Houston Nostalgia Picture Thread

[texasdago 7553]

That is such a generic question.  Hey, I ate at a place outside the Loop... maybe SW Houston... it was in a strip center. Had great food.  

As a side note, anyone going to hang out at the mall this weekend?

[Jimbaround 973]

19 hours ago, jeevsie said:

Maybe this is the right place to ask....maybe this will get lost.

About 10-12 years ago, we went with some friends to eat at a restaurant "somewhere inside the loop". Beats the hell out of me where because I wasn't driving and there was drinking going on that night.  The restaurant looked like a house but it was a very good meal.  I can't for the life of me remember what it was called to see if it's still open.  Best guess would be Heights/Washington area.  Anyone have any ideas?

I'll hang up and listen.

Zelko is a good guess; I assume Segari's would stick out because it's mainly seafood.  Could be Feast (very farm to table) on lower Westheimer; very highly acclaimed at the time.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13418]

7 minutes ago, texasdago said:

That is such a generic question.  Hey, I ate at a place outside the Loop... maybe SW Houston... it was in a strip center. Had great food.  

As a side note, anyone going to hang out at the mall this weekend?

Is that Town & Country mall? I can't recall what it looked like inside.

[Jimbaround 973]

7 minutes ago, texasdago said:

That is such a generic question.  Hey, I ate at a place outside the Loop... maybe SW Houston... it was in a strip center. Had great food.  

As a side note, anyone going to hang out at the mall this weekend?

Ahhh, I miss playing 4-player Tecmo at TILT.

[Hanrahan 1306]

House in the Heights?  Been closed for years now but was certainly a good restaurant, in a house, in the Heights.

[texasdago 7553]

5 hours ago, Jimbaround said:

Ahhh, I miss playing 4-player Tecmo at TILT.

Yup.  Spent a lot of time at TILT.  My cousin used to work below TILT at a sandwich shop.  The stories I heard about it... I stopped eating their sandwiches.

[jeevsie 3725]

On 9/1/2021 at 11:03 PM, Jeffrey said:

Just Dinner? Went there back in the day for an anniversary. Was on Dunlavy

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 

Ding. M'fing Ding.  That's the place! Sad that it's closed, but glad the Surl could help out.

[billfromlaketravis 11367]

On 9/2/2021 at 9:39 AM, texasdago said:

That is such a generic question.  Hey, I ate at a place outside the Loop... maybe SW Houston... it was in a strip center. Had great food.  

As a side note, anyone going to hang out at the mall this weekend?

Doesn’t include face/neck tats and box braids. #NotMyGalleria

[Dennis Taylor 18725]

Couldn't find a picture of the sign but I remember driving by this on the way to the dome

Early Aeros games with the Howes, Houston Wrestling,  and some great concerts before it closed

 

[pch 1259]

No pics but Bill Williams Steak and Oyster Bar was a go to whenever we came to Houston back in the 60's.  And went to a Greek club called Bacchanal in 1972 with my girlfriend, her sister and brother in law who was a partner at Arthur Andersen.  Still have  PTSD from that hangover.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

Westheimer Street Fest, 1982-ish

 

Which one of you is lil dude rockin it with the skates and sweatbands?

[Underdog 28460]

[texasdago 7553]

7 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Westheimer Street Fest, 1982-ish

 

Which one of you is lil dude rockin it with the skates and sweatbands?

That was all of us

 

[deadshank 24651]

Cooter’s

[texasdago 7553]

Who remembers the original Lizard Lounge?

 

 

[texasdago 7553]

Saw someone post this on City-Data (Below)

I loved the Live Bait/World Bait days...

