Homesense opens today, Thursday, Nov. 19, at Baybrook Village, 1529 West Bay Area Blvd. in Webster, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tomorrow, Photos with Santa begins at Baybrook Mall's Center Court. That puts the start of holiday shopping season on two back-to-back days in Webster. Closer to home, the two newest restaurants in Friendswood opened this fall on W. Parkwood Ave., and one of their owners has already said what kind of night he built his restaurant for.
For a household in Sterling Creek, the gated community at FM 528 and Friendswood Lakes Blvd., this fall's openings fall into two groups. Dinner on a weeknight now has new options in Friendswood. The Webster side of the Bay Area added the smaller stops that go with a Baybrook trip: dessert, a burger, a game of pool. Knowing which group a place belongs to makes the season easier to plan.
The Next Five Weeks on One Calendar
Most of the dates below sit between today and Christmas Eve. They're laid out in order, so you can see which weeknights and weekends already have something on them.
| Date | What | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Homesense opening day | Baybrook Village, 1529 West Bay Area Blvd., Webster | 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Photos with Santa begins | Baybrook Mall, Center Court | Daily through Thu., Dec. 24 |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Pet Night with Santa begins | Baybrook Mall, Center Court | Mondays and Tuesdays, 4 to 7 p.m., through Tue., Dec. 15 |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Last Pet Night with Santa | Baybrook Mall, Center Court | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | Last day of Photos with Santa | Baybrook Mall, Center Court | Daily listing |
Pet Night is the date most likely to shape a weeknight. It runs only on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 4 to 7 p.m., so a family bringing the dog needs a free early evening on one of those two days before Dec. 15. That Monday or Tuesday evening is also when the question of dinner comes up, and this fall gave the answer a Friendswood address.
Parkwood Picked Up the Weeknight Table
Parkwood American Grille opened Sept. 1 at 2131 W. Parkwood Ave. Community Impact reported that it comes from the team behind Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, including owner Raz Halili and executive chef Joe Cervantez, who was previously head chef at Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland. The menu covers steak, Gulf seafood and pasta, plus mini Maine-style lobster rolls with caviar and a Parkwood burger made with wagyu beef.
The detail that matters for the holiday weeks is how the owner described the place. In the restaurant's release, as quoted by Community Impact, Halili said he wants Parkwood to be "an everyday restaurant," a place where guests can enjoy "a nice dinner" and "still make it their middle-of-the-week spot." That's a restaurant built for a Tuesday, and in December a Tuesday can also be a Pet Night with Santa evening in Webster that wraps up at 7 p.m.
The cocktail list leans seasonal without trying to. It includes the Parkwood Star, made with passion fruit and vanilla, and the Last Mango in Paris, a mojito-style drink topped with salted mango foam.
Three weeks after Parkwood American Grille opened, Good Good Thai Kitchen opened Sept. 21 at 146 W. Parkwood Ave. Community Impact reported a menu of fried rice, curry and noodle soups, desserts including sweet sticky rice and roti, and Thai beer, sake and wine. A bowl of noodle soup takes care of the other kind of December weeknight, the one where nobody wants to dress for dinner. The restaurant posts updates on its Facebook page.
Between them, these two restaurants cover both kinds of weeknight dinner on W. Parkwood Ave. The fall's Webster openings are a different kind of business, smaller stops that sit along the roads to Baybrook.
Webster's New Stops Line Up Along the Baybrook Errand
Look at the fall's Webster openings by address and they cluster on two roads a Baybrook trip already uses: West Bay Area Blvd. and the Gulf Freeway frontage. Homesense's new store at 1529 West Bay Area Blvd. now shares that road with two newer, smaller neighbors, and the Gulf Freeway picked up two openings within days of each other.
On West Bay Area Blvd.
- Homesense, 1529 West Bay Area Blvd., Baybrook Village. The home-goods store opens today, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Juicy Joint, 1806 W. Bay Area Blvd. Halal Wagyu burgers and gourmet hot dogs. The food truck began serving at this location in September and held its grand opening Oct. 17, according to Community Impact.
- Refresqueria, 2920 W. Bay Area Blvd., Ste. G. Desserts, aguas frescas, paletas and snacks. It soft-opened Oct. 3, Community Impact reported.
On the Gulf Freeway
- The Peach Cobbler Factory, 20911 Gulf Freeway, Ste. B. Cobblers, banana puddings, cinnamon rolls, shakes and cookies. It opened Oct. 3, per Community Impact.
- Woody's Hideaway, 20801 Gulf Freeway. A game bar with pool, golf simulators, darts, food and cocktails. It opened Oct. 5, Community Impact reported.
Two of those five are dessert shops, one is a burger truck, one is a game bar and one is a store. None of them is the kind of sit-down dinner reservation that would compete with Parkwood. They're what you add to a Baybrook trip: a paleta after the Santa line, a cobbler to take home after Homesense, a round on the golf simulator once the shopping bags are in the car.
The Peach Cobbler Factory and Woody's Hideaway opened two days apart, on Oct. 3 and Oct. 5, on the same stretch of Gulf Freeway. With dessert next to darts, one stop covers both halves of a group's Saturday afternoon.
One more name is coming to that freeway. Community Impact reported on Nov. 5 that Citizen Rec, an Australian-inspired café by day and pub by night, is set for 19403 Gulf Freeway, Ste. 400, in Webster. A daytime café would fill a gap in the list above, which is long on desserts and short on morning coffee.
Putting the Two Halves Together Through Dec. 24
The calendar, the Parkwood openings and the Webster stops fit into a few weeks that are easy to plan.
- Today, Thursday, Nov. 19. Homesense opens at 8 a.m. at Baybrook Village. Juicy Joint and Refresqueria are on the same road for lunch or a snack.
- Friday, Nov. 20, onward. Photos with Santa runs daily at Baybrook Mall's Center Court through Dec. 24. A weekend visit pairs with The Peach Cobbler Factory or Woody's Hideaway on the Gulf Freeway.
- Mondays and Tuesdays, Nov. 23 through Dec. 15. Pet Night with Santa runs 4 to 7 p.m. at Center Court. Since it ends by 7, there's still time for dinner back in Friendswood at Parkwood American Grille or Good Good Thai Kitchen.
- Weeknights without a Baybrook errand. Parkwood American Grille's owner described the restaurant as a "middle-of-the-week spot," and Good Good Thai Kitchen's curry and noodle soups cover the low-effort version of the same night.
- Tuesday, Dec. 15. Last Pet Night with Santa.
- Thursday, Dec. 24. Last day of Photos with Santa.
Pet Night is the only date on that list with a weekday rule, and it ends nine days before the regular Santa photos do. A household planning both has until Tuesday, Dec. 15, for the dog's photo and until Thursday, Dec. 24, for the family's.
New restaurants and storefronts are part of what makes a neighborhood feel like home, and they're also part of how a home is presented. At Living Vogue Real Estate, Lisa Marie Sanders follows openings like Parkwood American Grille and Good Good Thai Kitchen as closely as she follows the market. If you'd like to talk through what this fall's changes mean for your corner of Friendswood, Request a Complimentary Concierge Consultation.
