Foodie News
Is Vivo Houston dead? "Rock star chef" Paul Petersen pulls out of Railyardcenter deal
The Houston version of Austin's popular Vivo Tex-Mex restaurant has been anticipated for months, but now it may not happen at all.
Vivo Houston was the joint project of Roger Diaz, the owner of Vivo in Austin, and a trio of investors led by Trey Melcher, whose mother owns the strip center on San Felipe where the restaurant was being built. Melcher is also a co-owner of the new Railyard bar on the corner.
The partnership between landlord and lessee was always unorthodox, but recently "all hell broke loose," an interested party told CultureMap. Diaz and big-name chef Paul Petersen are pulling out of the deal and looking for a new space and new investors. They say they are still committed to bringing Vivo to Houston.
Melcher says he and his partners are still planning an "upscale, classy Tex-Mex restaurant" in the all-but-completed space, though they have to work out the details.
Were you looking forward to Vivo? Where would you like to see it around town, and what do you want to see installed next to Railyard?