"Here is my recollection of the "evolution" of the last twenty years or so in H-town from a dance club/bar point-of-view: In the early 90's, the 'Richmond Strip" was pretty popular when Sam's Boat, Yucatan Liquor Stand, and then City Streets were in their heyday. Bayou Mama's was also popular out by Gessner/Westheimer. Though not in the same area, places like Lizard Lounge, Power Tools, DV8, 6400, and D2R were crossing over from the 80's for the dance set. Around the mid 90's, with the opening of Cabo on Greenbriar, the nexus of Cabo/Live Bait/8.0 awakened the Greenbriar/Shepherd area as the "it" upscale spot. Other spots sprung up including The Ballroom (beautiful pool club), Q Cafe (the latin crowd lived here), and 2826 (which became Revere and then Peccavi). You also had the Mucky Duck and Mc Elroy's around the corner, and then Davenport and Guava Lamp opened up. These places appear to be the only survivors of this period. While not in that area, Crystal (at Hillcroft/59) made a name for itself during this time with disco and ethnic nights. For those interested in the checking out the shadows of yesterday in a different city, in Fort Worth, 8.0 still exists and Cabo spawned Cabo Grande. Both of these places are in the Sundance Square area. Also, the original 2826 (from Dallas) re-opens on and off again in Deep Ellum. Interestingly, I've been inside the place and it's modeled quite closely to the one in Houston (which is now sadly a car service shop). During this time the Richmond Strip remained quite active, and you had places like Blue Planet, Pete's Wild Life, and Tantra open. Also, random hot spots opened like Roxy and Sempers near Westheimer and Velvet Elvis on Richmond. This time period was especially cool for nightlife since the Houston Rockets won the finals in 1994-1995 and that made for some great times! In the late 90's, downtown got a jumpstart when Jones Bar, Solero (tapas bar), and Spy launched alongside the larger version of Cabo. And then you had Prague (later M Bar), Tonic, The Mercury Room, State Bar, and Dean's near Main/Prairie/Travis. A bunch of bigger "corporate" money places opened: Sambuca, the bar at the Hotel Icon, Flying Saucer, etc.. You also had a slew of places like Hyperia, Club 808, etc. that catered to the electronica club crowd. At the turn of the century, due mostly to street construction, downtown was effectively shut down. The landscaped shifted to Midtown. Midtown benefited from having been designated a TIRZ (basically, a tax shelter for redevelopment) and was sprouting residences (townhomes and apartments) at warp speed so you had a high density of singles. The spots here include(d) Bond Lounge, Escobar, Pub Fiction, Rich's (been there before Midtown was cool), Reef, etc. Since then, there was a changing of the guard from Midtown to the now "it" Washington Avenue. Of some note, the new Uptown area has also progressed as a secondary destination with Belverde and The Tasting Room. Hopefully, for downtown and Midtown, given their strategic locations, they will never truly "die" but rather find a way to reinvent themselves. Throughout all of this were some places that have been around forever. "Institutions" include the Black Lab, Blanco's, Ginger Man, Gallant Knight, Kay's, Marfreless, Marquis, Numbers, Rich's, Roxy, Sam's Boat, and Volcano. Too bad Emo's/Some closed and was converted to residences - that's the way it goes... Of the eras above, I probably enjoyed the Greenbriar/Shepherd one the best followed by the early downtown scene. I liked these the most since they were the most walkable to go from one spot to the next and that made it really easy to go club/bar hopping! Last, not necessarily "nightlife" related, but House of Pies, Katz's, Mai's (she's rebuilding), Tan Tan, and others have been staples of late-night dining. Oh, yeah, and we can't forget La Strada for brunch!!

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/893564-who-remembers-these-places-evolution-houstons-4.html
"

 

[Enchubben 5509]

34 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Saw someone post this on City-Data (Below)

I loved the Live Bait/World Bait days...

Since then, there was a changing of the guard from Midtown to the now "it" Washington Avenue. Of some note, the new Uptown area has also progressed as a secondary destination with Belverde and The Tasting Room. Hopefully, for downtown and Midtown, given their strategic locations, they will never truly "die" but rather find a way to reinvent themselves. Throughout all of this were some places that have been around forever. "Institutions" include the Black Lab, Blanco's, Ginger Man, Gallant Knight, Kay's, Marfreless, Marquis, Numbers, Rich's, Roxy, Sam's Boat, and Volcano. Too bad Emo's/Some closed and was converted to residences - that's the way it goes... Of the eras above, I probably enjoyed the Greenbriar/Shepherd one the best followed by the early downtown scene. I liked these the most since they were the most walkable to go from one spot to the next and that made it really easy to go club/bar hopping! Last, not necessarily "nightlife" related, but House of Pies, Katz's, Mai's (she's rebuilding), Tan Tan, and others have been staples of late-night dining. Oh, yeah, and we can't forget La Strada for brunch!!

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/893564-who-remembers-these-places-evolution-houstons-4.html
"

 

In reality that Pub Fiction/Shot Bar/Wonder Bar group transitioned to Washington Blvd and Sawyer Park/Eight/Kung Fu/Tapps etc.  Some people started coming back to Midtown around the time Dogwood/Red Door opened up, but shortly thereafter that entire crowd has transitioned to the Heights. Places like McIntyre's, Drift Bar, Wicklow Heights, Cottonwood etc.  

Daydrinking seems to be much more popular than late night these days IMO.

[texasdago 7553]

9 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

Daydrinking seems to be much more popular than late night these days IMO.

