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Saturday, February 3, 2024 • Vol. 69 • No. 5
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Houston craft beer icon Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company closes doors amid financial struggles, predicts re-opening
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By Lisa Morales The Leader News Contributor Houston’s craft beer landscape has taken another hit with the recent closure of Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company at Sawyer Yards, also known as Buff Brew. Per Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, owner Jon Deal served Buff Brew CEO William McLucas on Friday, January 26th with a notice of default due to nonpayment of rent, leading to the termi-
nation of the brewery’s lease at 2101 Summer St. Buff Brew, founded in 2011 with aspirations of becoming Houston’s most creative brewery according to its website, had expanded to a sprawling 28,000-square-foot facility in 2019 after its beginnings in a small warehouse off of I-10. The space, which was praised for its architecture, comprised a first floor housing the See BUFFALO P. 4
Buffalo Brewing Company at Sawyer Yards, 2023.
FROM LOSS TO PURPOSE
INSIDE.
Photo by Stefanie Thomas)
Tacos A Go Go marks 18 years of spicing up Houston’s culinary scene
Alice Blue announces closure end of February
By Lisa Morales The Leader News Contributor
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Heights’ beloved Tex-Mex spot, Tacos A Go Go (TAGG), is celebrating its 18th anniversary this year. Established in 2006 by owner Sharon Haynes and head chef Maribel Gomez, TAGG has become a homegrown, female-led success story that continues to evolve with authentic Mexican flavors, a new THC seltzer, and charitable support for the entire hospitality industry. TAGG currently operates five locations in Houston with two being in the Greater Heights area. Their Midtown location is the original, the Oak Forest location on TC Jester, the Heights location on White Oak, the Downtown Tunnels, and the Greenway Plaza area location complete the mix. Reflecting on TAGG’s journey, Haynes and Gomez have a history that predates the original Midtown location and has continued to grow and change over nearly two decades – no small feat in the restaurant industry. Haynes, initially a bartender, cofounded her first restaurant, Solero, in Downtown Houston in 1995 where she first met Chef Gomez. Solero introduced Houston to tapas, which was not a wellknown concept on the food scene at that time. Haynes recalls with a chuckle many phone calls asking what the “top-
What’s cooking in the Heights? Lovely dinners!
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Submitted photo
Poppy’s Run for Life held its inaugural event in March 2023, with proceeds benefiting JFS Houston and the Montrose Center.
Poppy’s Run for Life aims to crush stigma and raise awareness Getting ready to sell? Here is how to prepare
By Stefanie Thomas editor@theleadernews.com
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On March 9, 2022, Heights resident Caryn Honig made a heartbreaking discovery – her father, Morton “Poppy” Honig, had taken his own life inside his Houston home. Unfortunately, this was not the first tragedy to strike her family. Four decades earlier, Honig’s grandfather, Sam “Poppy” Rosen, also died by suicide when she was just a teenager. Reflecting on the loss, Honig shared her grief, stating she still has feelings of guilt. “I still ask myself all the time if I should have done something different, if I did everything I could,” she said, adding that her grief was (and still is) so profound that she had to seek the help of a therapist herself.
ART VALET: Meet the cop that became a wood turner
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THE INDEX. People ���������������������������������������2 Topics ����������������������������������������6 Classifieds ���������������������������������7 Local Culture �����������������������������8
By Rubena Gracia The Leader News Contributor Coltivare, a Heights neighborhood restaurant, recently celebrated its 10year anniversary. On Jan. 23, a special 4-course dinner event offered selections from the 2014 opening menu, current favorites, and dishes hinting at future menu choices. Wine pairings – each bottle a 2014 vintage in honor of the anniversary – were also available. Located at 3320 White Oak Drive at Arlington Street, the website describes the restaurant as “serving rustic Italian cuisine with a Gulf Coast perspective, dictated by Houston’s growing seasons and our backyard garden.” The restau-
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Forty years ago, when her grandfather died by suicide, getting professional help wasn’t even really an option. “No-
See POPPY P. 4
See TAGG P. 4
Photo by Lisa Morales
Together, Tacos A Go Go owner Sharon Haynes and head chef Mirabel Gomez turned a single location into a 5-restaurant culinary powerhouse. Also an artist, Haynes created the wall paintings herself.
Coltivare celebrates 10-year anniversary with Time Capsule event
FOOD REVIEW: The Upside Pub is the real deal
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Photo by Stefanie Thomas
Caryn Honig, founder of Poppy’s Run for Life, with supporter Christian Pike of Lola in the Heights.
body talked about it,” she said. “There was a sense of shame. So much so, that the cause of death was changed on my grandfather’s death certificate.” Honig spoke about her father’s struggles – first his beloved wife’s death, which he never recovered from; then the isolation caused by COVID-19, followed by contracting the virus himself and, in a culmination of health struggles, possibly a mild stroke. Although her father’s depression was apparent, she said, his suicide came as a devastating shock to the family. “You would think my dad had so much to live for. He had a beautiful house, a loving partner, his family, lots of friends,” she said. “But where most
rant, with both an indoor dining room and bar and large outdoor seating area, has a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. Led by award-winning Chef/Owner Ryan Pera and General Manager/ Sommelier Leonora Varvoutis, sustainable practices are an important aspect of the restaurant. The menu offers an impressive array of dishes which often utilize vegetables, greens, lettuces, and herbs from its 3,000-square-foot onsite garden, as well as local ingredients and fresh Gulf Coast seafood. Herbs from the garden are also used in their extensive craft cocktail menu. Vegan dishes are available, and the wood-fired pizzas See COLTIVARE P. 5
Chef Ryan Pera
Photos by Ralph Smith
General Manager/Sommelier Leonora Varvoutis
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