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Openings & Closings: New Locations Coming Soon for Torchy's and BB's

Attention all you Torchy's Tacos fans who aren't fans of the parking situation at the current location on Shepherd: The Austin-based taco shop is opening a second location in the Heights on 19th Street, in the spot formerly occupied by Harold's. Is there any restaurant that isn't opening a location in the Heights these days?!

Oh, wait -- here's one: BB's Café is opening a fourth (!) location in Greenway Plaza next month. It doesn't seem like it's been nearly five years since the first BB's opened in Montrose, but owner Brooks Bassler has achieved great success with his mini-empire of Cajun restaurants in that time, having opened outposts in the Heights (see what I just said?) and downtown.

The new BB's Café will have room for 110 guests, with lot and garage parking available. It will also offer a full bar and fresh oyster bar, with plans to be open Sundays through Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to midnight and Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Back to the Heights, as usual, the Houston Business Journal reports that new French restaurant Salé-Sucré is now open. "Philippe Harel and his wife Béline are the husband-wife entrepreneurial duo behind Salé-Sucré," writes Greg Barr, "the city's newest crêperie tucked away in the former White Oak Bakery in the fast-growing restaurant row in The Heights on White Oak near Studewood."

And speaking of crepes... The recently opened Sweet Paris Crêperie & Cafe is already expanding its hours to include breakfast service starting today. From now on, the cafe will open at 8 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The cafe still plans to close at 10 p.m. each day.

In addition to made-to-order crêpes -- both sweet and savory -- Sweet Paris will have espresso and coffee on hand as well as Mexican hot chocolate and spicy chai latte for those who aren't caffeine addicts, and a must-try frozen Nutella hot chocolate. Can winter please come soon?

Also in Rice Village, Red Mango has finally finished its conversion to a fully self-service store.

Way out west at Westheimer and Fondren, there's a new Turkish restaurant in town: Nazif's Turkish Grill & Deli, which is already featuring an extensive menu of Turkish favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At breakfast, check out menemen or a traditional Turkish bagel. For lunch, you'll want to get acquainted with Turkish flatbreads such as pide and lahmacun -- trust me.

And down south in Pasadena, check out a series of revitalized properties known as The Silver Sycamore: The Tearoom is located in a cottage built in 1930 and features a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts. The Coffee House is in a nearby house, also historic and now-renovated, and offers both coffee and freshly-baked goodies as well as items from local suppliers. And if you happen to feel like staying, there's even a bed and breakfast on-site.



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Katharine Shilcutt