Heights/Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

$20 ????

whens the last time you’ve been to work tiempo or papasitos ?

Beef fajitas for one at Los Cucos are $19.95 now. Sad times indeed.

I’m done with El Tiempo fajitas. I’m fairly certain they measure out the meat on a gram scale. The brisket tacos are just as good and $13 for three. 

No locations in the Heights/GOOF, but the Wednesday fajita special at Pappasitos is tough to beat. $26.95 for mixed fajitas for two. 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

On 12/22/2019 at 8:41 PM, DCA_HORN said:

On 12/22/2019 at 4:26 PM, mycox said:

^^^not in the GOOF at all but yes, El Bolillo does have good pastries. 

Definitely not goof but you know anything inside the loop between 10 and 45 is the heights these days.

I’ll throw some gas on the fire. 

The Heights runs south to north from I 10 to 610. East to west from Main St to TC Jester. This is it. Period.

Buffalo Heights, Sawyer Heights, Washington Heights are made up real estate developer terms. 

Anything south of I 10 is Rice Military. 

I don’t know enough about the Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Shady Acres to draw a box around those neighborhoods, but I think the Google maps are fairly accurate. 

 

[tx 3 putt 78730]

7 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

 

No locations in the Heights/GOOF, but the Wednesday fajita special at Pappasitos is tough to beat. $26.95 for mixed fajitas for two. 

Best weds night deal in town 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

7 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I’ll throw some gas on the fire. 

The Heights runs south to north from I 10 to 610. East to west from Main St to TC Jester. This is it. Period.

Buffalo Heights, Sawyer Heights, Washington Heights are made up real estate developer terms. 

Anything south of I 10 is Rice Military. 

I don’t know enough about the Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Shady Acres to draw a box around those neighborhoods, but I think the Google maps are fairly accurate. 

 

I can agree on the heights boundaries but you could practically let the west boundary go all the way to 610 West just for simplicity. 

ive also always thought the heights end at I-10 but I know places just south of I-10 have long claimed to be the heights as well. However when you’re separated by 20 freeway/feeder lanes, it seems like a good boundary. 

[SydneyCarton 49520]

8 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Cantina Barba on Main is pretty reasonable. Similar menu and prices as Tierra Caliente, but a larger portion and better quality. They also make a really good cheeseburger for $5. 

Why Barba is constantly slammed is beyond me. I guess it’s too main stream for the hipsters. 

Thank. I’ve never heard of Cantina Barba. Will give it a shot. 

Tacos Tierra Caliente is wonderful, and having them run the tacos/kitchen in the gas station that popped up on Shepherd is an awesome addition to the neighborhood. 

Edited December 25, 2019 by SydneyCarton

[SydneyCarton 49520]

8 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I’ll throw some gas on the fire. 

The Heights runs south to north from I 10 to 610. East to west from Main St to TC Jester. This is it. Period.

Buffalo Heights, Sawyer Heights, Washington Heights are made up real estate developer terms. 

Anything south of I 10 is Rice Military. 

I don’t know enough about the Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Shady Acres to draw a box around those neighborhoods, but I think the Google maps are fairly accurate. 

 

Well, you included shady acres in your map. Shady acres is TC Jester to Durham/Shepherd. Durham/Shepherd is the line for the Heights. And Historic Heights is another thing altogether. 
 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

38 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Thank. I’ve never heard of Cantina Barba. Will give it a shot. 

Tacos Tierra Caliente is wonderful, and having them run the tacos/kitchen in the gas station that popped up on Shepherd is an awesome addition to the neighborhood. 

The gas station location isn’t as good, but it’s very convenient. 

[Pibald 18]

On 12/20/2019 at 12:26 AM, MaybeACoordinator said:

What is the deal with that La Hacienda place on 27th or thereabouts near Ella? It's a huge place in a hot neighborhood and it's been there a long time, but I have never, ever heard anybody talk about it. Tony's, Tecate, El Sombrero, and Alma Latina all have their fans, and I've been to all those places myself...But I've never been to La Hacienda and it's word of mouth is nil.

