New Harp Owner Speaks

New owner promises only good changes for Montrose Irish pub

The Harp will soon have a new deck.

Courtesy photo

When it comes to his plans for The Harp, Ted Baker has literally read the writing on the wall. Baker, the owner of sports bar Revelry on Richmond and Bobcat Teddy’s in The Heights, recently leased the Montrose pub from local developer Braun Enterprises and purchased the rights to The Harp name from former owner Declan Plunkett.

“I read the bathroom graffiti. It said ‘Revelry, don’t F this up,’” Baker tells CultureMap. “People think you’re going to destroy the character. I don’t think I’m living on anyone’s coattails, but I don’t want to ruin what he accomplished for 20 years.”

Rather than an entirely new concept — Baker says he was competing for the space with some unnamed but high-profile operators — his plans for The Harp closely mirror the transformation of Jimmy’s Ice House into Bobcat Teddy’s: clean it up, brighten it up, and make some structural improvements to the patio. Baker and his team will spend the next couple of weeks giving The Harp a new coat of paint, cleaning it inside and out, and working with bartender Alli Genoway on a new cocktail menu. In addition, he’ll add Bobcat Teddy’s extensive selection of Irish whiskeys to The Harp’s inventory.

If all goes according to plan, The Harp will have its grand reopening on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17). Because Baker already had an all-day affair planned for Bobcat Teddy’s, the party at The Harp won’t be quite as large as the parking lot bashes of previous years, but it will give regulars the opportunity to revisit their favorite watering hole.

After approximately four months, Baker says he plans to rebuild the bar’s sagging deck, replace the front door with a roll-up garage door, and install an awning on the Richmond side that will make the one that runs along the seating adjacent to the parking lot. All in, the changes are designed to preserve the bar’s character while making it more comfortable for regulars and more welcoming for newcomers.

Most of the staff had already found new jobs — as had steak night purveyor Meat Mojo — but a couple will return. Chapman Smoked Meats will begin serving barbecue on Saturday nights, and steak nights will return with the same cooks that work at Bobcat Teddy’s. Baker says he’s hoping to find more food pop-ups to feed patrons on other nights, too.

Everything should be fine. Ted Baker is excited about the opportunity to own a beloved Montrose watering hole. He isn’t going to F it up.

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Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

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