Take some risks

First look video: Monica Pope dishes on Sparrow & her back-to-basics movement

Sparrow Bar + Cookshop has been open for a week but it was still in a state of flux when CultureMap sat down with chef/owner Monica Pope to talk about the restaurant's new name and direction.

Designer Jur van der Oord of installationsantiques was in to discuss some still-arriving details and fixtures as well as to saw down the massive L-shaped wooden community table, which was a bit too massive to allow room for both guests and passage.

The t'afia favorites are still there — Pope says her loyal customers would never let her get rid of them. But there are also some new directions, like a burrata with heirloom tomatoes, steamed mussels and tacos with beef tongue.

New light fixtures made of fused pizza screens crowded tabletops, waiting to be hung over tubular light bulbs, along with other curiosities like test tubes full of salt and pepper and the occasional antique book that lined shelves.

Pope attributes much of the new design to wanting to go back to basics, removing all the extras that get in the way and allowing guests to simply relax and focus on the food. The new tables, metal manipulated by van der Oord into a rough but fluid dark surface that Pope compares to leather, are designed to be solid and unique as well as to let the white dishes really pop in contrast.

That doesn't mean there aren't some personal — dare I say twee? — touches. Little hints of sparrows abound in text on tiny magnets attached to the central staircase, as well as in neon outside the restaurant's central window. The restrooms are also labeled with "Tod" and "Liv," the names of Pope's cats.

As for the menu, Pope insists its not about starting over as much as reframing the things that she and her kitchen do so well as well as playing with new flavors. An abbreviated menu consists simply of apps (Pope declines to call them small plates, preferring to label them as "shareable"), center-of-plate dishes and a selection of sides that can be ordered individually or in a trio.

The t'afia favorites are still there — Pope says her loyal customers would never let her get rid of them. But next to the tried-and-true shiitake mushroom dumplings, crisp chicken, milled potatoes and her famous mac' and cheese carbonara, there are also some new directions, like a burrata with heirloom tomatoes, steamed mussels and tacos with beef tongue.

Pope hopes the reasonable portions and prices (nothing on the menu is over $20) inspire guests to take some risks, trying veal sweetbreads and beef cheeks and crispy Brussels sprouts marinated in a caramel miso glaze.

It's the same elevated American food that Pope is known for, but modernized to reflect the more casual, flexible way people want to eat today.

With or Without Whiz

Houston burger mastermind fires up new pop-up devoted to Philly cheesesteaks

Bas's Cheesesteaks Abbas Dhanani

Photo by Michael Ma

Abbas Dhanani is serving up cheesesteaks at his new pop-up.

Abbas Dhanani is at it again. The food influencer-turned-restaurateur behind the CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning smash burger concept Burger Bodega is firing up a new pop-up concept devoted to another iconic sandwich.

Called Bas’s Cheesesteaks, the new concept will Dhanani’s take on the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with sliced ribeye and white cheese on a seeded hoagie roll — onions and a spicy sauce are optional. A second version swaps the white cheese for Cheez Whiz. Like Burger Bodega, Dhanani is using halal beef for his cheesesteaks.

Bas's Cheesesteaks cheesesteak sandwich The cheesesteak is served on a seeded hoagie roll.Photo by Michael Ma

“We have experimented with cheesesteaks as specials on the menu at Burger Bodega and received amazing feedback,” Dhanani said in a statement. “However, the cheesesteaks at Bas’s are the most refined versions we have done so far. I am excited to bring authentic Philly cheesesteaks to Houston as a new flavor experience while continuing to build on the energy and community we have created at Burger Bodega. This is a huge passion project for me, and I plan to take it step by step, just like Burger Bodega."

As Dhanani notes, he introduced Burger Bodega with a series of pop-ups throughout Houston. To answer the obvious question, of course a restaurant could be in the cards for Bas’s, too.

“I think thats the goal of any new pop-up concept,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “Like Burger Bodega, we want to take it one step at a time and see where it goes.”

Bas’s Cheesesteaks will have its first pop-up on Monday, June 30 at Burger Bodega’s location (4520 Washington Avenue). In addition to the two cheesesteaks, diners can get fries. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

As for Burger Bodega’s second location in Katy, Dhanani says it’s still working through securing the necessary permits to begin construction.

news-you-can-eat openings bas's cheesesteaks

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