Openings and Closings

First came Katz’s, then Biba’s One’s a Meal. Now Alison Cook maps the coming convergence of 24-hour restaurants in the heart of Montrose:

In December, a critical mass of late-night eateries will coalesce near the storied Houston intersection of Montrose and Westheimer. The debut of Little Big’s, a new slider shack from the guys at Reef, firmly establishes the crossroads as the go-to address for clubgoers, nightcrawlers and late-shift service personnel in search of something to eat.

Little Big’s, construction of which is underway at 2703 Montrose–the former Ming’s Cafe–looks straight across the street at BB’s Kitchen, the terrific little po’ boy and breakfast place that stays open until 2:30 am Thursday, 4 am Friday and Saturday. It’s my favorite late-night spot in town.

Cook also notes a second Little Big’s location will open in Hermann Park this spring.

• The next late-night central: Montrose @ Westheimer [Cook’s Tour]
• Rouge Wipes Away Easy as the Biba’s Regulars Move In [Swamplot]

Photos of Little Big’s, under construction at the former Ming’s Cafe, 2703 Montrose Blvd.: Alison Cook

Just scrub away all that glitzy makeup and the former location of shuttered Rouge restaurant — at 812 Westheimer just a block east of Montrose — works fine as the new home of Biba’s One’s a Meal, says Alison Cook:

. . . the Biba’s folks got busy, banished the wine-dark swank, whitewashed the place and covered Rouge’s tables with blue-and-white checked plastic. Add a flotilla of Aegean photo murals, put on the sound track from Zorba (I am not making this up) and you’re good to go Greek. Or American, as the Biba’s menu and sign helpfully remind us, referring to the breakfast and burger fare that has seen many a local wastrel through the dark hours before the dawn, when a souvlaki or moussaka just don’t seem quite right.

Eighty-six the Beef Wellington with Mushroom pâté, bring on the chili cheeseburger with fries: The fates of restaurants make great economy-size metaphors, no?

I particularly enjoyed the way the formerly snazzy bar area is now filled with dinette furniture, as if the dining room redo–with its pretty wooden chairs and gleaming wine wall–just ran out of gas. What made it even better: a long table running the length of the room was filled with men of a certain age having a long, late lunch that looked right out of the old country.

• Burger Monday: Biba’s One’s a Meal Greek Village [Cook’s Tour, via Houston Foodie]

Photos: Alison Cook