Openings & Closings

Photo by ilovebutter

Coming soon to Shepherd: another Lupe Tortilla sandbox for your screaming children to pee in while you drink six margaritas and try to forget they exist.

Ever since Shuck Daddy's closed down last month in what's quickly become known as the cursed address at 1511 Shepherd, people have pondered what restaurant could possibly take over the location. Ponder no longer: Swamplot has word that Lupe Tortilla will be moving in. Great.

And right across the street, Swamplot also has it straight from the horse's mouth that Houston's 12th Bullrito's -- the burrito chain that has a leg up on Freebird's and Chipotle by offering margaritas -- will be opening its doors early next year. The site even has a picture of the brand-new build-out.

Heading south from Dallas is one of Stephan Pyles's accolytes, Tommy Birdwell, who'll be helming the kitchen at TQLA when it opens along -- where else -- Washington Avenue in less than a month. The well-meaning press release tries to tell us that Houston is shockingly missing a certain cuisine and that TQLA is going to plug that hole with 167 different tequilas and a bunch of green chiles. Can you guess what that cuisine is? Southwestern.

I would argue that Houston isn't missing Southwestern food; Houston is missing a desire to eat Southwestern food. The few people in town that want to eat Southwestern food can go to Canyon Cafe or Rio Ranch. Otherwise, savvy restaurateurs in town are pretty good at offering what the masses want, and that's generally not Southwestern food. I have a theory that a predominance of Southwestern restaurants and a predominance of Tex-Mex restaurants are somewhat mutually exclusive. We known which camp Houston falls into. Your thoughts?

In closings, I was sad to hear that the Koffee and Stuf'd Biscuit Co. (6400 Highway 6 North) closed back in August. It was a place I'd heard terrific things about and always meant to eat at, but never found myself in that part of town. Folks, if you have any memories of Koffee and/or the Stuf'd Biscuits, leave them in the comments section below. I want to know what I missed.