preserving Conservatory

2 Houston nightlife veterans step in to open planned Galleria food hall

The team behind Conservatory Galleria is ready to get the project moving.

Courtesy of Conservatory Galleria

The plan to open a new food hall near the Galleria is back thanks to a new ownership group that’s determined to bring the project to fruition. Roveen Abante and Chase LoVullo have partnered to become the franchisees and operators of the Conservatory food hall that will open in the former Roxy nightclub space.

Both Abante and LoVullo are Houston nightlife veterans who have been involved in a number of successful concepts. Previously, they both contributed to the opening of Pour Behavior, the popular bar and restaurant in Midtown.

First announced in late 2019, Conservatory Galleria builds on the legacy of first Conservatory that opened downtown in 2016 and is currently operated as Underground Food Hall by different ownership. After being delayed the pandemic, the project is now scheduled to open in the spring. Plans call for 11 food vendors and three bars, including a mezzanine-level wine bar and a new rooftop patio that will connect to the building’s parking deck.

After speaking to Conservatory co-owner Anh Mai about investing in the project, Abante and LoVullo tell CultureMap they saw an opportunity to become franchisees who could bring the concept to fruition more quickly than Mai and his partners could on their own. Given the number of offices, apartments, and hotels nearby — all with people who might appreciate a food hall’s casual atmosphere and diverse roster of vendors — they see the potential to be busy.

“He has a bunch of concepts going on. We literally said, why don’t we become your first franchise model,” Abante says. “We’ll be your guinea pig . . . We’ll be the first franchise model for Conservatory.”

“Chase and Ro were highly recommended by people we know,” Mai adds. “I’ve known of them for awhile .They've done well in other places.”

Towards that end, they’ll learn the procedures Mai and his partners have used to evaluate vendors for their other projects that include the original Conservatory, downtown’s Bravery Chef Hall, and the recently opened Railway Heights Market. Abante adds that Mai has already provided almost 50 potential candidates for Conservatory Galleria’s 11 spots. They’re beginning to schedule tastings to evaluate which businesses will be included in the opening roster, but having a diverse mix is important.

“It’s a very international crowd down here,” LoVullo says. “Our food will be Latin to Persian to Asian [and more], a little bit of everything.”

In addition, the operators plan to provide customers with a way to order delivery from multiple vendors via third party apps. A dedicated pickup area will expedite the process and help ensure orders arrive quickly.

In terms of design, they’re working with architect John Tsai of JT ARC Studio. Plans call for plenty of greenery along with outdoor seating on both the first floor and the roof.

“Roveen and Chase are very well respected and great operators, and we at Braun are very excited to have them take over and get open,” Simon Ha, director of leasing and brokerage for property owner Braun Enterprises writes in an email.

If the plan proves to be successful, it could pave the way for other Conservatory franchises in different parts of Houston and or even other cities.

"If a developer wants to inquire about an opportunity with Conservatory, we’ll give them the information about the onboarding process, training, giving them the playbook of what vendors to pick," Abante says. "If other companies want to do it in Austin or Dallas, we’ll work with them."

news-you-can-eat openings

in like the rose

Elevated Mexican American cocktail bar blooms in historic downtown space

Courtesy of Concrete Rose

Concrete Rose is now open in downtown Houston.

The creative mind behind Monkey’s Tail and Trash Panda Drinking Club is stepping things up for his new project. Concrete Rose, the new bar from Greg Perez, is now open in downtown Houston.

Located on the ground floor of the historic Purse building (1701 Commerce), Concrete Rose is an elevated cocktail bar that’s inspired by Perez’s heritage as a Chicano and first generation Mexican American. It’s a big change for the bar owner, who’s best known as one of the founders of Mexican American sports bar Monkey’s Tail and the proprietor of Trash Panda Drinking Club, the Lindale Park bar known for its quirky sense of humor and creative pop-ups.

Perez tells CultureMap that’s Trash Panda’s success paved the way for Concrete Rose. With the bar running smoothly, he was able to travel for the first time in five years. When the property’s owners presented him with the ability to open a new concept, the inspiration from those travels helped fuel the design, menu, and overall direction of Concrete Rose.

“After my London trip, I started to feel comfortable with executing an ambitious project. I decided to go back to what I know best, which is myself,” Perez says. “When you walk in, you’ll see a lot of callbacks to me and Trash in a very elegant way.”

Rather than a conventional bar, Concrete Rose takes much of its design inspiration from streetwear boutiques. Framed photographs honor different aspects of Chicano culture, such as low riders and religious imagery.

“We have a really dope picture of an altar. It’s a little bit of a show stopper,” Perez says.

That streetwear theme continues with Concrete Rose’s cocktail menu. Styled after a lookbook, it uses lifestyle photography that shows the drinks but doesn’t make them the image’s sole focus. One section consists of eight, “boundary pushing” cocktails that are inspired by The Rose That Grew from Concrete, a posthumous collection of poems written by Tupac Shakur. For example, the “No One Else Cared” puts a spin on guacamole by using avocado ice cream, fried avocado skins, and tomato.

Another section, dubbed “Kickbacks,” features more familiar flavors, including one drink inspired by the guava danish at Perez’s favorite bakery in Mexico City. Classics are just that,r efined versions of staples like the margarita and ranch water.

Soon, the bar will roll out a food menu of dishes that blend various global culinary traditions with Mexican flavors and techniques. It’s created by chef Fernanda Alamilla, who worked for Perez as sous chef at the short-lived, critically-acclaimed Mexican American restaurant Chivos. Dishes include beet tacos, fish crudo, and the “BJ Sandwich.”

“The execution is there. And the creativity is there. You won’t see us trying to catch a trend. We put a lot of attention into the details. There’s a lot of Easter Eggs,” Perez says.

Concrete Rose won’t be Perez’s only new concept at the Purse building. In the coming weeks, he’ll introduce Uncle Charlie’s Athletic Club, a Mexican American sports bar that applies the lessons he learned from Monkey’s Tail in a new format.

Courtesy of Concrete Rose

Concrete Rose is now open in downtown Houston.

“I wanted the feeling to be your cool uncle’s bar,” Perez says.

For now, bar goers can head downtown to meet Concrete Rose, which is open daily from 4 pm-1 am.

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