Long before there was Anvil, there was a local spot that served cocktails made with spirits, fresh-squeezed juice and mint. Years before Haven opened, there was a restaurant that grew its own herbs, used vegetables fresh from the farmers’ market and sought out locally-raised meats.

That place was T’afia, and its owner/chef was Monica Pope, who has received many accolades throughout her career. She is the only Texas woman to ever be named a Top 10 Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine. That was in 1996. In 2007, she was a James Beard Award Nominee for Best Chef: Southwest. She was named 2009’s Best Chef at My Table’s Houston Culinary Awards. And 2010 was the year that Pope got the most national attention when she competed on Top Chef: Masters, winning $5,000 for Recipe for Success , a Houston non-profit organization that focuses on hands-on nutrition education for kids.

Despite all the success and the accolades, Pope decided earlier this year that it was time for a reinvention. Time to burn it all down and start fresh. Well, it wasn’t really all burned down; that’s figurative, although her striped apron was actually set ablaze as a symbolic gesture. Perhaps creativity, like a forest, benefits from a small fire from time to time. It kills detritus and encourages new growth.

The new creature poised to fly is named Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. Gone are the center booths that divided the dining room. Stand-alone tables with farm equipment as bases have replaced them. Along the back wall is a beautiful baker’s rack of reclaimed wood and metal, and golden lamps made from recycled wire trays hang from the ceiling.

The aesthetics are really just a natural extension of T’afia – or perhaps T’afia answering a higher calling. The cocktail program and food seem to also be on a higher plane than before. Anyone familiar with Pope’s commitment to local food, community and the environment would expect that those tenets remain in place at Sparrow, and indeed they do.

For all that is similar to T’afia, the flavors now seem bolder and more pronounced. They make more of an impact. I was thrilled with my cocktail. It used Tequila Ocho Blanco, one of my favorite spirits in the world. Sparrow put this fine tequila to good use by adding a healthy dose of tangy tamarind and rimming the glass with chili, sugar and salt.

There is a well-curated variety of other fine things to drink, too, like whiskey, Port, Madeira and sake, as well as 11 other featured cocktails.

Far and away, my absolute favorite dish at a recent tasting was Burrata & Pickled Kabocha Squash. It is one of the most interesting, creative dishes I have had this year. The kabocha squash lent a sturdy background to sensuously creamy burrata, while the treviso (a type of radicchio) and sundried tomato-walnut relish turned it into a party of flavor and texture. It’s $15, and I don’t care. Just get it.

The shiitake mushroom dumplings just barely missed celestial status due to a little grit in the dish, probably from the mushrooms. (We had a similar experience with a mushroom dish at Roots not too long ago.) Otherwise, it drew many raves at our table. Its sauce of blue cheese, honey and mascarpone was an unexpected compliment to the mushrooms. There was a judicious hand used with the honey; I would not have wanted it a bit sweeter. It plays delightfully with blue cheese, and the flavor combination is a modern classic.

I’m intrigued by the current savory macaroon experiment that Pope is working on. She’s teamed up with Jackie Burdisso of Maison Burdisso, who is producing savory macaroons for Sparrow, such as beet with white pepper and balsamic. Pope serves them with an accompaniment – in our case, a fried squash blossom. I could not believe how well the crispy, salty treat went with the macaroons.

The menu has plenty of choices, and I think everyone needs to just go for themselves, check out the overhaul and try a few dishes. There are dishes for the adventurous and comfort food for those seeking the familiar. Consider it a “nice” dinner place, although it’s got a “come as you are” vibe. A typical dinner at Sparrow will run about $50 (before beverages, tax and tip) if you get a bar bite, small plate, big plate and dessert.

The time for reinvention could not be better. T’afia had become overshadowed by newer restaurants with similar concepts. As a friend and I recently discussed, when it seems like every third place inside the Loop is “farm to table,” how does one stand out?

The natural evolution of T’afia into Sparrow Bar + Cookshop has gotten everyone’s attention. May the continuing creativity of its chef help it grow to a fine old age.

SPARROW BAR + COOKSHOP, 3701 Travis just north of Alabama, 713-524-6922, sparrowhouston.com.