Northwest Houston Impacts — November 2009

Northwest Houston Impacts — November 2009

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Friday, 20 November 2009

1. Cleaned and pressed

HOUSTON — Canyon Rose Cleaners opened Oct. 15 at 10130 Grant Road, Ste. 208. Owner Christine Nguyen’s first dry cleaning business, it has an in-house plant; this means clothes, except for leather and suede, will not have to be shipped out. The shop also does alterations. Nguyen chose the Cy-Fair area to service the many new apartments and housing developments. Call 281-807-9133.

2. Sports night

Whatever Neighborhood Sports Bar & Grill opened in September at 11902 Jones Road, Ste. T. Owner Andy Andres bought the restaurant, formerly known as Tobins, and reopened it with a menu stocked with sandwiches, wings, hamburgers, po’boys, homemade onion rings and chicken strips. The food is never frozen, and prices are consistently low. Call 281-807-9229.

3. Right stuff

Serving Tex-Mex with more of a bar atmosphere, Mexican cantina Juan and Lefty’s opened two months ago at 17381 Hwy. 249. The restaurant has a special recipe of sangria, top shelf margaritas and 10 signature dishes from its kitchen with special attention to spice and preparation. Call 281-477-9844.

4. Mongolian cuisine

Wacky Mongolian Grill opened Nov. 28 at 134 Vintage Park Blvd. Ste H. The restaurant is modeled after Genghis Khan’s method of cooking food on the back of his army’s shields. Patrons are invited to fill a bowl full of protein, like chicken, tofu and beef; vegetables; fruit and starches; and mix in their choice of 15 sauces and seasonings. Then the food is grilled by chefs in an open kitchen. Call 281-251-3878 or visit www.wackygrill.com.

5. Italian cooking

Antonia’s Cucina Italiana Restaurant & Bar opened in September at 26281 Hwy. 290, Ste. 950. The restaurant’s second Houston-area location, Antonia’s presents fine dining at low prices for the busy Cypress area. The specialties include homemade sangria, made daily and marinated overnight, and homemade lemoncello, an authentic Italian after-dinner drink made from lemons marinated in-house for two months. The restaurant’s veal dishes use meat flown in from the Northeast United States and pounded until tender and thin. The house specialty desserts are warm bread pudding made with whiskey sauce and ice cream and Boston chocolate cake. Call 832-638-4216 or visit www.antonias.us.

6. Food fusion

A new eatery flavored with a Spanish-Italian fusion, Merche opened in October at 21208 Hwy. 290, Ste. 100, in the North Cypress Medical Center. CEO Dr. Robert Behar partnered with Chef Greg Gordon to create a restaurant rich in taste and color, featuring pizza, antipastos and salads as well as breads and desserts from the restaurant’s in-house bakery. Call 713-822-3101.

7. Breakfast shop

Richmorning Kolaches opened last month at 8050 N. Sam Houston Parkway, Ste. 300. The shop, open 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the weekend, serves kolaches, croissants, donuts, coffee and natural orange juice. Call 281-955-1788.

8. Brazilian steak

Salina’s Steakhouse and Grill’s December grand opening will feature food samples for the entire community to taste at 24110 Hwy. 290, Ste. 500. Owner Fernando Villa plans to invite local residents to try his South American fare. Serving 10 types of meat in a similar fashion to Fogo de Chao, the churrascaria-style rotisserie steakhouse includes filet mignon, shrimp and a salad bar. For one price, customers can enjoy a buffet of foods. Call 281-520-0461.

9. Vintage bar

Strata Restaurant and Bar opened in early November at Vintage Park, at 110 Vintage Park Blvd. An upscale concept, the restaurant serves American cuisine with an extensive and affordable wine list. The restaurant has intimate seating and two private dining rooms as well as a patio area. Call 281-257-3988 or visit www.stratahouston.com.

10. All access fitness

Smart Choice Fitness Center opened in late October at 11808 Barker Cypress Road. Owners Sophia and Zee Badar took over the gym and reopened it as a combination 24-hour access gym, meaning members can exercise any time by using a card to enter, a nutrition store and full-service tanning salon that includes two hydration beds. The center carries a variety of nutrition products, such as protein and sports supplements and fat burners. Zee, formerly a pro body builder, and his wife owned a gym in Pearland before moving to Cypress. Call 281-256-1485.

11. Dance lessons

Come dance on Cypress Dance Studio’s new dance floor at its Cypress location at 25250 Hwy. 290, Ste. 280. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, the studio offers public classes and private classes in the art of Latin dancing, ballroom, country western, pole dancing and tai chi as well as dance lessons for weddings and special events. Register online at www.cypressdance.com or call 832-475-9142.

12. Festive Tex-Mex

Ruby Tequila’s opened Oct. 14 at 7748A FM 1960 West. The Tex-Mex restaurant serves its award-winning fajitas and Angus steaks cooked over a mesquite-fired grill in a festive atmosphere. Wednesday is all-day happy hour. Call 281-894-7829 or visit www.rubytequilas.com.

13. Local signs

Perfect Image Signs & Graphics reopened recently under new management at 10619 Tower Oaks. Owner Mike Connell bought the business to continue its reputation of high quality service to the community manufacturing and installing indoor and outdoor signs. The company produces temporary and permanent signs, including bandit signs, internal posters and billboards. Call 281-807-4500.

14. Office condo project

An 18,630 sq. ft. office condominium complex is being built on Village Green Drive in Jersey Village, one block from Hwy. 290. Houston Office Condos is leasing space in the three single-story office condos ranging in size from 1,578 sq. ft. to 6, 210 sq. ft. per building. Each unit features stone and stucco exterior, a kitchenette with granite countertops, individual heating and air conditioning controls, and energy-efficient windows. Call 713-892-5015 ext. 224 or visit www.loopnet.com.

15. Dog fundraiser

Nonprofit group Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas will hold its annual “Pet Photos with Santa” events 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in December at various PetSmart locations: Dec. 6, Bellaire PetSmart, 5415 W. Loop South; Dec. 12-13, Katy PetSmart, 19945 Katy Freeway; Dec. 20, Pasadena PetSmart, 5722 Fairmont Parkway. Pet parents can order two photographs for $9.95, and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to Cocker Rescue. All animals are welcome. Visit www.cockerkids.org.

16. New satellite center

Lone Star College-CyFair will open a satellite campus near Fry and Clay roads as early as summer 2011. The 84,000 sq. ft. building will include classrooms, computer labs and workforce training labs as well as faculty and student services offices that provide support functions like registration and a book store. A large focus will be workforce training, such as welding, machining, manufacturing technology and a new field of study—megatronics. Call 281-290-3200 or visit www.lonestar.edu.

17. DPS expansion

The Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol office at 12230 West Road is expanding its lab. The new lab will be approximately 40,000 sq. ft. in a two-story building. The larger space will allow an increase in the amount of DNA, trace evidence, blood alcohol and drug analysis testing and staff as well as provide two new services to the community—firearms and latent prints testing.

18. Facility expansion

Cypress Creek YMCA will open an adjaCypress Creek YMCA at 19915 Hwy. 249 will open an adjacent 12,000 sq. ft. facility in January 2010 that includes a new group exercise room, a Pilates studio and a Child Watch area. The YMCA is also renovating the main building, expanding the lobby, doubling the size of the cardiovascular exercise room and installing Wi-Fi throughout the facility for members. The construction is expected to be complete by late December or early January 2010. Call 281-469-1481 or visit www.ymcahouston.org/cypress-creek.

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