cheers! death is coming.

Cool new bar shakes up Lindale Park with cheeky cocktails and inspired eats

Death is coming. Eat trash. Be free.

No, that's not the message of some crackpot spreading doom on Substack. Rather, it's an utterly Instagrammable neon sign at Trash Panda Drinking Club, a new bar in Lindale Park that began its soft opening last week and will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, July 30.

Located in the former Edison & Patton space (4203 Edison St.), Trash Panda is the latest concept from Night Moves Hospitality, the minds behind this year's well-received Space Cowboy at the Heights House Hotel. Night Moves partner Greg Perez worked with local artists to transform the 3,000-square-foot space with black paint, velvet bar stools, and midcentury modern fixtures.

In addition to the neon, look for floral paintings on the ceiling and a large mural of "General Rigby," the bar's unofficial raccoon mascot.

“Edison [& Patton] was my first bar managing job and it’s in the neighborhood I grew up in, so it feels like coming home,” Perez said in a statement. “The staff and I built something special at the last bar we opened in the neighborhood a couple years ago, and we hope to bring that same feeling to Trash.”

Bar managers Mathew McEwan and Logan Pollak, both of whom worked with Perez at Monkey's Tail, have created a light-hearted cocktail menu of refreshing sips. The bright pink bubblegum martini is made with gin, hibiscus, lime, and Green Chartreuse, while the Purple Kush features two kinds of rum, ginger wort, and lime.

The cocktail menu also displays a cheeky sense of humor. Buy beer for the kitchen for $10, or enlist Pollak as your "wingman" for $200. The truly bold can allow the staff to choose their own tip.

Night Moves chef-partner Lyle Bento's menu channels some of the same inspirations he displayed at Southern Goods, his restaurant in The Heights that closed in 2017. For example, Trash Panda's pork cracklings utilize the same recipe as they did at Southern Goods, and the wedge salad comes topped with remoulade and crawfish. Bento has also incorporate some Mexican influences with dishes like a Milanese served with mole and corn tortillas, elotes, and chips and queso.

Trash Panda is open Wednesday-Monday from 4 pm-2 am (closed Tuesday). Reservations available via the Resy app.

Bar managers Logan Pollak and Matthew McEwan.

Trash Panda Drinking Club Logan Pollak Matthew McEwan

Photo by Dylan McEwan

Bar managers Logan Pollak and Matthew McEwan.

cocktails news-you-can-eat openings

With or Without Whiz

Houston burger mastermind fires up new pop-up devoted to Philly cheesesteaks

Photo by Michael Ma

Abbas Dhanani is serving up cheesesteaks at his new pop-up.

Abbas Dhanani is at it again. The food influencer-turned-restaurateur behind the CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning smash burger concept Burger Bodega is firing up a new pop-up concept devoted to another iconic sandwich.

Called Bas’s Cheesesteaks, the new concept will Dhanani’s take on the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with sliced ribeye and white cheese on a seeded hoagie roll — onions and a spicy sauce are optional. A second version swaps the white cheese for Cheez Whiz. Like Burger Bodega, Dhanani is using halal beef for his cheesesteaks.

Bas's Cheesesteaks cheesesteak sandwich The cheesesteak is served on a seeded hoagie roll.Photo by Michael Ma

“We have experimented with cheesesteaks as specials on the menu at Burger Bodega and received amazing feedback,” Dhanani said in a statement. “However, the cheesesteaks at Bas’s are the most refined versions we have done so far. I am excited to bring authentic Philly cheesesteaks to Houston as a new flavor experience while continuing to build on the energy and community we have created at Burger Bodega. This is a huge passion project for me, and I plan to take it step by step, just like Burger Bodega."

As Dhanani notes, he introduced Burger Bodega with a series of pop-ups throughout Houston. To answer the obvious question, of course a restaurant could be in the cards for Bas’s, too.

“I think thats the goal of any new pop-up concept,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “Like Burger Bodega, we want to take it one step at a time and see where it goes.”

Bas’s Cheesesteaks will have its first pop-up on Monday, June 30 at Burger Bodega’s location (4520 Washington Avenue). In addition to the two cheesesteaks, diners can get fries. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

As for Burger Bodega’s second location in Katy, Dhanani says it’s still working through securing the necessary permits to begin construction.

news-you-can-eat openings bas's cheesesteaks