THE(NEW)red door

tiny door leads to big adventure in midtown
2416 brazos, suite c, houston, tx 77006
713.256.9383 | www.reddoormidtown.com

I always think of the good questions to ask interesting people after we’ve said our goodbyes. I certainly could have followed up with owner Darren Van Delden and asked him if the parallels between his fresh version of Red Door and Lewis Carroll’s adventure Alice in Wonderland were purposeful, but I thought better of it. Some things are better left to the imagination…
“Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin; but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in my life!”– Alice, Alice in Wonderland

And I’ve seen many bars with character, but one without a blaring, neon sign in Midtown? Curious to say the least. Tucked between El Patio and Wonderbar on  sits a place like few others, and the only things it’s marked by are some velvet ropes, the friendliest door guy I’ve come across to date and an unassuming, crimson door. Just like a trip to Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, a visit to the newly revamped Red Door is a psychotropic jaunt down the rabbit hole.

Like a cryptic omen from the infamous Mad Hatter, once inside, you must first go up before you can go down. A narrow passage leads visitors up a bare hallway, and as one ascends, the bass begins to permeate the structure and the décor becomes more and more quirky. No, the furniture doesn’t shrink and you aren’t accosted by playing cards, but the effects of swirling lights, walls shrouded in shrubbery and a checkerboard floor pull patrons into a world of wackiness. But it’s comfortable wackiness. The upstairs is a spacious lounge, simply laid out with ample seating and a full bar. The scenery behind the bar typically steals the show though, as the bartenders are easy on the eyes and quick with a smile and a martini. The lounge opens into an ivy-laden balcony with high walls that, while preventing picturesque views of the outside world, protect from all the hustle and bustle of the real world. A few red benches are strewn about  like freshly painted roses from the garden of the Queen herself. (Don’t quite get that last sentence? Quit watching TMZ and read a book every once in a while!)
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.”  – Doorknob, Alice in Wonderland
Should you find yourself feeling more adventurous, a trip down an opposite flight of stairs takes you into the dark recesses of nightlife imagination. You could have sworn before you entered that this place wasn’t that big, but after marching down another corridor, Red Door opens into a full-blown club scene. The lights are wilder here, the music louder, and things are prone to getting even more delightfully twisted. That same service that did you so well up top is still prevalent at the bar below. But here, DJs spin the hottest house-blend jams, the walls are lined with crystal beads, booths boast bizarre, black-lit patterns, and a fog settles over the entire dreamscape. Only open Thursday-Saturday, Red Door has no happy hour to speak of, as it is angled toward exclusivity. The floor fills with dance-happy Houstonians in their 20’s and early 30’s looking to escape within a dream, and they don’t mind paying the extra $1 per beer for the privilege. Red Door ditches bottle service in favor of Table Service packages which can be negotiated through their reservation line at 713.256.9383. These packages include bottle service in the traditional sense, complete with an attentive waitress and comfy digs, but they conveniently offer a side tab at the bar for wussies who don’t want to shoot straight whiskey with me all night.

“…at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.” – Alice, Alice in Wonderland

Maybe it was a blessing and maybe it was a curse that I visited the new Red Door without the bias of having visited the previous version. Whatever the case may be, I enjoyed the head trip. Walking out of the crimson portal and into the night breeze had me feeling as our dear Alice must have felt awakening from her famously odd dream. I’m a firm believer that people and places can and should evolve, and maybe that makes me mad as a hatter, but Red Door seems to have found its stride.
By Travis Jones | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

360sports lounge

long live the middleman

4601 washington ave., houston, tx 77007

713.677.0398 | www.360sportslounge.com

The phrase “cut out the middleman” has become a badge of honor in the business world. This call to arms to cut the fat is usually a good thing, but over time, it has eliminated a gray area that can be pretty darned interesting. While the mantra has driven plenty of people and places to be one thing or the other, black-tie or blue jeans, Beatles or Stones, 360 Sports Lounge on 4601 Washington Ave. is a   middleman that isn’t budging.

360 borrows the best from the pomp and circumstance of its neighbors and leaves tired sports bar stereotypes behind, all while maintaining the charm of that favorite old haunt. A visit to Jimmy’s Laundromat & Sports Shack provides you with broken chairs and a standing-room-only attitude. 360? Ample, comfortable seating. Your trusty standby is a dank cube with a few regulars hoarding the good staff and the 1996, bubble-screen Sanyo. Meanwhile, 360 is bright and inviting. Looking at the clean lines, the sharp paint jobs and the bar adorned with giant flatscreens in all the right places, it’s clear to see that 360 spared no expense to provide one of the classiest sports bar experiences in Houston. 360’s kitchen is open late and aims to please, taking your typical bar food for a ride. The house-made pizzas have freshness in every bite, and the quintessential fried fare doesn’t follow that freezer-to-grease-to-plate pattern that it does in your usual sports joint. Onion rings and cheese sticks emerge consistently crispy and delicious.

