French-Inspired, Insta-Worthy Sophie Lights Up Montrose

French-Inspired, Insta-Worthy Sophie Lights Up Montrose

'The Swan' at Sophie (photo by Shawn Chippendale)

JUST IN TIME for the Paris games, Sophie Cocktail & Terrace Bar has bowed in the Montrose Collective joining neighbors Marmo and nearby Uchi.


Local entrepreneur, globetrotter, and “tastemaker’” Ashley Muncie channels her experience living in Paris into this stylish new cocktail bar, lounge and terrace. Her aim with the two-story space is to capture the essence of the French Riviera with chic design touches at every turn including dark red lacquer walls and soft pink accents.

Ashley Muncie (photo by Alex Montoya)

Designed by EAMStudio, the intimate 20-seat cocktail bar hidden behind a velvet curtain puts on the ritz with floral and animal prints and velvet club chairs, oversized glass chandeliers, and paintings by French artist Phlippine de Richemont. Upstairs, anticipate a playful terrace with live music and a plant-filled outdoor patio withmultiple seating vignettes for up to 80 guests.

Although the concept is heavy on scene and fancy cocktails, the French-inspired food menu by chef de cuisine Anthony Anderson, an Uchi alum, has something for everyone. Caviar graces fettuccine with lemon butter as well as the Thon Cru – marinated yellowfin tuna and saffron potato. There’s a Sophie burger with gruyere and a wide selection of cheese and wild game charcuterie. Even more Frenchified is the weekend brunch. Grab those cameras: The Swan, which appears to be floating as all beautiful swans do, is an artistic pistachio cake with pistachio sable and raspberry confit.

But cocktails take the cake. In feminine style, Scent of a Rose is crafted with Kettle One Rose and grapefruit vodka, rose syrup, lemon, elderflower, and sparkling rosé. Other options include domestic and French wines, house-curated shots, an upstairs seasonal spritz menu, and signature “experiential” cocktails offered downstairs.

“Sophie is a destination to gather with friends for a long afternoon of cocktails and bites on the terrace, a post-dinner nightcap, and everything in between,” said Ashley Muncie in a press release.

Santé!

Cocktails at Sophie

Fettucine at Sophie (photo by Shawn Chippendale)

Food

Kristy Bradshaw, Kelley Lubanko, Phoebe Tudor

ONE OF SPRINGTIME'S most lovely events — the annual Hats in the Park luncheon, served up in a beautifully tented space at Hermann Park’s McGovern Centennial Gardens — was more spectacular than ever. Thanks, weather, for the crisp, blue-sky day!

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Bluebonnets at Buffalo Bayou Park (photo by Kelli Durham)

NATURE’S VISUAL SPLENDOR has pushed up from the soil and pretty petals are on display around Texas through April. You don’t have to travel far to catch the beauty while getting fresh air and celebrating spring. Pack up the car with perhaps a picnic and hit the road!

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment