Another Westheimer Restaurant Shutters; Roots Dunzo

Roots Bistro served its final meal Thursday night. As CultureMap reported, the investor "pulled the rug out from under the enterprise" and plans to take the restaurant in a different direction than the locally sourced, vegetable focused menu that had defined the concept. The restaurant's history had been mired by controversy, with original chef German Mosquera fired shortly after receiving a two-star review from Chronicle critic Alison Cook and a manager's decision to make a domestic violence joke on the restaurant's sign attracting national publicity.

Roots's closure marks the fourth high-profile shuttering on Westheimer in recent months; it joins Belgian restaurant Jeannine's Bistro, Feast (closing Friday, hurry!), and Midtown's Sushi Raku. Is it possible that Montrose's high-flying restaurant scene has cooled even as the Heights and downtown Houston have taken off? Either way, one benefit: no more having to overenunciate the words "Roost" and "Roots" when talking about the two different, but very similarly named, restaurants.

· A Buzzed-Over Houston Restaurant Suddenly Closes: Investor Pulls the Plug on Top Chef [CultureMap]
· All Roots Bistro coverage on Eater Houston [-EHOU-]
· All The Shutter on Eater Houston [-EHOU-]

The sign isn't about the closing, but it seems appropriate [Roots Bistro/Facebook]