Patti Murphy and Wanda Kimbrell at 'InterContinental'
Blooming Gallery placesettings at ‘Goodnight.’
A vacation — or staycation! — attitude immediately envelops guests as they arrive in the spacious seventh-floor lobby with sweeping panoramic views the Houston’s skyline. Sol 7 bar and restaurant offers a sunny view of the modern outdoor green space and infinity pool prompting you get to your guest room and change into your swimsuit.
About that pool: Prepare to stay a while. Covered cabanas with couches are first come, first serve, and across the pool find reservation-only cabana spaces outfitted with furniture, TVs, and bathrooms steps away. You’ll enjoy panoramic city views and won’t have to lift a finger — except to sip your drink delivered by pool staff. There’s a food menu from Sol 7, too.
Optionally, Sol 7 welcomes you to come as you are whether choosing its circular bar, casual high-top tables or covered patio; there’s even a happy hour with gentle prices on drinks and bites. A trio of spreads with beautiful crudités, burgers, healthy salads and classic entrees including steak, seafood and pastas headline the all-day menu.
Come fall, the hotel will become a new food mecca with additional restaurants including French brasserie Chardon and Buck 40, an upscale supper club. The Thompson Houston hotel is led locally by exec-chef Alexandre Viriot, who during his illustrious career has worked alongside the world’s most renowned French chefs.
Sol 7 smashburger (photo by Michael Anthony)
Toca Modera (photo by Connie Anderson)
Couples spa room
Toca Modera's flaming tomahawk (photo by TJ Perez)
A Skyline Suite
Another dining option is new Toca Madera, a modern Mexican steakhouse in The Pavilion at The Allen right across the Thompson valet breezeway. With locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Scottsdale, this marks global hospitality group Noble 33’s first Texas venture.
Vast and exotic, the space sports moody lighting and multiple vignettes including intimate dining nooks, roomy banquettes, two bars, and a patio. Its “experiential dining” vibe means pulsating music, DJs and table entertainment (flame swallowers, musicians, etc.). Although the volume on the weekends can be daunting, the food should not be missed, so reserve and arrive early! More on this dining experience soon.
After such an electrifying evening, guest rooms are a serene escape. Thompson appeals to aesthete travelers with its mid-century modern design, which is part of Thompson Houston’s DNA. It’s worth the splurge for the 9th floor panoramic suite with a gorgeous marble bathroom-shower-tub combo, living room area, and luxe bedroom with views for miles. Social spaces in the hotel can be reserved for weddings and events.
Spa time! Carve out a few hours for a treatment and some shopping in the Thompson Spa retail area for gifts and remedies from the world over. Facials, massage, body treatments and special packages are some of the spa categories offered. Choose from 14 different massage options, and each facial is tailored for the guest.
Leave on a sweet note by popping in cool first floor Maven Coffee & Cocktails byHouston Astros starter Lance McCullers, Jr., co-founder of Rex Hospitality Group along with Houston entrepreneur Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa and partner Jimmy Doan. No expense was spared for the sleek design incorporating tables, tucked away pockets with couches and reading material, and counters for community seating. Grab a warm almond croissant along with a great cup of Joe — and we’ll be back to try the drinks and lounge bites!
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East River 9 and Riverhouse Houston
“Our goal is to create an international, inspired neighborhood that resonates with the flavor of Houston — one of the most diverse cities in the western world,” says Concept’s managing principal Jeff Kaplan. “Houston lacks an authentic walkable corridor that celebrates the diversity within one neighborhood.” The Plant — named for the nearby Coffee Plant/Second Ward station on the MetroRail’s Green line — is being brought to life in a master plan architected by Gensler, and is the first real estate redevelopment of its kind in Houston to connect the light rails to the bayou trails of our heavily car-dependent city.
“It’s a multiyear project,” says Kaplan, noting that it will eventually include more than 1,000 multifamily units and will also prioritize locally owned and operated retail tenants, such as the trendy Eden Plant Co. (which doubles as a coffee shop). Current restaurants include Neighbors Pizza, paleta shop Popston, The Re-Up Juice Bar, and newly relocated Street to Kitchen by James Beard awarded Chef “G” Painter and her husband Graham Painter. “We think the result will be a neighborhood with supercharged vibrancy and that feeling you get when you’re in a city that’s cool, creative and authentically weird.”
It’s one of many transformative projects currently underway in the East End, a newfound hub for the cool, creative and weird. Just across the bayou, East River is a striking property from Midway that was recently honored as the winner of the Houston Business Journal Mixed-Use Landmark Award for its urban revitalization. Current tenants include event venue Le Tesserae by The Astorian, the Houston Maritime Center + Museum (opening soon!), and several restaurants.
But perhaps its main draw is East River 9, a nine-hole public golf course with a driving range, putting green and pickleball courts — and a full-service restaurant that boasts a mean burger and frequent live music. “East River … will redefine Houston’s urban landscape,” says David Hightower, Midway’s VP of investment and development, citing “focus on pedestrian-friendly design, innovative mixed-use spaces, and cultural amenities” as the project’s cornerstones.
Nearby, Agrigole Hospitality — which can take at least partial credit for turning Houstonians’ attention eastward several years ago, opening several restaurants on St. Emmanuel St. in EaDo — recently debuted a sister location of its Heights-area staple Eight Row Flint.
Sunset Golf at East River 9
Brass Tacks
A rendering of East Blocks
Le Tesserae
Lightnin's Good Times
Pepperoni pizza at Vinny's (photo by Ralph Smith)