As our sister blog Eating...Our Words does, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving you our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant, coffeehouse or live-music venue is fair game.
We think you should know that we're cheerily humming about that naughty ol' Mrs Robinson while writing this. Everyone likes cupcakes. And cougars.
One little confession to make, though. We may have stretched the definition of "bar" on this one a bit, but only in the sense that restaurant bars are on here. But still. Ignore the steaks being served around you and go straight for the liquid diet at those bars. You won't regret it.
10. HOWL AT THE MOON Look, we don't know why. We don't know how. All we know is that every time Rocks Off has gone to Howl at the Moon, we've been impressed by the fact that there are so many cougars on the prowl. Perhaps it's the massive 24-ounce "bone drinks," the even more massive 86-ounce buckets of booze, or the scroll-like list of shots and bombs that attract frat-aged prey, but something keeps this cougar den ripe for the picking.
612 Hadley, 713-658-9700, howlatthemoon.com
9. SAMBUCA A place with a drink named "Cougar Cool-Aid" and live music every night? Even if it wasn't filled to the brim with the Mrs. Robinson types, it would be worth a shot. But luckily, it is full of cougars on the hunt. Touted as a "rockin' dinner club," Sambuca is that, and so much more. These cougars are relatively harmless unless you're a handsome young gent, in which case you're on your own against those claws.
909 Texas, 713-224-5299, sambucarestaurant.com
8. 13 CELSIUS WINE BAR Wine bars make the best cougar hangouts, don'tcha know? 13 Celsius may be a major cougar den, but don't expect the kind of rowdy, attention-grabbing kind of antics you'll find at some other places on this list. The cougars at this little chill wine bar are of the refined sort, so put on your big-boy pants, comb your hair, and brush up on your wine-ordering skills to make sure you look like a good catch when you saunter up to the bar.
3000 Caroline, 713-529-8466, 13celsius.com
List continues on the next page.