Alison Cook

This Week In Food Blogs: Landry's Lawsuits and All-Day Sunday Funday in Sugar Land

Eater Houston: Congratulations are in order for Underbelly chef/owner Chris Shepherd, who was named Best New Chef yesterday by Food & Wine. Shepherd is one of 10 Best New Chefs listed by the magazine, and is joined by the likes of Michael Voltaggio, at Ink in Los Angeles and Danny Bowien of Mission ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Pico's Mex-Mex and More Are Movin' On Up

If this week's roundup of openings and closings had a theme song, it would be "Movin' On Up" from The Jeffersons. Pico's Mex-Mex is doing just that, by vacating its old Bellaire location to move into the recently closed Maggie Rita's at Richmond and Kirby. The Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook broke ... More >>

Houston -- and Texas -- Well-Represented Going into 2013 James Beard Award Finals

The finalists for this year's James Beard Foundation Awards were announced in several categories today that spanned the breadth of the food world from culinary writing to cooking. And just as Houston was well-represented in the semi-finalist round, we also secured some big-name finalists in advance ... More >>

Openings & Closings: The Big Sleep for The Big Mamou

Earlier this week, Eating...Our Words got the scoop on a few upcoming openings to keep an eye on, starting with the new Fat Cat Creamery ice cream parlor opening this summer in the Heights. Owners Jarvis and Sarah Johnston plan to sell eight flavors of their popular hand-packed ice cream, mixing fiv ... More >>

Openings & Closings, Heavy on the "Closings"

While there wasn't a whole lot of good news to report this week, there was a rash of closings. The holidays can be killer like that. After many years in business serving martinis to the Shepherd Plaza crowd, The Davenport closed last week. Often dubbed "The Davensnort" for the, ahem, activities tha ... More >>

Chefs Rate America's Food Critics at the Daily Meal; Two Houston Writers Get Ranked

They say that turnabout is fair play, and that's just what The Daily Meal did this week when it polled a group of chefs across the U.S. to see how those chefs rated some of the nation's most preeminent food critics. Those 20 food critics were chosen by Arthur Bovino, executive editor of The Daily M ... More >>

Burger Bars

Houston's Top 10

This Week In Deliciousness: Anonymity, Terrorism, and other Keywords That Will Draw Traffic From the FBI

Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating... Our Words, where we've spent the last few days allergy-sick, lying around watching cable TV and wondering who has the worst rate of success: Intervention or Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. With some of the restaurant owners they feature, it se ... More >>

Partially Anonymous Food Critic Alison Cook Speaks at a Public Event, Is Dismayed When Eater Runs a Photo

Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook appeared at a public event over the weekend, speaking in front of a large group at the Metropolitan Cooking Show in Reliant Center. Several audience members took photos of Cook, one of which was published on Eater Houston this morning under the headline: "Ch ... More >>

A Lesson in Decadence at Kata Robata Sushi Grill

I usually reserve fine dining for the weekend, when I can take some time and really enjoy myself, but some weekdays also call for a decadent meal. One Wednesday evening after a grueling day at work, I headed to Kata Robata. Since being named number two on Alison Cook's list, the place has been packe ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Blind Items and Other "Fun" Activities

A busier week than last gives us some bad news, some intriguing news, some good news and a couple of interesting blind items. Let's get that bad news out of the way first. Samba Grille closed last Saturday evening after service. The downtown restaurant -- which won our 2011 Best of Houston® award ... More >>

This Week in Food Blogs: Houston's Top 100 Restaurants?

29-95: To quote Peter Gabriel, the "big big big big big big big big big" news this week was the release of Alison Cook's top 100 restaurants in Houston. I can't imagine how monumental of a task it was to compile not only the list, but all of the write-ups that accompany each entry. The full list -- ... More >>

5 Things Not to Do If a Food Critic Is Eating at Your Restaurant

In this week's cafe review of Liberty Kitchen, I had a difficult time pegging the restaurant and what it's trying to be. Oyster bar with killer burgers and cocktails? Upscale dinner destination? Casual lunching spot with confusing prices? I ended up drawing my own conclusions -- which you can read i ... More >>

Everybody Loves Raymond Peña's Donut Heaven & Grill

Well, at least Alison Cook and I seem to. In a funny bit of overlap, the Houston Chronicle's food critic visited Peña's Donut Heaven & Grill during the same general time frame last week -- she for one of her Burger Friday posts, and I for this week's cafe review -- and we both came away very impres ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

The Loop Scoop: TLS has some choice words for D'Amico's, which recently invited the Chronicle's Alison Cook to eat in the restaurant with a chalkboard sign meant as a counterpoint to a sign banning the critic at Liberty Kitchen. Dude, You Going to Eat That?: Just because the whole city is in love w ... More >>

Eat a Burger, Fight Hunger at Little Bitty Burger Barn

​If I were asked to create my own burger to be featured on a menu, it would contain blue cheese and bacon -- and would preferably be served on a locally-baked bun; none of this soggy Sunbeam business. So imagine my surprise when I heard that Little Bitty Burger Barn owner Ricardo Luna had not ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Blue Jean Gourmet: Former EOW blogger Nishta Mehra's first post of 2011 on her ... More >>

The Most Disappointing Restaurant Openings of 2010

Gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes accompanied news that we'd no longer be able to enjoy Sabetta's homemade sausage and peppers.​This week, we start our countdown of 2010 restaurant openings and closings, counting down the restaurants that opened in 2010 after great advance buzz only to ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Robb Walsh: Walsh has been documenting a variety of very interesting, very time ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. The Mighty Rib: Kevin's been on the road lately and reviewing restaurant far ou ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Dude, You Going To Eat That?: In the midst of all the hubbub about the high-fru ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Aghastronome: Former contributor to the now-defunct Houstonist, Mary Jane Poorm ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Cook's Tour: After many years of being a holdout despite her long-term Texas ci ... More >>

Silent Auction To Benefit Gulf Fishermen: Foodie Goodies For Sale

​Even if you aren't attending the upcoming Ceviche Throwdown, you can still help with the Houston Chowhounds' goal of raising $15,000 to support local Gulf fishermen in the wake of the BP oil spill and ensuing environmental disaster. An online silent auction, organized by head 'Hound Jenny Wan ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Fork and Cork: Greg Morago reports on the rumors swirling around Textile lately ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Whole Fish: Wondering what that funny yellow fruit is that's been popping up on ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Cook's Tour: Here's an idea whose time has come... Alison Cook is doing a weekl ... More >>

The Yelp Effect

​Although there was no shortage of food-related panels at the Interactive portion of South by Southwest (SXSWi) this year, none were as insightful or as incendiary as The Yelp Effect, a frank discussion on the effect that online reviews and criticisms have on the restaurant industry. Led by A ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Foodie Houston: We can't disagree with Jodie's statement that "Chris Shepherd R ... More >>

Shrimp Wars: Calling Bullshit

Inside Baseball at the Bistro

Chef John Sheely's Mockingbird Bistro could end up as an inside-the-park home run

Letters

Letters

Diner's Notebook

Traction Report

Diner's Notebook

The Empire Strikes Back

Diner's Notebook

Slippage Report

Diner's Notebook

Top of the Morning

Cook Gets Two Beards

Cook Is Beard Finalist

Annals of Downtown

Letters

Bombay Buffet

Letters

Press Wins Awards

A Katie for the Katy and kudos to Cook

Simply Fondon't

Hot Plate

Louisiana Lunch

Letters

Letters

Letters