I’ve read other opinions here, but I go to LH all the time and only once had bad service. They were slammed that night, so it’s was just forgetting some stuff we ordered. I normally comment on how friendly and accommodating the staff is. I’ve lived here for 12/13 years and only started going here a couple of years ago. The food is very Tex Mex and not spectacular, but it’s passable for a quick meal with the kids and wifey (no pics). 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

1 hour ago, Pibald said:

I’ve read other opinions here, but I go to LH all the time and only once had bad service. They were slammed that night, so it’s was just forgetting some stuff we ordered. I normally comment on how friendly and accommodating the staff is. I’ve lived here for 12/13 years and only started going here a couple of years ago. The food is very Tex Mex and not spectacular, but it’s passable for a quick meal with the kids and wifey (no pics). 

Studewood Cantine is pretty good. It was the “premium” Los Cucos location. Not sure who owns it now, but yes it’s better than Los Cucos.

Teotihuacan is best Mexican food in was Heights/GOOF and it’s not really close. Drinks are terrible. Just order beer. There are two types of Mexican places in my opinion. Beer joints and and places with good margaritas. 

[DCA_HORN 725]

Thank. I’ve never heard of Cantina Barba. Will give it a shot. 

Tacos Tierra Caliente is wonderful, and having them run the tacos/kitchen in the gas station that popped up on Shepherd is an awesome addition to the neighborhood. 

Barba is solid and has a quality burger as well.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

Miracle on W. 43rd Street: a White Christmas in Houston.

[Homesickhorn 2220]

That car has been there for almost two months.

[GreenspointTexas 9989]

On 12/25/2019 at 12:12 AM, billfromlaketravis said:

Cantina Barba on Main is pretty reasonable. Similar menu and prices as Tierra Caliente, but a larger portion and better quality. They also make a really good cheeseburger for $5. 

Why Barba is constantly slammed is beyond me. I guess it’s too main stream for the hipsters. 

I fucking love barba. And it blows TC outta the water imo

[GreenspointTexas 9989]

11 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Studewood Cantine is pretty good. It was the “premium” Los Cucos location. Not sure who owns it now, but yes it’s better than Los Cucos.

Teotihuacan is best Mexican food in was Heights/GOOF and it’s not really close. Drinks are terrible. Just order beer. There are two types of Mexican places in my opinion. Beer joints and and places with good margaritas. 

Superica >>>>>>>> Teo

Edited December 26, 2019 by GreenspointTexas

[Nivek 17420]

That car has been there for almost two months.

It has a tow warning sticker as of today. i assume the owner is in the trunk or under the buckled hood.

[elfenix 34760]

On 12/25/2019 at 12:33 AM, billfromlaketravis said:

I’ll throw some gas on the fire. 

The Heights runs south to north from I 10 to 610. East to west from Main St to TC Jester. This is it. Period.

Buffalo Heights, Sawyer Heights, Washington Heights are made up real estate developer terms. 

Anything south of I 10 is Rice Military. 

I don’t know enough about the Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and Shady Acres to draw a box around those neighborhoods, but I think the Google maps are fairly accurate. 

 

rice military is mostly a made up developer name.  there's a small neighborhood south of washington, west of shepherd, that has 'rice military' in the deed records.  i used to know the exact boundaries back when i lived there.  it doesn't extend near as far as your real estate agent wants you to think. 

[Storm the Field 5367]

On 12/26/2019 at 8:55 AM, GreenspointTexas said:

Superica >>>>>>>> Teo

Superica is the best Mexican restaurant in the GOOF/Heights area and it's not particularly close, IMO. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

Been reading about some history of the garden oaks area recently. Originally it was a suburb of Houston and not even in the city limits.  There were also 2 nearby golf courses over the last 80 years.  One was located near the current Petrol Station on Golf Dr and stretched over Ella into what would become Oak Forest.  I believe it was gone by the early 50s.  There was a more recent golf course behind the Sears where there are acres of warehouses now.  I can see by historical aerial photos that the course was there in '73 but gone by '81.

