Tallest Tower in the Galleria Area seen from Richmond

 Williams Tower seen from Richmond - Bechtel Office Bldg in foreground 

Williams Tower seen from Richmond Ave. 

5000-5100 Block of Richmond Ave 

Indigenous Mexican street art

 side wall of roots salon on Richmond Ave in Montrose 

Richmond Hall Dan Flavin Installation (The Menil Collection)

"Who do you call when cops murder?" (Montrose Mural)

Political mural on lower Richmond Ave in Montrose 

Koelsch Haus Gallery 

Nearby mural facing Lupita Chapultepec Restaurant 

Richmond Ave at Stanford Street

More high-end apartments on Richmond Ave: 4300 The Fairmont Museum District

Another luxury apartment complex on Richmond Ave.

coming to market. 

4300 The Fairmont Museum District
corner view

Apartments with bay windows overlooking Richmond Ave
The complex uses the Dunlavy Street Address 

4310 Dunlavy Street, Houston, TX 77006 

View of new Fairmont Luxury Apartments
from Richmond Ave. sidewalk at Woodhead

The walkability issues on Richmond Ave have not yet been
resolved even though the area will see strong influx of new residents 

The "New" Mandell Park in all its revitalized glory - urban recreational green-space with veggie garden in Montrose

The New Mandell Park 

Wide tree-lined gravel-covered walkway with pairs of benches
on the wall lining what may become a true alley when the trees grow bigger and taller.

Children's tile art installed on concrete wall
Adjoining Mi Pueblito patio in background

Bicycle parking
Bike rack on wide gravel walking paths 

Skip's garden shed with grass planted on roof.
The shed is named for one of the locals who played a key role
 in the community park's development.

Flock of birds aloft over the newly rebuild urban park 

Mandell Park name sign on corner of Richmond and Mandell St.

Veggies in urban garden.

Pair of park benches facing each other inviting
small group discourse and communal park enjoyment 

Adopt a Park sign - Friends of Mandell Park sponsors recognized 

Close-up of Skip's Shed with live green roof 

High-resolution photo of children's art wall below:

(click to enlarge)

Children's communal mosaic art wall with contributions by many 

Also see 2012 blog post on Mandell Park before it was redone 

History of Mandell Park - Successful model of creative conversion of
abandoned overgrown lot in urban area by neighborhood initiative 

Greenway Highrise Condo Tower on Richmond

Richmond Ave East of intersection with Weslayan

Café Adobe fades into history at 32 - Long live Tex-Mex!

Adios Café Adobe

Another fiesta is over. Café Adobe at Westheimer and Shepherd is now closed. Like the Montrose Fiesta store a few blocks to the East, the property will see redevelopment as multi-story residential project following demolition. The way things go in Houston.

The architecture of the double-decker patio venue was rather unique; not to mention the coloring scheme and illumination at night. It even offered rain-or-shine patio brunching or dining in a courtyard with a water fountain in the middle and glass roof aloft; winding staircase to the cantina on the second floor. Worthy of land-mark status, and no doubt the object of many fond and cheery memories for at least two generations of innerloopers.

Moving truck at back entrance to Adobe Cafe

It’s not the only Mexican restaurant fading into Margarita-infused memories of good times had. Aztecas on the corner of Richmond and Greenbriar has folded too, following the earlier demise of Maggie Ritas, whose effort  to spice things up at Ninfa’s on Richmond at Kirby were all too lamentably to no avail. Iconic patio restaurant Bocados on West Alabama near The Menil just went out with a bang too; in a fitting gesture on Cinco de Mayo. Taco Milagro on the corner of Westheimer and Kirby is next. It’s days are numbered.

Aztecas Restaurant on corner of Richmond and Greenbriar closed

Maggie Rita's was short-lived in former Ninfa's location on Kirby Drive

Bocados on West Alabama (before closing)

Patio at Taco Milagro on Westheimer at Kirby

Not that the neighborhood is on the way downhill. Much rather, it looks like rising land values and rents are squeezing the moderately-priced Tex-Mexes out of the market. There are big construction projects under way all around.

So what’s still there on the Mex and Tex-Mex culinary front?  A Lupe Tortillas on the SW Freeway feeder between Greenbriar and Kirby; Little Pappasitos on Richmond next Indian Restaurant Khyber; Ruchis on the SW corner of Shepherd and West Alabama; La Tapatia and Selma Maria on Richmond. And then there is Chuy’s near where Taco Milagro is calling it quits; although its display of Elvis-paraphernalia and other such stuff put its Tex-Mex credential somewhat in doubt. And then there are a couple of burrito joints: Mission Burritos on West Alabama and FreeBirds on Greenbriar across from the Post Office. 

Seems like there is room in the market for a new Tex-Mex startup; to cater to those loath to navigate down Lower Westheimer to the El Real to crunch chips loaded with salsa in a former movie theater, not to mention driving all the way to EaDo to honor the memory of Mama Ninfa’s in her original establishment, which now features a large patio with outdoor bar, or the new El Tiempo Cantina next to it, which was opened earlier this year by a descendant of the iconic Mexican matron that got Houstonians of all ancestries – Hispanic or otherwise -- hooked on fajitas. 

Brown Bag Deli's Moves

Feb 25, 2013 UPDATE: Brown Bag Deli has relocated to Main Street - the spot previously occupied by Ziggy's Downtown across from the Flying Saucer. Heavy equipment is already in place at Houston Club Building, which is scheduled to be demolished.

The impending demolition of the Houston Club Building also means the end of the brown bag lunches at the Deli there. 

Brown Bag Deli shop at doomed Houston Club Building - Capitol Street (Sep 2012 photo)

But it's not the only brown-bag lunch spot in town. A second brown bag deli joined the one on Westheimer and Shepherd not too far away: In the Upper Kirby district in the shopping center North of Richmond Ave in which Office Depot is the anchor tenant. The retail space was previously occupied by a Spicy Pickle sub and sandwich shop.

Brown Bag Deli shop in Upper Kirby

 

Location in NE corner of Kirby Drive and Richmond

Brown Bag store location on Westheimer East of intersection with Shepherd Drive

Brown Bag Deli signage on store location at The Houston Club Building (Panoramio pic)