Houston is not a city short on steakhouses. From old guard icons to sparkling new concepts, there has always been something for nearly every vibe. The addition of restaurateur Ford Fry’s new Heights steakhouse Star Rover to the Houston food scene fills a gap few Houstonians were aware was missing — good ol’ fashioned nostalgia.
Inspired by classic 1970s steak joints, Star Rover is reminiscent of the era along with the kitschy interior quirks that come along with them. Red and white checkered tablecloths, spindleback tavern chairs, animal mounts, and even a steak-eating challenge not unlike the one John Candy’s “Chet Riply” takes on in The Great Outdoors converge under dimly-lit milk glass chandeliers and mysterious vintage portraits.
As gaggles of Houstonians have flocked to Star Rover since its opening in February, the question that pops up time and again seems to be: where did they find all this stuff? From the resplendent Marfa-inspired patio to the delightfully-campy interior spaces, Rocket Farm Restaurants’ design director Rose Hanson and assistant design director Erika Askey shared the backstory on Star Rover’s most-photographed vignettes, their inspiration, and where to shop the look.
“A lot of Ford’s inspiration that he shares with us comes from Marfa, TX, and we really tried to conjure up some of that ‘Marfa,’ but a little more whimsical and not so serious for the exterior,” explains Hanson. “We sourced a lot of that in Round Top, which is a lot of fun.”
Indeed, their haul of vintage iron patio sets, funky lounge chairs, patinated tables, and umbrellas decked out in pink and white stripes, playful florals, and bullion fringe could have been plucked straight out of Marfa’s El Cosmico. Quite a feat, as Hanson and Askey were tasked with sourcing the exterior furniture with little more than 24 hours and a box truck. The rest, along with some interior items, came from their favorite — and the oldest — Houston antiques store August Antiques on Heights Boulevard.
“These are things that feel very different or out of place in the landscape, but it all connects to one another and perfectly fits there,” says Askey. “When we were thinking through this Marfa feel, it was really ‘what would a Marfa person do?’ Which is a little gathered and mismatched, but quirky and still Texas.”
From the patio, it may take a moment for eyes to adjust to the moody lighting glowing inside. Diners are greeted by a hefty hostess stand repurposed from an authentic saloon bar, found in an Atlanta Facebook marketplace listing of all places. “We ‘follow the stuff,’ and what we see,” says Hanson. “And that becomes our inspiration most of the time.”
The bar, located to the right of the entry, is a menagerie of vintage bar memorabilia. Retired brand mascots populate the shelf spaces between liquor bottles, and a floor-to-ceiling collection of rare beer mirrors fits together like puzzle pieces. It took the design duo six months and seven states to source them all. In the end, they only had a surplus of two. Surprisingly, the “mural” behind the bar is actually a landscape painting sourced during the trip to Round Top which perfectly aligned with the buildout.
“Once the project gets some momentum and we’re feeling the vibe, then we’ve really got a clear direction and we know it when we see it,” explains Hanson. “We get really excited about cowboy hats and those types of things — it’s hard to stop buying them now.”
On the subject of cowboy hats, the vaulted ceiling in the bar is nearly covered in them. The approximately 160 hats were sourced everywhere from vintage stores to eBay over the span of four months. While the goal was for the collection to look “intentionally unintentional,” assembling the carefully-curated installation took an entire day.
The main dining rooms are where things get really interesting. Lowered ceilings and warm lighting set an intimate scene, while the addition of heavy velvet draperies in deep burgundy serve to separate seating areas, dampen noise, and bring some mystique to the otherwise-casual atmosphere. Pushing the limit on what one may consider an inspired interior and what is merely cheesy theater, Star Rover lands perfectly within the realm of “camp.” It’s thoughtful, it’s quirky, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
“We definitely had the challenge of trying to create some of that nostalgia and authenticity without it being too conjured up or curated to make it feel staged,” says Hanson. “We tried to get it to the point where we brought in a lot of drama. Our restaurants integrate with other people’s lives and become a good memory for them. More than anything, we want to leave people with a warm feeling and a warm belly.”
