For the third time in her storied 20-year career, celebrated Houston chef and restaurateur Monica Pope left behind a landmark local eatery in its prime to chart a new culinary adventure - a fresh start that is a result of Pope's continually evolving dialog with food, family and community. August 14, 2012 served as the debut and reveal of Sparrow Bar + Cookshop, a back-to-basics concept that replaced t'afia, a venue that not only catapulted Pope to national recognition with a James Beard Best Chef nomination and "Top Chef Masters" appearance, but also served as a gathering place and incubator for devotees of her mantra: eat where your food lives. From cooking classes and impromptu Friday lunches to the city's first contemporary community driven farmer's market, t'afia acted as the heart and soul of Houston's current dining renaissance and given a distinct voice and tone to its cuisine.

Although Pope is sentimental about t'afia and was respectful of the sentiments of longtime customers, she embraced the changes, which closely coincided with a milestone 50th birthday and upcoming launch of a second book: "Eating Hope." A new freedom, partially reflected in a logo of an empty birdcage with bars bent open, speaks volumes in a more free-flowing and easily sharable menu that often activates guest interaction in the final composition of dishes. And while the sparrow intimates an edginess and non-conformity that has both paralleled and parlayed her career, the juxtaposition of the symbols is consistent with Pope's current space as wife and mother eager to reach new audiences in an environment that is less formal, more playful and open to the interpretation and needs of customers. Effectively, it closes the gap with Beaver's, her tongue-in-cheek, elevated ice house and BBQ concept on Houston's Washington Corridor, yet still provides a showcase for food with serious chops.

"At Sparrow, I am cooking the things I would make at home for my family and friends - fresh, unpretentious and full of flavor. I want people to stop by without a reason or reservation, but we'll certainly accommodate that too," said Pope.

While Boulevard Bistrot, which earned Pope the distinction of being the first Texas woman to be named a Top 10 Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine, took Pope a few blocks down Houston's Montrose Boulevard from her first business, The Quilted Toque, Sparrow finds its story in the intimate, 1940s-era warehouse building at 3701 Travis Street, where t'afia was born and helped to re-gentrify a now bustling neighborhood. Exhaustively transformed over a fortnight, the space is an often whimsical and modern homage to the namesake medieval cookshops that serviced the takeaway food needs of visitors and locals, who didn't have access to kitchens for monetary or safety reasons.

Designed and installed by Houston's installationsantiques, the soft industrial scheme plays off the themes of light and dark, taking advantage of the concrete floor and exposed orange brickwork, while incorporating pops of vibrant red and a host of salvaged and repurposed materials, including steel wainscoting, chairs laminated in walnut and cherry, antique columns from Paris, Texas supporting a community table and a wait service station created from an antique butcher block that originated in San Antonio. A major change in the flow of the restaurant comes via way of a large bar. The focal point just off the entrance encompasses a base sheathed in perforated metal that was once the floor of a grain bin and top fashioned from reclaimed Houston live oak.

According to Jur van der Oord of installationsantiques, which has also been involved with the interiors of several nationally noted, Houston-based ventures such as Revival Market and Anvil bar & refuge, "Our overt nod to Monica's farm-to-table sensibility came into play with the rusted, powder coated tables that integrate wheels from discarded farming equipment."

His partner Becki van der Oord in conjunction with local branding firm Primer Grey collaborated on the curation of Sparrow, including to-go bags emblazoned with the phrase "eat like no one's watching" plus standout staff attire that pairs handmade, distressed leather welding aprons from Stash Co of Sealy, TX, blue suede Red Wing boots, dark chocolate Dickies and gingham or chambray shirts. The team's hope is that each visit will present new and unexpected discoveries for guests.

Beyond the dining room, Sparrow calls with one of the city's most charming patios. The tree and canopy-shaded space features a community table, and eye-catching fixtures and lighting, all of which echo the soft industrial look of the interior.