While what 360 takes from its more upscale brethren is refreshing, what it’s borrowed from those lore-inspiring dives is just as important. The open design and booming acoustics create a sense of community during big games no matter who you’re rooting for. There’s a great private room for reservation with a pool table and a secluded grouping of couches and barstools, but being on the floor puts you in the middle of the action with a grandiose sense of Houston camaraderie. Pick your poison. Either way, just like your old, trusty stomping grounds, the personnel behind the bar and walking the floor will know your name after one visit to your table. A smile, handshake and an earnest attempt to show customer appreciation on Washington Ave.? Yes, it does exist. Sure, the sports dive you’re used to doesn’t offer $5 champagne on Wednesdays like 360, but that concept of hospitality is near and dear to dive-junkies like me. Happy hour every weekday from 3-7 and $25 all-you-can-eat crawfish on the weekends seal the deal on bringing Houston the best of two worlds.

In a world of polarizing opinions, I suppose it’s nice just to have a choice to begin with. It’s even better though, when a place can really thrive in the gray area, becoming a go-between that meets multiple needs. On a foundation of Washington Ave. class and traditional sports bar charisma, 360 Sports Lounge is a perfect example of the middleman standing tall in Houston.

By Travis Jones | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

DISTILLERY 2520

HEIGHTS HOTSPOT  READY TO RODEO

2520 houston ave., houston, tx 77009   |  713.862.0200  | www.distillery2520.com

I’m not sure I know anyone who isn’t a fan of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Whether you’re a high-falutin’ city slicker that doesn’t know one end of a steer from the other, or a bona fide, badass vacquero, the annual event has got something for everyone…even if you don’t go.  Not that I don’t throw on my crusty Tony Llamas and scrounge for a plaid shirt when the event comes to town, but after so many years, I’ve figured something out – if you want free reign of any bar or restaurant in Houston, especially the ones you know will be packed any other day of the week, visit at 9pm during the annual bbq cookoff. It’s a perfect way to get to know your service industry specialists and beat the throngs of people that would normally pack those places to the gills. Distillery 2520, on 2520 Houston Ave. (go figure!), is that perfect place to get to know.

People bustling to and from work on their way downtown or into the guts of the Heights have to pass by, and there’s no better vantage point than one of the open decks at 2520. This time of year, when the last vestiges of winter still spit out a cool, nightly breeze, the doors and windows of 2520 are flung open and the place feels like a breezy Lincoln Log fort you built as a kid. With flatscreens at every angle, a deck and bar up top, and a single bar down below serving patrons inside and out, the adage “not a bad seat in the house” rings true. They also serve a favorite delicacy of mine…free and bountiful self-parking.

Despite saddling up to the bar during cookoff season, I was more than able to get a feel for the crowd. This isn’t the fist-pumping gaggle of Houstonians seeking a Dance Dance Revolution or the neighborhood dive where everyone smokes Winstons and wants to be left alone. 2520 fills a friendly niche somewhere between sports Mecca and casual gastro-lounge, making it a perfect neighborhood oasis for the Heights. The service is welcoming, just as you’d expect from a crew developed by owner Joe Licata, who came up through the Carrabba’s management ranks. The staff opens and closes every deal with a handshake and a smile.

The bar staff offers up a litany of cocktails, some of the crowd favorites being their constantly slushy, frozen sweet tea, screwdriver, margarita and Cuba libre. 2520 doesn’t deal in lager largesse, so don’t expect to get a t-shirt for sampling 300 beers or anything gimmicky like that. They do, however, offer a handful of chilly favorites from the tap and a thorough sampling of local brews from St. Arnold’s and Southern Star. They run a solid happy hour from 4-8 that knocks domestics down to $2.50 and well and frozen drinks down to $4, which will make it a perfect spot to post up and watch the Astros try and string together 30 wins this season. 2520 also offers pub grub that varies from ballpark fare to gourmet delights. Gooey Frito pie and crispy, thin-crust pizza on the same menu as udon and a kobe beef burger? 2520 pulls it off perfectly, no matter your gastronomic disposition.

