Subject: Bunker Hill

• Stay Away from the Katy Freeway

  November 16, 2007

• Ignore The Coming Depression By Bowling Luxuriously

  When we think of bowling, we don't generally think of a fine-dining experience. And when we think of the current state of the economy, we don't think of a more expensive way to enjoy a traditionally cheap activity. So we were a bit surprised to hear about 300, AMF's new chain of upscale bowling venues. A location opened in Houston on Bunker Hill near the Marq-E Center last week and Hair Balls headed over to check out it out. We were greeted by the sound of Beyonce booming over the speakers as

  November 21, 2008

• Ignore The Coming Depression By Bowling Luxuriously

  When we think of bowling, we don't generally think of a fine-dining experience. And when we think of the current state of the economy, we don't think of a more expensive way to enjoy a traditionally cheap activity. So we were a bit surprised to hear about 300, AMF's new chain of upscale bowling venues. A location opened in Houston on Bunker Hill near the Marq-E Center last week and we headed over to check out it out.We were greeted by the sound of Beyonce booming over the speakers as her video p

  November 23, 2008

• Last Minute Thanksgiving Shopping

  Photos by Robb Walsh Forgot the whipped cream for the pumpkin pie? You might take the opportunity to check out the latest in grocery stores -- the new mega-HEB at Bunker Hill and I-10. It's only 130,000 square feet -- the humongo-HEB in Pearland is slightly bigger -- but it's still the biggest grocery store I've ever seen. The day I stopped in the place had some amazing specials for the grand opening sale--like lobsters for $8 a pound and leg of lamb for $4 a pound.

  November 26, 2008

• Weekend Find

  Late season heirloom tomatoes at the newly-opened H-E-B in west Houston at Bunker Hill and I-10. These beautiful babies were going for $5.99 a pound when I visited the much-ballyhooed new H-E-B on Saturday afternoon.  The bins were heaving with at least a dozen varieties of tomatoes: Aunt Ruby's, Golden Grapes, Armenian, even what looked like Black Ethiopians (which are -- incongruously -- from the Ukraine).  But even though there were three bins full of the sweet-fleshed j

  December 14, 2008

• The Grocery Store Corridor

  If you put stock in any of the numerous lists of food trends for 2009 that place "at-home cooking" as the most important trend of the new year, you'll be happy to know that Houston is continually offering plenty of places for you to do your shopping.  Grocery stores, like oil, are still big business in Houston and new chains are popping up throughout the city. Two of the most recent chains, Super H Mart and 99 Ranch, are located in a corridor along Katy Freeway that may well be reaching cri

  January 16, 2009

• Cut & Run

  June 20, 1996

• Friends & Family Free at Five

    Photo courtesy of Lodigs. A "regular" sized cheeseburger at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.Get your grub on today -- for free! -- at the grand opening of Houston's first Five Guys Burgers and Fries at Bunker Hill and I-10.  All you have to do is become a fan of Five Guys at their Facebook fan page and free burgers and fries are yours, today only, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and in the evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Five Guys started out in Arlington, Virginia in 1986

  March 18, 2009

• Oysters and Coffee

  photo by Robb Walsh These petite-sized Galveston Bay oysters made a lovely breakfast. I ate them with some heavily buttered German sourdough rye toast from the HEB on Bunker Hill and a cup of Community Club coffee. A drop of lemon and a dash of Tabasco perked up the breakfast half shells nicely. Oysters and coffee taste great together. I bought a sack of Galveston Bay oysters last week, probably my last of the season. I stop eating raw oysters when the water temperature gets above 65 F. The

  March 25, 2009

• Pizza Like Patsy Used to Make at Grimaldi's

  February 26, 2009

• Rivercrest, CityPass and BARC

  Did the Rivercrest richies get their way?

  May 22, 2008

• Cajun Gets a Crewcut at Denis' Seafood House

  January 31, 2008

• La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

  Old-fashioned Tex-Mex served in the atmosphere of your choice

  June 28, 2007

• Dust to Dust

  Robert Towne's homage to a struggling writer is something of a struggle itself

  March 16, 2006

• All Duct Up

  From leftist camps and corporate security to semi-panic and port patrols, Houstonians tackle terrorism threats. Sort of.

  March 13, 2003

• Rock of Ages

  Houston singer-songwriter Brandon Stanley gets by with a little help from his friend... upstairs

  February 1, 2001

• Not So Clear Cut

  June 18, 2009

• Cheap Lobsters Flooding the Market

  Photo by Robb WalshDesperate lobster fisherman are selling cheap lobsters by the side of the road, undercutting an already weak market for the luxury seafood item, according to recent accounts. An Atlantic article, "The Mystery of Cheap Lobster Prices," explains that the crash of the Icelandic banking system and subsequent closing of Canadian packing plants is to blame for the flood of lobster that's currently hitting the market. With nowhere to unload their excess catch, lobstermen are putting

  July 7, 2009

• The Stampede Towards Buffalo Market

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt Whimsical cakes take the stage at the Buffalo Market's bakery​H-E-B is opening yet another new concept store in Houston, after finding success here with Central Market, H-E-B Pantry, Mi Tienda and the vast new 129,000-square-foot H-E-B at Bunker Hill and I-10. Buffalo Market, so called for its location along Buffalo Speedway at Bissonnet, will have its grand opening tomorrow -- August 5 -- at 6 a.m. after nearly five years in the making. The wine

  August 4, 2009

• Openings and Closings

  ​Was last week's announcement that Galleria-area Tex-Mex joint Maggie Rita's (2800 Sage) had closed perhaps a bit hasty? It seems so, since the owners contacted our friends at B4-U-Eat to let them know that they were indeed still open, but had been closed for a few weeks to repair damages after a fire. Call us crazy, but maybe answering your phone during those weeks to confirm that you're still open would be a good idea as a restaurant... In other news, several restaurants opened th

  August 14, 2009

• Café Cubano's Cuban Sandwich

  Photos by Robb Walsh​At Café Cubano, 9411 Richmond, the pre-made Cuban sandwiches are kept in the refrigerator. When you order one, the counter person heats it in the microwave and then puts it on the sandwich press. I drank a cortadito (sweet espresso) while I waited. Café Cubano's Cuban sandwich sells for $5; a cortadito is $1. I was a little skeptical of the cooking method, but the results were impressive. The cheese was melted through, the crust of the roll had a nice texture, the

  August 21, 2009

• Buzz Beer: Real Ale Coffee Porter

  ​Last autumn, when you could only get smooth, creamy, Real Ale Coffee Porter on draft, I named it one of my Top Ten Texas beers. This year, I was delighted to find it in bottles. I wasn't so delighted by the $9 price tag at the Bunker Hill HEB, but I gritted my teeth and paid up.

  October 19, 2009

• This Fall, A New H-E-B for Spring

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​Texas grocery chain H-E-B is set to open its newest Houston-area store tomorrow, November 11. The new H-E-B Spring Market on FM 2920 has taken cues from both the leviathan at Bunker Hill and I-10 and smaller, more intimate stores like the recently opened Buffalo Market. In fact, the square footage of the Spring Market is roughly the same as the Bunker Hill location -- 85,000 square feet -- but features a far better use of the space. Gone is the Cafe on the Run

  November 10, 2009