Montrose could be a quite different neighborhood today without the investment of Steve Zimmerman 40 years ago and the creation of neighborhood grande dame La Colombe d'Or.

Now a second generation of Zimmermans are getting in the Montrose action. Dan and Mark Zimmerman are opening Zimm's Little Deck around the corner from La Colombe d'Or and mother Becky's Zimm's Martini and Wine Bar at 601 Richmond Avenue, just west of the 527 Spur.

Zimm's Little Deck, scheduled to open in August, is a casual mix of Cajun and French influences, marketing itself as a fancy icehouse and seafood bar.

“For our first venture, Mark and I wanted to create something with a somewhat timeless quality that would be appropriate to the neighborhood," Dan Zimmerman says. "We hope Zimm’s Little Deck will be equally appealing and welcoming to friends and students cycling by in shorts and lawyers and doctors in suits on their drives home from downtown and the Medical Center.”

The kitchen will be helmed by Tesar's vet Jeramie Robison and offer up crab claws, frutti di mare, crawfish remoulade, several iterations of oysters and sandwiches — both basic po' boys and "rich boys" with Carolina pulled pork, duck confit and petite lafitte.

The tongue-in-chic attitude continues with the bar menu, with plenty of craft beers in cans — yay for Oskar Blues Brewery! — and a wine list split between "cheap," "decent" and "good."

Aesthetically, look for something between French and French Quarter, with antique brick, gold-stained walls in the galley interior, and a large patio with an outdoor fireplace and Houston's first court for pétanque — the French version of bocce.

“My brother and I grew up playing pétanque with our family while visiting France, and it’s also a favorite pastime in New Orleans," Mark Zimmerman says. "We always wanted to introduce it to our friends back home in Texas, and we’re thrilled to be able to do so with Little Deck.”