I’m glad I made it to Distillery 2520 when I did, because it gave me a really good opportunity to experience the roots of a great establishment. Humble. Clean. Friendly. Hard-working. 2520 has all the necessary ingredients to be the next Heights hotspot. So when it’s time to trade the boots back in for the loafers and the ten-gallon hat for the trusty old ball cap, Distillery 2520 will still be ready to rodeo.

By Travis Jones  | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

DOUBLE CROSS LOUNGE | FITTING IN IS OVERRATED

114 w. gray, houston, tx 77002 | 713.526.3423

Houston is a strange place and I like it that way. Very few cities have such a shoot-from-the hip flow of architecture and commerce. Million-dollar homes sprout up right next to Woodstock-era bungalows. Neighborhood bars grow roots a block from churches, restaurants and resale shops. The princes party with the paupers, so to speak, and it’s this weird, oxymoronic social structure that makes the Bayou City so damn cool. So, from that perspective, it only makes sense that on 114 W. Gray, across the street from a soul food café and a beer joint, and right down the block from a few sweet shops, sits Double Cross, Houston’s latest artisan cocktail lounge.

Despite its artsy roots, Double Cross diverts from places usually associated with crafty concoctions like Hearsay or Anvil by embracing a more raucous atmosphere conducive to letting the good times roll. The lounge is one of the latest nightlife strongholds in Midtown attempting to curb the Saturday night exodus of 20–30-somethings to Washington Ave. in their search of a classy evening out. Immediately below a clump of mid-rise apartments, visitors of Double Cross won’t find a spacious dance floor or a maze of nooks and crannies to explore though; the place is snug, lined with plush, crimson booths and equipped with a modest patio. However, it retains a feeling of openness, putting patrons at street level for some excellent people watching. As spring approaches, expect the sounds of a Double Cross DJ to spar with the sounds of a Houston night note for note.

The real feather in the Double Cross cap isn’t their fresh angle on Midtown nightlife, but their growing reputation for serving extremely intricate cocktails in a fast-paced atmosphere – without losing the personal service associated with their more laid-back brethren. Double Cross pours a clean vodka of the same name that serves as the base for over 15 wild martinis, but their smart cocktail repertoire doesn’t end there. They serve a variety of unique drinks made with various, distinctive liquors, cordials and complementing ingredients, as well as a handful of popular beers and red and white wines. A candied flower in your hooch? Yep, this is next level stuff here.

Drinks range from $4-8 for wine and beer, and most of the chichi stuff runs double digits. And while Double Cross doesn’t run a very stringent happy hour, they do list daily specials that run from open to close on a chalkboard for all to see. They pick a beer, a red and white wine, an infused-vodka martini and a specialty cocktail to practically give away, but it’s less an attempt at instating a booze free-for-all and more from a desire to share their craft with anyone and everyone. They also use the deal board as an opportunity to bring the price down on select food items from their interesting menu, making already fairly priced treats such as caviar, vodka-cured salmon and lump crab cocktail fall well within the average budget. It’s kind of like the giant wheel they spin at Shoe Carnival, except you’ve got a heavier buzz going.

Double Cross also promotes a calendar of special events that have a personal appeal on par with their service reputation. On Sundays, Double Cross packs it to the rafters for a bawdy adventure of the senses. For $20, those that have signed up by emailing manager Jessica Andries (jandries@lh2g.com) receive an hour of belly-dancing instruction and a Double Cross specialty martini of their choice. The perfect way of replacing those pre-workweek Sunday blues with a little sensuality and seduction.

If you’re one of those people that likes everything to have its ideal place, Houston probably drives you a bit nuts. But while there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to anything we do, it’s in this awkward, disjointed Picasso that we find something transcendentally appealing. Does Double Cross fit in on a bustling corner of Midtown? Not a bit. And that’s why it’s perfect for Houston.

THE RAILYARD | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD DIVE HAS GRADUATED

4206 san felipe st., houston, tx 77027 | 713.621.4000 | www.railyardhouston.com

In college, tech school, the circus or whatever institution of higher learning you skipped class in, you probably had a favorite haunt that became part of your shared experience. For me, it was The Den in San Marcos, a mere fifty feet from the hovel in which I resided, and just as close to my heart. I think my crew kept the place in business for three years, pumping quarters into the shuffleboard table and ordering cheap pitchers of tepid, domestic beer. Flash forward a few years and a lot has changed. Watery well drinks and cheese fries no longer sell me on an establishment. I’m glad there’s no smoking in most bars nowadays. However, nostalgia always kicks in when visiting somewhere new, and I always end up comparing the latest joint to that golden standard of my youth.

