There was great rejoicing when Agricole Hospitality, proprietors of the estimable Coltivare, Revival Market and Eight Row Flint in the Heights, announced they finally were opening a place in Montrose. They've turned the former Lowbrow space on West Main at Mandell into Night Heron, a serious bar with a suitable food menu.

And yes, there is a burger, as is only right and proper at a drinking establishment. Come along and meet it, because it's a keeper.

PRICE: $15 for the smoked cheddar 44 Farms burger with curry masala potatoes. No, it's not cheap … but stay with me here.

ORDERING: Table service only. Find a table inside or outdoors on the tree-shaded dining deck, and order a draft beer, a well-crafted cocktail or a house-made soda to go with your burger. The hospitable staff will bring your food.

ARCHITECTURE: Salad stuff on the bottom. On an aggressively seeded "everything roll" goes a healthy swipe of roasted lemon aioli, some leaf lettuce, slice of salty/sour pickle and some thinly sliced red onion crescents. Next comes the half-inch beef patty, a melted mantle of smoked cheddar cheese and more of that lemony aioli.

QUALITY: "Damn, it's good," is the first thing I jotted in my notes. The full-flavored beef here is from 44 Farms, and the patty gets a charry, crunchy, salty sear on the grill that amplifies the smokiness of the sharp Dutch cheddar. ("The smoked cheddar is from Holland, and it's the most expensive ingredient on our menu," my server confided.)

More Information Night Heron Where: 1601 W. Main When: 2 p.m.-midnight Mondays, Wednesdays-Thursdays; 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays; 11 a.m.-midnight Sundays Details: 713-527-8010; agricolehospitality.com/night-heron

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He hadn't asked how I wanted my meat cooked, so I was happy to find it nicely medium-pink in the center, not relentlessly well-done. What tied the whole stack together was the roasted lemon aioli, a fluffy wonder that both sharpened and soothed the various flavors and textures. That sounds contradictory, but I swear it wasn't.

My sole criticism of this excellent burger specimen was the poufiness of the "everything" bun. I loved the crunch and festive mosaic of the red and black seeds, but in the end, there was a little too much bread on top to make for a harmonious bread/meat ratio.

OOZE FACTOR: No splooshing forth, but the patty was juicy inside.

LETTER GRADE: A. Only the bun bulk kept it from an A-plus.

BONUS POINTS: Insanely delicious fried new potatoes that looked like Icelandic topography: all deep fissures and high, bronzed ridges and round-rock curves. These potatoes crackled when you bit into them, then gave way to a soft interior. A dusting of Masaman curry spices made the flavor as lively as the textures. And house-made ketchup on the side had the allure of a supercharged chili sauce. It made me take back every mean thing I've ever said about house-made ketchups.

BONUS BONUS POINTS: Exceptional cocktails are a big draw. Try the tart, refreshing margarita on the rocks, made special with Sotol, grapefruit, a little bit of egg white to silken the texture, and a faint, haunting note of vanilla on the end.

Or have what must be the world's most voluptuous Tom Collins variant as a dessert drink. General manager/bar whiz Julie Rogers, who has been transplanted to Night Heron from behind the Coltivare bar, puts a smooth, almond-flavored grappa into the gin base, then fluffs it up with foamy lemon-and-lime curd, tints it with hibiscus molasses, and sparkles it with soda. It's made for a Houston spring and summer. Or for weekend brunch.

LOCAL COLOR: Night Heron already is popular with young and old Montrose alike. T-shirted guys, professor types from De Menilia and dog-walking women throng the patio in early evening. Yes, it's dog-friendly. And dove-friendly, too: there's a mama dove nesting in the tree that dapples the deck with shade.