Any other interesting facts about the hood that anyone can share?

 

[Mez2 4048]

patrick swayze lived in oak forest and went to waltrip. that always blows my mind. the undertaker, too 

[elfenix 34760]

it used to be oak grove!

old ass maps: https://houstorian.wordpress.com/old-houston-maps/

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

9 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Been reading about some history of the garden oaks area recently. Originally it was a suburb of Houston and not even in the city limits.  There were also 2 nearby golf courses over the last 80 years.  One was located near the current Petrol Station on Golf Dr and stretched over Ella into what would become Oak Forest.  I believe it was gone by the early 50s.  There was a more recent golf course behind the Sears where there are acres of warehouses now.  I can see by historical aerial photos that the course was there in '73 but gone by '81.

Any other interesting facts about the hood that anyone can share?

 

Karla Faye Tucker was an Oak Forest gal. 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

On 12/25/2019 at 11:14 PM, MaybeACoordinator said:

Miracle on W. 43rd Street: a White Christmas in Houston.

Haha. The bird will get you on the 43rd Street Kroger. 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

On 12/27/2019 at 2:08 PM, Mez2 said:

patrick swayze lived in oak forest and went to waltrip. that always blows my mind. the undertaker, too 

I believe his mother's dance studio was next to the current Union Kitchen on Ella. I know couple older locals that took dance classes there. 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

On 12/27/2019 at 9:59 AM, Storm the Field said:

Superica is the best Mexican restaurant in the GOOF/Heights area and it's not particularly close, IMO. 

An argument can be made for Calle Onze as well. Terrific margaritas and really good fajitas. I'll still give the nod to Teo because of longevity and affordability.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

20 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

An argument can be made for Calle Onze as well. Terrific margaritas and really good fajitas. I'll still give the nod to Teo because of longevity and affordability.

Remember when Spanish Flower was the go-to? 

[billfromlaketravis 11851]

57 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Remember when Spanish Flower was the go-to? 

I must have missed that window. I can’t remember it every being good, but it is decent. Probably the best 24 hour Mexican restaurant in the city. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I must have missed that window. I can’t remember it every being good, but it is decent. Probably the best 24 hour Mexican restaurant in the city. 

This was a really long time ago, like 20 years back, before the rise of Teo. It was pretty much the only restaurant in the Heights, so people raved about it, and it seemed more authentic than places in Montrose and West U, etc., so much so that other people would actually drive to the Heights to eat there. It persisted into this decade... I think some local took Lady Gaga there about ten years ago so she could eat Houston's "best" Mexican food in a muy Mexicano setting when she was on tour. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

Spanish flower is great at 3am.  Not so much at any other time. I do them props with their roaming tortilla service.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

52 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Spanish flower is great at 3am.  Not so much at any other time. I do them props with their roaming tortilla service.

Yeah, for 3 AM Mexican it's better than Andy's, but that is a very, very low bar. I took my kids there six or seven years ago and it was vile. Everybody told me the secret was that you had to go in the wee hours, because "that was when the good cooks worked," or some shit, but it's more likely that is when the diners are too fucked up to notice how terrible it is.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 313]

the new sushi spot on ella is serviceable.  

/Laz

[Storm the Field 5367]

Watch out folks, GOOF is in the middle of an auto burglary crime wave. Post on FB group said a bunch of cars had windows smashed at Crowbar last night. Responding officer apparently said there have been 300+ reports in 77018 just since New Years. And a lot of these are occurring in prime time, not in early morning hours. Hopefully some of these fuckers will get caught and move on before too long.

You shouldn't do this anyway, but don't leave anything valuable or that may conceivably contain something valuable (gym bags, backpacks....etc.), unless you have a window that really needs replacing.