The main dining area is mostly table seating, plus a hardwood-canopied bank of three booths. The antique milk glass chandeliers that hang within were sourced — for just $150 a pop — from local salvage shop Saltaire Architectural Antiques just outside of Lazybrook, as were the metal lampposts that serve as decorative columns throughout the space.
“You can’t create age on something,” says Askey of incorporating architectural salvage. “The charm of a space that’s been there forever is knowing it has been there forever. We wanted it to be like a living, breathing design that didn’t feel too perfect and allowed the age itself to happen and take over the space over time on its own. So it has a sense of nostalgia, but has so much room to grow into a place that’s been around forever.”
The pink-and-red-striped wallpaper is quickly becoming a guest favorite for Instagram posts. The pattern, with rows of whimsically-drawn turnips sprouting bouquets of flowers, also serves as a backdrop to one of the many vignettes of vintage collections. Taxidermy populates Star Rover as a whole, but guests find one grouping of particular interest, as the unfortunate former animals have taken on personalities of their own.
Names like Phil the pheasant, Douglas the deer, two ducks — aptly named Donald and Donna — and a gold-chain-wearing DJ Squirrel have garnered the unlikely squad a fandom all their own. Not to mention Buffalo Bill, the water buffalo that has taken up residence amongst the many mounts on the far back wall. One deer hoof holding out a fan of playing cards continuously receives a chuckle.
“We find ourselves having to create a lot of collections. Like the beer mirrors, the hats, the taxidermy, and some of the portraits,” explains Askey. “We strategically placed pieces of art and little cheeky items around so that every time a guest comes back in, they can kind of discover something new that maybe they didn’t notice before. Every time a guest comes back they feel a little rewarded by the design because they get to see a pop of something different.”
The antique portrait gallery and additional portraits placed throughout the spaces are of particular interest to new customers. The little blonde boy was the first in what would become a string of portrait purchases. With absolutely zero provenance to speak of, the designers chose to name the portrait “Baby Ford,” after proprietor Ford Fry, and go from there. Each new acquisition became a long lost family member with expressions and personalities to match, and with a growing fondness for them from the team.
“That little cheekiness and kind of laughing about this portrait of someone we didn’t know, and turning it into someone we do know kind of led to the rest of the findings,” explains Askey. “These were ideas we had, but that one piece opened the path for us for when we would find the other pieces. We found him and then we followed the next trail to a fun portrait, and then it became this portrait wall with a life of its own. What would it feel like to look at them when you’re in there? Even though we didn’t know who they are, we still knew them.”
Even the restrooms at Star Rover are a vintage design experience. More portraits and framed needlepoint works decorate the walls, while a graphic geometric wallpaper pattern is repeated on the fabric vanity aprons. The vanities themselves are — believe it or not — vintage replicas. The wide-bodied lime green sinks that perfectly imitate Bakelite, as well as the European-style brass vanity stands are none other than…Home Depot?
“We aren’t above or below going to Home Depot or to the fanciest store in town — if it’s the right thing, it’s the right thing,” says Askey. “Again, it was that feeling we got that we couldn’t deny and we knew that feeling would pass along to the guests when they enter the space.”
Clearly an important lesson in “high-low” design, Star Rover has something for everyone. From the nostalgic food and cocktail menus, to the comfy aesthetics of the 70s, and even the two vintage Skee-Ball machines tucked away near the patio, no detail has been overlooked.
“It’s an experience that each person gets to have individually when they walk in. It’s definitely going to take you back, not in an overdramatized way, but it will invoke the feeling of the places you’d go to with your parents as a kid, and now you’re bringing your kids,” shares Askey. “The nostalgia is there that makes people feel comforted; you don’t feel like you have to try hard. It’s always going to have a comfortable feel at whatever level you enjoy it at: drinks on the patio, snacks at the bar, dinner in the restaurant. It’s perfectly welcoming no matter what.”
As for their fellow vintage fans, Hanson weighs in on the question that’s usually on every thrifter’s mind during a hunt: “Is this cool, or is this garbage? Sometimes that line is a little blurry, and we aren’t afraid to ride that a bit.”