The Railyard ditches the old-school cons, keeps all the good stuff, and improves on a few aspects from back in the day. It looks like a cleaner version of the dive of your memories, with its exposed duct work, ancient wood, concrete floor and bare brick, but past that, The Railyard wins out on some very crucial criteria:

Drinks: Cocktails were watery but cheap at that old, college dive, but nights never ended well when drinking margaritas made with Russian tequila. (Got old after the third senior year.)

Instead of weak and watery pours, The Railyard makes a strong cocktail, and their happy hour, from 4-7, Monday-Friday, brings back collegiate prices of yore. Their choice of brews on tap is small, but priced fairly. Four dollar Bloody Marys, micheladas and mimosas on Sundays is a nice touch for us after-church drinkers.  Those machines that keep a constant chill and churn going on a typical margarita mix keep pretense miles away, as do buckets of Lonestar and Coors Light for $13.

Service: At your old respite? Even after the 15th visit, that cute bartender you were trying to get to know still insisted on smacking gum while staring through you and mixing up your tab at the end of the night.

At The Railyard, service is quick, it’s friendly and it’s not merely gushing for a tip. You don’t have to visit more than once for Tony to remember your name. You’ll remember his too, because he’ll remind you of comedian John Caparulo.

Clientele and Atmosphere: When it was $2 you-call-it night back in your heyday, it was like flies to a dead horse, but having to elbow-check your date to get to your beer was never really worth it.

The Railyard is slightly more subdued. Because it’s a little bit off the beaten path, the crowd that gathers is a like-minded group of Houstonians in their 30’s looking to cut loose, minus the pressure of having to see and be seen. To the background beat of freight trains thumping along on the nearby tracks, a schizophrenic juke box spits out old-school Metallica and follows it with Jimmy Buffett. It epitomizes The Railyard’s laid-back attitude. Feel like watching the game? Have at it. Feel like dancing? Dance. Feel like cuddling up in a corner with a date or hollering for a round of shots with the after-work crowd? Cuddle up or party down. Throw in all the trappings of a sports bar (flatscreens in all the right places), some arcade throwbacks (Golden Tee and Big Buck Hunter) and a photo booth for no particular reason, and you’ve got yourself a bar that feels like college, but grew up, got a job and doesn’t live in its mom’s basement anymore. A genuine neighborhood bar.

Being thirty-ish is strange. It leaves you feeling stuck in that purgatory of being old enough to know better, but still too young to care. And while the memories forged at your old stomping grounds can never be replaced, they have less to do with the bars themselves, and more to do with the people, conversations and wild times associated. The Railyard is right there with us. For all its college charm, it exudes an undeniable wisdom, reminding us of the journey that was, but that the best is yet to come.

By Travis Jones | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

ROYAL OAK BAR + GRILL | MATURITY, ON THE ROCKS, WITH A TWIST OF REBELLION

1318 westheimer, houston, tx 77006 | 281.974.4752

Hailing from a small town, my first experience with whiskey came at a younger age than it should have. I won’t go incriminating myself too much here, but let’s just say that when you and your buddies get into a bottle of your dad’s best scotch, do your damage and then try to hide your guilt by refilling the bottle with Lipton iced tea, you’re not exactly acting like a seasoned vet. Yes, he found out, and no, what followed wasn’t one of those sweet, Andy Griffith-inspired heart-to-hearts ending in a hug and the words “love” and “proud” being thrown around. My old man was pissed, and rightfully so. Flash-forward a few years, and with my first few gray hairs, has also sprouted a little more respect for the complex spirit. Royal Oak, on 1318 Westheimer, speaks to both the rebellious trials of youth and the maturity that path inadvertently brings about.

Royal Oak lives up to its name by being A.) devoted to the use of regal, oaken furniture, walls and accoutrement, and B.) being the size of a small castle. It’s difficult to discern from the outside looking in, but Royal Oak is mansion-esque, with vaulted ceilings in excess of 20 feet, a cavernous downstairs, a wraparound second bar up top and three, full-size patios. Rumor has it that yet another rooftop bar is in the works, but how they’ll manage all that space is well beyond this guy. Antler and crystal chandeliers cast an antique glow on black and white photography, and ample, leather-bound and luxurious seating lines the walls. It’s like that ski lodge in Tahoe your Uncle Dave claims to own and says that he’ll let you stay in some time, but he never really pulls through, does he? Jerk.

