaps a bit of surf and turf down South at Galveston Beach we at fredeatshouston.com hope that you and yours have a fun and safe Memorial Holiday weekend!

Mom's Rules

It has been a few days since my last post.  I apologize for the disruption, but rest assured you were in my thoughts the entire time.  Truly.  I have been mulling over one thought or another for the past days thinking of something to put on screen and the words my mother often said keep coming to mind. "Don't talk just to hear your own voice."  Hmmm.  That goes right along with "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  Two excellent pieces of advice that will leave the average blogger speechless for weeks.

But two precepts I will try to adhere to here out of respect for my mom.  And myself.  And you, too.

Don't Talk Just To Hear Your Own Voice.  First, I have plenty to say, but I won't force it out just to fill your screen with daily fodder.  When I have something relevant that I can add to current discussions, I will certainly do so.  If I have the rare opportunity to spark a lively debate, I will do that, as well.  But I will try not to wander from myself or from you just to break the silence.  Remember, a good friendship is one where silence is comfortable.

If You Can't Say Anything NIce...  Also, I don't want to get into dishing dirt and spreading negative vibes.  Either in reviews or in commentary.  If I have an honest comment or a constructive bit, I feel compelled to share it both with my audience and the direct beneficiary.  But, I don't want to tear a place down just because it is good reading.  Even in a bad restaurant, people are working their butts off.  I respect that.  If I don't have anything to build on after a dining experience, I'd rather just leave it be.  If you want to discuss a place specifically, feel free to email me here.

The last ground rule of this blog, for now, is not based in Mom's wisdom, but rather borne of my own sense for fairness.  Color me noble, but I won't review any place that I haven't visited since I started this blog.  I think that is fair.  I could write a dozen reviews based on experiences I've had over the past few years, but although the writing would be fresh, the information would long since have gone stale.  Restaurants change and grow and evolve constantly (or else) and they deserve fresh opinions from fresh experiences.

Three simple rules.  Let me know how I'm doing.

Alexandra Elman: The Blind Wine Taster

This is a compelling two-minute video from The New York Times online edition's "One In 8 Million" series about Alexandra Elman, a blind woman who is an expert in picking wines.  Her impressive list of current clients includes Solera, Tia Pol, Cru and The NY Athletic Club, to name a few. 

But is not her portfolio that is truly amazing.  It is her inner passion for wine that spills out in her calm and soothing voice.  Being a wine lover myself, listening to someone like her talk about wine is truly sublime.  The way she describes her "limitations" as advantages in her world.  Her lost sight is but one shuttered window in a world of so much light.  She lives through the wine creating vision from her memory and her palate.

The way she talks of wine reminds me of the scene in Sideways when Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Maya (Virginia Madsen) are talking of wine as a living being.  Ms. Elman, too, sees life in wine.  The life of the wine and her own.

Listen for yourself.  Watch the video, but then close your eyes and listen to her speak.  It feels as if she is in the very room.

Fire Up The BBQ!

Well, it is getting to be that time of year.  The mornings are warmin' up, the days are gettin' longer and the mosquitoes have made their triumphant return to the Bayou City.  It's May!  With Memorial Day just around the corner, it's time to pull the cover off the grill, break out tongs and open the outedoor kitchen for Summer business.

I love to BBQ.  Who in Texas doesn't?  It's definitely an event the whole family gets into.  My daughter likes to help get the fire going and then manages the affair from just inside the kitchen window.  My wife will prep the table and sides while my son plays gofer for Dad.

One of our favorite grilling traditions is the Famous Beer Can Chicken!  You're probably familiar with this Southern specialty.  Everyone loves it.  Except the poor bird.  Imagine!  But what a perfect fowl!  The dry heat of the fire makes a crispy, crunchy skin while the beer in the can keeps the meat moist and juicy.

I've tried many a recipe, but I first broke myself in with Steven Raichlen's technique described in his wonderful illustrated grilling manual, How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques.

This is a great book for the novice grillman.  I learned quite a bit from this book as a beginner.  Simple and straight-forward.  This step-by-step how-to guide details the execution of the recipes as well as different grilling techniques making them amazingly clear and fun.  Mr. Raichlen translates his years of experience in ways that even the most inexperienced backyard chef will find easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to execute.

What's even better is now you can make this wonderful backyard delicacy without the mess of fat drippings in your grill bottom or the risky task of manually unseating the piping hot bird from it's unfortunate steaming roost.  Mr. Raichlen now offers a snazzy gadget that makes both prep and clean-up a breeze.  Steven Raichlen's Best of Barbecue SR8016 Stainless-Steel Beer-Can Chicken Rack with Drip Pan.  With it's reusable rack and self contained drip pan, this is the perfect vertical chicken roaster.  Try tossing some veggies on the bottom to baste while the chicken roasts for a delicious, easy side.

What is your favorite Summer Grilling Tradition?  Got any great recipes?  Let me know what's on your grill!

Eating or Dining?

Eating and Dining.  Same thing?  Think before you answer.

The last restaurant in which I worked was a nice but casual Italian place.  The kind with great food and a good wine list where you still felt comfortable taking the kids.  Being the general manager, I was pretty familiar to most of the guests and they were to me.  I got to know quite a few families and their children and they came to know mine.

One family that came in pretty regularly was a really sweet and bright family with a boy and a girl.  The parents were amiable and engaging and they enjoyed good food and wine and liked to talk about such things.  The daughter was a sweet girl about babysitting age and the boy, we'll call him JB, was about 10.  The kids were both smart and precocious and seemed to enjoy the restaurant as much as their parents.  JB was a particular favorite because, as young as he was, he felt right at home going to the bartender to check on sports scores or debate stats.