Good point

[Mez2 4022]

i am a huge fan of day drinking, especially at those bars you just mentioned above - i remember the richmond stip (daiquiri factory, holla!) but those bars seems to be more about nightlife, at least every time I remember going out it would be in the evening, can't recall going there during the day to drink - we'd always pregame then go out - but my life has changed so my perception is likely distorted 

[billfromlaketravis 11367]

I was single/unmarried post college in Houston for about 5 minutes. I hate all of you. 

[Moby Ric 2058]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:27 PM, texasdago said:

Man, was just talking to my dad about this place.  

Next door was Shanghai Red's 

https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/pasadena-news/article/Ship-channel-restaurant-closes-menu-survives-2011708.php

CSB: When I was in 8th grade my dad was the President of this construction company that had a helicopter.  We took it all around Houston one Sunday and landed it in the parking lot at Shanghai Red's for a lunch break.  This whole crowd came around when we left to take off.  I was sitting into front seat with the pilot, with headphones on thinking I was such a baller.

[tbone_ 14032]

That’s pretty fucking baller IMO

[MAROON 445]

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by MAROON

[deadshank 24651]

5 hours ago, texasdago said:

Saw someone post this on City-Data (Below)

I loved the Live Bait/World Bait days...

"Here is my recollection of the "evolution" of the last twenty years or so in H-town from a dance club/bar point-of-view: In the early 90's, the 'Richmond Strip" was pretty popular when Sam's Boat, Yucatan Liquor Stand, and then City Streets were in their heyday. Bayou Mama's was also popular out by Gessner/Westheimer. Though not in the same area, places like Lizard Lounge, Power Tools, DV8, 6400, and D2R were crossing over from the 80's for the dance set. Around the mid 90's, with the opening of Cabo on Greenbriar, the nexus of Cabo/Live Bait/8.0 awakened the Greenbriar/Shepherd area as the "it" upscale spot. Other spots sprung up including The Ballroom (beautiful pool club), Q Cafe (the latin crowd lived here), and 2826 (which became Revere and then Peccavi). You also had the Mucky Duck and Mc Elroy's around the corner, and then Davenport and Guava Lamp opened up. These places appear to be the only survivors of this period. While not in that area, Crystal (at Hillcroft/59) made a name for itself during this time with disco and ethnic nights. For those interested in the checking out the shadows of yesterday in a different city, in Fort Worth, 8.0 still exists and Cabo spawned Cabo Grande. Both of these places are in the Sundance Square area. Also, the original 2826 (from Dallas) re-opens on and off again in Deep Ellum. Interestingly, I've been inside the place and it's modeled quite closely to the one in Houston (which is now sadly a car service shop). During this time the Richmond Strip remained quite active, and you had places like Blue Planet, Pete's Wild Life, and Tantra open. Also, random hot spots opened like Roxy and Sempers near Westheimer and Velvet Elvis on Richmond. This time period was especially cool for nightlife since the Houston Rockets won the finals in 1994-1995 and that made for some great times! In the late 90's, downtown got a jumpstart when Jones Bar, Solero (tapas bar), and Spy launched alongside the larger version of Cabo. And then you had Prague (later M Bar), Tonic, The Mercury Room, State Bar, and Dean's near Main/Prairie/Travis. A bunch of bigger "corporate" money places opened: Sambuca, the bar at the Hotel Icon, Flying Saucer, etc.. You also had a slew of places like Hyperia, Club 808, etc. that catered to the electronica club crowd. At the turn of the century, due mostly to street construction, downtown was effectively shut down. The landscaped shifted to Midtown. Midtown benefited from having been designated a TIRZ (basically, a tax shelter for redevelopment) and was sprouting residences (townhomes and apartments) at warp speed so you had a high density of singles. The spots here include(d) Bond Lounge, Escobar, Pub Fiction, Rich's (been there before Midtown was cool), Reef, etc. Since then, there was a changing of the guard from Midtown to the now "it" Washington Avenue. Of some note, the new Uptown area has also progressed as a secondary destination with Belverde and The Tasting Room. Hopefully, for downtown and Midtown, given their strategic locations, they will never truly "die" but rather find a way to reinvent themselves. Throughout all of this were some places that have been around forever. "Institutions" include the Black Lab, Blanco's, Ginger Man, Gallant Knight, Kay's, Marfreless, Marquis, Numbers, Rich's, Roxy, Sam's Boat, and Volcano. Too bad Emo's/Some closed and was converted to residences - that's the way it goes... Of the eras above, I probably enjoyed the Greenbriar/Shepherd one the best followed by the early downtown scene. I liked these the most since they were the most walkable to go from one spot to the next and that made it really easy to go club/bar hopping! Last, not necessarily "nightlife" related, but House of Pies, Katz's, Mai's (she's rebuilding), Tan Tan, and others have been staples of late-night dining. Oh, yeah, and we can't forget La Strada for brunch!!