In addition to all the typical libations and a good, starter-selection of micro-brews from Saint Arnold, Rogue and Real Ale, Royal Oak boasts over 50 different varieties of whiskey. From hearty and complex single-malt scotches to mellow, nectar-like bourbons and even a funky Japanese product, Royal Oak runs the gamut. The bar staff is a friendly and attentive hybrid of Westheimer attitudes: a little bit of Anvil’s painstaking care in preparation and drink knowledge spiked with a little rebellious free-for-all action that can be described as a little Poison Girly. No matter what their model is, they get your drinks to you quickly and don’t fumble through recipe books when you ask for one of their many, specialty cocktails.  The whiskey sour, by the way, tastes like a whiskey sour actually should, and their whiskey smash is the perfect indulgence on a cold, winter evening if you want to take yourself to a summer, front porch frame of mind. They will run you a pretty penny for the pleasure, but you get what you pay for and the strength of a Royal Oak cocktail lives up to its price.

Currently, a menu of ‘roided-up bar food is in the works that will feature steaks, burgers and unique takes on old pub favorites. Nightly, highly alliterative specials (Martini Mondays, Texas Tuesdays,  Whiskey Wednesdays and Top-Shelf Thursdays) are knocking the price off of a number of crowd favorite cocktails and experimentations such as their Guinness Bloody Mary and beginning to gather a following. It’s features like this that will help Royal Oak fill their massive space with a crowd that only Westheimer could bring in. Sophisticated and wild. Straightlaced and footloose. Old and young. Crunchy hipsters and power-tie suits.

Every time I throw back a single malt, I think about the shenanigans I pulled just to cover my mischievous tracks as a kid. It’s nice to find a place, though, that understands the value of balancing just the right amount of scandal with just the right amount of class. Next time my old man is in town, I know just where to buy the next round.  Here’s to Royal Oak!

By Travis Jones

Photography by Daniel Ortiz

BINGO IN THE HEIGHTS

BRINGING THAT OLD-TIME FEELING TO A NEW GENERATION…

1435 beall st. @ 15th, houston, tx 77008 | 713.869.5767 | www.lodge88.org

IF you’ve read my stuff in the past, you know that I usually don’t indulge in the first person and that I hail from a small town in central Texas that is home to less than 4,000 people. Well, in the words of Biggie, “If you don’t know, now yah know.”  One of the biggest adjustments I had to make when I moved to Houston all those years ago was an inevitable self re-insertion into an already defined social structure. Houston is massive and is home to very unique and segmented sub-cultures. Sure there are certain citywide activities that bridge the gap between Midtown, the Montrosians and the Galleria crowd, but I had never seen anything that reminded me of the way my small town came together on a weekly basis fueled by cheap beer and gossip. Whether it was an auction, an after-service potluck or a domino tournament at the VFW, a smoky room filled with war stories and dirty jokes, flirting and fishing lies was something I wish I could have taken with me. Those memories can never be replaced, but I have found something that comes close to giving me that old-time feeling. And BINGO is its name-o.

The signs on the bathroom and closet doors at the Lodge 88 SPJST hall at 1435 Beall St. are translated into Czech, but don’t let it throw you. When you walk in, you’re family and you’ll be greeted as such with warm smiles and handshakes. The place looks just as an old SPJST hall should – like a high school lunchroom adorned with photographs of important members, schedules for polka dances and winner plaques for chili cook-offs. This is a page out of my past, and after my latest experience here with Thursday night BINGO, a definite part of my future.

If you want to participate, get there early. And I don’t mean by 15 minutes. If you thought your favorite establishment on Washington was selective, you haven’t had your hand stamped by Mildred at the double-glass doors at Lodge 88. The place is gigantic and can easily accommodate crowds of up to 750, but after that, you ain’t getting in. Period. So sayeth the fire marshal and the guy checking to make sure you aren’t bringing in your own beer.

These BINGO extravaganzas are BYO-pretty-much-anything, but Lodge 88 asks that you drink their brew so they can keep the lights on and throw a little money toward various charities and scholarships. They make that pretty easy to do with cheap cans and $6 pitchers of Shiner and Bud Light. They make a pretty mean burger too, but if you’re looking to church it up a little, anything from sushi and sake to pizza and pinot to whiskey and wings have made it through these doors. All in celebration of birthday parties, bachelorette bashes and regular ole Thursday nights. And if you yearn for crowd diversity and crave the best people watching, this is the place to be. Hot mammas in mini-skirts sit across from old men with stories to tell. Fraternity boys and folks coming straight from their nine-to-five sit across from flirtatious cougars and sewing clubs.