[tx 3 putt 78730]

hopefully they get shot, many times 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

Seems to be a problem across Houston in general. 

[Storm the Field 5367]

Drift, new bar on 20th street (couple doors down from The Boot) finally opened this past weekend after what seemed like a good 2 years of construction . Looks pretty similar to the other heights bungalow bars except a lot more TVs.

[SydneyCarton 49520]

3 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Drift, new bar on 20th street (couple doors down from The Boot) finally opened this past weekend after what seemed like a good 2 years of construction . Looks pretty similar to the other heights bungalow bars except a lot more TVs.

We tried it out last night to watch the national title game. Like the space, but the TV views aren't great, they didn't have any waitstaff, and they didn't have any kitchen. 

Now, the waitstaff thing I'm guessing is temporary as they ramp up from the opening. The kitchen thing...it's not clear entirely if they're still building one out but wanted to open for cash now ahead of that. It didn't seem like that was the case, in which case...oooof. It's hard to imagine a space that big that was built from the ground up, that claims to be a sports bar, not serving food. That was a big demerit. Also, they were running short of beers and other things, but again, I assume that's a function of them getting their feet beneath them. 

[GreenspointTexas 9989]

That area of the heights is now basically Washington-lite

[tx 3 putt 78730]

Looking for a Garden Oaks rec for Monday night - steak night ? Crawfish ? Neighborhood spot ?

sales meeting this week and meeting up with some team members 

[patrickdrinksbeer 820]

Looking for a Garden Oaks rec for Monday night - steak night ? Crawfish ? Neighborhood spot ?

sales meeting this week and meeting up with some team members 

 

Walking Stick Brewing is supposed to have crawfish Monday evening. It’s across the street from Great Heights on Wakefield. We’ll be open, but no food on Mondays.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

I believe cedar creek near memorial park has steak night on mondays. Not goof or heights but close. Plonk at 43rd/Ella usually has good food but slightly more $.

If crawfish is the goal, the main place I can think of is BBs Cafe.  There are 2 in the area. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

Side note: I’m Looking into options to move out of GO, and was checking out Zillow for options. The app centers on GO automatically for me, and I was floored that it’s now over 50% listings in excess of 1m.  I have no idea if many of them are selling though.

and while I still see new builds in progress, the pace doesn’t seem as high as a few years ago. Perhaps there are fewer old homes for sale.  I live in one of those old homes, no where near 1m valuation.

[tx 3 putt 78730]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I believe cedar creek near memorial park has steak night on mondays. Not goof or heights but close. Plonk at 43rd/Ella usually has good food but slightly more $.

If crawfish is the goal, the main place I can think of is BBs Cafe.  There are 2 in the area. 

Per Houston steak night, might try TBones Sports Bar. It’s close to their hotel 290/610 interchange 

[SydneyCarton 49520]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I believe cedar creek near memorial park has steak night on mondays. Not goof or heights but close. Plonk at 43rd/Ella usually has good food but slightly more $.

If crawfish is the goal, the main place I can think of is BBs Cafe.  There are 2 in the area. 

The one by Memorial Park is Canyon Creek. Not trying to be a dick, but it's easier for strangers to differentiate if they just use the name they can google. 

TBones is...i mean it's cheap drinks and lots of TVs man. It's a fine sports/dive bar, but if you're looking for something other than that, set your expectations appropriately. 

[SydneyCarton 49520]

2 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Side note: I’m Looking into options to move out of GO, and was checking out Zillow for options. The app centers on GO automatically for me, and I was floored that it’s now over 50% listings in excess of 1m.  I have no idea if many of them are selling though.

and while I still see new builds in progress, the pace doesn’t seem as high as a few years ago. Perhaps there are fewer old homes for sale.  I live in one of those old homes, no where near 1m valuation.

