When Agricole Hospitality — led by executive chef Ryan Pera, Morgan Weber and Vincent Huynh — took over the former Lowbrow space at 1601 West Main and renamed it Night Heron, they started with a heavy focus on cocktails, small plates and late-night hours. However, after not quite connecting with the neighborhood in the way intended, the owners have changed the concept to be less like a bar, less late-night and more like their original, most successful restaurant: Coltivare in the Heights. It’s apparently a case of, “Give the people what they want.” The owners said via press release that “guests have been treating [Night Heron] as a restaurant—ordering full meals at traditional meal times and flocking to special events like Wine and Pasta night.”

Jonathan Pittman, who most recently worked at Coltivare, has taken the chef de cuisine role at Night Heron to guide it through its retooling. Prior to joining Agricole Hospitality, he worked for seven years at now-closed The Pass & Provisions. While the intent is to bring some of Coltivare’s dishes to Montrose — including the wildly popular cacio e pepe — Pittman says, “we’ll also stay true to ourselves and the Montrose neighborhood.” In addition to these big changes, which are already taking shape, Night Heron will open for lunch in approximately six months.

Since Night Heron doesn’t have a pizza oven like Coltivare does, it is bringing Italian flair by offering focaccia, as well as housemade pasta. Other new additions include Pepper-Roasted 44 Farms Sirloin with braised radicchio and chicken saltimbocca. On the other hand, the most popular old Night Heron menu offerings such as chicken frites and the smoked Gouda burger are staying.

To have more options to pair with the dishes, general manager Danny Kirgan is expanding the wine list. According to the press release, “the wine list will have an Old World backbone, focused on but not limited to Italian wines.”

Agricole Hospitality is also reworking the décor and furnishings over time. Some of the couches are being removed to make room for more dining tables and a new window will be installed to let in more light and make the dining room more bistro-like.

Night Heron is currently open for dinner and brunch and closed on Mondays. The hours are from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. all weekend.

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.