Changing Houston

Washington Avenue changeover: A new casual bar regular takes over a shuttered restaurant spot

Little Woodrow's will be rocking the Washington Avenue scene next month as it takes over the former Block 7 building at 720 Shepherd.

"We're always looking to expand if the right location comes up," manager and partner Nick Menage tells CultureMap. "This space is a little larger than most of our other locations. Plus, it's got a parking lot, which really makes it a perfect fit."

"The kitchen's going to be a great novelty for us," Menage laughs.

The old Block 7 kitchen will start a new chapter for Little Woodrow's, which will launch a small food menu for the first time in company history.

"The kitchen's going to be a great novelty for us," Menage laughs, noting that the menu will be relatively simple with a mixture of classic bar food.

Similar to its newish outposts in the Heights and Eado, the Shepherd Woodrow's will continue to maintain upwards of 50 beer taps and an impressive array of televisions.

As for that Block 7 wine shop? In spite of CultureMap's recommendation to start a Hard Rock Cafe-style gift store, Menage says the retail space is likely to get a make-over as additional seating.

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wave goodbye

Innovative Houston Japanese restaurant closes after only two years

Photo by Kimberly Park

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One of Houston’s most innovative Japanese restaurants has closed its doors after only two years in business. Money Cat, a restaurant in Upper Kirby, has served its last meal, chef-owner Sherman Yeung tells CultureMap.

Yeung tells CultureMap that the restaurant was no longer financially stable and that he was "hemorrhaging money” trying to keep it afloat. Closing Money Cat allows Yeung to maintain operations at Tobiuo Sushi in Katy, which remains open.

Money Cat earned critical acclaim but never connected with diners, which Yeung attributes to some confusion in the market about the restaurant’s identity.

“[It was] my failure of not defining a clearer vision for Money Cat in the beginning,” Yeung writes in a text message. “I was struggling with avoiding calling it a sushi restaurant for the longest time because I didn’t want to overshadow our kitchen.”

Indeed, the hot dishes from the kitchen are what separated Money Cat from other Japanese restaurants. Partially inspired by his time staging at Michelin-starred restaurants, Money Cat served dishes such as chu toro toast (made with squid ink milk bread), maitake karaage, and honey vanilla milk buns with cultured butter and trout roe.

While Money Cat’s time has come to an end, Yeung thinks that at least some of its most popular dishes could live on. “I would like to start a much simpler concept focusing on the sando side,” he writes.

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