Crunch will only get more interesting. The suburbs around the beltway and higher continue to explode. You might be better off doing some renovations and additions on your home and then selling, unless you have to get out ASAP. All the new construction is so expensive, having a place that's had some remodel work done that sits below the 1m threshold will probably be snatched right up in short order. 

[tx 3 putt 78730]

10 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Crunch will only get more interesting. The suburbs around the beltway and higher continue to explode.

 3000 home development incoming

http://katytimes.com/community/article_e1ef0032-3954-11ea-8b80-abd107a28087.html

[tx 3 putt 78730]

I’ll throw out king beir garden, I’ve always liked their food 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

19 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The one by Memorial Park is Canyon Creek. Not trying to be a dick, but it's easier for strangers to differentiate if they just use the name they can google. 

TBones is...i mean it's cheap drinks and lots of TVs man. It's a fine sports/dive bar, but if you're looking for something other than that, set your expectations appropriately. 

fair enough.  I have mental "dyslexia" with those two locations. I know what location I mean but instead say the other.  Yes, Canyon Creek is the right name I meant to type.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13741]

19 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Crunch will only get more interesting. The suburbs around the beltway and higher continue to explode. You might be better off doing some renovations and additions on your home and then selling, unless you have to get out ASAP. All the new construction is so expensive, having a place that's had some remodel work done that sits below the 1m threshold will probably be snatched right up in short order. 

I've been intrigued by this option.  Or just going thru a minimal remodel/refresh, and renting it out. If it can pay for itself plus a little extra, I wouldn't mind riding the continued property value increases.  And you're right that there will still be a market for people that want in, but can't afford the $6000/month cost (mortgage plus prop tax)

[SydneyCarton 49520]

7 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I've been intrigued by this option.  Or just going thru a minimal remodel/refresh, and renting it out. If it can pay for itself plus a little extra, I wouldn't mind riding the continued property value increases.  And you're right that there will still be a market for people that want in, but can't afford the $6000/month cost (mortgage plus prop tax)

I'd consider it seriously, at least if you can deal with an extended renovation for a month or two without being super displaced or disrupting any kids.

We're just across the Loop in Timbergrove. We paid for a "remodel" that was a more or less superficial refresh of flooring, some new appliances, new paint and a knocked down wall. Which is fine. But at the time, it was way more expensive than the 400k kind of homes you could find that would need a complete gutting unless you wanted to just live in the original work from a home build in the 1960's. Fast forward two years, and our home would be far, far below what goes on the market. Pretty much every home is getting a refurb before they go on the market, and those typically start at 650-750 range. Knockdowns and rebuilds start at 1M, just like GO, but those are generally two story homes with more sqft. It's crazy.

Renting as an investment, but I've always heard horror stories about tenants trashing your shit. But I know there's plenty of surly landlords doing really well, so, maybe they will chime in. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by SydneyCarton

[Storm the Field 5367]

Assuming the Houston suburbs keep blowing up over the coming years (as projected), the jobs those people work are still mainly in the city. Commute times are just gonna keep getting worse and worse. I have co-workers that already spend 90+ minutes a day in their cars coming from Woodlands, Conroe, Katy, Cinco Ranch...etc. Inner Loop or "Just Outside the Loop" housing will always be in demand, especially in a neighborhood like GO where you can build a large house with a pool and still have a yard.

 

 

[Storm the Field 5367]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Side note: I’m Looking into options to move out of GO, and was checking out Zillow for options. The app centers on GO automatically for me, and I was floored that it’s now over 50% listings in excess of 1m.  I have no idea if many of them are selling though.

and while I still see new builds in progress, the pace doesn’t seem as high as a few years ago. Perhaps there are fewer old homes for sale.  I live in one of those old homes, no where near 1m valuation.

Lot value for a 15K sq. ft.  in GO is +/-$450K right now. Nobody is building new homes on those lots smaller than 3,500. Those 2 factors alone explain the prices you are seeing.