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PAPER
A PUBLICATION OF MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT • houstonmidtown.com
inserted special issue • midtown map
take a look at what midtown has to offer...
what’s inside 2
in & about a list of new and exciting happenings in midtown
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the arts art scene in midtown technology high tech companies in midtown
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buy & receive you can find it in midtown a place to call home living options at midtown
education midtown offers plenty of choices for your education nightlife! entertainment’s everywhere the park happy 111th birthday, baldwin park!
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Mixteco Ballet Folklorico
calendar of events a list of midtown events
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list of midtown businesses
Hungry? midtown is a place to satisfy your hunger
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ooking for a place to satisfy your hunger? Midtown is the place for you. Social sites like yelp and b-4-u-eat and competitions such as Houston Press’ Best of Houston® BestFest post rave reviews about Midtown eateries. Relax and settle in for our gastronomical tour. Where do we begin? Editor’s choice... let’s start with Italian. For years, Bruce, a.k.a. Luigi, (who is not Italian, but does deliver pizzas on his Vespa) and wife, Luisa, cooked pizza for their friends in their backyard brick oven.Today, a new set of friends know Bruce from the sign above his Midtown door... Luigi’s Pizzeria. Three more Midtown establishments stake their reps on baked-to-order, freshingredients, pizzeria-quality pies. Names like Russo’s New York Pizzeria and the family-owned and tossed favorite, Ponzo’s, both are first generation Italians. There’s Gotham, too. Is it Lucky Gnocchi Day? The answer’s “yes” if it’s the 29th of the month and you’re standing inside Piola. Damian’s Cucina Italiana was a Midtown mainstay long before Midtown was “cool!” Brothers Bubba Butera and Frankie B. Mandola (perhaps you’ve heard of them?) call their scene “white tablecloth, fine dining” even if a little creamy rosa sauce dribbles onto your white shirt. Moving to my next favorite, (Editor’s choice, again) south of the border cuisine... o.k. Mexican food. Call it “Authentic”,“Tex-Mex” or “NYC Mex” but know it’s served up a multitude of ways in Midtown. Don’t go hunting for El Patio Midtown. The building’s there, but the name’s changed. Christen the new place, Xuco Xicana. It’s Tex-Mex like you’ve never seen before. But that’s not to say the margaritas — Cyclone Anaya’s blue ones and Ruby Tequila’s version named for their restaurant – aren’t amazing, as well. Tacos A Go-Go hugs the METRORail along Main, right next door to the Continental Club and probably stays up later than you do (Closing time? 2 a.m. on Fridays & Saturdays.) Speaking of a.m... where’s the coffee? It’s the drink of choice for those too rushed for a big breakfast or too tired to finish what’s got to be
E leven Years and C ounting By Cynthia Alvarado – Managing Director, MMD
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3rd qtr 2011
leven years of dedication and hard work by numerous founders, volunteers and board members, all dedicated to one community, has made a remarkable change for people who choose to live and work in Midtown. But how did it all begin? In 2000, the US Census reported that the population in Midtown was a little more than 5,000 residents. The overall value of property in the community was $420,000,000 dollars. Dedicated founders, like Charles LeBlanc and Pastor Steve Bancroft, took a look at the area — blighted, mostly vacant land, no street
lights, no fire hydrants, definitely trash but no trash cans, lots of activity but not the kind you wanted — and said, “Let’s build a community.” Midtown is a community that has always believed in working together and these past ten years have proven that working together, works. The Midtown Management District Board of Directors is another example, a 17-member volunteer group. There are eight committees comprised of Midtown residents and business owners who work together, building a community. The Public Safety Committee strives to keep the community safe.Threehundred-ninety-six community meetings were held in the past ten years, with
done. Of course, there’s Starbuck’s (two of ‘em in fact) and don’t forget The Coffee Groundz, the comfortable spot that actually began and still brews to satisfy coffee lovers; wine, beer, gelatos and crepes to satisfy the rest of the crowd. When coffee’s not enough, add a little starch. Something like baklava or a flaky almond croissant from La Baquette French Bakery or a Shipley do-nut from their drive through, just inside the district at Richmond and Travis. Rumor is nobody does crepes better than CoCo’s. Their #5 strawberry crepe filled with bananas and white mousse, topped with raspberries is pretty convincing. And who can say “breakfast” in Midtown without mention of the award-winning breakfast klub — the guys that love to substitute “k’s” for “c’s” like Katfish & Grits and Klub Karmel Macchiato. Check out their Komplete Menu and don’t forget “Kids 1st Saturdays” of the month, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., fun for the whole family. Looking for something cold? Try Sweet Lola. Something Thai? Midtown’s got Taste of Thai. Something Asian? Sit back, let me tell you the stories. Pho Saigon, Mai’s and Van Loc — they’re synonymous with Midtown. Mai Nguyen’s parents reasoned Vietnamese names were hard for American tongues to pronounce. Her parents thought the short, English-friendly “Mai” would have the best chance of drawing the public. (Parents are always right!) These days, daughter Anna continues the tradition at the totally rebuilt restaurant. For many customers,Van Loc is THE place to go for Vietnamese-style soups and noodles, a Midtown landmark for over 25 years. Owner Kim Phan knows her loyal customers so well that she’s certain who will order what – maybe the Ga Xao Lan (a spicy curry chicken) or the Ga Luc lac (chicken steaks with lettuce and tomato) for which Van Loc is renowned. Pho Saigon, where we believe everyone reads the Midtown Paper, or at least it seems that way since we’re constantly restocking the rack. Realistically, we know the paper’s popularity ties directly to the great
patrol services logging in 85,300 hours. The Midtown Management District staff and committee chairs serve on the HPD Advisory Committee. Midtown has the unique distinction of being geographically served by several law enforcement divisions. HPD South Central Command covers the east side of Midtown, while Central Command covers Midtown’s west side. Houston Community College police look after the college’s central campus while METRO Police cover the METRORail line and bus stops in Midtown. The Midtown community is also patrolled by Harris County-Constable Precinct 7, the office of Constable May Walker. There are five separate patrolling divisions at work in Midtown but rest assured, they all com-
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municate with each other at our regular monthly meetings. The Service & Maintenance Committee does its very best to keep the community clean.The Midtown Field Services Program, a six-member team reporting to Service & Maintenance, provides complete maintenance service for the 5.5 acres of public parkland within Midtown, but also maintains 410 city blocks of public right of way. Over the past ten years, the team has planted over 400 trees in Midtown, and has a growing Adopt a Tree program. The Midtown Graffiti Abatement Program in the public realm is another way Midtown is kept “clean and safe”. In the three short years of the graffiti abatement team’s existence, over 800 sites have been cleaned. An active “Good Neighbor Program” encourcontinued on page 4