Down House Patron Kicked Out Over a Tweet

Twitter was all, well...atwitter Sunday evening and Monday morning as the story of Allison Matsu's ejection from Down House, one of the newest restaurant/bar/coffeehouses in the Heights, unfolded online.

The basics of the story: Matsu, an avid tweeter who won a Houston Press Web award for "best late night twitterer," was out enjoying a beer or two (an Allagash to be exact) at Down House with a friend when she overheard a bartender mention Bobby Heugel, a prominent Houston bartender and restaurateur. Matsu told Eater, "I tweeted that I heard the bartender behind the bar at Downhouse quoting Heugel. I said he was a twerp and used #jerkoff."

Matsu also added, "I didn't like that he was talking to other employees right in front of customers about a man that is a pioneer."

Down House general manager, Forrest DeSpain, saw the tweet (he runs the account for Down House) and immediately went into defense mode. In an interview with Eating Our Words, DeSpain said, "I immediately called up here and talked to her for a few minutes and asked her if she had any kinder words."

But Matsu says DeSpain called up the restaurant and, "asked to speak to me, he went on to verbally assault me and tell me to leave."

Word is that the Down House has since blocked Matsu's account on Twitter and Matsu makes it no secret how she feels about DeSpain, tweeting, "I will NEVER return to that place as long as Forrest still works there."

Moral of the story? Think before you tweet, and don't insult the bartenders at Down House on Twitter until you've already left the place.

· @AllisonHiromi [Twitter]
· Restaurant Ejects Diner for Tweeting While Eating [Eating Our Words]
· All Down House Coverage on Eater Houston [EHTX]
Photo: [EHTX]