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midtown PAPER
A PUBLICATION OF MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT • houstonmidtown.com
inserted what’s inside • midtown map
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in & about a list of new and exciting happenings in midtown
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midtown meetings choose a meeting and attend
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it’s time for art in midtown 12th annual midtown visions cultural arts tour masterpiece in the making helping hands in midtown
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midtown dining HCCS culinary arts restaurant and red pier
“Eyes of God” by Michelle Samour
calendar of events a list of midtown events
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Mai’s Restaurant Tradition returns with a blend of technology
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hot block on holman how well-designed streets improve neighborhood living rockin’ and rollin’ midtown style... meatball invitational 1st annual competition at midtown
who’s new in midtown midtown is the place to be in houston...
y the time Anna Pham blows out her birthday candles on April 16, her “gift” will have already been delivered and a continuous wave of friends, old and new, will be there to help her celebrate. The day has been long awaited as Anna, the third generation proprietor, reopens the doors of Mai’s Restaurant. On February 15, 2010, a kitchen fire destroyed the Houston landmark, leaving family members and a multitude of long-time customers wondering if the restaurant would ever reopen. On that same day, seven months pregnant with her third child, Anna vowed to make everything happy again for her grandma and her mom. Anna’s grandparents, Phim and Phac Nguyen came to Houston in 1975. A year later Phac, a carpenter, built a restaurant at 3403 Milam, “all the way down to the tables and chairs,” as a means to support the family’s eight children. In 1991, the couple retired, passing the business on to Mai who became the restaurant’s namesake. Daughter Mai was no stranger to the business. Like Anna, she grew up in the restaurant and later was employed by her parents. Mai Nguyen sadly remembers last year’s devastation. “The day of the fire was so bad. You didn’t know what to do; to go or to stop. All we could do was pray. All my years of working, it was gone in just three hours,” she recalls. The amazing support from the community, local businesses, kind words from patrons and hundreds of emails helped the family get through the early days after the fire. Almost immediately, Mai began receiving calls from across the city, with offers of other locations, even restaurants that were move-in ready with space for her to start again. “I told them ‘No, this is where my family built the restaurant. If I come back, this is where I will rebuild, here in Midtown.’ ” When the decision was made to rebuild, Richland Construction and Midtown’s Studio RED Architects were chosen, ultimately pro-
first four, then
Eight...
Midtown scores with NCAA® Final Four ® Restaurant Retail Program.
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1st qtr 2011
ams and Bulldogs were never meant to be side-by-side, nonetheless, under the same roof. The same goes for Wildcats and Huskies. But Southern hospitality influenced even the most devoted fan when the NCAA® Men’s Final Four® hit the court at Houston’s Reliant Stadium April 2-4. For many Midtown Paper readers (post April 4) the net will already be snipped and the fight for the Championship a thing of
the past. The anticipated 50,000 visitors will be homeward bound or perhaps, recuperating, yet eight Midtown restaurants will still be rejoicing, not only for their newfound notoriety but also for the many hundreds of walletcarrying fans that came through their doors. The Houston Local Organizing Committee (HLOC) for the 2011 NCAA® Final Four® created four areas within Houston as “Fan Gathering Zones,” with Galleria/Midtown being one of the four. Restaurant owners put their “best feet forward” on paper, convincing the Committee why their eateries would be an ideal place
viding, “a virtual walk-through” of the totally rebuilt interior, designed in an urban Asian style. Customers will readily notice the extra parking spaces and, once inside, the sleek two story atrium area, roomy banquettes and more than ample upstairs dining – a sleek space suitable for lunch and dinner crowds, but easily divisible for business meetings. Web marketing and social networking is another upgrade for the restaurant. “Our new website will launch our latest menu. You can order online, make reservations online, things we were not able to do before. We will be able to better accommodate our patrons, particularly our lunch crowd. It’ll be worth it,” Anna says. The infusion of wood upon the newly painted walls is a tribute to Anna’s grandfather. Her grandma’s signature piece? “Hospitality is what my grandma is best known for. ‘Is the food O.K.? Are you comfortable?’ she would say as she walked among the customers. The traditional ways – the way my grandma raised my mom, the way Mai raised me – that’s what’s still here. We want this to continue to be a comfortable dining destination.” Anna vows she’s not compromising tradition for the sake of technology. “There is so much character in this building,” she explains as she points to the concrete floors. “The floors are original. Every seam you see shows each time Mai’s had a renovation. Every column is still where it was. The niche for the fish tank is even still here. You can come to Mai’s today and still know its history.”
for fans to gather. Perks for the winners included a listing in the NCAA® Final Four® Fan Guide distributed to all visitors coming into Houston for the Final Four®, a listing in the Welcome Desk Notebook placed at all contracted hotels, where Final Four® “concierges” help people find their way around Houston, and a complimentary NCAA® Final Four® décor package that added extra pizazz to their place. Two Midtown favorites were victorious, chosen as official Fan Gathering Restaurants —Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill (2000 Bagby) for East Regional die-hards and Sushi
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Raku (3201 Louisiana) for those wanting a West Regional team to come out on top. Six additional Midtown eateries were chosen by the HLOC as Participating Restaurants with the opportunity to offer visitors and local fans a multitude of menu choices and price points. Participating Restaurants received perks similar to the Fan Gathering Restaurants plus the chance to compete in the “Big Dance” Restaurant Competition where six local restaurants were chosen to cater the three-day Big Dance concert series held at Discovery Green. Congrats to Coaches Pub Midtown (2204 Louisiana), Damian’s Cucina Italiana (3011 Smith), Farrago Restaurant (318 Gray), continued on page 4