adieu revival market

Heights neighborhood favorite restaurant/market announces sudden shutter

Revival Market will close on Sunday.

Courtesy of Agricole Hospitality

A Heights staple restaurant and cafe will soon serve its final meals, but the space will be revived under new ownership. Revival Market will close this Sunday, July 31.

Revival owner Agricole Hospitality has elected not to renew its lease on the space at 550 Heights Blvd. Instead, Revival general manager Layne Cruz will leave the company to open a new restaurant in the space.

“Layne, who started with our company in 2014 as a server at Coltivare, grew into the role of Revival’s Assistant Manager before serving as General Manager for the last five years," Agricole owners Ryan Pera, Morgan Weber, and Vincent Huynh said in a statement. "Since then, she’s gone above and beyond for our guests and our team every single day, and there is nobody else we’d rather see lead the Revival space into its new chapter than Layne.”

Opened in 2011 by Weber and Pera, Revival Market operated as both a market for high-quality grocery items and a cafe that served breakfast and lunch with a full coffee program. Over time, the concept added beer and wine to its offerings.

"Our neighborhood has evolved immeasurably since our doors opened in March of 2011,” the trio added. “It has been amazing to live life with our guests over that time — celebrating with them, on occasion grieving with them, watching their toddlers grow into young adults. Running Revival has been one of the most impactful experiences of our lives, and it was truly what birthed what is now known as Agricole Hospitality.”

After some interior renovations, Cruz expects to open the new, still unnamed restaurant, in mid-August (UPDATE: The new restaurant will be called Lagniappe Kitchen & Bar.). All of Revival Market's current employees are being offered jobs at the new establishment, according to a release. Details on the cuisine and style of service have yet to be released, but Cruz will continue the coffee program and maintain aspects of the wine list.

"I am beyond grateful to the Agricole team for giving me a leg up in my dream of owning a restaurant, and especially in a spot that’s already familiar to me and has a wonderful variety of regular clientele,” Cruz said. “I'm excited to jazz up their daily stop, and to continue to build upon the amazing following that Agricole and I have nurtured together over the past 8 years."

As for Agricole, it will open EZ’s Liquor Lounge next to Coltivare later this summer. The casual bar will be led by veteran bartender Matt Tanner and feature vintage design elements.

the-heights news-you-can-eat closings

bonjour

Croissant-obsessed French cafe sets opening date in downtown Houston park

Photo by Mariela Callaway

Petite Lucie opens this Saturday, May 30.

Downtown Houston will soon welcome a new, all-day French cafe. Petite Lucie, a new restaurant from Love Croissants owner Culinary Matters, will begin its soft opening this Saturday, May 30.

Located in the former Niko Niko’s space at Market Square Park, Petite Lucie offers a covered, outdoor dining pavilion and an indoor-outdoor cocktail bar. Designed by the Houston office of the global architecture giant Gensler, the cafe also includes lighting, greenery, and other details to make it a comfortable place to dine throughout the day.

The restaurant is led by chefs Omar Pereney and Sahira Malherbe. Pereney’s history in Houston goes back more than 10 years, when the then-20-year-old served as executive chef at Peska, an ambitious (but short-lived) seafood restaurant in Uptown’s BLVD Place development. Since then, he’s worked as a consultant who contributed to a number of local restaurants as well as the owner of Love Croissants, which supplies oversized pastries to restaurants, coffee shops, and markets throughout Houston. In January, Pereney and Malherbe took over operations at Weights + Measures in Midtown.

“At its core, Petite Lucie is about creating moments of escape and discovery in the middle of the city,” Pereney said in a statement. “We wanted to build something romantic but approachable — a place where someone can stop in for a croissant and espresso in the morning, meet friends for cocktails in the afternoon or linger over a casual dinner under the stars at night.”

Of course, Petite Lucie’s menu starts with a selection of pastries from Love Croissants, including a butter croissant, almond-cardamom croissant, pain au chocolat, and a coffee bun. Other breakfast options include a breakfast sandwich served on a croissant, lemon blueberry French toast, and avocado toast with smoked salmon.

Lunch and dinner options include jambon croquettes, croque monsieur, chicken salad croissant sandwich, steak frites, and a bowl made with lentils, quinoa, vegetables, and onion jam that can be enhanced with salmon or grilled chicken. Desserts include chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and what’s described in press materials as a “life-changing” birthday cake.

Petite Lucie birthday cake Share a birthday cake at Petite LucieCourtesy of Petite Lucie

Jaime de Leon, an advanced sommelier and frequent Pereney collaborator, oversees a beverage program that includes spritzes, cocktails, and a French-oriented wine list that includes large format bottles of sparkling wine to power group celebrations. A custom St-Germain cart will serve draft cocktails at busy times and during events.

Located in the oldest part of Houston, Market Square Park is close to attractions such as the Theater District, Daikin Park, Post Houston, and more. In addition to Petite Lucie, the area will soon welcome a second location of modern general store Henderson & Kane in the former Treebards space. On Saturday, downtown will celebrate the opening of the nearby Main Street Promenade with a market, live entertainment, and more.

Petite Lucie is located at 301 Milam Street. It’s open daily from 7 am-9 pm.

Photo by Mariela Callaway

Petite Lucie opens this Saturday, May 30.

openings news-you-can-eat chefs parks downtown