Houston Bar Moving Sidewalk Returns for Two Nights as a Galveston Pop-Up Event – Houston

The Pineapple Parlor at Daiquiri Time Out (DTO) in Galveston. Photo by Dima Velyush.

Alex Gregg, best known in Houston as co-owner of Moving Sidewalk, one of a flurry of high-profile bars that, for a time, brought life and fun to previously empty storefronts around Congress and Main Street. Moving Sidewalk shuttered in 2018. On August 13 and August 20, Gregg is hosting a revival pop-up amusingly called “First Floor Elevator” in The Pineapple Parlor at Daiquiri Time Out (DTO), located at 2701 Market in Galveston. Reservations are available online for night one and night two of the pop-up. Seating times range from 6 to 10:30 p.m.

Those driving to Galveston from elsewhere can take advantage of discounted rooms at Hotel Lucine at 1002 Seawall for the nights of the pop-up. Use code “pineapple” when booking for a reduced rate of $140. 

For Gregg, hosting these events in Galveston is akin to revisiting his roots, as he graduated from Ball High School. He’s collaborating with DTO owner Brad Stringer and his staff to create updated versions of seven memorable Moving Sidewalk cocktails. 

“I’ve always been a huge fan of the DTO bar and team. Being from Galveston, it’s awesome to see the how they have helped ‘The Island’ up its beverage game through high-quality cocktails and personalized service. Its an honor to be able to come back to my hometown and work with this talented crew.”

Examples include Anna Nicole Smith, which, at Moving Sidewalk, incorporated a layer frozen with liquid nitrogen to transform a White Lady cocktail into a Corpse Reviver No. 2. For the DTO pop-up, Gregg has renamed the drink Fuck, Marry, Kill and is replacing the gin with Banana Maggie banana rum, and swapping in housemade falernum for curaçao. Rise Above, previously made with blackstrap rum, lime, piloncillo, egg white and ginger beer, has been reformed into Fix Me with house-spiced rum, lime, tonka bean turbinado, aquafaba (chickpea water, which is taking the place of the egg white as a thickening agent) and ginger. 

That said, Moving Sidewalk’s Harvey Wallbanger, a pristine version with clarified orange juice, cardamom and Galliano foam, needs no edits. There’s also A Night at the Floridita with the tantalizing description, “See server for details”. 

There is no cover charge for the event, and cocktails will be a flat-fee of $15 each. Beer (or cider)-and-shot combos, such as Zombie Mix alongside Austin Eastciders Pineapple Cider or rum served with an IPA, will cost $12 each. Reservations for booths — which seat a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 — and select bar seating will be limited to 1.25-hour time slots. Walk-ins are also welcomed at the bar top. DTO’s full menu will be available in the main bar during the pop-up. 

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.