Sparrow Shuttered?

Has this high-profile Houston restaurant closed? Signs point to yes.

Sparrow might be closed for good.

Photo by © Debora Smail/Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau

A well-established restaurant from one of Houston's highest profile chefs may be gone for good. On April 29, Midtown restaurant Sparrow Bar + Cookshop posted to both Twitter and Facebook that it "is currently closed" without providing any explanation for why or how long it will remain.

When contacted for more information, chef-owner Monica Pope offered only a cryptic text that read, "That's funny ... I was just going to respond to you ... Go ahead and spin your story. I'll spin mine."

Some indications exist that "currently closed" may mean the restaurant has permanently shuttered. First, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission lists Sparrow on its "delinquent list," which means it has not been paying its liquor wholesalers and has not been allowed to receive any deliveries of alcohol since April 18.

In addition, a tweet from Brandon Dempsey on April 22 shows this sign in Sparrow's window:

@SparrowHouston WTF! We paid for reservations tonight- how terrible! 17 people show up for dinner & place is closed pic.twitter.com/x06CTztODo

— Brandon Dempsey (@BrandonDempsey) April 22, 2016

The sign had been removed as of this morning, but it still suggests that things are amiss — a sentiment reinforced by Sparrow's website being offline. Pope's personal domain remains active.

If Sparrow is done as a restaurant, it brings to a conclusion a business that Pope has operated since 2002, when she launched t'afia. Pope earned a James Beard Award Best Chef Southwest finalist nomination for her use of local produce at t'afia, and she remains a champion of local farms. Her recent Edible Houston Local Hero Best Chef award is proof that she retains credibility within the community of people who are committed to utilizing local produce.

After 10 years, Pope converted t'afia to Sparrow. At the time, she described it as a way to evolve t'afia's focus on local ingredients with a more bar-forward approach. Although the restaurant retains a certain following, it also found itself mired in controversy when the Houston Food Bank revealed last year that it had not honored its Houston Restaurant Weeks pledge from 2013. Pope never provided an explanation for why she didn't follow through on her donation.

Perhaps the most significant sign of Sparrow's fall from grace is that Friday's announcement generated no reaction on social media: no comments on Facebook, no tweets bemoaning its departure. It appears to be a sad end for a once great restaurant, but perhaps Pope has more reinvention in mind.

chefs closings

bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, including Fat Cat Creamery, Tex-Mex restaurant La Mex, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, casual sushi restaurant Himari, Little Sister Cake Shop, and High Five Mini Bar. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

news-you-can-eat openings stomping grounds barnaby's cafe