COUNTING DOWN TO 11:11 
Chef Kevin Bryant is renovating the former Bibas Diner at 607 West Gray for a new “casual fine dining restaurant” called 11:11 that’s expected to open in March; Greg Morago reports that the building (shown at left) is being updated to include a 100-seat patio and an 80-90 seat private dining section upstairs with a private terrace. The former Capitol at St. Germain and L’Olivier chef, reports Morago, is devising a menu “he describes as ‘Southern coastal.’ There will be an oyster bar, a raw bar program (sourcing East Coast bivalves), sashimi, lobsters, and a ceviche of the day. The restaurant will use Gulf seafood where appropriate, but source from all over.” [29-95] Photo: Allyn West
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Awwww, I miss Biba’s One’s A Meal.
Good luck with that.
Such a shame. Though I’ve lived in the area for years, I only discovered them a couple of months before they stopped serving breakfast all day. It was probably the best all-day breakfast place I had seen around, and they shut it down for something fancy that’s just like everything else in the area.
They didn’t “shut it down for something fancy that’s just like everything else in the area”. Bibas Diner closed because the building was falling apart, the food quality and consistency had gone south, and they couldn’t make any money trying to be open 24 hours at that location. One’s A Meal has been doing well around the corner on Westheimer for years (although I think now it’s called Theo’s) so you can still get your late-night gyros and probably breakfast-all-day, too.
I think it’s great that 11:11 is fixing up the original building. There are construction photos on Eater. If they had just torn it down then maybe I’d agree with Chris.
As for it being fancy, it’s still right across the street from Cecil’s and PJ’s. I can’t imagine any restaraunt being successful there if it’s any kind of pretentious, which is a good thing. In such a food town like Houston with so many “fancy” places opening in this area (L’Olivier, Pass & Provisions, Uchi) I’m looking forward to a new restaurant that has the confidence to put up “casual fine dining” across the street from the $1 Margaritas at Cecil’s.