Tag: Restaurants

Buildouts
04/01/13 10:30am

Dunkin’ Donuts Opening Next Month in Westchase Strip Center

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Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Shopping Centers, Westchase
11 Comments

If you can’t wait until June or July for Dunkin’ Donuts to open inside the Loop at the former Arby’s at South Shepherd and Fairview, you might plan to come here, the former SmashBurger at 10705 Westheimer, where a company rep says that the donut makers will open in May the first of 16 planned Houston stores. Sharing the Westchase strip center with a Cricket store and Brookstreet Bar-B-Que, the coffee-colored endcap has undergone at least one other renovation: A drive-thru lane now cuts through what had been SmashBurger’s treeside patio.

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Adaptive Reuse
03/28/13 10:30am

Here, Now, a Few More Ideas for the Astrodome

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Houston Landmarks, Office Space, Parks, Quicklink, Redevelopment, Reliant Park, Renovations, Restaurants, Stadiums
35 Comments

HERE, NOW, A FEW MORE IDEAS FOR THE ASTRODOME Making the rounds this week are a couple more long shots for the Astrodome from people who don’t seem very keen on the 2,500 parking spaces the Texans and Rodeo proposed last week. First, you’ve got Ed Seale and his wife of “Keep the Astrodome,” who say they want to see the ol’ thing renovated into an global bazaar, reports KUHF’s Jack Williams, “a space filled with international, ethnic, cultural and business organizations . . . and ethnic restaurants.” And then there’s the UH graduate student Ryan Slattery, whose friend leaked online parts of his architecture master’s thesis that calls for the big baby to be stripped to a skeleton and used as greenspace: “If you don’t need it,” Slattery tells KHOU’s Jeremy Desel, “it does not need to be there. It is never going to be a stadium again. So you don’t need the seats. You need to take those seats out. Concrete on the facade? You don’t need that.” Adds Slattery: “If and when the Astrodome does come down you will see a grown man cry.” [KUHF; KHOU; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Swamplot inbox

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East End
03/25/13 11:00am

Telephone Road’s New Sweet and Sweat Shops

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Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers, Signage
8 Comments

As though mandated by some surgeon general recommendation for commercial development, the new neighbors in the Tlaquepaque Market at Telephone and Lockwood are an ice cream shop and a fitness studio. Scoops, the sign for which recently appeared above those window bars, is replacing a nail salon at 724 Telephone; it will share a wall with a Zumba studio, a former dollar store that doesn’t have a sign yet — but it does appear to have been renovated to provide rump-shakers inside the comfort and convenience of opaque window screens. These new interests are just a few blocks from the new Oak Leaf Smokehouse that opened for lunch in late February at 1000 Telephone Rd., and just a few suites from the new-ish Blue Line Bike Lab.

Photos: Allyn West

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Montrose
03/21/13 3:00pm

The First Inside-the-Loop Dunkin’ Donuts?

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Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Signage
27 Comments

Could it be . . . time? A reader claims to have spotted the first inside-the-Loop Dunkin’ Donuts — or at least the future home of it. Last spring, franchise group 521 Interests announced plans to open 16 new Dunkin’ Donuts in Houston; this photo taken this morning in Montrose at the corner of South Shepherd and Fairview shows what might be the first of those, now that the former Arby’s is festooned with the donut makers’ orange and pink signage. Claiming, among other achievements in food and beverage, to be the nation’s top bagel retailer, Dunkin’ Donuts will be just a block and a half away from the Hot Bagel Shop.

Photo: Swamplot inbox

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Openings and Closings
03/14/13 3:45pm

Roger Clemens’s Son To Open a Rice Military Sports Bar Named in Honor of Roger Clemens

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Restaurants, Rice Military
11 Comments

The son of Sugar Land Skeeters ace and former Astros hurler Roger Clemens is renovating a tapas bar into a house of “sports and spirits” that’ll be called Katch 22. That’s Katch with a K — for strikeout, if you’re scoring at home. Renovations are already underway at the former Convivio space here at 700 Durham in Rice Military. Kody Kory Clemens, reports Eater Houston’s Eric Sandler, will be Katch 22’s executive chef; he studied at Le Cordon Bleu and met co-proprietor Luke Mandola while working at Ragin’ Cajun. Sandler adds that though there will be 11 screens here showing ball games, the owners stress that Katch 22 is not a sports bar. Either way, it’s expected to open in May.

Photo: Allyn West

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Gulfgate
03/13/13 11:15am

Frank’s Grill To Move to New Telephone Rd. Strip Center

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New Construction, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Strip Centers
7 Comments

Just outside the Loop on Telephone Rd., Frank’s Grill — or Rank’s Rill, as Hurricane Ike rendered the standalone greasy spoon’s sign — will be closing and moving south about a tenth of a mile into the larger suite shown here in the recently completed strip center on Telephone and Fairway. The strip center replaced a car dealership and a body shop. There’s no date set for Frank’s move, but an employee tells Swamplot that it should be happening in about two months.

Photos: Allyn West

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New Construction
03/08/13 3:00pm

UH’s Dead-End Den for Cougars of Age

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Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Schools, University of Houston
24 Comments

This is what’s going up on some prime spurfront property at the University of Houston. Next to a Chinese restaurant and that prideful parking garage on Spur 5 that inspired the Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Gray and some student rappers back in 2010, the 2-story building at the end of Calhoun Rd. on campus is being billed as Cougar Den Plaza.

