Melrose place

Clarkwood owner dishes on opening Houston's buzzy new cocktail lounge

Montrose’s next destination-worthy cocktail bar and lounge is already drawing crowds. The word is out about Melrose, which quietly opened at the end of December in the former La Grange space.

As CultureMap reported last summer, Melrose unites Clarkwood co-owner Army Sadeghi with Brandon Duliakas and Dan Wierck, the duo behind Washington Avenue hotspots such as Clutch and Concrete Cowboy. Together, the trio transformed the former Mexican-inspired patio bar into a sleek, modern space inside and a lush, landscaped outdoor courtyard.

“What drew me to the location is the gorgeous outdoor space with a mezzanine bar and an outdoor bar. There’s nothing else in town that can deliver both an indoor and outdoor experience,” Sadeghi tells CultureMap.

Located above the courtyard, the mezzanine has an intimate, 12-seat bar that will offer spirits lockers available for rental by the bar’s most engaged fans. An outdoor bar will eventually serve the courtyard, helping to provide patrons with a distinct experience from the indoor lounge.

The partners recruited Tatemó chef-owner Emmanuel Chavez to develop a menu of elevated bar fare. The results include dishes such as Kampachi Tiradito and Spicy Tuna Rice Crisp that might be expected from Chavez, who earned one of Houston’s five Michelin stars for his intimate tasting menu restaurant. It also includes more playful comfort food such as a pigs in a blanket made with smoked beef sausage, buttermilk-brined chicken tenders, and a burger made with beef from Texas ranch 44 Farms. A brunch menu built around shareable items will follow in the coming weeks.

“Working with Emmanuel was fantastic,” Sadeghi says. “He’s very passionate about the project. It’s been such a great ride, with all of us dialing it in to what we can deliver.”

Along with opening Melrose, Sadeghi is also launching a hospitality company called Sadeghi Concepts. The goal is to apply Clarkwood’s sleek aesthetic to a range of other projects in Houston and beyond.

“The mission would be to craft unforgettable experiences, engaging with exceptional design, culinary artistry, and genuine hospitality. It’s to create a collection of spaces that redefine luxury,” Sadeghi says about his plans. Later, he adds, “I want to continue to curate a combination of of locations with all different concepts that I feel passionate about.”

Melrose is open daily from 4 pm until 2 am. Happy hour, available Monday-Friday from 4-6:30 pm, features $10 cocktails, $5 beers, half-off bottles of wine, half-off charcuterie boards, and $15 burgers.

Photo by Michael Anthony

Aloe and rose gin and tonic.

a very fine house

40-year-old Houston-area taco favorite rolls out new location in Richmond

Photo by Jay Ford

The new Soliz seats about 20 people inside.

It will soon be a little easier for Fort Bend County residents to get their hands on some of the area’s favorite tacos. Soliz Tacos de Casa & Café will open its new location in Richmond this Thursday, October 9.

Located at 11131 Harlem Rd., the new Soliz Tacos joins the original, Dulles Avenue location in Stafford that’s been feeding area residents, workers, and Dulles High School students since 1984. The company also operates a ghost kitchen in the Galleria-area Fair Food Co. facility. In Richmond, Soliz will augment its 20-seat, 1,400-square-foot interior with the restaurant’s first drive-through.

Founded as Soliz Casa de Tacos, the restaurant is known for its freshly made flour tortillas. Specifically, Soliz serves breakfast and lunch tacos all day, paired with starters, salads, entrees, and tamales. Some of its most popular dishes are named for customers, such as the Darlene (flour tortilla with eggs, potatoes, bacon, refried beans, and cheese), the Zaneta (flour tortilla with potatoes, bacon, sour cream, and cheese); and the Hughie (flour tortilla with grilled chicken, sautéd onions, bacon, refried beans, and cheese).

Soliz Tacos Richmond The Soliz Surf Taco features marinated shrimp, corn, and pico wrapped in a flour tortilla.Courtesy of Soliz Tacos

“Everything is a homemade recipe and has been made the same way over the course of four decades,” co-owner Eric Otto said in a statement. “We make everything in-house and from scratch – from the salsa to the guacamole to the carne guisda – and of course the tortillas, which are made fresh daily. Our guests appreciate this commitment to not cutting corners when it comes to the ingredients that go into each and every taco, and I believe it is this commitment that has been a major reason for our sustained success.”

Otto, the grandson of the restaurant’s founder, took over operating the restaurant in 2014. Under his leadership, the restaurant remodeled its original store and began growing. He plans to bring Soliz to more parts of Houston.

“Our goal is for the Richmond location to showcase how new design elements and an enhanced service model can build upon the brand’s 40 years of serving delicious tacos to patrons,” Otto’s business partner Michael Miller said in a statement. “Richmond will be the flagship and the model for all of our future locations as we continue to look for advantageous opportunities to further expand. It will also serve as a blueprint for the franchise model that we will be launching next year.”

Soliz will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 9 am. The first person in line will receive free tacos for a year, and the first 50 people in line will receive t-shirts. In addition, the restaurant will hold giveaways throughout the day; have face painting and a balloon artist for kids; and have a DJ to spin tunes. Soliz will donate 50 percent of proceeds from its opening day sales to the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry.