Houston Restaurant Guide

When 62-year old Elena "Mama" Lopez opened a small Mexican restaurant in 1949 at 1403 Nance, she christened it the Last Concert Cafe to signify this would be her last endeavor.Lopez, a fragile-looking woman whose photograph hangs in a corner of the restaurant, died in 1985, at the age of 95. But as for the cafe itself, the last concert may be a long time coming.Every night, the place throbs with live music ranging from gentle folk to gritty rhythm and blues. In addition, the cafe serves lunch to a crowd that includes burly workers from the warehoused district and corporate executives from downtown.