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/893564-who-remembers-these-places-evolution-houstons-4.html
"

 

And as the years marched by unabated, one place for ugly drunks and uglier hook ups still stands tall..

[CrownKing 55]

1 hour ago, MAROON said:

 

 

Spent 2 news years eves there, 1985-6??  The dance floor would get muddy from the humidity and general dirt, the bathrooms were a adventure and the outside bar over the bayou had a smell.  Loved that place!

[Bender Bending Rodriguez 1672]

8 hours ago, texasdago said:

Saw someone post this on City-Data (Below)

I loved the Live Bait/World Bait days...

"Here is my recollection of the "evolution" of the last twenty years or so in H-town from a dance club/bar point-of-view: In the early 90's, the 'Richmond Strip" was pretty popular when Sam's Boat, Yucatan Liquor Stand, and then City Streets were in their heyday. Bayou Mama's was also popular out by Gessner/Westheimer. Though not in the same area, places like Lizard Lounge, Power Tools, DV8, 6400, and D2R were crossing over from the 80's for the dance set. Around the mid 90's, with the opening of Cabo on Greenbriar, the nexus of Cabo/Live Bait/8.0 awakened the Greenbriar/Shepherd area as the "it" upscale spot. Other spots sprung up including The Ballroom (beautiful pool club), Q Cafe (the latin crowd lived here), and 2826 (which became Revere and then Peccavi). You also had the Mucky Duck and Mc Elroy's around the corner, and then Davenport and Guava Lamp opened up. These places appear to be the only survivors of this period. While not in that area, Crystal (at Hillcroft/59) made a name for itself during this time with disco and ethnic nights. For those interested in the checking out the shadows of yesterday in a different city, in Fort Worth, 8.0 still exists and Cabo spawned Cabo Grande. Both of these places are in the Sundance Square area. Also, the original 2826 (from Dallas) re-opens on and off again in Deep Ellum. Interestingly, I've been inside the place and it's modeled quite closely to the one in Houston (which is now sadly a car service shop). During this time the Richmond Strip remained quite active, and you had places like Blue Planet, Pete's Wild Life, and Tantra open. Also, random hot spots opened like Roxy and Sempers near Westheimer and Velvet Elvis on Richmond. This time period was especially cool for nightlife since the Houston Rockets won the finals in 1994-1995 and that made for some great times! In the late 90's, downtown got a jumpstart when Jones Bar, Solero (tapas bar), and Spy launched alongside the larger version of Cabo. And then you had Prague (later M Bar), Tonic, The Mercury Room, State Bar, and Dean's near Main/Prairie/Travis. A bunch of bigger "corporate" money places opened: Sambuca, the bar at the Hotel Icon, Flying Saucer, etc.. You also had a slew of places like Hyperia, Club 808, etc. that catered to the electronica club crowd. At the turn of the century, due mostly to street construction, downtown was effectively shut down. The landscaped shifted to Midtown. Midtown benefited from having been designated a TIRZ (basically, a tax shelter for redevelopment) and was sprouting residences (townhomes and apartments) at warp speed so you had a high density of singles. The spots here include(d) Bond Lounge, Escobar, Pub Fiction, Rich's (been there before Midtown was cool), Reef, etc. Since then, there was a changing of the guard from Midtown to the now "it" Washington Avenue. Of some note, the new Uptown area has also progressed as a secondary destination with Belverde and The Tasting Room. Hopefully, for downtown and Midtown, given their strategic locations, they will never truly "die" but rather find a way to reinvent themselves. Throughout all of this were some places that have been around forever. "Institutions" include the Black Lab, Blanco's, Ginger Man, Gallant Knight, Kay's, Marfreless, Marquis, Numbers, Rich's, Roxy, Sam's Boat, and Volcano. Too bad Emo's/Some closed and was converted to residences - that's the way it goes... Of the eras above, I probably enjoyed the Greenbriar/Shepherd one the best followed by the early downtown scene. I liked these the most since they were the most walkable to go from one spot to the next and that made it really easy to go club/bar hopping! Last, not necessarily "nightlife" related, but House of Pies, Katz's, Mai's (she's rebuilding), Tan Tan, and others have been staples of late-night dining. Oh, yeah, and we can't forget La Strada for brunch!!

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/893564-who-remembers-these-places-evolution-houstons-4.html
"

 

Damn. That was a trip down memory lane. Thanks for posting. 

