Email Author Mitchell J. Shields

1997 Stories by Mitchell J. Shields

• New Faces, Old Dance

  published December 11, 1997

  Give the Houston Ballet credit for this: At the two recent performances of The Nutcracker that I saw, the children in the audience seemed to be... More >>

• Happy Feet

  published November 13, 1997

  Sitting in a small office in the University of Houston's Melcher Gymnasium, Robert Henry Johnson looks like a slightly naughty child. He's... More >>

• A Partial Eclipse

  published September 11, 1997

  You have to give Ben Stevenson points for courage. In premiering his new short ballet Eclipse, he could have stacked the program in its favor,... More >>

• On the Road

  published September 11, 1997

  The first time I encountered a true Texas roadhouse was in the mid-'70s, during a grueling car trip from Atlanta to Los An-geles. Late into the... More >>

• Dish

  published September 11, 1997

  Wrap a Lot If you've been perusing such culinary journals as Restaurant Business, then you already know that the people who spend their... More >>

• Just Desserts

  published July 31, 1997

  A few years back, Tennessee novelist Jesse Hill Ford wrote a magazine article about an old family friend who always began his meals by eating... More >>

• Final Curtain

  published June 19, 1997

  As if any more proof was required, the Houston Ballet's current revival of Don Quixote shows just how consistent a company artistic director Ben... More >>

• Fit for a Fiddle

  published June 19, 1997

  At times, people may not know that what they're seeing is a musical phenomenon. At other times, though, there are clues, and the clue in the late... More >>

• Dish

  published June 12, 1997

  Cook's Choice The first time I wandered into the Maru Grocery, I did so out of simple curiosity. I had just sated myself at the nearby Cafe... More >>

• Cuban Comfort

  published June 12, 1997

  The first name is clearly Italian. The last name is clearly French. And the look, as anyone who's spent any time in diners can attest, is clearly... More >>

• Wrap It Up

  published May 22, 1997

  I admit that it took me a while to warm up to Mission Burritos. And I'll further admit that I seem to be alone in this. Almost everyone I speak to... More >>

• Piano Man

  published May 15, 1997

  When the name David Helfgott comes up in the conversation, Leif Ove Andsnes pauses. Granted, hearing the pause isn't easy; the Norwegian piano... More >>

• Roll with It

  published May 1, 1997

  Sometimes, for a restaurant to work, all it needs is one standout dish, something that, no matter what you think about the other offerings, you'll... More >>

• The Girl in the Glasses

  published April 24, 1997

  If you're looking for yet more evidence of just how isolated America is from the rest of the world -- and how desperate the rest of the world is... More >>

• Irish Ayes

  published April 3, 1997

  Let's get the obvious out of the way at the very beginning: The Irish may be admired for many things -- their literature, their music, their gift... More >>

• From Start to Finish

  published January 16, 1997

  I was certain that someone in the kitchen had made a horrible mistake. I'd ordered dessert; what was placed in front of me looked more like... More >>

• Dish

  published January 16, 1997

  Soup's On It would be hard to imagine better weather for Temple Emanu El's Fourth Annual Chicken Soup Cook-off than what we've been having.... More >>