Montrose's cosmic cocktail lounge

Spacey new bar and cosmic cocktail spot from Burger Joint owner blasts off in Montrose

A favorite Montrose bar space returns to service this week. Roswell’s Saloon opens this Thursday, May 25, in the former Stone’s Throw space at 1417 Westheimer Rd.

Before getting into the details of the space-themed spot, let’s backtrack just a bit. Roswell’s owner Shawn Bermudez tells CultureMap he planned to open the bar three months or so after Stone’s Throw closed in January 2020. For obvious reasons, those plans changed.

In the interim, Bermudez turned his attention to growing his other business. First, he temporarily moved to Austin to open two locations of his Pavement clothing store brand.

On the restaurant front, he and chef Matthew Pak launched The Taco Stand as a companion to The Burger Joint in the Heights in January 2021. They also opened a third location of The Burger Joint near Baybrook Mall in December 2021. Both concepts are poised for significant growth, with a second location of The Taco Stand already announced for Webster.

“We are expanding The Burger Joint. We have two more projects in the works,” Bermudez says. “We have four more Taco Stands in the works. We have two other full restaurants openings and a dessert concept opening.”

All that growth meant something had to give, so Bermudez quietly sold Present Company, his Instagram-beloved bar on Westheimer, in November (its new owners temporarily closed the bar in January for renovations). Having operated the space as both Royal Oak and Present Company since 2010, Bermudez says moving on was difficult but necessary.

“If I’m able to get a fair price for Present Company, it frees up so much of my time to do these other projects,” he explains. “That’s how much work Present Company took. That’s why it was the right time.”

Out of all the other projects Bermudez is working on, Roswell’s space-themed design — a “cosmic cocktail lounge” in press materials — makes it stand out. The bar’s neon sign takes inspiration from the Glitter Gulch, a famous Las Vegas strip club. Inside, patrons will find planets, an astronaut, and other artifacts hanging from the ceiling. Projection mapped graphics add movement to the walls. Upstairs, vintage-looking posters depict everything from the iconic “The Truth is Out There” motif to the signs of the Zodiac.

Since all of the lighting is either blacklight or neon, Bermudez made sure all of the floors, walls, and bartops are UV-reactive. Overall, the look is a mix of ‘60s space kitsch and the bedroom of a ‘70s teenager.

“Space is endless. The possibilities of what I could do were endless,” he says. “It allowed me creatively to venture out there. It gave me a theme for the entire place that isn’t just decor. It stretches to the cocktails, [including] flavor and presentation.”

Typically, Bermudez does all his own design work, but this time he had some help. DJ David Wrangler — better known as Disko Cowboy — contributed to the space-inspired playlist. Local artist Shelbi Nicole helped with the interior, and media lab Input Output created the projection mapping that’s seen on the walls and the exterior.

Just like at Present Company, Roswell’s Saloon’s cocktails have been designed to be both eye-catching and tasty. Glassware includes space capsule-shaped shot glasses and others that are inspired by planets including Uranus and Mars. The Pale Blue Dot is, of course, named for Earth, and the Crop Circles cocktail uses a housemade elote syrup. A monthly cocktail will take inspiration from the different Zodiac signs (starting with Gemini).

Since the bar looks better after dark, it won’t open until 7 pm. To help lure customers, a Sunset Hour promotion will offer half-off cocktails and $2 off all beer, wine, and bubbles.

Now that he’s firmly established as a restaurateur — his first, the Mexican-inspired tacos and tequila bar Pistolero’s, will celebrate its 10th anniversary next month — is Roswell’s Saloon going to be Bermudez’s last bar?

“I said Present Company was. In my mind, [Roswell’s] was a remodel of an existing space. I always loved the build out. The layout here has always been pretty comfortable,” he says.

“I loved what we did at Royal Oak. I loved what we did at Present Company. Scaling down felt right to me. I love Montrose. To give up a space like this in Montrose didn’t make sense to me.”

Photo by Becca Wright

Roswell's Saloon's bright, glowing interior is quite the trip.

Montrose New Bar Roswells Saloon Shawn Bermudez cocktails openings

Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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