These folks were super guests for a restaurant to have.  They always called ahead for a reservation and were never late. They were constantly bringing new people and showing the place off.  On the rare occasion that something was amiss, they would refuse to acknowledge any inconvenience. 

I remember one evening they were having dinner with us and as I was leaving the office, I passed JB.  This particular evening had been one when a mistake had been made delaying their dinner and I acknowledged this to JB.  Right then he turns to me and says, "No big deal.  We're not in a hurry.  When we come here we're not eating, we're dining."

It was a perfect moment.  It was truth.  They were not eating, they were dining.

At our restaurant, JB and his family were at home.  There was no hurry.  They felt no impatience.  There was just honesty and closeness among them as they digested the day in conversation.  They were not preoccupied with themselves, but were living with each other in the moment.  They were sharing more than food.  They were sharing family and time.

No, they did not just eat.  They dined. 

Eating is about food, but dining is about so much more.  Eating sustains the body, but dining nourishes the mind and soul.

Eating is simple.  Dining is more.  Eating is food.  Dining is family. 

The Moment Of Truth

To the matador "The Moment of Truth" is the crescendo of the match.  That moment in time right before the slaying of the bull when the Matador raises his sword and stands victoriously triumphant above the beast.

To the restaurant manager, "The Moment of Truth" is far less romantic, but no less important to a successful performance.  In the restaurant, a moment of truth is any moment when a guest will form a reflexive, often subconscious, impression - positive or negative - of the store.  This judgment is pass/fail.  Either it's good or it's bad.  By controlling these moments a restaurant can have a major head start on creating a positive guest impression before food and service are even considered.

For example, when you arrive at the restaurant, is the parking lot clean and landscaped?  Is the sidewalk clean of debris or is it littered with trash?  Are the front doors clean or are they smudged and dirty?  As you walk in is there someone there to greet you?  Are they friendly and welcoming?  Is the table clean and set properly or does it look like it was just used?  Are the menus clean and in good shape or are they worn and dirty?  When you open your napkin, is the silver clean and polished?  When the server arrives at the table is he or she well groomed?  Are the restrooms clean and stocked?  (If the restrooms are dirty, so is the kitchen, goes the rule.)

All of these are moments when even the least observant person will form impressions (consciously or subconsciously) for good or bad. 

A good management team will recognize and attempt to use these moments to it's advantage.

If the staff is in control of these moments, they may seemingly go by unnoticed to the layman.  Just another part of a nice evening out. 

But if they are not controlled and well executed by management, if they are moments lost, they will certainly not go by unnoticed by the guest, and may, in fact, pile up into a horrible dining experience.

Napa County Line by Robert Sinskey Vineyard

Robert Sinskey is likely a name you will recognize when talking about Napa Valley wines.  After all, this self-proclaimed "contrarian" vintner has been producing notable wines in both Napa and Sonoma for over 20 years.  Unschooled in viticulture, Sinskey followed his father into winemaking as a way of "helping out" and was quickly seduced into a lifelong passion.

The Sinskey approach is contrarian in that it puts land and earth over sales and profit.  Quality over quantity.  Both in the process and the produce.

The result is an amazing collection of supple and vibrant wines, especially the Point Of View collection which was crafted to express the very philosophies of the vineyard and the vintners.

Napa County Line is a subtly robust red.  A 2005 cuvee of 80% lush Merlot fortified with a backbone of 20% Cabernet.  Grown near the sea in Sinskey's Carneros Vineyards of Napa Valley, the 100% organic grapes were crafted into a lot of just 48 barrels.

We served this wine at a dinner party with roast beef tenderloin and found it to be a perfect match.  The richness of the beef and the spicy ginger and garlic in the marinade brought out a light and playful side of the wine that was a delight to discover.  Open it just a few minutes before dinner is served to give it just a tiny head start.

Robert Sinskey wines are available throughout the city in shops and restaurants, but I found this one at Sam's Wholesale Club for just $15!  (A real value) 

Pick up a bottle and we'll compare notes.

Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro

If you like Asian food and you live in the Heights, you really owe it to yourself to try The Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro.  Located next to the Mattress Firm at 11th and Shepherd, Dragon Bowl is Asian fusion in the Heights.  My wife and I have been ordering take-out from this place since our first night in our home, literally eating dinner from paper boxes while sitting at a table of cardboard boxes.

Dragon Bowl just doesn't disappoint.  The menu consists of fresh, high quality dishes prepared with the best ingredients.  This is not Panda Express.  This is real food. 

I especially like the "Build Your Own Bowl."  For $9 you can create your own combination of chicken, beef or pork (add $2 for shrimp) plus any  sauce with either rice or noodles and all the fresh ingredients you like.  Add an order of Crispy Dragon Rolls (5 for $4) and you are set.  Or, for something lighter, you can peruse the selections from the sushi bar.

The dining room is small (counter-service only) and always busy during peak hours.  I suggest you call ahead and order for take-out, but if you prefer to order in person, just stop by.  You will not be bored watching the small crew working fast and furiously behind the line while you wait for your order.  You can grab a bottle of Sake or another beverage to take home, as well.  Which is nice. 

The Dragon Bowl is a one-of-a-kind, not a franchise, owned by the owner of Pink's Pizza, another Heights staple.  The Dragon Bowl is clean and the service is fast and friendly.  Plus, the staff takes care to get your order right.  Every time.  From the telephone to the take-out bag to your kitchen.

If you haven't tried Dragon Bowl, I suggest you give it a go.  I'll bet you won't be disappointed.