In just under three months, Long Weekend — the new family-friendly, breakfast-to-dinner hotspot — has settled in to its home in Lazybrook/Timbergrove, just a smidge west of the Heights. The 20,000-square-foot property manages to house a quaint cafe, full-scale restaurant and bar, private dining space, and a menagerie of outdoor spaces for cocktails, dining, lounging, concerts, plus dedicated kid’s zones like the arts-and-crafts-focused “Creative Canyon,” offering a calm, creative retreat for younger guests, and the “Rowdy Roundabout,” which provides an outdoor adventure playground through the trees that encourages exploration and imagination.
The concept and design for Long Weekend was born when Houston couple Paige and Andrew Alvis longed for a space for growing families like theirs to kick back and relax, the way they do at their family ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. “People are desperate for a nice place to go with their kids,” Paige tells CultureMap. “You hardly see a child on a screen here.”
The Alvises enlisted global architecture, design, and brand strategy firm Harrison to carry their vision through to the finish line. The result is an elegantly-executed space that combines high-end finishes with a uniquely-casual ethos for the neighborhood.
“The concept altogether was about cowboy ranch life, just life on the ranch. A lot of times that’s centered around family, and we didn’t want it to be too upscale,” Paige explains. “We still wanted a neighborhood-casual place where kids could be entertained. Part of that is also going to be different families later in life. People who come in and want to have a nice meal can sit inside and kids aren’t in their way — it’s just part of being a neighborhood restaurant and knowing what our clientele was going to be. We really spent the money to make the decor items nice and good quality because we wanted it to last and we wanted it to feel upscale, but still casual. It’s a casual vibe, while being nice.”
The color story, materials, and finishes were designed by Harrison, with approval from the Alvises, who focused their attention on the art and decor. Antler-adorned lighting fixtures and tapestries were sourced in Round Top, a large elk mount and chopped piñon wood from the family ranch, and a smorgasbord of decorative items from Twisted Arrow Goods in Oak Forest all play harmoniously against more functional pieces, like the custom wood and leather booths by Eagle Chair.
Everything about Long Weekend is authentic to the ranch aesthetic — polypropylene “leathers” be gone. From the first design brief, Harrison’s Keith Anderson understood the assignment.
“It was really important to Paige and Andrew that we keep the finishes as real and authentic as possible,” he explains. “So, we spec'ed real leather from Carroll Leather, Garrett Leather, and Barbarossa Leather and sourced the solid wood tabletops from Old Dominion. It was critical to ensure the true guest touchpoints, as in items the guests would be physically touching the most, upheld the brand values of quality and authenticity.”
These warm leathers and hides join additional textural delights, such as aged corten steel, raw oak, and natural limestone. While appealing to the sensibilities of elevated design, the modernist, double-sided fireplace — central to the interior dining room — is an aqua fire made from water vapor and is completely safe for wandering little hands.
In the foyer, two fully-dressed saddles sit atop swiveling posts, accessible to smaller guests via step stools. The oversized lanterns are vintage Ralph Lauren. Keep a keen eye out for the custom Long Weekend logo branded into the hide backdrop, all custom made for the perfect family photo opportunity. Only three feet away, Austin-based artist Kyle Bunting has created a nearly wall-sized custom art piece inspired by a photo of Indian Head Mountain, taken from the family ranch. Bunting cut and dyed each piece of hide to his exact specifications, the outcome being a stunning collage capturing the expansive vistas in “The Land of Enchantment.”
Beyond the foyer, guests are met by a giant Forno Classico pizza oven to the right, and the kitchen and bar to the left. Aside from a pass through, the kitchen — which cooks menu items over open live oak, hickory, and cherrywood — is hidden behind the large interior bar. The highlight of the bar area is the custom canopy. It draws guests into what becomes a more intimate experience than the main dining room.
“When we first started the project, Andrew shared an album from the annual Indian Head trail ride he and his father have with friends and colleagues,” explains Anderson. “This photography was huge in helping our team tap into the story we wanted to tell. One of the images was taken from the inside of the horse barn. The old, weathered wall planks allowed sunlight to leak in, and there were these slivers of dappled light all around. We wanted the bar canopy to emulate this effect, and it serves as a great example of how brand storytelling doesn't always shout. Much like a written story, it's oftentimes in the smaller details, the pieces that the guest has to interpret and put together themselves, that bring it all together into a rich, layered tale.”
Layered lighting fixtures populate the overhead zones throughout the restaurant. Textured metal pendants accentuated by flattering amber glass sconces at the booth level all either reflect off of high gloss fired tiles or absorb into porous breeze block. Desert Steel is responsible for the cactus sculptures that line the back wall, looking out over the dining room. A side patio runs down one side, complete with tent canvas awnings for shade and climbing five-star jasmine and olive trees that are sure to fill the air with their intoxicating fragrances when matured.
Once outside, a large covered porch extends the width of the restaurant and substantial outdoor bar, bookended by a limestone fireplace, complete with a mount from Green Pastures, and the live music stage that showcases Texas country acts on Friday and Saturday nights.
The remaining outdoor spaces begin with outdoor dining areas shaded by mature trees by day and illuminated by string lighting by night. For all intents and purposes, the line of demarcation for the more fast-and-loose kid’s zones is a limestone-bordered stream that cuts across the property. The bubbling stream and its inhabitants — turtles and small fish — keep little ones who are perhaps too young for the “Rowdy Roundabout” entertained while their families enjoy their meals.
A wooden bridge crosses the stream, allowing guests to access the more casual, umbrella-topped picnic tables and fire pit area before the space concludes into the objectively-impressive “Rowdy Roundabout.”
The towering play structure includes ladders, steps, slides, and agility-course-worthy sky tunnels, all atop a very plush and forgiving turf foundation for those kiddos who may fall victim to the lessons of gravitational pull.
All in all, Long Weekend delivers the goods — there is truly something for everyone. The restaurant is becoming increasingly well known for its family-friendly lineup of seasonal activities and activations. Keep an eye on its events calendar as plans include a s’mores night, a kickoff to summer party, and so much more.