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Openings and Closings
03/07/13 2:00pm

A 60 Degree Turnaround on Westheimer

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Restaurants, Signage, Upper Kirby
4 Comments

Looks like there’s something coming soon to the former Palazzo’s Tratoria at 2300 Westheimer. (And, presumably, someone’s coming to deal with that raggedy palm tree.) A Swamplot reader sends in this photo of the sign for “60 Degree Mastercrafted” with Master Chef Fritz Gitschner. The new dining concept wasn’t immediately available for comment. Palazzo’s has 2 other locations in Westchase and Briar Grove.

Photos: Loves swamplot

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Galleria
03/07/13 11:45am

The Sports Bar That’s Replacing The Saxophone on Richmond

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New Construction, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Renovations, Signage
9 Comments

THE SPORTS BAR THAT’S REPLACING THE SAXOPHONE ON RICHMOND Will we soon see a 70-foot red pitchfork here? Now that the Orange Show has moved that big blue horn out of the way, the former Billy Blues club at 6025 Richmond near Fountain View is getting a new sign and a renovation, a Swamplot reader notes, for the sports bar Diablo Loco Wings y Mas. Last week, Bob Wade’s 70-foot “Smokesax,” made out of Beetle parts, was trucked across town to the Orange Show’s Munger St. warehouse. [Previously on Swamplot] Photo: Swamplot inbox

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Apartments
03/06/13 10:30am

Low-Cal Restaurant To Open Inside Westheimer’s High Street Redevelopment

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Highland Village, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Redevelopment, Restaurants
4 Comments

LOW-CAL RESTAURANT TO OPEN INSIDE WESTHEIMER’S HIGH STREET REDEVELOPMENT The shell shown here was about as high as High Street got before the ambitious mixed-use development was scrapped in 2008. In 2011, the property was sold and the project downsized by Dinerstein and given a timeless, compensatory new name: Millennium High Street. Yesterday, reports the Houston Business Journal, the redevelopment at 4410 Westheimer announced a new tenant: Season 52, a low-calorie restaurant with 2 other Texas locations, will open sometime this April. Besides the restaurant, reports Olivia Pulsinelli, Millennium High Street is expected to include 15,000 square feet of retail and 336 apartments. [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Swamplot inbox

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Buildings for Lease
03/05/13 10:00am

West Main Standalone Now Available for Next Restaurant

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Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Signage
11 Comments

This corner at Mandell and West Main near Richmond and the Menil Collection has lost another tenant; Sophia bowed out of the freestanding brick building at the end of February. It was back in 2008 when Sophia’s predecessor Café Artiste kept this “closed today” sign posted in the window for an entire month, receiving your questions and comments without betraying a word; Sophia’s sand-bagged sign, spotted by a Swamplot reader at the end of last week, doesn’t appear to have inspired the same level of community feedback just yet.

Photos: Jack McBride (Sophia); Flickr user DrPantzo [license]

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Houston Heights
02/27/13 2:00pm

Heights Losing Cajun Restaurant

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Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Restaurants
11 Comments

HEIGHTS LOSING CAJUN RESTAURANT The Big Mamou is closing tomorrow at the end of the day, reports the Leader, leaving behind the yellow bungalow at 903 Studewood where it’s been for 4 years: “Rufus and Brenda Estis . . . will host one last blast for customers from 5-9 p.m. March 5, offering its signature red beans and rice and gumbo at no charge.” [The Leader] Photo: Big Mamou

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Houston Heights
02/27/13 10:00am

More Retail Moving North on Yale St.?

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Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers
36 Comments

Update, 4:48 p.m.: The map and drawing are not part of UCR Houston’s active plans, a representative from the retail advisor tells Swamplot; UCR is not marketing this property and does not represent and has never represented the property’s current owner. Read more here.

Is this where even more retail development will be coming to the Heights? UCR MoodyRambin Page is marketing A reader alerts Swamplot to a flyer representing a possible plan for this 4-acre site on Yale St. north of the Washington Heights Walmart and the recently sold San Jacinto Stone property — that’s that big empty green square right next to I-10 — for a bank and fast-food restaurants.

You can see a more detailed site plan after the jump:

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East End
02/26/13 11:30am

Telephone Road Smokehouse Replaces Telephone Road Smokehouse

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Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Restaurants
2 Comments

TELEPHONE ROAD SMOKEHOUSE REPLACES TELEPHONE ROAD SMOKEHOUSE The low-slung building that used to be Pete’s BBQ has re-opened as a barbecue, reports Eater Houston’s Eric Sandler. Run by husband and wife Brian Lewis and Lisa Kuhfeldt, Oak Leaf Smokehouse had a “soft opening” at 1000 Telephone late last week — and was “slammed,” selling out of meat by 1 p.m., says a February 21 post on Facebook. “Once the restaurant gets things dialed in,” reports Sandler,” they’ll expand the menu beyond the five meats and four sides currently on offer.” For now, the smokehouse is open during lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. [Eater Houston] Photo: Allyn West

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Land Sales
02/26/13 9:30am

River Oaks Honky-Tonk Blanco’s To Close, Look for New Location

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Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, River Oaks
19 Comments

A source close to Blanco’s ownership tells Swamplot that by November the West Alabama bar and grill will close. Meanwhile, Blanco’s will be scouting for a new location, the source says, “somewhere in the area.” Swamplot reported in January that St. John’s School was buying 13 acres of property in River Oaks that include 3406 West Alabama St., where the incongruous honky-tonk and its dusty parking lot — owned for decades by Barry E. DeBakey, the heart surgeon’s son who died in 2007 of liver failure — have been for 30 years.

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