Email Author J.W. Crooker

2002 Stories by J.W. Crooker

• Chicago Oasis

  published December 26, 2002

  The girl of my dreams spent as much time leaving as she did coming. She'd been gone for only a few hours, but the pain of her absence was killing... More >>

• Modified Milkshake

  published December 19, 2002

  Whoever thought of drinking gin and milk at the same time must have been drunk. I almost fell off my barstool at Los Tios (14006 Memorial Drive,... More >>

• Up All Night

  published December 5, 2002

  "They come early and they come late," says the regular sitting next to me at Clayton's Restaurant and Club (198 North Sam Houston Parkway East,... More >>

• A Dark and Stormy Night

  published November 28, 2002

  The night was rainy and the streets of downtown were nearly deserted. I parked my heap at Old Market Square and ambled across to Warren's Inn (307... More >>

• Dating Hazard

  published November 21, 2002

  By their very nature, blind dates are supposed to entail a certain amount of surprise. So I waited and waited and waited in the reception area of... More >>

• Ready to Rock

  published November 14, 2002

  It was a night like no other at the Next Door Art Gallery (2020 Waugh Drive, 713-520-1712). A band called Felix Madison was playing Zeppelin to... More >>

• Front Page News

  published November 7, 2002

  Otilia's (7710 Long Point, 713-681-7203) is a media darling. In fact, the restaurant lists its newspaper accolades on the first page of its menu.... More >>

• The Marrying Kind

  published October 31, 2002

  It may not be Four Farthings, but Cahill's on Durham (903 Durham, 713-864-9400) does a hell of a job making transplanted Chicagoans feel at home.... More >>

• Designer Drinks

  published October 24, 2002

  In the afternoon they answer the phone "Duke's," as in Duke of Hollywood, the tailor shop that's been holding its own downtown since the '30s. But... More >>

• Fish Tales

  published October 17, 2002

  Legend has it that the two brothers who opened St. Pete's Dancing Marlin (300 Main, 713-227-1511) funded it by reeling in a really big fish. First... More >>

• Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz

  published October 10, 2002

  The line of people coming out of the Continental Club had us peering through the windows to catch Billy Joe Shaver and Kinky Friedman on stage.... More >>

• Come'N Ride the Train

  published October 3, 2002

  For a shot-and-a-beer kind of place, the Roll'N Saloon (4200 San Felipe, 713-622-7487) goes through a hell of a lot of Grey Goose vodka. Of... More >>

• The Art of the Drink

  published September 26, 2002

  It was a hoity-toity affair, an opening celebration of the city's visual arts scene on the Terrace at the acclaimed Warwick Hotel (5701 Main... More >>

• Miami Vice

  published September 19, 2002

  For lovers of smoky, windowless, hole-in-the-wall dives, the Spot (1732 West 18th, 713-864-4485) rules. A crowd of regulars was hanging out along... More >>

• Time Warp

  published September 12, 2002

  It's clear from the sign out front that the Old San Francisco Steak House (8611 Westheimer, 713-783-5990) is in a time warp. But I still can't... More >>

• Just a Little Nip and Tuck

  published September 5, 2002

  The cars seem to never go away. At first I thought it was some kind of opening celebration that went on for weeks and weeks. But apparently,... More >>

• Dream a Little Dreamcicle

  published August 29, 2002

  There's something exotic about drink menus from Las Vegas -- especially when they're sitting on the bar at the Rickshaw (2810 Westheimer,... More >>

• A Different Shade of Blue

  published August 22, 2002

  "Blue Jeans and Business Cards" was the name of the happy hour held a few weeks ago at the ultra-hip Seven Lounge (2002 Bagby, no. 103,... More >>

• The Wayback Machine

  published August 15, 2002

  I'm not sure if it was the number of patrons with long hair and beards, the sunken room layout or the cover band belting out Jimi Hendrix tunes,... More >>

• A Toast to Julia and Paul

  published August 8, 2002

  In the latest issue of Gourmet magazine, I read that Julia Child's late husband, Paul, enjoyed concocting cocktails almost as much as his... More >>

• It Ain't Easy Being Green

  published August 1, 2002

  It was Monday night, and my kidneys were aching from my drinking all weekend. The last thing I needed was fast food or a chicken-fried steak... More >>

• Chiaroscuro at Churrascos

  published July 25, 2002

  The rain was coming down in buckets when we left the Latin American Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, but we managed to stay dry enough to... More >>

• The Scent of Sunscreen

  published July 11, 2002

  It was almost midnight, and the movie had just let out at the River Oaks Theatre. I was damned if I was going home to broken air conditioners and... More >>

• Near-Perfect

  published July 4, 2002

  It's Saturday evening at the elegant Lancaster Hotel (701 Texas Ave., 713-228-9500), and the dining room is all set for the theater crowd. With... More >>

• Nothing Fancy

  published June 20, 2002

  It was a scorching late afternoon, and my day had been filled with rejection. I needed a drink, but more important, I needed a cool, dark place... More >>