Photos by Katharine ShilcuttCatherine Duwez rushed through the doors of Sophia nearly an hour late. She carried boxes and bags of food with her, and although she looked eminently stressed, she still glowed with the passion of a restaurant proprietress who has entered her domain. A round of applause went up from every table and Duwez glowed with a happy light before quickly making her way into the kitchen. Although the restaurant, Sophia, didn't belong to her and the atmosphere was decided
Photos by J.C. ReidWhen Cafe Montrose closed late last year without notice or explanation, many Houston food lovers chalked it up to the slow economy and the general malaise following Hurricane Ike's landfall. The general consensus was they'd just be closed a few weeks, ride out some tough times, maybe do some much-needed sprucing up, then re-open to great fanfare. Then weeks turned into months, and the "temporarily closed" sign was replaced by a landlord's notice that the locks had been changed