[mycox 582]

12 hours ago, texasdago said:

Throughout all of this were some places that have been around forever. "Institutions" include the Black Lab, Blanco's, Ginger Man, Gallant Knight, Kay's, Marfreless, Marquis, Numbers, Rich's, Roxy, Sam's Boat, and Volcano. 

You can cross the bold off the list.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

I miss black lab.  Terrible service.  But man I loved grabbing dinner and a pint on a cold day near the fireplace.  Would have dinner with Wife and kids w few times a year on those cold days.  

[billfromlaketravis 11367]

Did Owl Bar come back from the dead? Even if it's a zombie version of its former self, I'm still going. Fingers crossed they kept the $2 happy hour you call its. 

I like Sam's Boat, but they do the terribly unsanitary plastic bag full of ice inside your pitcher of beer thing. 

 

[Johnny Sack 8397]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Did Owl Bar come back from the dead? Even if it's a zombie version of its former self, I'm still going. Fingers crossed they kept the $2 happy hour you call its. 

I like Sam's Boat, but they do the terribly unsanitary plastic bag full of ice inside your pitcher of beer thing. 

 

No.  The Owl closed permanently.  I know the owner.  Kirby Ice House took its customer base.

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

11 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

No.  The Owl closed permanently.  I know the owner.  Kirby Ice House took its customer base.

Yup, they went from the place off Kirby to another one on W. Alabama between Kirby and Shepherd (maybe the old Mission Burrito). I was there on the last night. Went to the new place once, 1836, before I moved almost exactly one year ago and it just didn’t live up.

it was another good bar that died. I fear Kenneallys will be another one to go in the next 5-10 years.

[Ellellelle 308]

1976. Here's a recent article with a video of news coverage of the event when it happened. Pretty intense coverage, not really like you see today. Lulz at the doctor holding a pipe while being interviewed at the 8:06 mark.
https://abc13.com/ammonia-truck-disaster-houston/1332062/

God damn this is grim.

[mycox 582]

Owl Bar is returning to the Rice Village 2424 Dunstan

[billfromlaketravis 11367]

15 minutes ago, mycox said:

Owl Bar is returning to the Rice Village 2424 Dunstan

Yes. Oh yes. Third move though. Let's hope they stay put for a good long while. 

http://www.owlbarhouston.com/

Old Kelvin Arms location. I hate to lose a decent pub, but it's worth it to get Owl Bar back. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by billfromlaketravis

[Johnny Sack 8397]

28 minutes ago, mycox said:

Owl Bar is returning to the Rice Village 2424 Dunstan

Well hell, that is great news.  Same owners?  Have not talked to my buddy in awhile.

[texasdago 7553]

From what I've heard the new Marfreless is nothing like the old one.  Like the Black Swan.  Used to be a dive... now it's "fancy"

[Born to Run 6568]

That’s pretty fucking baller IMO

Yeah no shit. I thought I was pimping when my dad borrowed a client's limo and picked me up from school. That 12" TV screen was baller.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21784]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

From what I've heard the new Marfreless is nothing like the old one.  Like the Black Swan.  Used to be a dive... now it's "fancy"

Yes it's a lot nicer under the new ownership and the drinks are pretty expensive, but you can still have a good time upstairs

Edited September 8, 2021 by NeverMarryAStripper

[texasdago 7553]

15 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Yes it's a lot nicer under the new ownership and the drinks are pretty expensive, but you can still have a good time upstairs

Just feels wrong.  Like turning Dirty Martin's into an upscale steakhouse 

[Dennis Taylor 18725]

On 9/8/2021 at 8:02 AM, billfromlaketravis said:

 

I like Sam's Boat, but they do the terribly unsanitary plastic bag full of ice inside your pitcher of beer thing. 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11367]

1 minute ago, Dennis Taylor said:

Sam's waitresses don't look like the cleanest ladies. Just bring me the pitcher and hold the ice bag. 

[Dennis Taylor 18725]

8 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Sam's waitresses don't look like the cleanest ladies. Just bring me the pitcher and hold the ice bag. 

[WBT 20443]

I'm watching Ken Burns's Ali documentary.  I didn't realize he had lived in Houston so long and had 4 fights in the dome.  His refusal to be inducted into the army also happened in Houston.  

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

13 hours ago, WBT said:

I'm watching Ken Burns's Ali documentary.  I didn't realize he had lived in Houston so long and had 4 fights in the dome.  His refusal to be inducted into the army also happened in Houston.  

He and my dad both avoided Vietnam in the same building, where decades later my son took his oath of enlistment. 
 

long story about my dad. He didn’t refuse to go exactly but he got a 4F.