Early-bird games begin at 7:15 at a dollar a piece but the main event games begin at 7:45 when everyone is settled in.  Five bucks gets visitors a tablet of BINGO sheets equaling 12 games. Cash prizes range from $150 to $500. As the man with a voice like cold steel calls the numbers, a progressive hush falls over the crowd. Five squares left…ok…three squares left…now just two…come on – DADDY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF BOOTS!!!  Sorry…got a little carried away. Tell you the truth, I haven’t won a single game yet, and when you think about it, the odds really are sort of slim. That doesn’t matter though, because the rush of getting down to that last couple of squares you need for a blackout is certainly worth the price you pay. Even if the glory of screaming “BINGO!!!“ and flailing about like a schizoid Price is Right contestant is ripped from your grasp by the guy sitting across from you who just needed B7.

Reflecting on your roots is cathartic. If you don’t look back on where you’ve been every so often, it’s hard to see where you’re going. My desire to close the space between Houston sects, young and old, and the stories of my youth and the here-and-now of my present have finally been satiated a bit. All thanks to Thursday nights, SPJST Lodge 88 and doing something that feels like home. And BINGO is its name-o.

By Travis Jones | Photography by Daniel Ortiz

SANCTUARY
LATEST WASHINGTON UPSTART ISN’T LEAVING THINGS TO CHANCE
2420 washington ave, houston, tx 77007 | 713.861.7300 | www.sanctuaryhouston.com

Running a bar on Washington Avenue is like playing Russian Roulette. Some establishments with even the most mundane formulas can give it a spin and come up roses every single time by sheer luck of their location. By the same token, however, there are some spots that seem to drop entrepreneurial owners with seemingly great ideas like a sack of lead – simply due to chance. It would appear that the constant guessing game as to who the next tenant will be at 2420 Washington has finally come to an end though, as Sanctuary has put the proverbial revolver down in favor of a more mature and less messy game.

Sure, we had plenty of kudos for the previous tenant, Block 21, with its ornate and extravagant flair, but sometimes it takes a stronger horse to lead a lame one to pasture and Sanctuary gladly took the reins. A similar layout as before awaits patrons (high ceilings, spacious dance floor, elevated and plush couches lining the walls), but the devil and the difference are in the details.  Sanctuary makes no bones about the ambiance they are aiming for. The immense front room is all Miami, adorned in white and graced with clean lines and accented by green bamboo. The front bar is backlit in a cool, blue haze – the kind that can make a guy think he’s cooler than he actually is. Guilty.

Usually when places try to partition up their ambiance, they’ll stick some leopard print pillows and a plastic palm tree behind a curtain and call it the jungle room. Meanwhile, you’re still listening to the exact same music, sitting on the exact same chairs and still waiting on a drink just like before you got lost on the way to the bathroom. Sanctuary does a much better job. Through a back hallway, visitors can enter a completely different attitude in the decidedly Vegas back bar. Crushed velvet, crimson lighting and a change in soundtrack can make a guy forget about the real Sin City and the $1,000 mistake he made in June. (Never bet against the Lakers. Ever.) The service is tight and friendly wherever you find yourself inside Sanctuary. Everyone is given the VIP experience, so feel free to meander without fear of sideways glance or dirty look.

Sanctuary’s crowd is as hot as the all-American nightspots from which it borrows its motif. Bass-booming weekend nights are dress-to-impress and cater to a seasoned, upscale clientele with reservations and full bottle service. Sanctuary rests the strobe lights and frenetic tunes in favor of lower lighting and a more intimate feel on weeknights, but the upscale nature remains.

Sanctuary’s happy hour is sick, as the kids are saying nowadays. It runs all evening Tuesday and Wednesday, and consists of $2 off beer and cocktails, 25% off all bottles in their delectable wine selection and 25% off their gourmet, yet belly-filling fare. Sanctuary understands that a Tuesday and Wednesday happy hour is often just a tease for most working folk, so they run it back Thursday through Saturday nights from 8 to 10.

Ever wonder how great it must feel to play Russian Roulette and be the last guy at the table? Yeah…not really something I dwell on either, but if Washington Avenue is indeed a similarly great equalizer, then it’s clear that Sanctuary is refusing to rely upon sheer luck. Sanctuary would much rather rely on the hard work, class and attention to detail it takes to make it in Houston.

By Travis Jones

Photography  by Daniel Ortiz