THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sparrow Bar + Cookshop

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sparrow Bar + Cookshop Restaurant Review:

After ten years, chef Monica Pope closed her T’afia restaurant in Midtown, but within two weeks she reopened it as Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. The interior is vastly different, much more relaxed and inviting. Designed and installed by Jur van der Oord of InstallationsAntiques, it has a soft industrial look: concrete floor; exposed orange brick walls; reclaimed odds and ends like the antique columns from Paris, Texas, that support the rough wood community table; a wait service station made from a San Antonio antique butcher block. An enlarged bar serves craft cocktails and offers a nice wine list, and, fortunately, the cooking is of the same quality foodies have come to expect from Pope. The seasonal menu reflects the bounty of local farms and ranches as well as Pope’s farm-to-fork sensibility, only now, it's served via plates ideal for sharing. The appetizer list is extensive, but the “Date with a Pig” --- a sweet date wrapped in bacon with spicy chorizo --- is a big hit, as are the chickpea fries with red curry ketchup. Proteins, like the semi-boneless quail and the flat-iron steak with blossom butter, are served solo so you can choose your sides. We recommend the yellow corn grits peppered with black-eyed peas. There are plenty of vegan dishes, too, as well as some fine desserts. Bar bites and cocktails are served until midnight Tuesdays through Saturdays.