The idea was originally to open a high-end butcher shop where customers knew the source of their meat and could rest easy knowing that their dinner centerpiece came from stock that was cared for with respect prior to its ultimate sacrifice. Chef Ryan Pera (formerly at The Grove) and Morgan Weber (Revival Meats) have developed Revival Market (Heights Blvd. at White Oak) as just that, but it has turned into much more, too.

The first thing you’ll see when coming in the front door is fresh baked bread from Slow Dough Bread Co., which delivers breads and rolls twice a day to the store. To the left is a sleek coffee bar, and in between are shelves of honey, jams, flour and even vinegar that has been “grown” by Pera’s family for decades.  The idea for Revival Market is quite simple: locally produced, everyday grocery items for you to grab and go. The limited selection — mostly just one type of each item — is comforting and eliminates the modern grocery paradox of choice. Local honey from Alvin is great, but try honey that is even more local: At Revival Market the honey is harvested from combs buzzing just a few blocks away in the same Heights neighborhood. Fresh, beautiful Martha Stewart-worthy eggs are stacked the refrigerated cases a few feet away from Texas-made cheeses collected by the Houston Dairy Maids. Texas olive oils, jams and sorghum syrup and locally grown and ground baking grains deck the shelves, ready for you to go home and turn into muffins, bread or whatever your heart desires to bake. Prepared grab-and-go sandwiches made with house-cured meats — they pair nicely with Revival’s handcrafted sodas — make for a fine lunch and are generally priced under $10.

Besides boasting Houston’s first retail dry-curing room, which is designed in such a sleek manner that it is a showcase for hanging pork haunches and Revival Meat’s other well-known charcuterie, there is an array of prepared food. The guys have already contracted with area farmers to raise heirloom turkeys for the Thanksgiving harvest.  (Be sure to watch SideDish, as we’ll let you know when they are ready to order.) Another Houston favorite is also featured at the market: cookies, cupcakes, and more by Fluff Bake Bar pastry princess Rebecca Masson.

Revival Meats hopes to open their doors on Monday (March 21), so if you’re in the area, stop by and see everything for yourself. If you want to take a virtual peek at the retail/restaurant space, click here to view a few photos I snapped during my preview visit.

Revival Market, 550 Heights (at White Oak), 713-880-8463 www.revivalmarket.com